Dressed for a combat mission in U2 "Dragonlady" reconnaissance aircraft almost looks like a spaceship pilot in a yellow suit and wearing a massive white hat.

Costumes must be refrigerated all the time, otherwise the pilots would die from heat stroke within a few minutes, they needed to protect crew members when they fly missions over Iraq and Syria. US air force CNN was given rare access to the plane U2, which is in a secret location in the middle East. We can only identify the pilots, their rank, names and their call signs.

The pilot was named captain Steven. His call "Meathead." He was taken to the plane in the bus similar to those to deliver astronauts to their spacecraft. He was connected with the mobile device cooling all the time. Dozens of ground staff preparing the plane for U2 10-hour mission.

U2 can go up to more than 70 thousand feet, making it an important element in the attempt to find and destroy the leaders of ISIS.

U2 "Dragonlady" is a aircraft of the cold war. He flies since 1950. But the planes were modernized with new sensors and cameras, making them an important element in the intelligence war against ISIS. But they are not the only one. Drones also play an important role. From the massive Global Hawk which can stay aloft for more than 24 hours to the smaller predator and Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles, all these platforms are encouraged to observe and destroy ISIS.

And it looks like the job for U2 will not end soon, as the international coalition continues to increase the pressure and firepower trying to destroy the network permanently.
sections: Politics, World News, Accidents