After 50 years, the U-2 remains on the cutting edge Published Sept. 24, 2012 By Senior Airman Shawn Nickel 9th RW Public Affairs BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., -- Whether people recognize it by the Snoopy-like nose or by the flat black paint and red lettering on the tail, the U-2 has become an Air Force reconnaissance icon in its 50 years of military operations. Since the first model was assembled in the 1950s, the aircraft's original, shiny aluminum skin has evolved to the current flat black paint scheme, and its mission has broadened as intelligence imagery techniques have improved... Click the link to or go to http://airman.dodlive.mil/2012/09/u-2-above-all/ to read the entire story in Airman Online.