Lockheed's hydrogen-fuelled U-2 successor never flew
Lockheed worked in the 1950s on a hydrogen-powered successor to the U-2 spy plane, an aircraft so large it was never flown. The programme briefly produced more liquid hydrogen than anywhere else in the United States.
In the 1950s, Lockheed worked on a replacement for the U-2 spy plane, centred on liquid hydrogen as fuel. The aircraft was designed around the properties of the gas, and as a result it was to be enormous. The reason is hydrogen's low energy density by volume. Storing enough of it for a flight takes far more space than the same energy in conventional aviation fuel such as kerosene. The design never got airborne, making it one of the more notable aircraft that were built towards but never flew. During the effort, the programme briefly produced more liquid hydrogen than anywhere else in America.
Sources
- simpleflying.comThe Lockheed Spyplane That Briefly Made More Liquid Hydrogen Than Anywhere Else In America