U-2C Gary Powers 1960

Power’s U-2 was article 360 (56-6693). This aircraft was delivered as a U-2A, but was converted to a U-2C in Aug 59 (essentially a U‑2A “upengined” with a new Pratt & Whitney J-75-P-13A turbojet to compensate for the ever-increasing mission load). It was transferred to Adana, then forward-deployed to Peshawar, Pakistan, from where it flew its fateful 1 May 60 mission.

The only photos of this aircraft are of its wreckage, on display at the Central Armed Forces Museum in Moscow. Opinions differ on its markings and equipment on May 1. The wreckage indicates the aircraft had the interim enlarged intakes for the J75 engine, vs. the later “coke bottle” inlets, and did carry GIANT STRIDE slipper tanks under the wings, but not the full-length dorsal spine fairing of later U‑2C models. At that time, there were no HF radio tuner boxes on the spine, and no "sugar scoop" on the exhaust.
SIGINT System 3 shared a long Scimitar antenna with System 6, which was housed in a ventral fin.
SIGINT System 6, identifiable by rectangular antennas (with rounded corners) on both sides of the nose, two each circular and rectangular antennas on either side of the Q-bay hatch and Scimitar antenna which it shared with System 3 in the ventral fin. B-camera installation with seven windows was installed.

Starting in 1958 the CIA painted its U-2A/C's in a flat version of USN Gloss Sea Blue (AN607 non-specular Sea Blue paint, which matched the later FSN 35042 ANA Bulletin 157e, 15 October 1964). As for the interior colors, a dark green was used on the yoke, side rails, inside canopy frames and the bulkhead behind the seat. White glare shield on the main canopy. On operational CIA missions there was no three digit number on the tail nor national insignia. The only markings carried were the ejection seat warnings and emergency rescue data left and right below the cockpit. it also had mil-spec markings for fuel grade on the wings. By 1964, CIA aircraft had white walkway outlines on the wings plus "No Step" stencils at intervals. Whether it bore the ID number on the fin is open to debate.