
Hey Doc
actually CIA through USAF operated with U2's in completly silence, but after years of spying, the incidents and acidents with her they decided to "withdraw" the model, so NASA started to use for high altitude research, some of 'em are all modified in order to measure polution radiation and others at highest level of the atmosphere.
Lemon
I sense that VC are quite dificult to build, dunno if this is true, but I think it is, maybe for this reason Mr. Ito never built his own VC's....maybe