WATCH Tesla Model S acting as an electric ‘WINGMAN’ for a Lockheed U-2 Spy Plane at RAF Fairford

Video of a pair of Lockheed U-2 Spy Planes taking off at RAF Fairford, helped by a Tesla Model S acting as its eyes and ears – an electric wingman.

There was a time when a man with a red flag used to walk in front of cars to act as their eyes and ears so the new-fangled technology didn’t do anything daft and frighten the innocent. And that, in a way, ist still going on – with planes.

Not just any plane, but the Lockheed U-2 Spy plane which, it seems, is almost incapable of taking off and landing without a wingman in a car.

That’s partly down to the terrible visibility from the cockpit, but also, we assume, because the U-2 Spy Plane is now a sixty-year old design, despite which it’s still in service, and doesn’t have an enormous amount of sophisticated technology to give the pilot the information needed.

So it seems that when taking of and landing, Air Forces use a quick car – driven by a U-2 Pilot – to act as eyes and ears and keep the pilot informed about when he can touch down and when he can take off.

In the US, the car used is usually a bit of Detroit muscle, but when a pair of U-2 Spy Planes visited RAF Fairford last month, they found something quite different do the job – a Tesla Model S.

With its instant torque and impressive acceleration – and a good view out with the panoramic glass roof – the Tesla earned its keep by safely seeing the two U-2s off the ground.

And to prove it’s all real, we even have video.

Tesla Model S U-2-Spy Plane Wingman at RAF Fairford Video