Black Cat Squadron

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The Black Cat Squadron (traditional Chinese: 黑貓中隊; simplified Chinese: 黑猫中队; pinyin: hēi māo zhōngduì) was a squadron of the Republic of China Air Force that flew 102 U-2 surveillance flights over the People's Republic of China between 1962 and 1974.

Five U-2's were lost to PRC air defenses, with three dead pilots.

The intelligence gathered by the Black Cat Squadron, which included evidence of a military build-up on the Sino-Soviet border, may have contributed to the U.S. opening to China during the Nixon administration by revealing the escalating tensions between the two communist nations.

Shortly after Nixon's visit to Beijing, all reconnaissance flights over the People's Republic were ceased, and the Black Cat Squadron was officially disbanded in the spring of 1974.