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time-lapse footage shows an entire U-2 plane being disassembled by Lockheed Martin technicians. Every U-2 plane gets revised part by part, repainted, and reassembled every 4,700 flight hours. More than 40,000 rivets and 1,800 individual parts, plus the fuselage, get inspected—and repaired or replaced if needed—to assure "a record-high operational rate" (in plain English: These planes have been flying for decades without glitches.)