Spy Plane

The Lockheed U-2 Spy Plane is a 3 killstreak reward available for use in Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Call of Duty: Black Ops
Akin to the Recon Plane in Call of Duty: World at War and the UAV Recon in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the Spy Plane reveals enemies as a red dot on the mini-map, but can be shot down by enemy players and the SAM Turret or certain non-care package launchers. It takes 3 kills (2 with Hardline) without dying to use The Spy Plane. The Spy Plane is one of three killstreaks to be unlocked from the start, the other two being the Care Package and Attack Helicopter. Spy planes fly in a clockwise direction; this is how they can be distinguished from Counter-Spy planes, which fly counter-clockwise.

Multiplayer Tips

 * Be aware of the situation at hand - if the enemy has just called in a SAM Turret, it's best to save a Spy Plane for later in the game.
 * Not many players realize, but other than revealing non-Ghost enemy, Spy Planes also reveal enemy killstreaks such as an RC-XD being driven around with a red car icon.
 * When the enemy has just taken your team's flag in Capture the Flag, calling in the Spy Plane will mark the flag runner with a "KILL" icon in your team's mini-map - making him an easy bounty target.
 * If the enemy team is always using Spy Planes, running Ghost will give you an advantage as they would most likely have their eyes distracted by constantly looking back at their mini-map.
 * Never activate your Spy Plane while the enemy has a Counter-Spy Plane in the air as Counter-Spy Planes cancel Spy Planes out.
 * Spy Planes, albeit being the lowest killstreak, are great for helping you build up to your higher killstreaks. Since killstreak "kills" do not stack anymore, having an RC-XD at 3 kills (2 with Hardline) would usually get you 1 or 2 kills depending on your luck, whereas a Spy Plane would show you the location of your next few kills. If you are a new player, then it is adviced to use the RC-XD because then it is easy to sqeeze of a kill or 2. If you are more experienced, then the spy plane is better because you can find more kills that count for killstreaks.
 * The Spy Plane will always fly clock-wise.
 * Spy Planes are much harder to shoot down than they were in previous Call of Duty games. Most maps have multiple structures that obstruct your aerial view and since Spy Planes are larger and fly at a lower altitude, oftentimes they would be well-covered for a good 5 seconds.
 * When deciding to shoot down a Spy Plane, use a launcher-based weapon to do so. Looking up in the sky and spamming bullets will only attract enemies and get you killed. Also, the Spy Plane is so far away you probably won't even hit it with gunfire.
 * Do not heavily rely on the Spy Plane, as the Ghost perk owners do not show up on it. This is especially important in Black Ops, because in previous Call of Duty titles Stopping Power was often used instead of the UAV-blocking perk however in Black Ops more people are using Ghost.
 * By combining Spy Plane along with the SR-71 Blackbird killstreak, higher Tier killstreaks such as the Attack Dogs and Gunship can be much easier to achieve.
 * If expecting heavy air support from the enemy team, quickly locate and shoot down any Spy Planes to prevent them from locating easy multi-kills.
 * A SAM Turret is the best defense against Spy Plane spammers, as they would be auto-targeted and shot down in less than 5 seconds.
 * Using Hardline along with the Spy Plane can grant easy experience, as you only need a 2-killstreak to get one.
 * A combo with the Spy Plane involves the killstreaks Spy Plane, Blackbird, and Gunship. This helps you locate enemies with the Spy Plane, know where the player is going and location with the Blackbird, and if your fast enough with your kills you can rack up a lot of kills with the Gunship.
 * Never use the Spy Plane while there is a Blackbird, it is a waste, call in the Spy Plane only when the Blackbird expires.
 * Calling in multiple spy planes will increase the speed in which the mini-map is updated.
 * The Spy Plane used to have a different icon, as seen in early videos.
 * Using the Spy Plane on Demolition, Sabotage or Search and Destroy is a good idea, especially to the defending team's advantage.
 * Even though the Spy Plane lasts for 40 seconds, it can only be viewed for 25 seconds and during that time, it can be shot down.
 * The Spy Plane is one of the most used killstreaks in the game, because it is in the default class setup, is a useful low killstreak, and helps players obtain higher killstreaks.

Trivia

 * As indicated by U-2 fuel bar texture in game files, possibly the player originally controlled U-2 in game, or it is the time how long the Spy Plane appears on game.
 * Unlike in previous games, the Spy plane is a slightly rarer sight due to many players removing it as soon as possible for the other 3-killstreak, the RC-XD, believing that an RC-XD, which is almost a free kill every 3 kills, is better than the ability to get one or more kills with work.
 * Destroying a Spy Plane grants the player 150 XP. Calling one in grants 100 XP.
 * The Spy Plane is modeled after the U-2 plane that found missiles in Cuba (the Cuban Missile Crisis).
 * If the player calls in a spy plane while host migration is in progress, when the match resumes the user will be stuck holding the spy plane detonator until they die.
 * In the closed multiplayer beta, the Spetsnaz announcer referred to the Spy Plane as the U-2.
 * Unlike the UAV Recon, players can not see friendly planes when they are in the air. This is useful when trying to destroy an enemy Spy Plane.