The PR9 versions are capable of about 550 mph (885 kph), but what makes them superb for reconnaissance is that they can fly at more than 50, 000 feet (15, 240 metres) - their actual ceiling is classified - which few aircraft can manage even today.
He proposed that the talks on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) include limits heretofore resisted by NATO, namely on troops (notably a common ceiling requiring a 30, 000-man reduction in U.S. forces there) and on aircraft.