[Red Badger]

Technically the plane was not hit directly.

It disintegrated from the shockwave of a missile detonating close by...............

[DesertRhino]

That’s “shot down”. If the explosion causes structural damage that makes the plane come apart....

[logi_cal869]

I recall reading what might have been a declassified document that the reason he was in missile was due to the then-top-secret vulnerability of the U2’s turbofan engine: Flameout at high altitudes.

I can’t find what I was looking for, but this article elaborates on the problem.

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/the-story-of-when-a-taiwanese-u-2-pilot-flamed-out-at-70000-feet-over-the-rocky-mountains-and-glided-to-a-rough-night-landing-at-a-remote-airport-in-colorado/

[Captain Walker]

Technically the plane was not hit directly.

Even a torpedo isn't actually striking a ship, although nobody denies the torpedo sank the ship.