A U-2 Dragon Lady flies over the Golden Gate Bridge near San Francisco (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Robert M. Trujillo) China has accused the USAF of sending a U-2 spy plane into a no-fly zone to “trespass” on live-fire exercises being conducted by China below. A supposed overflight by …
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A U-2 Dragon Lady pilot assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing pilots the high-altitude reconnaissance platform at approximately 70,000 feet above an undisclosed location. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. Ross Franquemont/Released) The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed “Dragon Lady”, is an American single-jet engine, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by …
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To extend the range of the aircraft and reach more remote targets, the CIA approached the Navy proposing to develop the ability to launch and land U-2s from carriers. Project Whale Tale began on an August morning in 1963, when test pilot Bob Schumacher took off with his U-2 from …
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On 1 May 1960, a United States U-2 spy plane was shot down by the Soviet Air Defence Forces while performing photographic aerial reconnaissance deep into Soviet territory. The single-seat aircraft, flown by pilot Francis Gary Powers, was hit by an S-75 Dvina (SA-2 Guideline) surface-to-air missile and crashed near …
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The U.S. Air Force has deployed U-2 Dragon Lady high-altitude, all-weather surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to Royal Air Force Fairford, England. The mission of the U-2 is to provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities in order to meet combatant commander objectives. The deployment of ISR assets to the European theater …
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Lockheed characterised the test as a “ground-breaking” demonstration of “multi-domain operations and the secure distribution of sensitive information across multiple platforms.” This test showed the “next-level” of connectivity intended to reduce the data-to-decision timeline from minutes to seconds, according to the release. The demonstration also leveraged the F-35 sensor data …
Read More » U-2 Spy Plane Landings and Takeoffs on Aircraft Carrier. Project Whale Tale: Lockheed U-2 Big-wing spy planes once operated from America’s flattops. To extend the range of the aircraft and reach more remote targets, the CIA approached the Navy proposing to develop the ability to launch and land U-2s from …
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The U-2 Dragonlady has been a staple of the United States Air Force for over 50 years and continues to excel in recon missions. Missions in a U-2 can be quite lengthy so a pilot’s appetite may get the better of them after a while. Yet, these pilots can’t take off …
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On 1 May 1960, a United States U-2 spy plane was shot down by the Soviet Air Defence Forces while performing photographic aerial reconnaissance deep into Soviet territory. The single-seat aircraft, flown by pilot Francis Gary Powers, was hit by an S-75 Dvina (SA-2 Guideline) surface-to-air missile and crashed near …
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