Many surveillance aircraft have flown near or over Ukraine in recent weeks. You may have seen the maps of their tracks which have appeared on social media, thanks to Flight Radar 24, ADS-B Exchange, and other flight tracking websites. They have included US Air Force E-8 JSTARS, RC-135 Rivet Joints, and RQ-4 Global Hawks; US … Continue reading “INVISIBLE” U-2 PLAYS ITS PART IN UKRAINE SURVEILLANCE
TOWARD THE UNKNOWN – A PATCH REVIVED
US Air Force personnel assigned to The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) are now wearing a unit patch derived from a famous patch worn by U-2 pilots from the late 1950s through the early 1980s. The NGA employs some 14,500 people who exploit and analyze imagery and geospatial information for the US military, other government agencies, … Continue reading TOWARD THE UNKNOWN – A PATCH REVIVED
U-2 RETIREMENT – HERE WE GO AGAIN!
Another budget request, another plan to retire the U-2. But don’t count on it. In the small print of the USAF’s Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) presidential budget request, there is a statement that the Dragon Lady will be “divested” in Fiscal Year 2026. But there is a glaring omission. Unlike previous budget requests, there is … Continue reading U-2 RETIREMENT – HERE WE GO AGAIN!
CLOUDS, CODES AND AI ON “THE PERFECT PLATFORM”
“The U-2 is the perfect platform to drive cutting-edge military technology” said the 9th Wing commander Col Heather Fox. She was referring to recent pioneering U-2 flights that have explored how cloud computing can install innovative software into aircraft that are already airborne, enabling sensors and navigation systems to react quickly to fast-changing threats. The … Continue reading CLOUDS, CODES AND AI ON “THE PERFECT PLATFORM”
A HISTORY OF PRESSURE SUITS
U-2 pilots rely on their pressure suits, which have been developed over many decades
BEALE HIRES CIVILIANS AS U-2 INSTRUCTOR PILOTS
Three very experienced former U-2 pilots have returned to fly again as instructors.
ARCTIC DRAGONS MAKE FAIRFORD THEIR HOME
It is now one year since the 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron (ERS) began to move from Al Dhafra airbase in the UAE to RAF Fairford in the UK. Since last November, the squadron has been busy flying operational missions in an eastward direction. The usual sensor fit is the ASARS imaging radar plus the ASIP … Continue reading ARCTIC DRAGONS MAKE FAIRFORD THEIR HOME
INNOVATION IN THE U-2 COCKPIT
The Dragon Lady was fitted with fixed modern cockpit displays 15-20 years ago, making piloting much easier on missions, including communication and navigation. But as the years passed, the cockpit upgrade increasingly lacked compliance with FAA/ICAO civil navigation procedures. Moreover, portable electronic devices flourished, and they were adapted for use by civilian aviators. Now, U-2 … Continue reading INNOVATION IN THE U-2 COCKPIT
THE U-2 HAS PIONEERED AIRBORNE NETWORKING
One of the hottest topics in the US military today is networking for battle management. Work to connect sensors, systems, shooters and decision-makers across the armed forces, in real time, is accelerating. They now call it Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2). But the U-2 has been at the forefront of this effort for more … Continue reading THE U-2 HAS PIONEERED AIRBORNE NETWORKING
IN THE FY2021 BUDGET, THE U-2 SURVIVES, GLOBAL HAWK CHOPPED
The Dragon Lady has survived yet another defense budget review. Although its future was examined as the Pentagon crafted the FY2021 request, the program survived intact. Instead, all 20 of the Global Hawk Block 30s that serve alongside the U-2 at Beale, are to be dumped. Ten Block 40 versions of the UAV based at … Continue reading IN THE FY2021 BUDGET, THE U-2 SURVIVES, GLOBAL HAWK CHOPPED
Dragon Lady Today 