Lockheed Martin (LM) has upped its game at the U-2 Dragon Lady overhaul facility in Palmdale. At a change of command ceremony there on 3 September, Air Force and company managers praised the workforce for delivering 12 consecutive jets out of Programed Depot Maintenance (PDM) with zero defects. The ceremony marked the departure of Maj … Continue reading AIR FORCE PRAISES U-2 DEPOT IN HANDOVER CEREMONY

I wrote an article on this exciting development for AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS, where I am the Defense Editor. You can find it here.

Some 450 people are expected at the big bash to mark the 60th anniversary of the U-2 on 12th September. Unlike some other reunion groups, the Dragon Lady Association does not meet every year. So the celebration at Beale AFB and in Sacramento will be a precious chance to renew old friendships and recall times … Continue reading 60 YEARS OF THE U-2 DRAGON LADY

This is a perennial topic of discussion, and it’s peppered with falsehoods. Joe Public often fails to realize that the last of the original U-2s that were built in 1955-57, were retired by 1980. That’s 35 years ago! The USAF’s top ISR officer has contributed to the debate. Speaking last February at a breakfast meeting … Continue reading JUST HOW ‘OLD’ IS THE U-2 ?

Upon receiving some cost-per-flying hour data for FY2014 recently, Northrop Grumman quickly issued a statement claiming that the Global Hawk’s CPFH was now “half the cost of the manned alternative.” That alternative is the U-2, of course. Hmmm. To properly evaluate that statement, requires a good understanding of the detailed methodology that the number-crunchers use … Continue reading THE COST-PER-FLYING HOUR DEBATE

I wrote in the closing paragraphs of DRAGON LADY TODAY that if – as widely supposed - a stealthy, high-flying ISR platform was in development at Groom Lake, it might not be affordable as a one-for-one replacement for the U-2. Aviation Week calls this platform the RQ-180, but I prefer Penetrating-ISR or P-ISR, since that … Continue reading A SECRET AND STEALTHY U-2 REPLACEMENT – WHAT’S THE LATEST?

The Pentagon bowed to pressure and reinstated the U-2 for another five years when it sent the FY2016 defense budget to Congress in early February 2015. But that budget is deliberately set at a much higher total than would be permitted, if Congress does not in the meantime amend or repeal the Budget Control Act. … Continue reading USAF WOULD DUMP U-2 FLEET, IF SEQUESTRATION RETURNS