A bipartisan quartet of Senators has written to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin criticizing the Air Force’s plan to retire airborne ISR platforms including the U-2. They fear that the service cannot replace their capabilities with satellites fast enough to avoid unacceptable risk. Recent disclosures about the Air Force’s mostly-classified plans for ISR from space … Continue reading UNHAPPY SENATORS DESCRIBE AIRBORNE ISR CONCERNS
U-2 Dragon Lady
DOD SAYS U-2 RETIREMENT WILL SAVE $600 MILLION PER YEAR
The DOD has told Congress that retirement of the U-2 fleet will save $600 million annually. Meanwhile, actions to retire the Dragon Lady fleet have already begun, although NASA wants to keep its two ER-2 research aircraft in service. The Pentagon recently sent a written waiver to Congress justifying the divestment, as required by legislation … Continue reading DOD SAYS U-2 RETIREMENT WILL SAVE $600 MILLION PER YEAR
DESPITE AN ‘ELEPHANT WALK’, THE U-2 WILL BE RETIRED
Was last Thursday’s ‘Elephant Walk’ at Beale a publicity stunt to help keep the Dragon Lady flying? If so, it was too late. I have learned that the die is now cast, and U-2 phaseout actions have already begun. The Secretaries of the Air Force and Defense signed the certification that was required of them … Continue reading DESPITE AN ‘ELEPHANT WALK’, THE U-2 WILL BE RETIRED
AN UPDATE TO DRAGON LADY TODAY
Does Sunset Makes Sense? That’s the title of a new final chapter that I have written for my book DRAGON LADY TODAY. I have republished it as a second edition, and you can buy it from Amazon’s US site here, and their British site here. You can also find it on Amazon’s foreign-language websites, but … Continue reading AN UPDATE TO DRAGON LADY TODAY
ONLY TWO MORE YEARS FOR THE DRAGON LADY?
In its Fiscal Year 2024 budget request earlier this year, the US Air Force indicated a U-2 retirement date in FY 2026. However, HQ USAF said last week that the plan is to end operations in the very first month of FY2026, eg October 2025. In a written response to my questions about the planned … Continue reading ONLY TWO MORE YEARS FOR THE DRAGON LADY?
THE U-2 AND BALLOONS – SOME HISTORY, AND SOME THOUGHTS
A U-2 pilot looks down on the Chinese balloon. The shadow of his aircraft can be seen on the balloon's fabric. Intercepting stratospheric balloons is a new mission for the U-2, that proves again just how versatile the Dragon Lady can be – and how essential it is to retain a manned high-altitude reconnaissance capability. … Continue reading THE U-2 AND BALLOONS – SOME HISTORY, AND SOME THOUGHTS
329 – MY FAVOURITE U-2
It was the first enlarged and upgraded U-2, back in 1967. And 68-10329 is still is service, with nearly 31,500 flying hours.
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”
Dragon Lady Today 