70 years young and still setting records
Hard to believe that the U-2 has been part of the aerial landscape – OK, it’s up there somewhere but forget about seeing one from the ground! – for 70 years. I’d hazard cash green money that is longer than the vast majority of you DWs and DWettes have been around. Seven decades – seventy years since its maiden flight in 1955 – and the Dragon Lady just keeps going.
To celebrate the anniversary of its first flight 70 years ago to the day, a U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane just set several new records, a U.S. Air Force official confirmed to The War Zone. The official could not immediately say what records were set, but the pilot’s conversation with air traffic control said it was an “endurance record for category and class for aircraft.”
According to the pilot, they took off Thursday night and were due to land Friday after setting some new records in their class. Most 70-year old aircraft are lucky to get in the air, much less show up for work every day. (I’ll make an exception for the C-47/DC-3 – it, the Ford 300 cid six cylinder,and the cockroaches may be the only things still around after Armageddon.)
The zoom climb at the end of the mission would put the aircraft at a low fuel state and very light weight — especially if its configured without mission systems — the exceptionally rare TU-2S trainer may be ideal for this, or a stripped U-2S. This would allow for it to streak skyward as quickly as possible.
Given its operational ceiling is 70,000 feet – call it over 13 MILES – that’s gonna be cool. As close to space as you can go without strapping on a rocket – and all they have is a decades-old turbofan. Probably roughly equivalent to breaking the sound barrier in a radial-engined biplane.
The flight comes as the Air Force is looking to retire the turbofan spy plane, developed during the Cold War to gather intelligence about Russia. The Lockheed and CIA’s top-secret U-2 program, code named Aquatone, coincided with the founding of Area 51, with the aircraft taking its first flight from there on August 1st, 1955.
It’s record for budgetary survival may finally be coming to an end as the USAF questions its ability to survive in the air. Despite what it can bring to the table in terms of the ability to fly high and linger long while collecting intelligence and sharing data, the Air Force plans to retire the fleet over concerns of its vulnerability in a potential future conflict.
It’s not like its vulnerability isn’t known – this is the plane Francis Gary Powers had when it was discovered that Russian SAMs could go a lot higher than we had thought they could back in 1960. I suspect that some of the readers may have even seen some product from U-2 flights?
Regardless, the Dragon Lady continues to be a uniquely high-flying ISR platform capable of carrying a wide array of different imaging, signals intelligence, data-relay and other sensors simultaneously. U-2s, which regularly operate from a variety of forward locations and flying long missions near enemy territory, therefore providing immense flexibility, especially compared to satellites that are constrained by their orbits and very short times over the collection target. The U-2 also flies domestic missions, including on missions around the border with Mexico as part of the U.S. military’s support for southwestern border security efforts. The War Zone
Thankfully, the Cartels haven’t acquired anything THAT nasty to bring her down!
Next year, 2026, is supposed to be the end. But you have to wonder – when it comes time to collect specific info that only she can bring back – will the Air Force have a couple set aside?
Remember that Chinese balloon a while back that was too high for any fighter to reach? The above shot is of the balloon, looking DOWN from the U-2 cockpit.
Category: Air Force
Only a year younger than her big brother the B52, that went operational in 1955. Hard to believe the old cold war toys are still flying after all this time.
Hard salute.
Was big news back in 1960 when the U-2 got hit, I remember it well.
Sixteen years later fourteen-year-old Larry Mullen would put up an ad on his school bulletin board to form what would become the greatest Irish rock/ Christian Rock bands of all time, with the .name inspired by the plane. The idea of naming themselves after a US military plane wasn’t original, the B52s had already been around for a couple of years before they picked the new name. Like the B52s there was a double meaning behind the name.
Hard to believe they are still together.
Had no idea Gary Powers was a member.
He was a more of a writer. He Co-wrote We Didn’t Start the Fire with Billy Joel as well.
You missed something that will still exist post-Armageddon. Keith Richards.
Cockroaches and George Soros
And Willie Nelson.
Ditto with Keith Richards!
I saw Willie in Denver in 1997. I saw him again last year, couldn’t tell the difference.
She has had some bad days
Just like legos.
I thought the Ruskies only shot down one.
I think those are in china
Got to spend some time with U-2 in 2003 in the ME. Watching it land while a Mustang raced to get underneath the wing was interesting to say the least.
One landed at Hickam during RIMPAC 2022. Was standing on the flight line (secured area) and suddenly there it was, with the chase truck flying after it. Awesome sight.
Back when we built well.
Unlike a lot of the more recent trash.
We’re still using them. Called the ER-2.
https://www.space.com/nasa-er-2-spy-plane-mineral-mapping
NASA has a few even older dogs still doing tricks for them. The B-57 originally entered service with the USAF in 1952…
https://airbornescience.nasa.gov/aircraft/WB-57_-_JSC
I saw one on the ground at Osan AB, (85? 86?). Impressive even standing still.
Went to a barbecue the squadron hosted, the hangar was just over the fence from their hq. The used a Camero as a chase car.
They were based at OSAN in 85-86 when I spent my 57 week remote there. Stll there in 2023
Most if not all of the U-2s flying these days were built as TR-1s during the Reagan administration.
The U-2 Program Office manages the life support equipment (suits, helmets, gloves, etc) for the U-2 NASA ER-2s and B-57s as well as the U-2.
Was bringing back a bunch of U-2 support cargo from a rotation down in Roosey Roads in the ’80’s. We were #3 in the pattern at Beale. #1 was an SR-71 taking off and we followed a U-2 landing. It was mid afternoon and “Clear and a Million”. One of the cooler aviation moments in my 21+ career!