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U-2 Dragon Lady Related News »

• Female U-2 pilots say gender isn't a factor
• U-2 squadron continues to fly high
• Veteran U-2 pilot completes long, rewarding career
• U-2 flies post-fire mission for damage assessment in California
• Global Hawk, U-2 and P-3 aircraft capture images of wildfires

The long, straight wings give the U-2 glider-like characteristics. It can carry a variety of sensors and cameras and is an extremely reliable reconnaissance aircraft.Because it has to fly at high altitude, the pilot must wear a full pressure suit. As a physical environment, space begins around 125 miles above the earth; but as a physiological environment, it begins at 50,000 feet - the space equivalent zone.Flying in this zone requires the protection of a full pressure suit to protect from the high altitude hazards of hypoxia, decompression sickness, Armstrong's Line, and extreme cold.

Current models are derived from the original version that made its first flight in August 1955. On Oct. 14, 1962, it was the U-2 that photographed the Soviet military installing offensive missiles in Cuba.

The U-2R, first flown in 1967, is 40 percent larger than the original U-2 designed by Kelly Johnson in the mid fifties. Current U-2R models are being re-engined and will be designated as a U-2S/ST. The Air Force accepted the first U-2S in October, 1994. The last R model trainer was converted to an S model trainer in 1999.

A tactical reconnaissance version, the TR-1A, first flew in August 1981 and was delivered to the Air Force the next month. Designed for stand-off tactical reconnaissance in Europe, the TR-1 was structurally identical to the U-2R. Operational TR-1A's were used by the 17th Reconnaissance Wing, Royal Air Force Station Alconbury, England, starting in February 1983.
During the five months of Desert Shield the U-2 flew 284 sorties and 2,726.2 hours averaging nearly 57 sorties and over 545 hours per month. During the six weeks of Desert Storm the U-2 flew 260 sorties and 2,022.5 hours averaging over 43 sorties and 337 hours per week. The U-2 provided approximately 50% of all imagery intelligence and 30 percent of the total intelligence for the war.

In 1992 all TR-1s and U-2s were redesignated U-2R, the Air Force planed to keep the U-2 in service through the year 2020.
In early 2006, the Pentagon decided to have the U-2 retired by the year 2011. On April 11 however, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Air Force told a House oversight panel they were reconsidering the retirement plans because of concerns a SIGINT-gap may emerge.

Recent developments:

Mar. 28th, 2008 | Female U-2 pilots say gender isn't a factor

SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- In its 50 years of flight, only six women pilots have been at the controls of the U-2 Dragon Lady. Three of those six are currently in the Air Force, and two of those three are currently fighting in operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, flying with the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing's 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, the only U-2 squadron in Southwest Asia. Maj. Merryl Tengesdal and Capt. Heather Fox, both U-2 pilots with the 99th ERS and deploy...
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Mar. 12th, 2008 | U-2 squadron continues to fly high

SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- Airmen of the 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron here continue to add to the U-2's 51-year history by being the only U-2 squadron in the area of responsibility supporting operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Since its introduction in 1957, the U-2 and the Airmen who support it have provided the United States and all its branches of military, with an unmatched upper hand on the enemy by providing high-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnais...
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Dec. 10th, 2007 | Veteran U-2 pilot completes long, rewarding career

BEALE AIR FORCE BASE Calif. -- Maj. Greg "Coach" Nelson piloted his final U-2 flight Thursday, concluding a long-running Air Force career. "This is a very significant event for me," said Major Nelson, 1st Reconnaissance Squadron assistant director of operations. "It has been an amazing career and I've been truly blessed to be a part of this. "When I was up there, I thought about the jet," Major Nelson said. "I thought about my 16 years with it; how it was different then than it is now an...
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Nov. 2nd, 2007 | U-2 flies post-fire mission for damage assessment in California

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (ACCNS) -- A U-2 Dragon Lady flew a final sortie Oct. 31 to assess the aftermath of the Southern California wildfires, marking the end of a busy seven days for the reconnaissance aircraft at Beale AFB. The last flight provided photos for damage-assessment to help civil authorities determine what needs to be done for relief and recovery efforts, said Col. Bob Piacine, Air Combat Command deputy director of intelligence. Throughout the crisis, the U-2 and RQ-4 Gl...
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Oct. 30th, 2007 | Global Hawk, U-2 and P-3 aircraft capture images of wildfires

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Throughout the week Air Forces Northern tasked specialized aircraft to provide still photos and video of Southern California wildfires to firefighting commanders and civil authorities on the ground. Among the aircraft were the RQ-4 Global Hawk and U-2 Dragon Lady mapping aircraft from Beale Air Force Base, Calif., and a Navy P-3 Orion aircraft flying out of Naval Air Station North Island, Calif. According to officials at Air Forces Northern, this Global Ha...
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• Beale maintainers team for success to get U-2s back in the air
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• U-2 community celebrates 6,000 days in Southwest Asia
• Airborne Signals Intelligence Payload Takes to Air on First U-2 Flight
• Dual data link modernizes U-2 Dragon Lady
• Raytheon Awarded $113 Million Contract for U-2 Systems Field Support
• After Katrina: ACC's intel team applies lessons learned
• The White Elephant Fleet
• U-2s boast new, improved cockpit
• N Korea warns of possible air clash over US spy flights
• North Korea says about 170 U.S. spy flights flown in May
• Retirement of B-52, U-2 and F-117a Halted
• US 'escalating' spy flights over North Korea, 160 flights in April
• Air Force chief supports flying F-117s, U-2s longer, if necessary
• OSD, Air Force rethink U-2 retirement strategy, may slip '07 phase out
• North Korea accuses US of conducting 180+ spy flights in March
• North Korea accuses US of conducting 170 spy flights

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