U-2 Dragon Lady

Since entering service 60 years ago, the U-2 has snooped all over the world, and over the decades the plane has changed a great deal.Work that Lockheed Martin is doing on the spy plane now is meant to keep it flying for decades to come, providing real-time information to other…

Air Force Maj. Jeffrey Anderson, 99th Reconnaissance Squadron pilot, receives U-2 suit preparations at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., May 5, 2020. Pilots go through preflight checks to make sure their pressure suits are able to respond during extreme conditions and high-altitude flights. COLVILLE MCFEE/U.S. AIR FORCE By CHAD GARLAND…

An SR-71 Blackbird surveillance aircraft. AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye Elon Musk and Grimes recently said their favorite plane was the SR-71 Blackbird, citing its supersonic ability and lack of weapons.The revelation came as Grimes deciphered the meaning behind the name of her newborn baby, X Æ A-12, with "A-12" being the…

AP Photo/Itsuo InouyeAn SR-71 Blackbird surveillance aircraft. Elon Musk and Grimes recently said their favourite plane was the SR-71 Blackbird, citing its supersonic ability and lack of weapons. The revelation came as Grimes deciphered the meaning behind the name of her newborn baby, X Æ A-12, with “A-12” being the…

  Richard Passman, right, during a demonstration of a new spacewalking tether developed by General Electric in the 1960s. (credit: Bill Passman) A General Electric engineer’s work on MOL and other space programs by Dwayne A. DayMonday, May 4, 2020 Richard Passman, an engineer for General Electric, spent over a…

homenewsThrill Ride: The Chevrolet Camaro SS U-2 Spy Plane Chase CarCold War Hot Pursuit: Pony cars, spy planes, and the men who fly both.Editor's Note: 60 years ago today, a CIA-operated Lockheed U-2 spy plane flown by Captain Francis Gary Powers was shot down over the Sverdlovsk Oblast region of…

Mon, Apr 27, 2020 Contract Underpins U-2’s Role in Bridging Capabilities Needed for Next Generation Battlespace The venerable U-2 'Dragon Lady' still has a place in the battlespace... and its capabilities are about to be upgraded. As such; Lockheed Martin Skunk Works continues to evolve the U-2 Dragon Lady to…

The "truth is in there" as in the Nevada Test and Training Range near Groom Lake, better known as Area 51. Where the name came from isn't even known, other than it may come from its close proximity to the Nevada Nuclear Test Sites – all the various test sites…

The U-2 spy plane, one of the longest-serving airframes in U.S. history, is getting a few upgrades to keep it mission capable for future battlefields.  Dragon Lady Though the Lockheed Martin U-2’s first flight was in 1955, the Dragon Lady, as the U-2 spy plane of Cold War fame is…

An Air Force U-2 flies a training mission. Photo: Master Sgt. Rose Reynolds/Air Force Lockheed Martin Skunk Works announced it will continue to evolve the U-2 Dragon Lady to support future battlespace needs under a recent contract award from the U.S. Air Force valued at $50 million. “As a proven,…