The United States Air Force wants to get rid of the iconic U-2 Dragon reconnaissance aircraft
What is known
Draft Budget for Fiscal Year 2024involves the decommissioning of more than 300 aircraft, helicopters and drones, including the F-22 Raptor, RQ-4 Global Hawk, F-15 C / D Eagle and A-10 Thunderbolt II. However, the U-2 Dragon Lady is not listed.
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Last year, the US Air Force announced plans to withdrawtheir operation by 2027, Northrop Grumman's RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 40 strategic drones, one of which flies over the Black Sea. This prompted the idea that the service will abandon the RQ-4, but leave the U-2 Dragon Lady in service.
But now it has become known that Lockheed Martin reconnaissance aircraft will also retire. This will happen by 2026, about 70 years after commissioning.
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The US Air Force has more than twodozens of U-2 Dragon Lady aircraft. These include training versions of the TU-2S. The Dragon Lady is the only aircraft in the US arsenal that can fly to over 21km. This feature allowed the aircraft to be used to monitor a Chinese balloon that was destroyed by a fifth-generation F-22 Raptor fighter.
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U-2 is equipped with a high temperatureturbofan bypass engine FE F-118-101, developed by General Electric. The power plant generates 86 kN of thrust and provides a top speed of over 800 km/h. The flight range is 9600 km, the practical ceiling is 21.3 km.