ROYAL AIR FORCE FAIRFORD, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, England -- Working 365 days a year can cause a lot of stress on performance. You are working the entire year and in the field for hours at a time. In this case, the field is 70,000 feet in altitude. Even for a U-2 Dragon Lady, the constant stressors take a toll. Eventually the dragon will need to return to the cave and recondition. However, before making the journey all the way back home to Beale Air Force Base, California, she makes a pit stop in England.
The U.S. Air Force fleet of U-2 Dragon Ladies provides high-altitude, all-weather intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, day or night, in direct support of U.S. and allied forces. When a U-2 needs phased maintenance a team of Airmen act as a service station on the other side of the world to ensure every U-2 is capable for a return trip back to California. Those Airmen are the en route recovery team (ERT).
It all begins at Beale where the 9th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (AMXS) proactively and strategically schedules maintenance for the entire fleet of U-2s, in garrison and in theater. ERTs are assembled at Beale to meet U-2s returning from forward operating locations (FOL). The midway point is at Royal Air Force Fairford, Gloucestershire, England. On location ERTs provide maintenance and service U-2s rotating from home station to forward locations and vice versa.
"The ERTs sole purpose is to support the missions downrange," said Maj. Michael Forte, 99th Reconnaissance Squadron mission planner. "We exist to swap out aircraft, so they get fresh jets in theater to support the mission and bring back aircraft in need of phase maintenance."
The operation is performed by approximately 30 Airmen, maintainers, mission operators and life support technicians.
"Maintenance deploys 14 to 17 Airmen; taking every specialty required to fix, launch, and recover aircraft," said Lt. Col. Sarah Franklin, 9th Maintenance Group deputy commander. “We carefully manage flying hours for each U-2, here at Beale. At the 1,000 hour mark they are due for heavy maintenance. As aircraft get close to coming due for maintenance, we deploy our ERT to perform a maintenance check before jets can return to Beale.”
A month before an ERT is scheduled; preparations are coordinated with units at Beale and RAF Fairford.
"The first phase, a few weeks out, we will pick our team members and designate which aircraft we would like to go to the forward location," said Master Sgt. James Boyce, 9th AMXS production superintendent. "Phase number two is deployment, so you're transitioning from home station to RAF Fairford. Once there, we will set everything up to receive aircraft. The final phase is launching the airplanes to their next destination."
In order to operate safely at 70,000 feet, U-2 pilots are required to wear a full-pressure suit, which protects them from the risks of flying at that altitude.
"The 9th Physiological Support Squadron (PSPTS) provides supporting maintenance, repairs and inspections of the pilot's life support equipment, to include the full-pressure suit," said Senior Airman Hannah Jacobs, 9th PSPTS launch and recovery technician. “We have a three-person crew temporarily deploy to England. While there, we are responsible for ensuring the pilot’s equipment is functional. We also help the pilot dress in their suit and integrate into the aircraft."
Wearing a pressure suit also creates certain challenges, due to limited movement and visibility. Dragon Lady pilots require a mobile chase car, which helps with pre-flight, takeoff and landings. The operator of the chase car acts as a second pair of eyes to assist the pilot during landings.
As U-2s transition from and to Beale and FOLs, pilots will do the same. Those who are coming from theater will then return home, as other aircraft and pilots take their place.
"Once a U-2 arrives to Fairford from Beale, another will come out of theater on its way to England," Forte said. "We will then send a freshly-maintained asset back to that location to follow mission requirements, which keeps the cycle of U-2s where they need to be operating."
For years phased maintenance was contracted to Lockheed Martin at FOLs, but now is conducted at Beale saving the Air Force millions of dollars from having to contract outside technicians.
"Our maintenance group and our wing have found a very cost effective way to perform this heavy maintenance and do it in such a way that we can save the Air Force a lot of money,” Franklin said. “Our Airmen are doing what they do best; keeping our fleet healthy."