Chasing the Draglonlady

OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM -- Capt. Don Yu, a U-2 Dragon Lady pilot deployed from the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron, Beale Air Force Base, Calif., to the 363rd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, takes off for a mission on April 11. The U-2 is a high altitude-multi intelligence reconnaissance aircraft. It can fly above 70,000 ft and provides near-real-time imagery and signals intelligence to war fighters and national authorities in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Hannen)

Dragon Lady

FILE PHOTO -- The U-2 provides continuous day or night, high-altitude, all-weather, stand-off surveillance of an area in direct support of U.S. and allied ground and air forces. It provides critical intelligence to decision makers through all phases of conflict, including peacetime indications and warnings, crises, low-intensity conflict and large-scale hostilities.The U-2 is a single-seat, single-engine, high-altitude, reconnaissance aircraft. Long, wide, straight wings give the U-2 glider-like characteristics. It can carry a variety of sensors and cameras, is an extremely reliable reconnaissance aircraft, and enjoys a high mission completion rate. Because of its high altitude mission, the pilot must wear a full pressure suit. The U-2 is capable of collecting multi-sensor photo, electro-optic, infrared and radar imagery, as well as performing other types of reconnaissance functions. (Air Force photo)

Dragon Lady in flight

FILE PHOTO -- The U-2 is a single-seat, single-engine, high-altitude, reconnaissance aircraft. Long, wide, straight wings give the U-2 glider-like characteristics. It can carry a variety of sensors and cameras, is an extremely reliable reconnaissance aircraft, and enjoys a high mission completion rate. Because of its high altitude mission, the pilot must wear a full pressure suit. The U-2 is capable of collecting multi-sensor photo, electro-optic, infrared and radar imagery, as well as performing other types of reconnaissance functions. However, the aircraft can be a difficult aircraft to fly due to its unusual landing characteristics. The aircraft is being upgraded with a lighter engine that burns less fuel, cuts weight and increases power. The entire fleet should be reengined by 1998. Other upgrades are to the sensors and adding the Global Positioning System that will superimpose geo-coordinates directly on collected images. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Rose Reynolds)

Dragon Lady takes flight

OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM -- Lt. Col. Walter Flint, a deployed U-2 Dragon Lady commander from the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron, Beale Air Force Base, Calif., to the 363rd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, takes off for a mission on April 11, 2003. The U-2 is a high altitude-multi intelligence reconnaissance aircraft. It can fly above 70,000 ft and provides near-real-time imagery and signals intelligence to war fighters and national authorities in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom at a forward deployed location in Southwest Asia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Hannen)

U-2S/TU-2S

Current as of January 05, 2026

MISSION
The U-2 provides high-altitude, all-weather surveillance and reconnaissance, day or night, in direct support of U.S. and allied forces. It delivers critical imagery and signals, electronic measurements and signature intelligence to decision-makers throughout all phases of conflict, including peacetime indications and warnings, low-intensity conflict and large-scale hostilities.

FEATURES
The U-2S is a single-seat, single-engine, high-altitude reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft. Long and narrow wings give the U-2 glider-like characteristics and allow it to quickly lift heavy sensor payloads to unmatched altitudes, keeping them there for extended periods of time.

The U-2 is capable of gathering a variety of imagery, including multi-spectral electro-optic, infrared, and synthetic aperture radar products which can be stored or sent to ground exploitation centers. The U-2 also has the capability to carry a signals intelligence payload. All intelligence products can be transmitted in near real-time anywhere in the world via air-to-ground or air-to-satellite data links, rapidly providing critical information to combatant commanders.

Routinely flown at altitudes over 70,000 feet, the U-2 pilot must wear a full pressure suit similar to those worn by astronauts. The low-altitude handling characteristics of the aircraft and bicycle-type landing gear require precise control inputs during landing; forward visibility is also limited due to the extended aircraft nose and “taildragger” configuration. A second U-2 pilot normally “chases” each landing in a high-performance vehicle, assisting the pilot by providing radio inputs for altitude and runway alignment. These characteristics combine to earn the U-2 a widely accepted title as the most difficult aircraft in the world to fly.

The U-2 is powered by a lightweight, fuel efficient General Electric F118-101 engine, which negates the need for air refueling on long duration missions. The U-2S Block 10 electrical system upgrade replaced legacy wiring with advanced fiber-optic technology and lowered the overall electronic noise signature to provide a quieter platform for the newest generation of sensors. A U-2 Reliability and Maintainability Program update provided a complete redesign of the cockpit with digital color multifunction displays and up-front avionics controls to replace the 1960s-vintage round dial gauges.

The aircraft has the following sensor packages: electro-optical infrared camera, advanced synthetic aperture radar, signals intelligence, and network-centric communication.

BACKGROUND
Built in complete secrecy by Kelly Johnson and the Lockheed Skunk Works, the original U-2A first flew in August 1955. Early flights over the Soviet Union in the late 1950s provided President Eisenhower with key intelligence on Soviet military capability. In October 1962, the U-2 photographed the buildup of Soviet offensive nuclear missiles in Cuba, touching off the Cuban Missile Crisis.

In more recent times, the U-2 has provided intelligence during operations in Korea, Europe, Afghanistan and Iraq. When requested, the U-2 also provides peacetime reconnaissance in support of disaster relief from floods, earthquakes and forest fires, in addition to search and rescue.

The U-2R, first flown in 1967, was 40 percent larger and more capable than the original aircraft. A tactical reconnaissance version, the TR-1A, first flew in August 1981 and was structurally identical to the U-2R. The last U-2 and TR-1 aircraft were delivered in October 1989. In 1992, all TR-1s and U-2s were designated as U-2Rs.

Starting in 1994, the Air Force initiated a $1.7 billion effort to modernize the U-2. This upgrade also resulted in the re-designation of all aircraft to U-2S. U-2s are home-based at the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale Air Force Base, Calif., but are rotated to operational detachments worldwide. U-2 pilots are trained at Beale using four two-seat aircraft designated as TU-2S before deploying for operational missions.