US Air Force wants to retire all iconic U-2 Dragon Lady spy planes

The United States Air Force wants to get rid of its fleet of iconic U-2 Dragon Lady spy planes. This will happen in a few years.

Here's What We Know

The draft budget for fiscal year 2024 calls for the retirement 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 on the list.

Last year, the US Air Force announced plans to retire Northrop Grumman's RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 40 strategic drones by 2027, one of which flies over the Black Sea. This prompted thoughts that the service would scrap the RQ-4 but keep the U-2 Dragon Lady in service.

But now it is known that Lockheed Martin's reconnaissance planes will also be retired. This will happen by 2026, some 70 years after being commissioned.

The US Air Force has more than two dozen U-2 Dragon Lady aircraft in service. These include training versions of the TU-2S. The Dragon Lady is the only aircraft in the US arsenal that can fly at altitudes above 21 km. This feature allowed the aircraft to be used for surveillance of the Chinese balloon, which was destroyed by a fifth-generation F-22 Raptor fighter.

The U-2 is equipped with an FE F-118-101 high-temperature twin-turbofan engine developed by General Electric. The power plant generates 86 kN of thrust and provides a top speed of over 800 km/h. It has a range of 9,600 km and a practical ceiling of 21.3 km.

Source: The Drive