Uploaded February 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
The Lockheed U-2 is a high altitude reconnaissance aircraft developed for the CIA under the code-named Project Dragon Lady. The aircraft featured a very light weight design and was powered by a single Pratt and Whitney J-57 turbojet engine and a huge wingspan to maintain the extreme altitudes the U-2 would operate at.
In 2014 it was determined the newest models in the U-2S fleet had used only one fifth of their design life and was one of the youngest fleets in the US Air Force. Lockheed has subsequently stated the U-2 can remain viable until 2050, the story of the Dragon Lady is far from over.
The Lockheed U-2 is a high altitude reconnaissance aircraft developed for the CIA under the code-named Project Dragon Lady. The aircraft featured a very light weight design and was powered by a single Pratt and Whitney J-57 turbojet engine and a huge wingspan to maintain the extreme altitudes the U-2 would operate at.
In 2014 it was determined the newest models in the U-2S fleet had used only one fifth of their design life and was one of the youngest fleets in the US Air Force. Lockheed has subsequently stated the U-2 can remain viable until 2050, the story of the Dragon Lady is far from over.
