USAF Conducts First Flight of Upgraded U-2 Dragon Woman Spy Aircraft

The US Air Power has performed its first flight of its U-2 Dragon Woman spy plane after present process a serious avionics improve.

Based on Lockheed Martin, the Chilly Conflict-era warplane obtained a state-of-the-art avionics suite, which incorporates fashionable computer systems to facilitate straightforward integration with different programs throughout air, area, sea, land, and cyber domains.

It additionally boasts superior communication programs and cockpit shows to scale back pilot workload and allow sooner, better-informed choices.

Lockheed Martin stated that the latest flight take a look at was a low-altitude purposeful test flight to evaluate the plane’s new avionics, cabling, and software program.

Program supervisor Sean Thatcher described it as a “important second” in quickly integrating fashionable, reasonably priced capabilities.

“Leveraging the platform’s open structure, we’re expediting these capabilities wanted for the longer term Joint All-Area Operations battlespace,” he stated.

Concerning the U-2 Dragon Woman

Lockheed’s U-2 is an all-weather plane able to supporting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

It was designed to ship crucial imagery and indicators intelligence to army commanders for sooner and improved decision-making.

Flying at altitudes of over 70,000 toes (21,336 meters), U-2 pilots are required to put on a full stress swimsuit much like these worn by astronauts.

Aside from its fashionable avionics, the plane has an electro-optical infrared digital camera, optical bar digital camera, and a complicated artificial aperture radar.

“An enhanced defensive suite coupled with long-range standoff sensors and on-board processing allows the U-2 to function in and round contested areas whereas quickly enabling 4th and fifth technology platforms to share information throughout domains,” Lockheed said on its web site.