RAF FAIRFORD, U.K.—At the end of a row of fighter jets at July's Royal International Air Tattoo, an entirely different kind of aircraft drew plenty of attention from the thousands in attendance—the U-2S Dragon Lady. Long shrouded in secrecy, the legendary high-altitude intelligence, surveillance, and ...
U-2
Lockheed Martin took a $225 million loss on a secret program being conducted by its aeronautics division, company officials divulged, but the program will go forward and is expected to enter production, Lockheed Martin CEO James D. Taiclet said on a second quarter earnings call ...
Flying hours dropped in the Air Force's fiscal 2022 budget request because weapon system sustainment costs ballooned, senior Air Force officials told lawmakers June 22. They said the service would value Congress adding money to the budget to help with weapon system sustainment, which in ...
The Air Force saw 72 aviation accidents over the course of fiscal 2020—up from 62 in fiscal 2019—including an A-29 crash that partially disabled an American Airman, according to Air Force Safety Center data. Thirteen of the 72 total accidents caused injury or death. The ...
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., this week is hosting a first-of-its-kind air show, bringing together real demonstrations with a large virtual outreach program to encourage science, technology, engineering, and math education in southern California. The base was set to host its first on-base air show ...
Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper continued his verbal offensive against China, accusing the country of “self-serving” behavior and a disregard for international laws, the same day the Chinese military fired medium-range ballistic missiles during a military exercise. China is undergoing an aggressive modernization plan to ...
The Chinese government is alleging an Air Force U-2 overflew a People’s Liberation Army training exercise, claiming it was a provocative act in a purported no-fly zone. At the same time, the Pentagon is warning allies of China’s military modernization and spreading influence. The Chinese ...
Air Force intelligence officials will keep improving the RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drone until Congress directs them to ditch it, the 16th Air Force commander said Aug. 13. The RQ-4 enterprise is in limbo, as the Air Force wants to retire 24 of the aircraft ...
USAF F-16s, KC-135s, MC-130Js, and MQ-9s linked up with U.S. Navy aircraft and ships as well as support from U.S. Space Command during a large-scale exercise in the Black Sea on July 22. The mission in Eastern Europe, with Russia watching, “was designed to train ...
Rolls-Royce formally entered the competition to re-engine the B-52 as expected, offering its F130 engine already in use in some USAF aircraft to power the bomber. The Air Force on May 19 issued its request for proposals for the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program, with ...
A Reservist has qualified to fly the U-2 spy plane for the first time in Air Force history, using a fast-track program that opens up new manning options for the intelligence enterprise, the 9th Reconnaissance Wing said May 13. Maj. Jeffrey Anderson joined the highly ...
The Air Force says it will not divest its fleet of U-2 Dragon Lady planes in fiscal 2025, despite language to the contrary in the service’s 2021 budget request. Air Force Magazine first reported that the budget submission, unveiled Feb. 10, planned to start retiring ...
