New Atlas

U-2 spy plane celebrates 70th anniversary with new flight records

The US Air Force celebrated the 70th anniversary of the famous U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane on July 31, 2025 – not with a cake but by setting new endurance records for the class of aircraft on the first ...
Flying

U.S. Air Force Sets New Flight Record for U-2

The U.S. Air Force conducted a record-breaking 14-hour, 6,000 nautical mile flight of a two-seat U-2 spy plane (TU-2S) across the contiguous United States. This historic journey, the longest single ...
Contando Estrelas

The history and engineering of the U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane, a living legend of aviation

A USAF U-2 flying in front of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, on March 23, 2016 (Photo: Defense Visual ...
WBAY

U.S. Air Force to bring U-2 aircraft as part of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025

OSHKOSH, Wis. (EAA) - As provided to Action 2 News: EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025 will feature one of the most popular intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft, as the United States ...
SlashGear

Chase Cars: The Legends Of The US Military's U-2 Spy Plane

The U-2 Dragon Lady, one of the most famous warplanes in history, isn't just hard to fly; it's brutal to land as well. Designed to soar at 70,000 feet and gather intelligence from miles above, the ...
Space on MSN

U-2 spy plane captured stunning image of Chinese surveillance balloon

Footage of a United States U-2 spy plane that captured imagery of the Chinese surveillance balloon that flew over the ...
Hosted on MSN

U-2 Dragon Lady Breaks Altitude and Endurance Records During 70th Anniversary Flight

Flying from Beale AFB, a Lockheed U-2 aircraft, using the specially chosen callsign DRAGON 70, was heard communicating with ATC about a plan to set an endurance and altitude record for the ‘category ...
Flightglobal

U-2 sets new endurance record 70 years after first flight

Seventy years after the Lockheed Martin U-2 spyplane made its first flight, the distinctive high-altitude jet has set a new endurance record for the type. A two-seat TU-2S trainer variant of the U-2 ...
The Aviationist

Last Production U-2 Returns to Flight for First Time Since 2008

80-1099 was photographed in flight for the first time in 17 years after being heavily damaged in a hydrazine fire in 2008. Aviation enthusiasts captured the aircraft in flight from Palmdale Airport, ...
Flightglobal

U-2S high-altitude spyplane makes rare public display at UK air show

Two of the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) distinctive high-altitude spyplanes made a rare public appearance at a UK air show over the weekend. The Lockheed Martin U-2S Dragon Lady jets participated in the ...
The National Interest

The US Air Force Is Saying Goodbye to This Iconic Surveillance Aircraft

The U-2’s retirement is driven by a complex interplay of operational costs, concerns about its performance in contested airspace, and a strategic pivot towards unmanned and space-based systems. The ...