The Lockheed U-2, also known as the "Dragon Lady," is one of the most challenging aircraft to land due to its unique design and high-altitude capabilities. With its long, glider-like wings and limited ...

A few years ago, I visited Beale AFB near Sacramento, California, for a series of Forbes stories about operations there (links below). The military base is home to the venerable U-2 and a fleet of ...

For most people today, the "Dragon Lady" more than likely conjures up images of Daenerys Targaryen from the hit HBO fantasy series, "Game of Thrones." But long before that show ever aired, and even ...

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

I saw a U-2 Dragon Lady once, in flight, descending slowly on the final approach. I felt fortunate; the U-2 is an exceedingly rare plane. Only 104 have ever been built, and only thirty-three are still ...

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 ...

Two U-2 pilots, including a Wisconsin native, share rare insights on the legendary spy plane’s enduring legacy and relevance in today’s battlespace. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025 drew a record-breaking ...

The Navy made significant modifications to the U-2 to enhance the high-flying aircraft’s ability to land aboard a carrier. This article is the first in a two-part series on “Operation Whale Tail,” the ...

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 ...

Not many 70-year-olds can set endurance or distance records. But the U-2 spy plane did both on July 31. It took off from Beale Air Force Base in California and flew a zig-zag lap around the ...

The Air Force has a mythical sky beast known as the Lockheed Martin U-2 Dragon Lady — a jet with such efficiency and performance that it's still being used since it was commissioned during the Cold ...