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

Welcome Back to the Daily Aviation as we explore the history, capabilities, and unique operations of the U-2 Dragon Lady, ...

A U-2 spy plane that crashed in northern California earlier this week, killing one of the two pilots, focused attention on a normally clandestine aspect of the U.S.

For six decades, the sinister-looking black U-2 spy plane has allowed the Pentagon to see what our enemies don’t want us to know. With sensors that can pinpoint landmines from 13 miles high, the ...

The U2 spy aircraft, famed for high-altitude Cold War espionage missions over the Soviet Union, is enjoying a new lease of life in Afghanistan as the best spotter of Taliban roadside bombs in the ...

The U-2, nicknamed the “Dragon Lady” after a CIA program, is the world’s best-known spy plane, easily recognizable from its gliderlike shape and stealthy black color scheme.

We recently heard from two U-2 spy plane pilots about what it’s like to operate this aircraft and how the Air Force uses it today. Here’s what we learned.

The U-2 aircraft is designed to operate at “over 70,000 feet,” according to an Air Force fact sheet. That very high altitude means that it flies way higher than commercial jet aircraft, ...

A U-2 "Dragon Lady" in a hangar at Osan Air Base, South Korea, on Oct. 22, 2020. US Air Force. When China shot down five U-2 spy planes at the height of the Cold War ...

A U-2 spy plane is by definition not meant to be seen. It’s at its best operationally when it’s in the sky, tens of thousands of feet above the surface, watching its targets.

The U-2 was the only aircraft that could pace the balloon as it flew at an altitude of 60,000 feet. The Takeaway. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Tristan D. Viglianco.

Undeterred, the Navy made modifications to the U-2, to enhance the high-flying aircraft’s ability to land aboard a carrier.Modifications included the addition of sturdier landing gears, an ...