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Air Force Studying If U-2 Reconnaissance Plane Could Fly Till 2100

By Marc Selinger

Thursday, March 15th, 2018

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Air Force Studying If U-2 Reconnaissance Plane Could Fly Till 2100

An Air Force U-2 flies a training mission. Photo: Air Force.

The U.S. Air Force is exploring whether it could keep flying its U-2 Dragon Lady high-altitude reconnaissance airplanes for the rest of the century, a service official said March 15.A “structural study” is looking at whether the Air Force could fully use the U-2’s estimated lifespan of 75,000 flight hours, “which would take them out to 2100,” said Susan Thornton, the Air Force’s director for information dominance programs. “So pretty far out there.” The Air Force, which has been flying the…

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