The U.S. Air Force Has Finally Upgrade U-2S Dragon Lady Become More Advanced

The U-2 spy plane, one of the longest serving airframes in u.s history is getting a few upgrades to keep it mission capable for future battlefields. The lockheed U-2 nicknamed dragon lady is an american single jet engine, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the united states air force and previously flown by the central intelligence agency. It provides day and night, high altitude 70,000 feet, 21 300 meters all weather intelligence gathering, though the lockheed martin U2's first flight was in 1955. The dragon lady as the U-u2 spy plane of cold war fame as nickname will be re-equipped to gather intelligence in future battle spaces.

A lockheed martin press release outlines the upgrades that their skunk works division will implement for the u.s air force. These updates are focused on new onboard electronics for data collection and displays for increased pilot comfort and decision making. An updated avionics suite that modernizes the U-2's onboard systems to readily accept and use new technology. A new mission computer designed to the u.s air force's open mission systems standard that enables the U-2 to integrate with systems across air, space, sea, land and cyber domains at disparate security levels.

New modern cockpit displays to make everyday pilot tasks easier while enhancing presentation of the data the aircraft collects to enable faster, better informed decisions. The OHMS upgrade is most significant, although complex, ohms is essentially a standard information interface that allows battle space data gathered from any aircraft to be used by all aircraft. OHMS is intended to both optimize the time between data collection and transmission and allow all aircraft in a battle space to take advantage of real-time information updates.

One report described OHMS and the information that would be gathered as a common message interface for subsystems such as radar and communication systems and services such as auto routing and battle management with the intention that all aircraft entering a battle space use the own standard. This standardized approach allows ohm's compliant mission systems and services to be reused across multiple aircraft. It also significantly shortens integration time with the platform and enables affordable insertion of new capabilities. Open mission systems have already been tested on the B2 stealth bomber and the global hawk surveillance drone. after testing in mid 2021 lockheed martin anticipates the U-2 upgrades will be implemented in early 2022. 

Though satellites can have higher definition cameras they follow orbits around the earth. Spy satellite orbits are optimized for anticipated intelligence targets, but depending on where the satellite is in its orbit. A repositioning can take up to 24 hours before the satellite is in place. U-2's do not have this problem. 

The U-2 program remains relevant because of the speed with which u minus twos can gather intelligence data. Targets can be assigned and overflown on the fly, depending on where a U-2 is in relation to the target. Once the "Dragon Lady' becomes ohms complian. The U-2 will likely be in the air for a long time to come.