Eye Of The Dragon Lady
by Peter Chilelli
Title
Eye Of The Dragon Lady
Artist
Peter Chilelli
Medium
Digital Art
Description
Famed U-2 Spy Plane Takes on a New Surveillance Mission
At 65 years old, the U-2 spy plane can still adapt to modern technology.
The U.S. Air Force is investing more than $50 million to keep one of its oldest types of airplanes flying indefinitely. 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. The Air Force commissioned it from the Lockheed Corporation in the 1950s as a reconnaissance aircraft that could fly above 70,000 feet—an altitude then presumed to be beyond the reach of Soviet surface-to-air missiles.
Today the U-2’s high-altitude capability, adaptable design and relatively low development cost have poised it for a new role: the 65-year-old craft is set to become a vital node in an ambitious network named the Advanced Battle Management System, which will connect weapons and sensors in space, at sea, underwater, in the air and on land.
Uploaded
December 23rd, 2020
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