Could they create new U2 airframes, from exotic materials perhaps? Just a thought, nothing behind it.
 
Could they create new U2 airframes, from exotic materials perhaps? Just a thought, nothing behind it.
Weren’t they proposing an unmanned version of the U-2 some years back. I can’t remember now if they were going to build new airframes based on the U-2 or re-engineer existing airframes into unmanned ones.
 
Just positing that it might be a very useful thing to have in an armoury. I did hear of a project to make current aircraft selectively piloted but no idea what came of it.
 
Sorry, I was talking about the U2 rather than the QF series.
 
From, Самолеты стратегической разведки (Моделист-Конструктор. Спецвыпуск 1 2006).
 

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From, Innovation with purpose Lockheed Martin's first 100 years
 

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Thats just a normal U-2 model, I don't see it belongs in this topic.
Sorry for that my dea PaulMM,

and from this report;

and this forum;
 

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[old news but] Tesla Model S chase U-2 now:

1501530482-u2tesla-626x382.jpeg



If you are a nostalgic, you can now buy their old ride, a Pontiac G8
 
From this book.
 

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Tired to drink too much and move your hips on Saturday night? Let's get high watching a movie:

View: https://youtu.be/A2daO5MCGTU

Remark:

If you haven't seen it yet, don't miss the inspiring 2nd document with Hollywood actor Gary Sinise
 
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What was this ?,

Scheme of anti-radar coating "Trapeze"
It's just what it says: wires strung with ferrite beads. This was one of two anti-radar methods applied during the Project RAINBOW trails in the late 1950s. The second approach was a blanket of Salisbury Screen (a conductive grid pattern printed on a sheet of non-conductive material) applied over honeycomb and glued to the underside of the fuselage. The wires method was nicknamed Trapeze and the other was called Thermos. Both techniques added a lot of parasitic drag, which reduced mission altitude capability.
 
Has anyone come close to figuring out what companion aircraft was used in tandem with the U-2? It has been alluded to possibly being still classified airframe.
 
Has anyone come close to figuring out what companion aircraft was used in tandem with the U-2? It has been alluded to possibly being still classified airframe.

From what time period?
 
U-2 Pilot over Central Continental United States.jpg
 
Extra points for anyone who can identify the exact area over which the picture was taken.

(There are distinctive landmarks on the ground that should be identifiable on Google Earth.)
 

This is like saying that because the SR-71 was retired there must be an SR-72

It is entirely possible that USAF is just getting out of the ISR business. After all, they can't give the RQ-170 crews enough flying hours to be proficient.
 

This is like saying that because the SR-71 was retired there must be an SR-72

It is entirely possible that USAF is just getting out of the ISR business. After all, they can't give the RQ-170 crews enough flying hours to be proficient.
I suppose you’re one of those people who thinks that satellites can do everything. History has shown this kind of attitude is actually detrimental to good intelligence gathering as you’re always going to need a mix of sources including human intelligence.
 
I suppose you’re one of those people who thinks that satellites can do everything.

No, not at all. Satellites have their place, as do other collection methods.

The point I was making is that retiring systems does not mean there is a plan for a replacement, and that USAF may be reducing its involvement in airborne ISR. In fact, it has a long history of not wanting to be in that business, but let's look at the recent history.

USAF wanted to get rid of the U-2 as the RQ-4 became operational. As it turned out, the RQ-4 could not replicate the capabilities of the U-2 and did not offer the substantial reductions in costs the USAF hoped for. So they ended up keeping both, though at various points in the last 20 years they have tried to get rid of one, the other, or both.

USAF is getting rid of the JSTARS platform. It's intended replacement is the Block 40 RQ-4 with MR-RTIP. USAF has already retired the other RQ-4 versions and is down to less than a dozen Block 40. They are now trying to get rid of those. There is no JSTARS replacement if that happens. Space Force is looking at a classified space system and ways to use civilian space assets to replace JSTARS, but at best those solutions would not be available for 5 years or more.

USAF has done this many times in the past - retire an ISR collection system with no replacement. At the end of the day ISR isn't something USAF as an institution wants to do.

If there is a super secret stealth drone that is going to replace all of these retiring systems it must be very impressive - performing all of these different missions in a single survivable airframe would be very difficult and expensive. Having enough of them to maintain orbits over several place would be very expensive as well.

There is already a penetrating ISR platform, the RQ-170, and they can't get enough flight hours out of the fleet to keep their pilots proficient. A new super-drone would not make a lot of sense. Again, it does seem like USAF is just getting out of ISR, again.
 
FINAL EXAMINATION - Multiple Choice

Future Historians Class

1. At the end of the day _________ isn't something the USAF as an institution wants to do.

A. ISR
B. CSAR
C. CAS
D. BAI
E. Spectrum Dominance (minus points if you call it EW)
F. Anything involving playing bus driver for the Army
G. C4I with manned platforms
H. Your suggestion
I. All of the above


/sarcasm. I think.
 
FINAL EXAMINATION - Multiple Choice

Future Historians Class

1. At the end of the day _________ isn't something the USAF as an institution wants to do.

A. ISR
B. CSAR
C. CAS
D. BAI
E. Spectrum Dominance (minus points if you call it EW)
F. Anything involving playing bus driver for the Army
G. C4I with manned platforms
H. Your suggestion
I. All of the above


/sarcasm. I think.

J. None of the above
 
The GH was supposed to have replaced the U-2 but now it seams that the U-2 will soldier on until the USAF finds a proper replacement and that maybe some time off.
 
The GH was supposed to have replaced the U-2 but now it seams that the U-2 will soldier on until the USAF finds a proper replacement and that maybe some time off.
The U2 is an impressively well-optimized aircraft, even the ones that have been highly modified from Kelly's original design.

Have you ever seen one take off? "Climbs like a homesick angel" must have been written for them!
 
I have not seen a U-2 take off Scott Kenny, though that would be one of the things that I would like to see before they get retired.
 
I have not seen a U-2 take off Scott Kenny, though that would be one of the things that I would like to see before they get retired.
60-70 degree climb, it's like nothing I've ever seen. There's videos on YT, but they're usually cut too short or don't really show just how fast the climb is.
 

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