U-2 Spyplane Replacement Mulled By Lockheed Martin | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

 Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-06.23.25

Airborne-NextGen-06.24.25

AirborneUnlimited-06.25.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-06.26.25

AirborneUnlimited-06.27.25

Wed, Aug 26, 2015

U-2 Spyplane Replacement Mulled By Lockheed Martin

Airplane Would Likely Not Be An 'Optionally Piloted' Aircraft

The Air Force is set to retire the iconic U-2 surveillance airplane, which first flew in 1955, in 2019, but the mission for the aircraft will likely continue.

To that end, the Lockheed Martin Skunkworks is considering a follow-on aircraft to the U-2 that would be stealthier and have a longer flight time, according to a report posted on the Popular Science website.

And while the U-2 has recently competed with UASs such as the Global Hawk for reconnaissance missions, the presence of a pilot on board the spyplane could be a deterrent to shooting it down. Scott Winstead, Lockheed's head of U-2 Strategic development, opines that a country like North Korea would have no qualms about shooting down an unmanned aircraft, but shooting down an unarmed, manned aircraft is considered an act of war. He added that the U-2 is also often used as a political tool by the U.S. Government.

(image from file)

FMI: www.lockheedmartin.com


Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Rutan Long-EZ

He Attempted To Restart The Engine Three Times. On The Third Restart Attempt, He Noticed That Flames Were Coming Out From The Right Wing Near The Fuel Cap Analysis: The pilot repor>[...]

ANN FAQ: Turn On Post Notifications

Make Sure You NEVER Miss A New Story From Aero-News Network Do you ever feel like you never see posts from a certain person or page on Facebook or Instagram? Here’s how you c>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: ICAS Perspectives - Advice for New Air Show Performers

From 2009 (YouTube Edition): Leading Air Show Performers Give Their Best Advice for Newcomers On December 6th through December 9th, the Paris Las Vegas Hotel hosted over 1,500 air >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (06.28.25)

Aero Linx: NASA ASRS ASRS captures confidential reports, analyzes the resulting aviation safety data, and disseminates vital information to the aviation community. The ASRS is an i>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (06.28.25)

“For our inaugural Pylon Racing Seminar in Roswell, we were thrilled to certify 60 pilots across our six closed-course pylon race classes. Not only did this year’s PRS >[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Change Display

Headlines Only | Headlines w/ Teasers | View Everything

Advertisement

Top Videos

Airborne-NextGen 07.01.25: Volocopter Returns, B23 Energic, Iran Tech In UAVs?

Airborne 06.30.25: US v ADS-B Misuse, Nat’l STOL Fire, Volocopter Resumes

Airborne 06.27.25: ANN's HUGE OSH Coverage!, NCAR Racing Seminars, JFK Lawsuit

See All

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC