An old Cold War reconnaissance aircraft is starting a new life as the famous but mysterious Lockheed Martin Skunk Works completes the first test flight of the Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady with upgraded avionics and cockpit displays. First introduced in 1956, the U-2 was designed to fill the gap in providing reconnaissance of Warsaw Pact areas that could not be adequately photographed after the Luftwaffe ceased operations.

The idea was to take the high-altitude bomber and fighter range a step further by creating a specialized aircraft capable of flying long distances at altitudes of 70,000 feet (21,300 m), operating from forward bases in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. This would allow the U-2 to fly well above the operating ceiling of existing air defense systems at the time.

This turned sour in May 1960 when a U-2 piloted by Gary Powers was shot down by Soviet missiles, but another aspect of flying at such high altitude became part of the reason why the U-2 was one of the few aircraft in the world to survive. He has served in the U.S. Air Force for more than half a century. Flying at such a high altitude, the U-2 is a rapidly deployable aircraft and can see enemy territory for thousands of miles, both photographically and electromagnetically, while remaining safe in international airspace.

The problem is that the U-2 is quite difficult to fly, especially at low altitudes, so there is always room for improvement if it wants to remain in service. Under the $50 million contract, the Avionics Technology Refresh (ATR) program includes a new avionics suite with a new mission computer that will allow the U-2 to adopt the Air Force’s Open Mission Systems (OMS) standard so it can be integrated at different levels. Ensuring security through air, space, sea, land and cyber systems.

Other improvements include the ability to quickly adopt new technology and a new cockpit with better digital displays to provide information more efficiently and allow the pilot to make faster, more informed decisions.

Featuring an improved avionics complex, the U-2 conducted low-altitude performance testing to integrate new avionics, cabling and software during its first flight. Further testing will focus on improving the core software and new mission systems.

“The successful first flight of the U-2 Avionics Tech Refresh is a significant milestone in our journey to quickly and cost-effectively introduce new capabilities,” said Sean Thatcher, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works U-2 Avionics Tech Refresh program manager. “By using open platform architecture, we are accelerating these capabilities needed for the future of the Joint All-Domain Operations battlespace.”