The reconnaissance aircraft is flown by a single pilot, supported by a ground crew led by a fellow pilot known as the mobile officer. Each wing has a single aileron surface on the trailing edge to control roll and two flaps to control lift and drag. The ground crew then refit the pogos so the aircraft can taxi back to the hangar. The wings are fitted with titanium skidplates so that when the aircraft lands and is brought to a halt, the wing can gently touch the ground. Unique to the U-2 aircraft is that the main wing planks are milled from large single billets of metal, rather than built up of riveted sheet metal, I-beams and U-channels. The pogos drop onto the runway as the aircraft lifts and the ground maintenance crew retrieve them immediately after take-off. The outrigger gear, or pogos, are attached with pins, which are removed when the aircraft is on the runway and preparing for take-off. Removable outrigger gear located away from the fuselage centreline is used to lighten the weight of the airborne aircraft.
The U-2 spy plane will be equipped with a modernised avionics suite, an upgraded cockpit, and an OMS standard-compliant mission computer. In April 2020, the US Air Force awarded a $50m contract to Lockheed Martin to advance the capabilities of the U-2 aircraft to meet the requirements of the future battlespace.
Completed in February 2020, the sensor upgrades provide the aircraft with enhanced optical performance and accurate long-range tracking to enable improved detection of threats. The USAF’s entire U-2 reconnaissance aircraft fleet was installed with the senior year electro-optical reconnaissance system (SYERS) sensor SYERS-2C supplied by Collins Aerospace.
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