This weekend, Lockheed Martin partnered with NASA to bring the United States' first asteroid sample back to Earth. After that, the company took a break from its busy schedule in September to successfully test fly a U-2 aircraft with an upgraded avionics system. The U-2 is one of the world's oldest high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, first taking to the skies in 1955 as part of a test program. Over its history, the aircraft has been used by the Navy, Air Force and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Lockheed Martin's latest upgrade to the U-2 is part of the Air Force's U-2 "Dragon Lady" avionics technology refresh program (ATR), which saw the Air Force award the company a $50 million contract in 2020.
The U-2 is one of the highest-ceiling manned aircraft in the world and can climb to an altitude of at least 80,000 feet for surveillance and reconnaissance. The aircraft can also maintain communications during flight, a must-have feature for mission-critical missions as it allows teams on the ground to receive data in real time while the aircraft is in flight.
However, because the aircraft has been in service for decades, regular upgrades are necessary to ensure that the U-2 can support modern warfare command platforms. The ATR program is designed to bring these capabilities to the aircraft. According to Lockheed, during the first test flight of the upgraded U-2, the aircraft tested new onboard communications and navigation systems, new computers that work with air, space, land and cyber combat systems, and new cockpit displays that meet modern technologies and requirements.
The upgraded U-2 conducted a low-altitude test flight in Palmdale, California. During this test, the U-2 pilot checked all of these systems. As part of the ATR program, the aircraft received significant upgrades to its avionics and flight control systems to ensure they work with newer technology. The aircraft's mission computer is also designed to meet the Air Force's Open Mission System (OMS), which is designed to combine information from different domains to improve decision-making.
Lockheed's ATR program aims to make the U-2 fully compliant with OMS standards, which, according to the Air Force, allows different systems on different aircraft to communicate with each other by using a common data format. Lockheed Martin isn't the only defense contractor to introduce the format into its products. Northrop Grumman and Boeing are also developing related products, and Northrop will demonstrate an OMS-compliant radar system in 2020.
The latest modification of the U-2 that has been put into service is called the U-2S. Despite being in service for decades, aircraft like the U-2 still have much of their airframe available for future missions due to fewer flight hours. The latest upgrade is the first of its kind to the U-2 since the early 2000s, and while some other components are also upgraded, the mission computer is a new component specifically designed to meet OMS requirements. Additionally, the display upgrade will also include some touchscreen functionality, according to a Lockheed official speaking to Aviation Week in 2020.