The U.S. Air Force is exploring whether it could keep flying its U-2 Dragon Lady high-altitude reconnaissance airplanes for the rest of the century, a service official said March 15.
A “structural study†is looking at whether the Air Force could fully use the U-2’s estimated lifespan of 75,000 flight hours, “which would take them out to 2100,†said Susan Thornton, the Air Force’s director for information dominance programs. “So pretty far out there.â€
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http://www.defensedaily.com/air-force-studying-u-2-reconnaissance-plane-fly-till-2100/