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Support aircraftIn service
High-altitude reconnaissance aircraft
Lockheed U-2 is a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft originating in United States. It was built by Lockheed Skunk Works. Reported operators include United States Air Force Central Intelligence Agency (historical) NASA Republic of China Air Force (historical).
United StatesLockheed U-2
United States Department of the Air Force · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · ModifiedHigh-altitude reconnaissance aircraft
United States
Lockheed Skunk Works
Clarence "Kelly" Johnson
In service
United States Air Force Central Intelligence Agency (historical) NASA Republic of China Air Force (historical)
104
1955–1989
1956
1 August 1955 ( 1955-08-01 )
1
5,000 lb (2,300 kg) payload
63 ft 0 in (19.20 m)
103 ft (31 m)
16 ft 0 in (4.88 m)
1,000 sq ft (93 m 2 )
16,000 lb (7,257 kg)
40,000 lb (18,144 kg)
2,950 US gal (2,460 imp gal; 11,200 L)
1 × General Electric F118-101 turbofan engine, 17,000 lbf (76 kN) thrust
Mach 0.715 (412 kn; 470 mph; 760 km/h) at 72,000 ft (22,000 m)
6,090 nmi (7,010 mi, 11,280 km)
12 hours
80,000 ft (24,000 m)
9,000 ft/min (46 m/s)
root: NACA 63A409 ; tip: NACA 63A406
65 kn (75 mph, 120 km/h)
60,000 ft (18,000 m) in 12 minutes 30 seconds
25.6
40 lb/sq ft (200 kg/m 2 )
0.425
910 lb/h (410 kg/h) in cruise
Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
True scale
Sourced dimensions beside a 1.75 m human reference.
Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sept 2026 | 19.2 m | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| 28 Sept 2026 | 19.2 m | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
Lockheed U-2 equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.
United StatesUS Air Force (USAF) exact named equipment holdings: U-2S. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / ISR. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
Reported count for U-2S Dragon Lady / TU-2S Dragon Lady. Service scope: Air Force; does not replace a national total. 2 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Excludes retired/reserve/on-order rows. Count column(s): inventory: 27 / inventory: 4. Origin: USA. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
United States Air Force Central Intelligence Agency (historical) NASA Republic of China Air Force (historical)
Equipment reference ↗