Lockheed Unveils Next-Generation U-2

Lockheed Martin this week revealed its Skunk Works proposal for a next-generation U-2 spy plane, a tactical reconnaissance aircraft called “TR-X.”

As the Air Force looks to retire Lockheed’s U-2 Dragon Lady in 2019, the company has come up with a next-generation replacement, Scott Winstead, strategic business manager for the U-2 program, told reporters on Monday at the Air Force Association’s annual conference. Lockheed is still shaping the capabilities of TR-X, a high-altitude aircraft that is designed to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions for decades to come.

TR-X will look very much like the U-2, taking advantage of the spy plane’s General Electric F118 engine and carrying a similar ordnance payload. The concept is for a low-observable aircraft designed to fly at 70,000 feet, Winstead said.

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