U-2 på vei mot solnedgangen

 

US Air Force again plans U-2S retirements, targeting 2027 sundown

By Ryan Finnerty | 11 May 2026

The U-2S and two-seat TU-2S trainer variant use a unique bicycle landing gear configuration that is famously complex to operateUS Air Force

The air force’s civilian chief says the fleet of high-altitude reconnaissance jets is facing “significant costs” due to airframe age and fatigue.

The US Air Force (USAF) is again seeking to retire the Lockheed U-2S high-altitude reconnaissance jet, the oldest of which has been operating for nearly 60 years.

Air force leaders attempted to retire the U-2S fleet in 2024 but were blocked by lawmakers in Congress. The service’s recent budget request for fiscal year 2027, which begins in October 2026, will attempt to restart that process.

“After its one-year extension granted in May 2025, the FY2027 request proceeds with the divestment of the U-2 by the end of FY2027 to avoid significant costs due to airframe age and fatigue,” air force secretary Troy Meink says in a written briefing submitted to Congress.

There are 28 U-2S jets remaining in USAF service, including two-seat TU-2S trainers, according to fleet data from aviation analytics company Cirium. An additional two civil-variant ER-2s are operated by US space agency NASA.

Meink will likely face an uphill battle in Congress to retire the famous U-2S, which participated in the recent air campaign over Iran and famously photographed the high-altitude Chinese spy balloon that transited North America in 2023.

Lawmakers have a history of derailing aircraft retirement efforts, most famously repeatedly blocking efforts to send Fairchild Republic A-10 ground attack fighters to the boneyard.

Budget documents from recent years show a steady decline in funding for operations and maintenance of the U-2S fleet.

In 2025, the USAF secured $9.2 million for maintaining the fleet’s electronics and communication systems, and $185 million to upkeep the single GE Aerospace F118 engines that power each aircraft.

Those numbers have dropped to zero and $12 million, respectively, in the FY2027 budget request.

Despite the intent to divest the one-of-a-kind spy jets, the air force will continue operating the U-2S in the near-term.

In March, BAE Systems received a sustainment contract to extend field maintenance support services for the AN/ALQ-221 Advanced Defensive System installed on each aircraft.

According to BAE, the AN/ALQ-221 system provides integrated radar warning and electronic countermeasures that provide U-2S pilots with enhanced situational awareness and self-protection. The system includes long-range sensors and onboard processing, helping the aircraft better counter threats when flying in contested airspace.

Congressional committees in the Senate and House of Representatives have been holding hearings with Pentagon officials as they begin the process of writing their own FY2027 defence spending plans, which will be informed by the request submitted by the White House.

Initial drafts of that legislation will provide a clear picture as to lawmakers’ feelings about a U-2S sundown next year.