In 2023, the Defense Department announced plans to retire the U-2 fleet by fiscal year 2026 as a cost-cutting measure. Over the past four months, the US Air Force has recently begun retiring its fleet of U-2s from service in line with this plan for retiring the U-2:
https://fox40.com/news/local-news/yuba-county/legendary-spy-plane-retir…
https://theaviationist.com/2024/04/11/beale-afb-retires-another-u-2-as-…
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/beale-air-force-base-retires-third-u-…
Four of the U-2s currently operational also happen to be only first-generation U-2Rs (ordered in the late 1960s) still flying, therefore being older than the rest of the U-2 fleet. Therefore, the U-2Rs with serials 68-10329, 68-10331, 68-10336, and 68-10337 could be retired soon given their age.
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May 11, 2024 at 12:08 am