U-2 Reconnaissance Aircraft Spotted Over Poland

An American U-2 Dragon Lady strategic reconnaissance aircraft was spotted in Polish airspace.

The photo of the plane was released by planespotter Karol Prokopiuk.

Aviation photographers recorded a flight of the American U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft on March 10, 2024. The aircraft was spotted in the sky over Poland and was reportedly flying in an unknown direction.

The published photo reveals the American scout, identifiable by the characteristic elongated shape of the fuselage nose and the configuration of the wings, which feature two reconnaissance equipment containers.

Currently, it is not known for what purpose the U-2 performed the flight, but, according to eyewitnesses, its appearance was not recorded for the first time.

In addition, it is difficult to say whether the plane is based in Poland. Dragon Lady is capable of flights lasting up to 12 hours, which allows take-off from airbases at any point within the European part of NATO.

U-2 Dragon Lady

The U-2 is a high-altitude strategic reconnaissance aircraft that remains one of the oldest in the service of the U.S. Air Force. However, this time they have undergone several upgrades and continue to serve.

The aircraft carries three compartments for reconnaissance equipment: two in the wings and one in the bow. They house a multispectral camera, a radar surveillance system, and electronic intelligence equipment.

Flying at altitudes up to 21,000 meters, it can scout objects and target zones using a multi-channel optical station and radar, without entering the range of enemy air defense systems.

In February 2020, Lockheed Martin completed testing a new SYERS-2C multispectral camera and installing such instruments on U-2S reconnaissance aircraft.

The camera was based on the principle of open architecture and capable of transmitting data to F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor fifth generation fighters.

Recall that in 2020, the US Air Force tested the ARTUμ integrated artificial intelligence system on a U-2 Dragon Lady strategic reconnaissance aircraft.

In flight, the algorithm operated a radar station and was responsible for detecting conditional enemy missile launchers.