![]() ![]() 'This event closes a decades-long chapter for Beale Air Force Base and film processing, and it opens another chapter into the digital world,' said Adam Marigliani, engineering support specialist for Collins Aerospace, a partner with Beale's intelligence operations. ![]() The base also housed SR-71 Blackbirds.īeale's U-2 squadron has now embraced digital photography. Beale is home to many spy planes, including RQ-4 Global Hawk spy planes and T-38 Talon trainers. ![]() The OBC is a wet film camera, so the removal of the OBC from Beale's Dragon Lady also marks the end of film processing at the 9th Reconnaissance Wing. Ralph Shoukry touches the U-2 Dragon Lady ahead of its final sortie from Beale Air Force Base. Upon landing, Air Force technicians removed the OBC sensor, marking the end of an era. However, on June 24, the plane flew its final sortie with the OBC. The original plane ceased production in 1989, succeeded by newer U-2S and TU-2S models.Īt Beale Air Force Base in California, a U-2 Dragon Lady has flown the skies as part of the Air Force's 9th Reconnaissance Wing since 1974 with an onboard Optical Bar Camera (OBC). The plane was first introduced in 1956 and remains in service. Flown originally by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and later the United States Air Force, the U-2, nicknamed 'Dragon Lady,' has performed high-altitude reconnaissance from more than 21,000m (70,000'). Not many planes have the illustrious history of the Lockheed-Martin U-2 spy plane. ![]()
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