Unmanned U-2 Report

Converting the U-2 spy plane into an unmanned aircraft would cost approximately $800 million and take four years, according to an August 2012 report to Congress obtained this week by InsideDefense.com.

The report concludes that taking the pilot out of the cockpit is "feasible but not practical" because of landing issues and the complexity of the design.

The Air Force has tried several times to retire the U-2 in favor of further investment in Northrop Grumman's RQ-4 Global Hawk, but the Dragon Lady's supporters in Congress have repeatedly blocked the move in defense policy and spending legislation.

In 2012, Congress asked the Air Force to report on the feasibility of coverting the U-2 into a remotely piloted aircraft -- as first proposed by the original manufacture Lockheed Martin in 2001.

The concept resurfaced in an Aviation Week report last month that said Lockheed has been revising the design, possibly in response to the Air Force's latest attempt to retire the aircraft.

Inside the Air Force reported this week that the service has no plans to pursue the conversion.

According to the report, the U-2's airframe endurance could be pushed from 14 hours to 20 hours with significant wing modifications. Human factors currently limit U-2 sorties to 10-12 hours.

The conversion, the report notes, would add weight and complexity to the system, and landing would be difficult. The U-2 "is well known for its challenging landing characteristics" because of its long wings and bicycle landing gear, and its engines must be stalled before touching down.

"No capability to land the U-2 remotely or autonomously has ever been demonstrated, and to do so would require significant upgrades to the U-2 autopilot and flight control systems," the report states.

Initial industry cost estimates in 2001 placed the cost of converting the entire U-2 fleet at $350 million, according to the report. In 2012, the estimate was revised to $800 million to account for the cost of extending the wings.

"Based on the 2001 proposal, the first aircraft would be delivered no earlier than four years after the contract award," the report states.

The Air Force has 32 U-2 aircraft, operated by the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, CA.