The Dragon Lady is getting some new tools. BAE Systems says that the Air Force’s U-2 reconnaissance aircraft has attained initial operational capability with the new AN/ALQ-221 Advanced Defensive System. The AN/ALQ-221 is a modern integrated radar warning receiver and electronic countermeasure system that provides pilots with situational awareness and self-protection against current and future threats, according to BAE. The system is part of the Block 20 U-2 modernization program and is integrated with the aircraft’s upgraded avionics processor and multifunction cockpit displays.
Maintainers swarmed an F-35 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., last month, testing out a procedure that has become common for older fighters but has never done before on the service’s fifth-generation jets: a “hot” integrated combat turn.