The Air Force has awarded Goodrich a contract for a pair of upgraded multi-spectral payloads for U-2 surveillance aircraft to enhance their all-weather imaging capability. Produced by Goodrich, these Senior Year Electro-Optical Reconnaissance Sensors will equip U-2s of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, Calif. They boast improved range, resolution, and coverage over the aircraft’s existing capability. SYERS-2A enhances “U-2 functionality by adding extra multi-spectral imaging capability to the platform, providing significantly more utility in discerning imagery,” stated Goodrich’s release last week.
Fresh off its most ambitious test yet of an autonomous cargo plane, the Air Force is preparing to go even bigger by deploying and operating another such aircraft for an entire year.
