The U‑2 spy plane just made history again by breaking two more records

Airpower

By Alex Hollings

August 7, 2025

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Over the weekend, a military aircraft with the callsign “DRAGON 70” was heard communicating with Atlanta Air Traffic Control about trying to set new endurance and altitude records. The aircraft’s transponder was active, but not transmitting in a mode that could be tracked by civilian flight trackers like Flightradar24. So to those outside the military, this mysterious aircraft was, for all intents and purposes, a ghost.

For DRAGON 70, that was business as usual. The aircraft is one of only around five two-seat TU-2S spy plane trainer aircraft – a special version of the legendary U-2 spy plane that’s used to train new pilots on the complex take-off and landing procedures of the U-2.

However, this flight wasn’t business as usual… and just so happened to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the first (and accidental) U-2 test flight, made over Groom Lake (now known as Area 51).

The pilot of DRAGON 70, Cory callsign “ULTRALORD” Bartholomew, informed Atlanta Center that they had departed from Beale Air Force Base in California, some 2,500 miles away, at around 21:30 the night before, and then explained that they were going after a new endurance record. Yet, that was just one of the records this U-2 was after. It has since been revealed that ULTRALORD was joined in the backseat by another U-2 instructor pilot, identified only as Lt. Col. callsign “JETHRO.” According to the Air Force, these two men each hold standing records for the highest number of accumulated U-2 flight hours, making this crew the most experienced to ever in the U-2’s seven decades of flying.

Toward the end of the flight, when the aircraft was at its lightest due to spent fuel, the two-man crew took the aircraft up for a new altitude record for the platform, though the altitudes of the previous record that they broke and the new record that they set have not been publicly disclosed.

We do know that the U-2 has an unclassified service ceiling of 70,000 feet and CIA records show the aircraft would routinely fly as high as 74,500 feet. Unconfirmed but credible claims suggest the U-2 could even exceed 80,000 feet. Notable, the aircraft’s transponder is reportedly configured to show an altitude of 60,000 feet on flight trackers regardless of how much higher it may actually be flying.

By the time DRAGON 70 made it back to Beale that day, it had been airborne for more than 14 straight hours and covered more than 6,000 nautical miles, (more than 6,900 regular miles) flying across all 48 contiguous states. This marked the longest single flight of any U-2 spy plane in history, a fitting tribute to the jet’s 70th anniversary.

The U-2 itself is a remarkable piece of engineering, designed by Lockheed’s legendary Skunk Works founder, Kelly Johnson. In fact, it was Johnson who first established the base we now know as Area 51 to secretly test the aircraft.

Despite the prevalence of spy satellites in today’s sky, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft like the U-2 are still a vital part of America’s defense apparatus, collecting intelligence that satellites can’t, and they do so on far less predictable timelines than satellites offer.

Feature Image: A U.S. Air Force 99th Reconnaissance Squadron TU-2S Dragon Lady performs touch-and-go landings at dusk on Beale Air Force Base, California, Aug. 15, 2024. TU-2S are trainer aircraft used to gain proficiency before pilots deploy for operational missions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Frederick A. Brown)