Image: BAE System
BAE Systems has secured a new U.S. Air Force contract to maintain the electronic warfare suite protecting the U-2 Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft. Robins Air Force Base in Georgia awarded the deal, tasking BAE Systems with sustaining the AN/ALQ-221 Advanced Defensive System.
Under the contract, BAE Systems will provide continuous field service support and complete repairs to maintain system availability. It will also deliver software updates, ensuring the U-2 can detect and engage new and emerging threats.
Protecting the Dragon Lady in Contested Skies
The AN/ALQ-221 equips U-2 pilots with integrated radar warning and electronic countermeasures. Long-range sensors and onboard processing give pilots situational awareness and self-protection in the most heavily contested airspace.
The U-2 remains a cornerstone of U.S. intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations — delivering critical data directly to senior decision-makers. The aircraft’s unique, modular design and open avionics architecture allow engineers to develop, test, and field new capabilities quickly.
“The Advanced Defensive System for the U-2 is part of BAE Systems’ long legacy in electronic warfare,” said Tim Angulas, U-2 product area director at BAE Systems, according to the company. “Our efforts ensure they can operate effectively throughout their lifecycles.”
Six Decades and Counting
BAE Systems has continuously developed and advanced the ADS across its 60-year operational lifespan. The work sits at the heart of the U-2’s broader modernisation programme.
Experts at BAE Systems’ facility in Nashua, New Hampshire sustain the AN/ALQ-221, supported by field service representatives deployed alongside aircraft operators. The company draws on decades of experience designing and manufacturing systems that counter some of the world’s most advanced threats.
Why Sustaining the U-2 Matters
Peer adversaries — Russia and China foremost among them — continue to invest heavily in advanced radar, integrated air defences, and electronic attack. Legacy platforms like the U-2 require constant software and hardware refreshes to remain survivable; this contract directly funds that work.
Despite years of speculation about retirement in favour of unmanned systems, the U-2 continues to fly some of the most sensitive missions in the U.S. Air Force inventory. Keeping its self-protection suite current extends the aircraft’s operational viability well into the coming decade.
For BAE Systems, the award reinforces its standing as primary custodian of one of American airpower’s most enduring intelligence assets.
Source: BAE Systems
