Lockheed Martin has recently revealed its proposal for the TR-X, a tactical reconnaissance spy plane that would potentially replace the U.S Air Force’s decades-old U-2 craft.
Lockheed Martin has recently revealed a potential replacement for the U.S. Air Force’s U-2 spy plane called the TR-X.
The new craft will likely look similar to the U-2 and will retain the 70,000 feet flying capability but will be designed to better support advanced communications, sensors, and warfare-related systems.
It will also be optionally manned, with an emphasis on cost-efficient tactical reconnaissance which is what the TR stands for.
According to Lockheed, the TR-X has been conceived specifically for the Air Force, though a representative with the military branch reports that they have not yet heard a formal proposal.
He also cautions that the Air Force currently lacks the resources to invest in another reconnaissance aircraft since it already has the U-2 and the Global Hawk made by competitor Northrop Grumman.
That said, the U-2, which has been in service since before the 60s, will reportedly be phased out beginning in 2018, and the first TR-X planes would be available by 2025.
