Lockheed's Skunk Works Team to Help Update Air Force Reconnaissance Aircraft Avionics

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and its Skunk Works group will update the avionics system of the U.S. Air Force’s U-2 Dragon reconnaissance aircraft under a $50M contract.

The company said Thursday it will lead aircraft components design, integration and testing efforts in the avionics tech refresh project that involves developing a mission computer designed to work with other military systems used in the air, space, land, sea and cyber domains.

The U-2 will be equipped with modern cockpit displays to help the pilot manage tasks and view data the vehicle collects to support decision-making in flight, Lockheed added.

The company will begin the program’s interim fielding phase in the middle of 2021 and install technology updates on the fleet in the following year.

Skunk Works will support system updates into U-2 to ensure the aircraft’s compliance with the Air Force’s open mission architecture standards.

The branch expects to commence the interim fielding phase by mid-2021 and begin the fleet modification early in 2022.

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