The United States has authorized using the U-2 Dragon Lady high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft for surveillance operations along the southern border with Mexico.

According to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Alvin, the U-2 is conducting missions alongside RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft and drones.

A U.S. Defense Department official also confirmed that the U.S. Air Force has deployed a U-2 in support of Pentagon efforts to monitor activity along the border.

The Trump administration has made border security a high-priority military mission, with Air Force and Navy aircraft, Army helicopters, and other assets conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions along the southern border and off the coast of Mexico.

A similar operation was carried out in 2021 under President Biden when the U.S. deployed U-2 aircraft to monitor migrant flows along the border.

The high-altitude strategic reconnaissance aircraft U-2 remains one of the oldest in the US Air Force service.

However, during this time, they have undergone several modernizations and continue to serve.

U-2

The aircraft carries three compartments for reconnaissance equipment: two in the wings and one in the nose.

They house a multispectral camera, a radar surveillance system, and electronic intelligence equipment.

Flying at altitudes of up to 21,000 meters, it can scout objects and target areas using a multi-channel optical station and radars without entering the range of enemy air defense systems.

In February 2020, Lockheed Martin completed testing of the SYERS-2C multispectral camera, which has since been integrated into U-2S aircraft. This system features open architecture, allowing real-time image transmission to fifth-generation fighter jets like the F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor.