If your ad hominem was meant to camoflauge your apparent and abject ignorance of the current state of the fleet, it fell flat...go find some other idiot who will swallow your bait, there are apparently many willing to take it on this thread and the pride and ego are running too thick.
Folks just interested in making themselves look smarter by half.
See ya...enjoy your circle jerk...aviation ignorance abounds and when someone who actually worked on the program weighs in...ad hominems follow shortly.
FR doesn’t disappoint, as usual.
You claimed, as shown, the U2 isn’t 50 years old...In fact, it is 58 years old....Yes, it is still being used, albeit updated models, but the fact remains the U2 IS over 50 years old.....
Talk about ego...??
Read what you posted!!
Wiki has very detailed history of all aircraft and included the following (not news to you):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_U-2
U-2R/S details[edit]
The U-2R, first flown in 1967, is significantly larger and more capable than the original aircraft. A tactical reconnaissance version, the TR-1A, first flew in August 1981. A distinguishing feature of these aircraft is the addition of a large instrumentation “superpod” under each wing. Designed for standoff tactical reconnaissance in Europe, the TR-1A was structurally identical to the U-2R. The 17th Reconnaissance Wing, Royal Air Force Station Alconbury, England used operational TR-1As from 1983 until 1991. The last U-2 and TR-1 aircraft were delivered to the U.S. Air Force in October 1989. In 1992 all TR-1s and U-2s (all U-2Rs) were re-designated U-2R. The two-seat trainer variant of the TR-1, the TR-1B, was redesignated as the TU-2R. After upgrading with the F-118-101 engine, the former U-2Rs were designated the U-2S Senior Year.