Southwest Asia --
Airmen with the Dragon Aircraft Maintenance Unit may not spit fire or crack boulders into splinters with their massive talons, but what they do possess are the skills necessary to ensure the all-seeing eye remains high in the sky.
The U-2 Dragon Lady provides high-altitude, all-weather surveillance and reconnaissance, day or night, in direct support of U.S. and allied forces. It delivers critical imagery and signals intelligence to decision makers throughout all phases of conflict, including peacetime indications and warnings, low-intensity conflict, and large-scale hostilities.
“We provide strategic intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance for all of the Central Command’s area of responsibility,” said Capt. Matt, Dragon AMU officer-in-charge. “We support Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Resolute Support Mission as well as the Horn of Africa.”
ISR is more than overhead imagery. Airmen provide leaders at all levels with global, integrated, actionable intelligence from multiple sources, including platforms, sensors, people and databases.
Because of the design of the U-2 Dragon Lady, the majority of which were built in the 1980s and a few in the 1960s, it takes many different specialties to keep this high-flying plane in the air.
“We have everyone from crew chiefs to sheet metal that will work on the plane,” said Staff Sgt. Sean, electrical and environmental technician. “We all have our part and we work together to make sure the plane can fly.”
E&E Airmen work with systems that include anything electrical or environmental such as electrical power, cabin pressure, air conditioning, and oxygen.
“I ensure that the aircraft is safe and ready to fly to be able to execute the mission,” said Sean, currently deployed from Beale Air Force Base, Calif., and a native of Loma Rica, Calif. “I love working on the U-2 Dragon Lady. The mission is like no other, and the stuff this plane takes care of is amazing.”
Another vital role within the Dragon AMU is the crew chiefs, which are responsible for ensuring the plane is ready for the next mission.
“We catch the jet and do pre- and post-flight inspections,” said Airman 1st Class Cameron, U-2 Dragon Lady crew chief. “We aid all the other shops in taking the jet apart and helping them pull what they need out of the jet and then we will put the jet back together.”
Making sure the jet is ready to fly requires the Airmen to have special skills to ensure the mission is done accurately and safely.
“I think with any aircraft maintainer, it is really important to stay calm and work under pressure,” said Sean. “You need to have a lot of composure to be able to think clearly. If you can’t think clearly, then it is a lot harder for you to work on a system and get the [jet] up in the air.”
Being able to adapt is a very valuable quality to have as well, added Cameron, currently deployed from Beale AFB, Calif., and a native of Harned, Ky.
Whether it is crew chiefs, avionics or E&E technicians, each Airman within the Dragon AMU plays a pivotal role in the overall mission.
“We bring out our specialties and each Airman has a job,” said Matt, currently deployed from Beale AFB, Calif., and a native of Severn, Md. “I kind of look at it like a pit crew. When it is time to go, you have one Airman out there to put the pin in, one to punch the pogo and another to check the peg on top of the aircraft. Everybody has got their role.”
With the U-2 Dragon Lady being considered a strategic asset, the role of the Dragon AMU drives a lot of other operations, but not in a direct impact sort of way, added Matt.
“The capability we provide to the warfighter not only on the ground but all across this AOR is a unique capability that isn’t in very many other places around the world,” said Matt. “Our Airmen and their ability to support this mission and drive the future operations of basically everything we do here is amazing. We are pretty much setting the stage for the next several months in this AOR.”
“Being a part of this mission here definitely gives me a different sense of pride,” said Cameron. “It makes me want to do the best I can do for this jet.”
Airmen with the Dragon AMU have been on a constant rotation here for about 11 years now and have played a pivotal role during many of the operations.
“We supported the initial strikes against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant/Da’esh,” said Matt. “We set the stage for the rest of the development of all the air tasking orders. We are identifying targets and areas of interest long before we have the capability to put a bomb on a target or put an F-15 Strike Eagle over the air space.”
ISR helps coalition leaders gain better insight about the security situation on the ground and strengthens the ability of Iraqi/Kurdish ground forces and their international partners to effectively counter ISIL. Persistent ISR denies ISIL the sanctuary needed to be a more effective fighting force, restricting their ability to mass or move forces or communicate in the open without placing themselves at significant risk.
“We are all one team here and everybody has got their role,” said Matt. “I think it is important to know that everybody from the lowest Airman turning the wrench to tighten a lug nut all the way up to the pilots flying the jets and dropping bombs, everybody’s got their place and none of us would be here with all of us. The support footprint is larger than the operational footprint. We are all here doing the mission together.”
(Editor’s note: Due to safety and security reasons, last names and unit designators were removed.)