A U-2, flying from the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, approaches the maintenance hangar after the final sortie for one of its mission systems, Dec. 15, 2016. The final flight is celebrated with a traditional shower and a greeting party consisting of the crews that have maintained the now retired mission system. The retired system will be replaced with one that is currently flown on the RQ-4, enhancing the combined products of manned and unmanned high-altitude products. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Christopher Carwile)
After the final sortie for one of the U-2 mission systems the aircraft passes under a water shower, a traditional way of celebrating major milestones or final flights, provided by the 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron Fire Department at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, Dec. 15, 2016. A system that is already in use on the RQ-4 will replace the retired system, enabling both aircraft to continue providing complimentary high-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance products. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Christopher Carwile)
A U-2 taxis back towards the maintenance hangar at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia after a sortie, Dec. 15, 2016. This sortie marked the final flight of one of the mission systems that the U-2 is capable of carrying. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Christopher Carwile)