U-2 takes off

A U-2 Dragon Lady from Beale Air Force Base, Calif., departs the runway at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, May 3 during Exercise Northern Edge 2017. Northern Edge is Alaska’s largest and premier joint training exercise designed to practice operations, techniques and procedures as well as enhance interoperability among the services. Thousands of participants from all the services, Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Coast Guard personnel from active duty, Reserve and National Guard units—are involved.