Two US pilots safely ejected from a U-2 spy plane on a training mission before the aircraft crashed in rural California, the Air Force said Tuesday.

The plane came down shortly after takeoff in an unpopulated area in Sutter, north of state capital Sacramento, the Air Force said.

Both pilots were safe and awaiting recovery.

The plane was assigned to the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron at Beale Air Force Base, the facility said on Facebook.

U-2 spy planes came to the world's attention during the Cold War, when one of the secret reconnaissance planes piloted by Gary Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union.

The Air Force still has 33 U-2s in service, five of which are two-seat trainers.

With a maximum altitude of 70,000 feet (21,300 meters,) the U-2 was initially designed to fly out of reach of Soviet air defenses.

Harris gets $54 million contract for aircraft countermeasures system
Washington (UPI) Sep 20, 2016 - Harris Corp. has been awarded a $54 million U.S. Air Force contract for engineering work on the AN/ALQ-172 aircraft countermeasure system.

The cost-plus-fixed fee contract will cover engineering services applicable to the AN/ALQ-172 Line Replaceable Unit-1 countermeasures receiver.

It also calls for non-recurring engineering services for the form, fit and function interface, as well as redesign, development of data, manufacturing and delivery of prototypes that will meet legacy specification requirements.

Work will be performed in New Jersey. The estimated completion date is September 2020.

The Air Force Sustainment Center is the contracting activity.

The ALQ-172 has over the past decade defended B-52 bombers and C-130 aircraft against radio frequency threats in combat missions.

The system can simultaneously counter multiple pulse, continuous wave, pulse Doppler and mono-pulse threats.

It is integrated with the aircraft controls and displays to offer aircrews protection against sophisticated radar-directed threats.