Ultra-high-strength steels have been considered an essential material for aviation components owing to their excellent mechanical properties and superior fatigue resistance. When machining these steels, severe tool wear frequently results in poor surface quality and low machining efficiency, which is intimately linked to the friction behavior at the tool–workpiece interface. To enhance the service life of tools, the adoption of efficient cooling methods is paramount. However, the understanding of friction behavior at the tool–workpiece interface under varying cooling conditions remains limited. In this work, both air atomization of cutting fluid (AACF) and ultrasonic atomization of cutting fluid (UACF) were employed, and their spray characteristic parameters, including droplet size distribution, droplet number density, and droplet velocity, were evaluated under different air pressures. Discontinuous sliding tests were conducted on the ultra-high-strength steel against cemented carbide and the effect of spray characteristic parameters on the adhesion friction coefficient was studied. The results reveal that ultrasonic atomization significantly improved the uniformity of droplet size distribution. An increase in air pressure resulted in an increase in both droplet number density and droplet velocity under both AACF and UACF conditions. Furthermore, the thickness of the liquid film was strongly dependent on the spray characteristic parameters. Additionally, UACF exhibited a reduction of 4.7% to 9.8% in adhesion friction coefficient compared to AACF. UACF provided the appropriate combination of spray characteristic parameters, causing an increased thickness of the liquid film, which subsequently exerted a positive impact on reducing the adhesion friction coefficient. Abstract Ultra-high-strength steels have been considered an essential material for aviation components owing to their excellent mechanical properties and superior fatigue resistance. When machining these steels, severe tool wear frequently results in poor surface quality and low machining efficiency, which is intimately linked to the friction behavior at the tool–workpiece interface. To enhance the service life of tools, the adoption of efficient cooling methods is paramount. However, the understanding of friction behavior at the tool–workpiece interface under varying cooling conditions remains limited. In this work, both air atomization of cutting fluid (AACF) and ultrasonic atomization of cutting fluid (UACF) were employed, and their spray characteristic parameters, including droplet size distribution, droplet number density, and droplet velocity, were evaluated under different air pressures. Discontinuous sliding tests were conducted on the ultra-high-strength steel against cemented carbide and the effect of spray characteristic parameters on the adhesion friction coefficient was studied. The results reveal that ultrasonic atomization significantly improved the uniformity of droplet size distribution. An increase in air pressure resulted in an increase in both droplet number density and droplet velocity under both AACF and UACF conditions. Furthermore, the thickness of the liquid film was strongly dependent on the spray characteristic parameters. Additionally, UACF exhibited a reduction of 4.7% to 9.8% in adhesion friction coefficient compared to AACF. UACF provided the appropriate combination of spray characteristic parameters, causing an increased thickness of the liquid film, which subsequently exerted a positive impact on reducing the adhesion friction coefficient. Keywords: ultra-high-strength steel; spray characteristic parameters; cooling condition; liquid film; friction coefficient