Page 9 - Sr 71 News Today

The reconnaissance jet was never shot down, or even hit, over the course of its entire lifespan, although it’s been estimated that more than 4,000 missiles were fired at it over the decades.

Stealth doesn’t just apply to aircraft—submarines have been incorporating stealthy features for decades. And the most powerful combination of lethality and stealth is almost certainly the Ohio-class.

The vulnerability of the subsonic U-2 spy plane spurred the SR-71’s development, CNN explained. “In May 1960, an American U-2 spy plane was shot down in Soviet airspace while taking aerial photographs. Initially, the U.S. government said it was a stray weather research aircraft, but the story fell apart once the Soviet government released photos of the captured pilot and the planes surveillance equipment,” The incident had immediate diplomatic repercussions for the Cold War and reinforced...

SR-72: The Mach 6 Bomber That Could Shake the World? Not quite, but the much-hyped hypersonic aircraft has been likened to an SR-72 and it has some serious capabilities. Heres What You Need To Remember: Lockheed’s hyping of a hypersonic aircraft which may-or-may-not already exist seems explicitly intended to build support for additional funding. This may be because it’s pursuing the project with the Defense Advanced Research Programs Agency (DARPA), which focuses on innovative development...

While this isn't exactly a secret, what is unclear is whether the Son of the Blackbird, as the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been dubbed, was ever more than vaporware.

No SR-71 Blackbird: The CIA Once Had a Smaller, Faster Spy Plane The A-10 Oxcart spy plane was very useful, but it was not invincible and one was nearly killed over Vietnam. Key point: The spy plane helped keep tabs on various Cold War adversaries, especially during times of high tensions. In fact, the planes photographs of North Korean activity helped Washington decide not to launch a major retaliation in the aftermath of the seizure of the USS Pueblo. Analysis of Week’s photos located the ...

Lockheed test pilot Bill Weaver became the man who quite literally fell to earth from an altitude of 78,800 feet.

MiG-25 One of the early jet fighters that can be counted among the fastest jets ever designed was the MiG-25. The Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich airframe made extensive use of stainless steel, as a typical aluminum airframe would not have been able to cope with the stresses at the high speeds the MiG-25 was intended for. The airframe’s more robust steel construction came at a cost, however. The MiG-25 was a beast of a plane and tipped the scales at about 64,000 pounds—without fuel or a full weapo...

How the SR-71 Was Retired for Good (Even It Was the Fastest Plane Ever) It could cross continents in just a few hours, and at 80,000 feet, the Blackbird could survey 100,000 square miles of the ground below per hour. Heres What You Need to Remember: No other U.S. Air Force aircraft could fly faster or higher than the Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird," and on its final flight, it set a truly impressive record. The reconnaissance aircraft flew from the west coast of the United States to the east coast �...

Blackbird: The SR-71 Is Worlds Fastest Plane (And Is Retired?) During its twenty-four-year career, the SR-71 remained the worlds fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft in the world. And while she might be retired, she lives on in the movies and on TV.  The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" was never really much of a secret during its time in service with the United States Air Force. It had been first mentioned in a speech by then-President Lyndon Johnson in July 1964, then described as the R...