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Originally designated RS-71, the
Skunk Works was forced to change about 29,000 blueprints to
SR-71 when Lyndon Johnson accidentally turned the letters
around during his 1964 announcement acknowledging the
existence of the airplane. Called the Blackbird, the SR-71
was so far ahead of its time that to this day very few (such
as the X-15
and the Space Shuttle) airplanes can outperform it.
Everything about this airplane's creation was gigantic: the
technical problems that had to be overcome, the political
complexities surrounding its funding, even the ability of
the Air Force's most skilled pilots to master this
"incredible wild horse of the stratosphere." It was a
gigantic leap over the U-2 in every way.
In the words of Kelly Johnson, "It
makes no sense to just take this one or two steps ahead,
because we'd be buying only a couple of years before the
Russians would be able to nail us again. No, I want us to
come up with an airplane that can rule the skies for a
decade or more." He wanted to design an airplane that used
conventional engines and fuel, but still be able to outrace
any missile.
The Blackbird, code-named Oxcart
during its development, flies on a tremendous 65,000 lbs. of
thrust at an altitude of 100,000+ feet at Mach 3.5, and has
a range of four thousand miles.That is not only four times
faster than the U-2 but seven miles higher - and the U-2 was
then the current high-altitude champion. For a long time the
Air Force claimed a maximum speed of Mach 3.2 and an
operational ceiling of 85,000 feet, but we now know that the
SR-71 can soar above 100,000 feet. Some military pilots
claim altitudes in excess of 125,000 feet but this is
probably stretching it a bit. Compared to the fastest
jet fighter America had at the time, the SR-71 flew at least
60 percent faster than its maximum speed on afterburner.
Experimental rocket engines had flown this fast for only two
or three minutes at a time before running out of fuel. But
the Blackbird can cruise at more than three times the speed
of sound, and fly coast to coast in less than an hour on one
tank of gas. The aircraft can also survey more than 100,000
square miles of the Earth's surface in one hour. The
Blackbird actually stretches a few inches during flight, due
to the massive temperatures on its titanium hull. To many,
the Blackbird is the epitome of grace and power, not to
mention blinding speed.
Two other planes, the A-12 and the
YF-12, could easily be mistaken for the SR-71. The A-12 was
the first plane developed out of the three. It is
actually a host plane for the smaller, faster, and
higher-flying D-21 drone, code-named Tagboard, which sat
piggyback on the A-12 and used a ramjet engine once released
for flight. The project was soon cancelled, however, due to
a fatal accident, and the D-21 went on to use the B-52 as a
transport host. The YF-12 was an SR-71 with an internal bay
carrying three Hughes GAR-9/ AIM-47A air to air radar guided
missiles, designed to shoot enemy airplanes flying at lower
altitudes. Only three YF-12s were ever built.
Summary
of YF-12A Missile Firings
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Date
of test
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Altitude
of YF-12
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Speed
of YF-12
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Altitude
of Target
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Results
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March, 1965
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65,000 feet
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Mach 2.19
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40,000 feet
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Target destroyed
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May, 1965
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64,800 feet
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Mach 2.18
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20,000 feet
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Missile gyro
failure
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|
September, 1965
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75,200 feet
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Mach 3.22
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20,000 feet
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Target destroyed
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March, 1966
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74,000 feet
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Mach 3.16
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1,700 feet
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Target destroyed
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April, 1966
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75,200 feet
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Mach 3.20
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1,100 feet
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Target destroyed
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May, 1966
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76,000 feet
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Mach 3.20
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20,000 feet
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Target destroyed
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September, 1966
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74,400 feet
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Mach 3.20
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500 feet
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Target destroyed
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This chart "borrowed" from John
Stone's Lockheed Blackbird Information
As of January 1st, 1997, two SR-71
air crews and planes were declared mission ready for the
first time since the plane's retirement, seven years ago. In
1994, Congress appropriated funds to put two aircraft back
into service, and these airplanes were taken out of storage,
refurbished, and delivered to the USAF. (One was located at
NASA's Dryden research facility and the other at the Skunk
Works.) These two Blackbirds and their crews are now based
at Edwards Air Force Base, though administratively, they are
part of the 9th Recon Wing at Beale. These SR-71s are
equipped with reconnaissance sensors, including the Advanced
Synthetic Aperture Radar system that provides near
real-time, all-weather, day or night imagery.
"My goal was to bring the SR-71 back
quickly, within budget, and most importantly, in a safe
manner," said Brig. Gen. Robert Behler, 9th Reconnaissance
Wing commander at Beale. "I'm proud to say we've
accomplished this goal and we look forward to demonstrating
a mobility capability later this year."
Remember that A-10 Thunderbolt that
crashed into a Colorado mountain in April? Well, guess what
two planes were involved in the search . . .
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