SR-71 ........ What A Ride !

was bored and found this, thank you all for posting, amazing. I always wanted to fly. my mom's uncle flew in ww2, korea and nam he passed away 2 years ago, he drove like a 30 year cop at 94 years old. I saw picture of him and the b-58 hustler he flew and always wanted to do that but I became friends booze instead. btw we are no longer friends

Awesome.








Just PURE SEXY.

As a youngster becoming enamored of aircraft when I first saw the SR71 I thought to myself or somehow had the impression made on me; "we'll win".

The SR-71 flew out of RAF Lakenheath for a few months in the mid 80s while the runway at Mildenhall was repaired.

We would head to EOR after roll call every morning just to watch them takeoff. The max climbs we saw were better than anything I ever saw at an airshow. What an awesome plane!

A good read from a former pilot:

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130701-tales-from-the-blackbird-cockpit/1

The SR-72 will have about the same range and be around the same size as the SR-71, but it will cruise at Mach 6, or twice as fast.






http://www.nbcnews.com/science/son-...ckheeds-planned-new-hypersonic-spy-8C11528419

The one announced is simply to deflect interest from the one they already have. Google Aurora spy plane

Rod

Gosh, I wonder how they managed to leapfrog the X-51A and acquire hypersonic capability that is only just now being attained. I wonder why they're still working on it. Never heard of Aurora, either.

Aurora's been rumored for years. I've kind of started doubting its existence, figured we would have actually seen one by now. I'm not on the need to know list though.

That is correct, citizen. You've never heard of it because it doesn't exist. Now move along, nothing to see here....

Just a couple questions.....

When was the SR71(with the Turbojet/Ramjet engines) designed and built?

When did the public know of it's existence?

When was it taken out of service?

What took over the SR71's mission?
Or was that mission deemed no longer needed?

Edit: I don't really need the answers.

Satellites and drones took over the SR-71's role. I have a few questions for you, too.

What evidence do you have that the myth/rumor that is Aurora is capable of long-range flight at Mach 6? Mach 5 flight over heavily defended airspace is not survivable.

What reason would the military have to keep a deterrent like the SR-72 secret? How can something that is secret be a deterrent?

Somebody here is not thinking things through very well.

Exactly.

The very idea that the military or U.S. Government could keep a highly advanced stealth aircraft or it's development secret from the general public for any length of time, or said "imaginary" aircraft would be of any use whatsoever, is balderdash and blatantly absurd.

On your last statement,I think we agree.

The D-21 drone was originally carried on the back of a special "M-21" version of the Blackbird. It could at least match, and probably exceeded the performance of the Blackbird. Kelly Johnson ended the M-21 program after one was lost while trying to launch a drone at Mach 3.5.

Remaining D-21's were reconfigured to be launched subsonically from B-52's. We flew them over China in the late 60's to keep an eye on their nuclear program. Apparently that ended when the Chinese were able to shoot one down.


<img src="http://www.aeriaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/d21-drone.jpg">

<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/M21Ship2-cropped.jpg">

<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/B-52_with_D-21.jpg">

That was 45 years ago. Imagine what we can do now...

My dad bought me the model plane kit before the military admitted to the stealth. He was Air Force Intelligence, and just loved that he could buy this off the shelf, while still denying that it existed.
That being said, I doubt seriously that we have an in-use mach 6 human aircraft.

I do see very 'different' aircraft when out in the desert east of las vegas on a pretty regular basis.

jaz

When I worked at General Dynamics, San Diego, the group next to me were working on the Aurora, it was mainly just early concept/bureaucratic RFP (Request For Proposal) type work, This was during the Regan Administration.

Edit: I'm mixing up usernames here...thought you were the guy that declared that the Aurora had Mach 6 capability.

Satellite imagery is vastly better than that available early in the SR-71's life. That and high operating costs killed the SR-71 program.

That and the incredibly long pre/post flight regime. Nothing like an almost trip into space to screw with a pilot's body and mind.