SR71

The SR-71 Blackbird is a long-range, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft designed and built by Lockheed's Skunk Works for the United States Air Force and the CIA. Based on the earlier A-12 Oxcart, the SR-71 first flew in 1964, entered service in 1966, and remained in operation until 1998. It is renowned for its combination of extreme speed, high operating altitude, and advanced engineering.

Developed from the A-12, the SR-71 features a single-seat cockpit (the trainer variant SR-71B added a second cockpit for instruction). The airframe is largely constructed from titanium to withstand intense aerodynamic heating. The aircraft employs a distinctive design with long fuselage and chines, and is powered by two Pratt & Whitney J58 engines with afterburners that provide sustained high-speed performance.

Capable of speeds around Mach 3.2 to 3.3 and operational ceilings near 85,000 feet, the SR-71 used the heat generated by air friction as part of its cooling system and relied on fuel as a heat sink. Its reconnaissance payload included large-format cameras and electronic sensors for imagery and signals intelligence, making it a premier platform for strategic intelligence gathering.

Entering service during the Cold War and the Vietnam era, SR-71 missions conducted high-altitude overflights of denied territories, gathering intelligence while designed to outrun threats rather than evade radar. It set speed and altitude records and accumulated thousands of flight hours on high-risk reconnaissance patrols.

The fleet was retired in 1998; NASA later operated two SR-71s for research. Numerous airframes survive in museums worldwide, and the aircraft is remembered as one of the fastest and most capable reconnaissance platforms in aviation history.