sr-71 max speed

Sr-71 Max Speed - An SR-71B trainer over California's Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1994. Another first takeoff was for a trainer.

The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft designed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporation.

Sr-71 Max Speed

The SR-71 was developed during the late 1960s by Lockheed's Skokworks division as a dark project from the Lockheed A-12 spy plane. American pilot Clairus "Kelly" Johnson was responsible for many of the aircraft's most innovative ideas. The design of the SR-71 is based on the A-12, which was one of the first aircraft to be designed with a low radar cross section. Initially, a bomber variant of the A-12 was requested by Curtis LeMay, before the program was focused solely on science. Mission equipment for the reconnaissance role includes signals intelligence SSors, ​​a search group of airborne radar, and cameras;

The Fastest Plane In The World

The SR-71 was longer and heavier than the A-12, allowing it to hold more fuel as well as a two-seat cockpit. The SR-71 entered service in January 1966.

During aerial missions, the SR-71 operates at high speeds and altitudes (Mach 3.2 and 85,000 feet, 25,900 meters), which allows it to eliminate or directly avoid the threat.

If a surface-to-air missile launch is detected, the standard evacuation procedure is to simply rush in and shoot the missile.

Typically, each SR-71 can fly once a week because of the extensive change required after mission recovery. A total of 32 ships were built; 12 were lost in accidents while none were lost in MMA action.

Lockheed Sr 71 \

In 1989, the USAF retired the SR-71 largely for political reasons; Several were reactivated during the 1990s before another retirement in 1998. NASA was the last operator of the Blackbird, which was used as a research platform, and retired in 1999.

Since its retirement, the role of the SR-71 has been taken over by a combination of satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); A proposed UAV successor, the SR-72, is under development by Lockheed Martin, and is scheduled to fly in 2025.

The SR-71 broke the world record for the fastest aircraft in 1976, previously held by the related Lockheed YF-12.

Lockheed's first commercial aircraft was the slow-moving U-2, designed for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In late 1957, the CIA approached aerospace manufacturer Lockheed to develop an unmanned spy plane. The project, named Archangel, was led by Kelly Johnson, head of Lockheed's science work unit in Burbank, California. Work on the Leader project began in the second quarter of 1958, with the idea of ​​being faster and faster than the U-2. Of the 11 later designs built over a 10-month period, the "A-10" was the front runner. However, its structure makes it vulnerable to radar detection. After a meeting with the CIA in March 1959, the design was revised to reduce the radar cross section by 90%. On February 11, 1960, the CIA awarded a $96 million contract to Skunk Works to build a dozen A-12 spy planes. The crash of Francis Gary Powers' U-2 in 1960 demonstrated the aircraft's inefficiency and the need for speed. innovation Aircraft such as the A-12.

Sr 71 Blackbird

The first A-12 flew on April 25, 1962 at Groom Lake, Nevada (Area 51). Two variants were also produced, including three YF-12 interceptor prototypes, and two M-21 carrier drones. The aircraft was to be powered by the Pratt & Whitney J58 gene, but development ran behind schedule, and it was initially equipped with less power than the Pratt & Whitney J75. The J58 was soon redesigned, and became the standard engine for all subsequent aircraft in the series (A-12, YF-12, M-21) and the SR-71. The A-12 flew over Vietnam and North Korea before being retired in 1968. The cancellation of the program was announced on December 28, 1966.

The designation SR-71 was a continuation of the pre-1962 bomber series. The last aircraft built using the series was the XB-70 Valkyrie. However, the Blackbird bomber variant was briefly given the B-71 design, which was discontinued when the variant changed to the SR-71.

During the later stages of its testing, the B-70 was proposed for the reconnaissance/strike role, with the designation "RS-70". When the A-12's performance proved too great, the USAF ordered a variant of the A-12 in December 1962.

This USAF version is longer and heavier than the original A-12 because it has a longer fuselage to hold more fuel. The R-12 also had a larger two-seat cockpit, and the fuselage chines were redesigned. Reconnaissance equipmt includes signals intelligence ssors, a direction-looking airborne radar, and a photo camera.

The True Fastest Speed Ever Reached By A Lockheed Blackbird

The CIA's A-12 is a better reconnaissance platform than the USAF's R-12 because the A-12 flies slightly higher and faster.

During the 1964 campaign, Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater repeatedly criticized President Lyndon B. Johnson and his administration for falling behind the Soviet Union in developing new weapons. Johnson decided to counter this objection by revealing the presence of the USAF YF-12A interceptor, which also served as cover for the open-secret A-12.

And a USAF reconnaissance model since July 1964. USAF Chief of Staff General Curtis LeMay wanted the name SR (Strategic Reconnaissance) and wanted the RS-71 to be named SR-71. Before the July speech, LeMay lobbied to change Johnson's speech to read "SR-71" instead of "RS-71." The transcript media currently give to the press is still the former RS-71 selection in the field, making the story of the president which is not valid for the selection of the aircraft.

To hide the presence of the A-12, Johnson only referred to the A-11, while indicating the presence of a high-speed, high-altitude aircraft.

Luisterboek 'flying The Sr 71 Blackbird' Door Richard H. Graham

In 1968, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara canceled the F-12 interceptor program. Major equipment used in the production of both the YF-12 and SR-71 was also ordered destroyed.

The SR-71 was designed to fly at Mach 3 with a crew of two in tandem cockpits, with a pilot in the front and a reconnaissance system operator operating surveillance systems and equipment from the rear cockpit, and flight direction.

The finished aircraft was painted dark blue, almost black, to increase internal heat loss and to serve as a backdrop to the night sky. Because of its black color, the aircraft was named "Blackbird".

While the SR-71 is equipped with an anti-radar system to avoid interception attempts, its greatest defense is its combined altitude and very high speed, which make it nearly invulnerable. Along with its small radar cross section, these capabilities allow a very short time to acquire surface-to-air missiles (SAM) and track the aircraft on radar. By the time the space SAM can track the SR-71, it is too late to launch the SAM, and the SR-71 will be out of range before the SAM can reach it. If the SAM field could track the SR-71 and fire the SAM in time, the SAM would have almost all of the delta-v boost and sustain levels just reaching the altitude of the SR-71; At this point, out of power, you can do little more than follow its ballistic arc. Speed ​​alone would be sufficient for the SR-71 to avoid a SAM;

Sr 71 Blackbird: The World's Fastest, Highest Flying Jet

Changes by the pilot in the SR-71's speed, altitude, and heading are also often used by SAM sites or Amy fighters to destroy any radar lock on the aircraft.

At stall speeds above Mach 3.2, the aircraft was faster than the Soviet Union's fastest fighter, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25, which did not yet reach the SR-71's altitude.

On most ships, the use of titanium is limited by available costs. It is generally only used in parts that are exposed to high temperatures, such as exhaust hoods and leading edges of wings. On the SR-71, titanium is used for 85% of the structure, the rest is mostly polymer composite material.

The challenges that arose led Lockheed to develop new manufacturing methods that have been used to build other aircraft. Lockheed found that welding titanium requires distilled water because the chlorine in tap water is highly corrosive; Cadmium-plated tools cannot be used, because they also cause damage.

Lockheed Yf 12

Metallurgical pollution was another problem; At one point, 80% of the titanium shipped for production was built at these sites.

High temperatures in aircraft require special design and operation. Important parts of the inner wing skin are corrugated, not smooth. Aerodynamicists initially opposed the idea, vaguely referring to the aircraft as a Mach 3 variant of the 1920s-era Ford Trimotor, known for its corrugated aluminum hull.

The shiny skin was cracked or torn by the heat, while the skin that was left behind stretched vertically and laterally and remained intact for a long time.

The fuselage panels are designed to fit only the plane on the ground. Alignment is very accurate as the wind blows and drifts several inches.

Chris Hanson, A Member Of Conservation Dept At Duxford Air Museum Walks Past The Sr 71 Blackbird. The Top Secret American Spy Plane Is The Latest Addition To The Collection Of Historic Aircraft

Because of this, and the lack of a fuel injection system that could handle the expansion of air at extreme temperatures, the aircraft burned JP-7 fuel on the ground.

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