Pilots in full pressure suits at Lockheed Martin, 1980s

The story of Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird”

D. Bikutė MD-9/1, 2020

Introduction
Officially starting its service in 1966, SR-71 Blackbird is a
high altitude, long range strategic reconnaissance aircraft.

To this day, it remains the world’s fastest and

highest flying manned aeroplane.
 Background and Predecessors

Lockheed U-2, 1955 - 1989 MiG-17F, 1952 – ...

Max speed: 880 km/h (0,715M) Max speed – 1 145 km/h (0,93M)
at 20,000m At 3,000m (service ceiling: 16,600m)

In 1957, CIA approached Lockheed to build an undetectable

spy plane.
Predecessors

XB-70A “Valkyrie” 1968-1969

Meant for supersonic flight research, only two units

were ever constructed.
Stealth – a priority

SR-71 prototype undergoing radar range testing

Capabilities
Stealth design keypoints:
 Minimal radar cross section (~10m2)
 Dark blue paint as radar camouflage and to increase heat radiation
 Serrated surfaces

Service ceiling – 26 000 m

Maximum speed – Mach 3.32 (3 540 km/h at 24 000 m)
 .

SR-71B (training
model)
 .

Pilot cockpit view Reconnaisance cockpit

 Engines

In airplanes travelling at supersonic speeds, the air

inside the engine must be slowed down to below
Mach 1 to produce efficient propulsion.

At Mach 3.2, its typical cruising speed, the afterburner took place as the
main source of thrust.
Manufacturing challenges

92% of the airplane’s mass was titanium. Its biggest supplier - the USSR.

SR-71 assembly line at Skunk Works

Cost per unit – 34 million USD (adj. for inflation – 280 million today)
USAF Service
"At 85,000 feet and Mach 3, it was a religious experience.
Nothing had me prepared to fly that fast... My God, even
now, I get goose bumps remembering."
 - Colonel Jim Wadkins, USAF

The operational instruction to evade missiles and other aircraft –

increase airspeed.
 Spying the USSR

 Max speed – Mach 2.83*

(~3000 km/h)
 Service ceiling – 24 000 m*
*official numbers
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 took its first flight in 1970.
[The SR-71s flew off the coast of Russia] „Taunting and toying
with MiG-25s sent up to intercept them, scooting up to altitudes
the Soviet planes could not reach“ Viktor Belenko, defected
Soviet MiG-25 pilot
Air Accidents – Mid-air disintegration
In 1966, the right engine suffered an ”engine unstart” and
automatic engine inlet control system failure.

„The SR-71 then literally disintegrated around us. From

that point, I was just along for the ride.”
– Bill Weaver, Test Pilot

The pilot described the phenomenon as “being in a train wreck”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnEgS3buPb8
Retirement in 1998
Mr. President, the termination of the SR-71 was a grave mistake and
could place our nation at a serious disadvantage in the event of a
future crisis. Yesterday's historic transcontinental flight was a sad
memorial to our short-sighted policy in strategic aerial
reconnaissance.
John Glenn, 1990

The retirement was met with

strong adversity.
According to most sources,
the main reason of
retirement was not lack of
funding, but politics
surrounding its distribution.

From that point on, the US officially uses satellites only to perform
reconnaissance.
Did it fulfil its purpose?
While the aircraft did not meet the initial desire of being
undetectable, a pilot or Blackbird itself was never lost to
enemy fire.

Casualties and
losses:
 12 aircraft lost
(out of 32
produced)
 1 pilot lost

The Blackbird solidified aerial dominance over the USSR during the
  https://
www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/news/feature
s/history/blackbird.html
s
 https://
References & aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/16320/
sources how-did-sr-71-spy-flying-at-80-000-ft-and-3500
-km-h
 http://www.chuckyeager.org/news/sr-71-disint
egrated-pilot-free-fell-space-lived-tell
/
 http://
www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/SR-71_953_cr
ash_site.htm
 https://theaviationgeekclub.com/foxbat-vs-blac
kbird-mig-25-never-posed-credible-threat-sr-71
-mach-3-spy-plane
/
 https://
nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/stealthy-sr-71-f
astest-plane-planet-it-had-big-problem-49487
 http://www.sr71.us/Luzon.html