They were first painted black in , after the realization that black paint -- which efficiently absorbs and emits heat -- would help lower the temperature of the entire airframe. The "Blackbird" was born. Same plane, different names. The A was soon evolved into a variant that was designed as an interceptor -- a type of fighter aircraft -- rather than a surveillance plane.
Effectively, this meant adding air-to-air missiles and a second cockpit, for a crew member to operate the necessary radar equipment. This new plane, which looked identical to the A except for the nose, was called the YF A third variant was produced around this time, called the M, which had a pylon on its back for mounting and launching one of the first unmanned drones.
Two were built, but the program was halted in after a drone collided with its mothership, killing one of the pilots. Project Habbakuk: Britain's secret attempt to build an ice warship. The final derivative of the A, with a twin cockpit and larger fuel capacity, was called the SR -- for "Strategic Reconnaissance" -- and first flew on Dec. This is the version that would go on to perform intelligence missions for the US Air Force for over 30 years, and a total of 32 were built, bringing the final tally for the Blackbird family to The double cockpit of a Lockheed SR Stealth before stealth.
When it zoomed into history in the late s, the Blackbird was the fastest and most expensive plane ever to take off under its own power, soar on the lift provided by its own wings and land on its own tires—though, to be sure, only on certain runways. It came in two versions: the A, built for the Central Intelligence Agency 13 copies in ; and the somewhat beefier SR, built for the U.
Air Force 32 copies a year later. They were designed to do the same work—to serve as spy planes over the territory of Cold War enemies and friends alike. You may change your billing preferences at any time in the Customer Center or call Customer Service. But even if it was detected, how do you defeat a plane that can outrun a missile at altitudes approaching the edge of space?
As pointed out at the start of this article, the 3 organizations tasked with bringing the plan to life; U. The plane was eventually unveiled in by President Johnson. When the original concept for the SR Blackbird came about, there was really only one option for the airframe, and that was the little-used Titanium. The reasoning was that titanium was the only metal that could withstand the high temperatures the plane would experience at speeds exceeding miles per hour.
The second reason was the requirement for the plane to be lightweight, steel would be too heavy and aluminum not strong or heat resistant enough. NASA, the purveyors of fine spacecraft used the capabilities of the Blackbird to help in their space research programs.
Throughout its entire service life, the Blackbirds were never shot down by a missile, not a single one, though many attempts were made. The SR Blackbird was composed of some of the first composite materials ever used on an aircraft. These materials allowed the SR to fly even further under the radar, making it barely visible to the radar.
The plane was so good that by the time the enemy detected the aircraft, the SR was already on its way out of the enemy territory.
There are many secrets of the SR71 Blackbird, and one of the strangest, or coolest is that the plane expands during high speed and high altitude flights. Obviously, this would be catastrophic in any other plane, but this was expected and during the initial design, expansion joints were strategically placed on the plane so that the frame could expand without causing failures. So it saved the environment as well! One of the least known secrets about the SR71 Blackbird was that it was notoriously unreliable, in part due to its complexity.
Out of the 32 produced 12 were lost to accidents, none of which were enemy related. They flew almost to the border of space, so high they could see the curvature of the Earth.
Above 80, feet, nearly sixteen miles high, the sky overhead was deep blue, almost black, and stars were visible at noon. They flew so fast they could literally pass a speeding bullet. Cruising speed exceeded 2, miles per hour, three times the speed of sound. They were armed only with cameras and radar—and, of course, that blinding speed. No enemy aircraft ever caught a Blackbird, let alone shot one down. Frank Elliott, one of these almost-astronauts. There are not that many people who have flown it.
The SR could well have flown into the twenty-first century, contends Elliott, and many other former crew members agree. When the Air Force retired the plane this year and shipped the dozen or so remaining. It still holds world records for speed over a straight course 2, mph and altitude in horizontal flight 85, feet.
What doomed the SR was money—or, rather, the lack of it. The cost to operate the fleet of SRs equaled the operating costs of two fighter wings, and their data could be obtained elsewhere. In , the first of the supersecret spy planes—then designated A—were flying from the classified Groom Lake, Nev.
Specially modified KC tankers from his unit carried out the in-flight refueling of the fledgling Blackbirds. The tanker pilots went through security checks before being assigned to the mission.
Some crew members worked behind screens that prevented them from seeing what kind of plane was being refueled. He would wait six more years for the chance. Today, pictures and paintings of planes Elliott flew over a thirty-year Air Force career line the walls of his office: B and B bombers, F-4 Phantom fighters. The largest display is a montage depicting SRs. In one head-on photo of a parked Blackbird, the twin tail fins, bulging engine nacelles, and single eye of its front cockpit canopy give the plane the appearance of an angry insect.
Another shot, looking down on the plane in flight, reveals its futuristic lines.
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