Dan's Blackbird Page
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The SR-71 was designed without
the aid of modern computers, but rather using slide rules and the "primitive" drafting techniques of the time. Its planning and construction were
undertaken in total secrecy. The Blackbird program began as a project called "Archangel" eventually resulting in the single-seat A-11 (which evolved
into the more stealthy A-12, code named OXCART) flown by
civilian CIA pilots, an interceptor version called the YF-12A, and finally the two-seat
SR-71 (code named SENIOR CROWN) flown by the
U.S. Air Force. "SR" referred to its planned role as a strike/reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft was originally designated the RS-71, but the
letters were reversed after President Lyndon B. Johnson's now-infamous flub when he misread the name while announcing the program's existence to the
world during a press conference on 24 July 1964. The first flight of the SR-71 was on 22 December 1964, with Lockheed test pilot Bob Gilliland in
the driver's seat. Now, at the outset of the 21st century, the Blackbird is still the most unique, fastest, highest-flying "air-breathing" aircraft
in the world. The Blackbird, or "habu" as it is known by Air Force insiders, is capable of
sustained speeds in excess of Mach 3 and has an altitude ceiling of over 80,000 feet. It was the first generation of "stealth" aircraft, utilizing
Radar Absorbing Material to give it a radar cross-section of less than ten square meters.
For another viewpoint on just how high and how fast the Blackbird can go, consider the following, from John Stone's "Blackbird Myth & Fact": Now according to Richard Graham: "The design Mach number of the SR-71 is 3.2 Mach. When authorized by the Commander, speeds up to Mach 3.3 may be flown if the CIT limit of 427 degrees C. is not exceeded. I have heard of crews reaching 3.5 Mach inadvertently, but that is the absolute maximum I am aware of." How high does the SR really fly, and do the Pilot and RSO get astronaut wings after flying the SR? The SR doesn't fly quite that high, the highest altitude I've heard attributed to the SR was 100,000 ft (18.93 miles), all the Air Force and Lockheed admit to is above 80,000 ft. To get astronaut wings you have to fly at least 264,000 ft (50 miles). Which the SR (even though it's a fantastic aircraft) doesn't get close to that altitude! Richard Graham contributes: "The SR-71s engines require a sufficient quantity of air in order to operate. The maximum altitude limit is 85,000 feet unless a higher altitude is specifically authorized. Again, I have heard of crews inadvertently reaching 87,000 feet, but no higher." An SR-71 was launched from Kadena Air Base on the island of Okinawa (then a U.S. Protectorate, returned to Japan on May 15, 1972). In less than 25 minutes' time, the SR had reached North Korea, made its first run up the coastline, gathered its intelligence, turned around completely, and was on its way back in a southbound heading. Sadly, it was already too late--but not because of the Blackbird. The delay in deciding to launch the SR-71 was the reason the Pueblo was not found until it was in the posession of the North Koreans, and well out of our reach. A source, serving at Kadena at the time, stated that he knew the SR-71 to exceed 100,000 feet in altitude and airspeeds in excess of 3,200 mph. He cited reports suggesting a ceiling of 120,000 feet and a top speed of more than 4,100 mph above 80,000 feet, but could
not confirm the latter figures firsthand. He also noted, "these were the
early birds, not the later, revised editions."
The SR-71 is unparalleled in its ability to make high-speed passes over sensitive, high-threat areas. It can photograph, in great detail, 100,000 square
miles of terrain in an hour. The Blackbird's cameras are said to be able to resolve an object the size of a golf ball from an altitude of more than
80,000 feet. Its speed makes it superior to the U-2 when surface-to-air or air-to-air missiles
are a threat; its unpredictability makes it superior to satellite reconnaissance when sensitive intelligence of enemy territory is required. According
to Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson, former head of Skunk Works, over 1000 enemy SAMs (surface-to-air missiles) were
fired at the SR-71. Not a single one hit its target.
Unfortunately, a campaign of misinformation mounted by the U.S. Air Force and the Federal
Government has put the final nail in the coffin of the SR-71 program. Perhaps the low profile of the program has worked against it, as many government
and military officials who worked so hard to kill the program didn't even know what the SR-71 did!
Blackbird History
Lockheed's SR-71 Blackbird was ahead of its time. The history of the SR-71 can be traced back to 1957,
the year that Lockheed's Advanced Development Project (better known as "Skunk Works") began exploring the
feasibility of a higher-flying, faster, and less radar-visible alternative to the U-2. "Skunk
Works" was originally called "Skonk Works," which was the name of a secret moonshine distillery in Al Capp's "Li'l Abner"
comic strip. The name was changed slightly after Mr. Capp's editor threatened legal action for copyright infringement.Blackbird Specifications
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A Record-shattering Aircraft
Below are just a few official blackbird records. As impressive as these are, the habu is unofficially rumored to have flown higher and faster! For example, in his book "Conquer the Sky" (Metro Books, 1996), Harold Rabinowitz states:"The SR-71 began its life as theYF-12, a high-speed interceptor fighter--fromcertain angles, in fact, an SR-71 looks to betwo aircraft melded together down the middle.The plane has been modified and improved manytimes since its introduction in 1964--newmaterials, new systems, and most importantly,new fuels have allowed the aircraft to reach itspotential speed of Mach 7-plus. However, theworld's airplane speed record is held by WilliamJ. "Pete" Knight, who flew an X-15-2A overEdwards Air Force Base at 4,535 miles per hour(7,297 kph), or Mach 6.72--a record set onOctober 3, 1967. Aviation observers point outthat several U.S. military aircraft (even somelater models of the SR-71) may be capable ofgreater speeds and that the USAF may well haveestablished new records in secret since."
The fastest published speed of the SR is Mach 3.5. There are several factors that limit the speed of the SR, one is the shock waves generated by various parts of the plane, at around Mach 3.6-3.8 the shock wave off the nose of the aircraft narrows enough to go into the engine, while there is the inlet spike (which slows the air to subsonic before it enters the engine), the shock wave bypasses the spike and causes the engine to unstart. Second is the heat generated by the plane moving through the atmosphere, even titanium has its limits, and the heat generated by the SR brings the fuselage to the brink. Just recently I found out that during a Lockheed Skunk Works study to see how much money and development it would take to get the SR to go faster than its designed top speed 3.2-3.5, the designers discovered (among other things) that the metal divider between the windshield was heating up so much above mach 3.5 that it was affecting the integrity of the windshield, and at that point they had stretched the glass technology to the max! So Mach 3.2 to a max of 3.5.
(25,929.031 m)
(15-25 km)
(1000 km)
(2086 nautical miles)
(Average speed 2,124.25 mph)
(1,998 nautical miles)
(Average speed 2,144.83 mph)
(311.44 nautical miles)
(Average speed 2,189.94 mph)THE ROLE OF THE SR-71 IN THE USS PUEBLO INCIDENT North Korea: January 23, 1968. The USS Pueblo had just been captured off the North Korean coast. Decisions needed to be made quickly, and immediate intelligence was critical.
(Note distance scale at bottom of map)
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Farewell to the Blackbird?
This page is my tribute to these sleek, black planes and their pilots and crews. As of 1998,
the habu is no longer on active military duty, having been offered up by U.S. Air Force top brass to President Clinton's
line item veto, effectively "re-retiring" the aircraft. As of July 1999, four Blackbirds (original Air Force serial numbers <
a href="http://www.habu.org/sr-71/17956.html">17956, 17967,
17971, and 17980 are now being flown by
NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. Serial numbers 17956 and 17980 were
given tail numbers 831 and 844 by NASA. All four planes are being used for
high-speed, high-altitude research.
"The SR-71 provides coverage on demand with
little or no warning to the reconnaissance target--it is a highly flexible system... the SR-71 is able to penetrate hostile territory with comparatively
little vulnerability to attack unlike other reconnaissance platforms."
"The sad thing is this country will never
know what it lost. We know the SR-71 is needed--now more than ever. In the last year alone there have been several unresolved crises that could have
been satisfied with the Blackbird. You are all aware of them. How many more will follow in this ever-increasingly volatile world? The criminal thing
is how many wrong decisions will be made, unnecessary piles of money spent, or American lives lost without the best intelligence at hand?"
Habu Photo Gallery
Here are some of the best Blackbird photos I have found while searching the web. I have tried to include
photos that are somewhat uncommon and interesting. I hope you enjoy them. For a brief description, move your mouse pointer over the photo. Click on the
photo to view a high-resolution image. Dru Blair's painting,
"The Last Hot Flight," is copyrighted and is displayed here
with his express written permission. Similarly, Ed Markham's painting,
"The Sled Riders," is copyrighted and is displayed with Mr. Markham's express
written permission. My thanks to both of these fine artists for allowing me to display their
works here. Credit is given to the original photographer where possible. Thanks to
David Allison of www.habu.org for informing me of the photographers to credit for
many of these photos. If you know of a photo for which I have not given proper credit,
please let me know.
Edwards AFB
Eric Schulzinger/LM
Dru Blair
Ed Markham
DFRC/NASA
DFRC/NASA
USAF
Eric Schulzinger/LM
Eric Schulzinger/LM
Eric Schulzinger/LM
Eric Schulzinger/LM
Eric Schulzinger/LM
Eric Schulzinger/LM
Brian Shul
Eric Schulzinger/LM
Lockheed Martin
NASA
NASA
NASA
DFRC/NASA
NASA
Tony Landis/NASA
Mark Meyer
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Edwards AFB
Lockheed Martin
NASA
NASA
NASA
NASA
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Rich Graham
DFRC
NASA
Adrian Mann
Adrian Mann
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Habu Video
Mick McClary's videos are displayed here with his written permission.
Mick McClary
Mick McClary
Lockheed Martin
Kiwisoft
DFRC
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Habu Audio
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Habu Links
It is affiliated with SR-71 Online: An Online Aircraft Museum.
The SR-71 Blackbird is basically a more
reader-friendly version of the OXCART story.
Read Kelly Johnson's Fourteen Rules of Project Management and you'll see how an advanced aircraft like the SR-71 could be built almost forty years ago!
www.habu.org
This is the Online Blackbird Museum, with a wealth of information, photos and multimedia, and lots of links to other excellent sites.Leland Haynes' SR-71 Page
An excellent site with continuing news and updates from the Blackbird community. Will the habu be resurrected yet again in time for the ever-increasing reconnaissance demands of the new millenium? Stay tuned and find out!
John Stone's Lockheed Blackbird Page
Lots of info on Lockheed's Blackbirds, the U-2 and SR-71.Blackbird: Past, Present, and Future
Fascinating reading about the greatest airplane that ever flew.SR-71 Online: An Online Aircraft Museum
A nicely put-together page with information on the SR-71 and other interesting aircraft.NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center SR-71 High Speed Research Page
SR-71 Revealed: The Inside Story
This book, written by Richard Graham, Col., USAF (ret), tells all (well, maybe not all) about the still-mysterious world of the SR-71. This book was my introduction to the world of the habu.Air Power article about performance of the SR-71, written by former habu Neville Dawson.
Shadowed Blackbird is an excellent site by Troy Adams, all about SR-71C serial number 17981 (which began its life as YF-12 Interceptor serial number 06934). This is the plane which you see as the background image on this site.
Blackworld is an unofficial website for past and present SR-71/U-2 maintainers.
Search Altavista for "SR-71"
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