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Information > Heritage > History Aircraft
SR-71A "Blackbird"
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BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- An air-to-air overhead front view of an SR-71A strategic reconnaissance aircraft. The SR-71, unofficially known as the "Blackbird," is a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft. The U.S. Air Force retired its fleet of SR-71s on Jan. 26, 1990, but returned them in 1995 until January 1997. Throughout its nearly 24-year career, the SR-71 remained the world's fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael Haggerty)
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The SR-71, unofficially known as the "Blackbird," is a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft.
The first flight of an SR-71 took place on December 22, 1964, and the first SR-71 to enter service was delivered to the 4200th (later, 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., in January 1966. The Air Force retired its fleet of SR-71s on Jan. 26, 1990, because of a decreasing defense budget and high costs of operation. The Air Force returned the SR-71 to the active Air Force inventory in 1995 and began flying operational missions in January 1997.
The aircraft were permanently retired a few years later. Throughout its nearly 24-year career, the SR-71 remained the world's fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft. From 80,000 feet it could survey 100,000 square miles of Earth's surface per hour. On July 28, 1976, an SR-71 set two world records for its class: an absolute speed record of 2,193.167 miles per hour and an absolute altitude record of 85,068.997 feet.
General Characteristics- Primary function: reconnaissance
- Builder: Lockheed
- Span: 55 feet 7 inches
- Length: 107 feet 5 inches
- Height: 18 feet 6 inches
- Weight: 170,000 pounds loaded
- Armament: None
- Engines: Two Pratt & Whitney J58s of 32,500 pounds thrust each with afterburner
- Crew: Two
- Maximum speed: Plus 2,000 mph
- Range: Plus 2,900 miles
- Service ceiling: Plus 85,000 feet
Sources compiled from the U.S. Air Force Museum. |
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