Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird"

The SR-71 was developed to replace the U-2 as a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft, drawing on the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A airframe design. Its structure was 80% titanium and 15% composite materials to withstand temperatures of 450 degrees fahrenheit at Mach 3.2. The first flight of an SR-71 took place on December 22, 1964, and the first of 32 Blackbirds to enter service was delivered to the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, California, in January 1966. The Air Force originally retired its fleet on January 26, 1990, reactivated them in 1995, and then permanently retired the fleet in 1999. Throughout its career, the Blackbird remained the world's fastest and highest-flying operational manned aircraft. From an altitude of 80,000 feet, it could survey 100,000 square miles per hour of the earth's surface at Mach 3 plus speed, or 2,193 mph. The SR-71 carried no weapons, and its crew of two depended on speed to escape potentially dangerous situations. The SR-71A with serial number 61-7979 was first flown on August 10, 1967, and last flown on March 6, 1990, with a total of 3,321.7 flying hours. Assigned to the 9th SRW at Beale AFB, it flew the first three of nine sorties from the eastern seaboard of the U.S. to the Middle East during the Yom Kippur War of October 1973, and it is part of the USAF Heritage Program Collection.

Lackland AFB, Texas · United States