ok maybe its not a fighter, its a "strategic reconnaissance aircraft" Its so cool that in the early 60s they built stuff like the SR71 Blackbird.
snippets:
“The A-12 was the precursor of the SR-71. The A-12's first flight took place at Groom Lake (Area 51), Nevada, on 25 April 1962. A particularly difficult issue with flight at over Mach 3 is the high temperatures generated. As an aircraft moves through the air at supersonic speed, the air in front of the aircraft is compressed into a supersonic shock wave, and the energy generated by this heats the airframe. To address this problem, high-temperature materials were needed, and the airframe of the SR-71 was substantially made of titanium, obtained from the USSR at the height of the Cold War. Lockheed used many guises to prevent the Soviet government from knowing what the titanium was to be used for. In order to control costs, Lockheed used a more easily worked alloy of titanium which softened at a lower temperature. Finished aircraft were painted a dark blue, almost black, to increase the emission of internal heat... To allow for thermal expansion at the high operational temperatures, the fuselage panels were manufactured to fit only loosely on the ground. Proper alignment was only achieved when the airframe heated due to air resistance at high speeds, causing the airframe to expand several inches. Because of this, and the lack of a fuel sealing system that could handle the thermal expansion of the airframe at extreme temperatures, the aircraft would leak JP-7 jet fuel onto the runway before it took off. On landing after a mission the canopy temperature was over 300 °C (572 °F), too hot to approach. Non-fibrous asbestos with high heat tolerance was used in high-temperature areas The SR-71 was the first operational aircraft designed around a stealthy shape and materials. There were a number of features in the SR-71 that were designed to reduce its radar signature.
One unique characteristic of the SR-71 is that the faster it went, the more fuel-efficient it was in terms of pounds burned per nautical mile traveled. An incident related by Brian Shul, author of Sled Driver: Flying the World's Fastest Jet, was that on one reconnaissance run he was fired upon several times. In accordance with procedure they accelerated and maintained the higher than normal velocity for some time; afterwards they discovered that this had reduced their fuel consumption. Over the course of its service life, no SR-71 was shot down, despite many attempts to do so. It flew too fast and too high for surface-to-air missile systems to track and shoot down.. Although equipped with defensive electronic countermeasures, the SR-71's greatest protection was its high top speed, which made it almost invulnerable to the attack technologies of the time. All the SR-71 pilot had to do was to accelerate.
Development began with using a coal slurry powerplant,[20] but Johnson determined that the coal particles damaged engine components. He then began researching a liquid hydrogen powerplant, but the tanks required to store cryogenic hydrogen did not suit the Blackbird's size and shape.[20] The focus then became somewhat more conventional, though still specialized in many ways. The result was JP-7 jet fuel, which had a relatively high flash point (140 °F, 60 °C) to cope with the heat. The fuel was used as a coolant and hydraulic fluid in the aircraft before being burned. The fuel contained fluorocarbons to increase its lubricity, an oxidizing agent to enable it to burn in the engines, and even a cesium compound, A-50, which disguised the exhaust's radar signature.”
It certainly is a fascinating aircraft. I read a Reader's Digest story about a ride-along that a reporter did, starting somewhere in the SW USA. They made a loop across California, then up the coast, into Canada, coming back in over the Great Lakes and returning to their point of origination. This was done in very short order. He wrote of how the canopy would heat to a point you couldn't touch it and that the skin of the craft got stronger with each flight due to the heat treatment it got from the air friction. I believe the major number of craft were only single place, but there were some tandem cockpits built.
My first encounter with the Bird was while in Okinawa. While on a motorcycle ride up Hwy 1, it came in low over the ocean. From the bottom, it looked like some kind of strange space craft and was surprisingly quiet. I later found that when I was off shift and the Bird was making it's flight due west over the Asian mainland, I could watch it from my window. Kadena Air Base was only a couple of miles straight line from my duty station at Torii Station.
We could often drive along the road between Kadena Circle and Koza and see it being prepped just a few hundred yards from the roadway. You could really get a good view of the takeoff from our barracks. As it started down the runway, it would lift off, flying parallel to the ground. Then the nose would tilt upward and it would disappear like a ground to air missle, almost straight up.
This one is in the Air Force Museum in Warner Robbins, Ga.
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09:22 AM
TommyRocker Member
Posts: 2808 From: Woodstock, IL Registered: Dec 2009
YEA THO I FLY OVER THE VALLEY OF DEATH I FEAR NO EVIL FOR I'M AT 80,000 FT AND CLIMBING
I have no idea how much of this is factual, but I have seen it posted in several places and I assume it is true.
quote
In 1986, following an attack on American soldiers in a Berlin disco, President Reagan ordered the bombing of Muammar Qaddafi’s terrorist camps in Libya. My duty was to fly over Libya and take photos recording the damage our F-111s had inflicted. Qaddafi had established a ‘line of death,’ a territorial marking across the Gulf of Sidra, swearing to shoot down any intruder that crossed the boundary. On the morning of April 15, I rocketed past the line at 2,125 mph.
I was piloting the SR-71 spy plane, the world’s fastest jet, accompanied by Maj. Walter Watson, the aircraft’s reconnaissance systems officer (RSO).
We had crossed into Libya and were approaching our final turn over the bleak desert landscape when Walter informed me that he was receiving missile launch signals.
I quickly increased our speed, calculating the time it would take for the weapons, most likely SA-2 and SA-4 surface-to-air missiles capable of Mach 5, to reach our altitude. I estimated that we could beat the rocket-powered missiles to the turn and stayed our course, betting our lives on the plane’s performance. After several agonizingly long seconds, we made the turn and blasted toward the Mediterranean.
‘You might want to pull it back,’ Walter suggested. It was then that I noticed I still had the throttles full forward. The plane was flying a mile every 1.6 seconds, well above our Mach 3.2 limit. It was the fastest we would ever fly. I pulled the throttles to idle just south of Sicily, but we still overran the refueling tanker awaiting us over Gibraltar.
Scores of significant aircraft have been produced in the 100 years of flight, following the achievements of the Wright brothers, which we celebrate in December. Aircraft such as the Boeing 707, the F-86 Sabre Jet, and the P-51 Mustang are among the important machines that have flown our skies.
But the SR-71, also known as the Blackbird, stands alone as a significant contributor to Cold War victory and as the fastest plane ever, and only 93 Air Force pilots ever steered the ‘sled,’ as we called our aircraft.
As inconceivable as it may sound, I once discarded the plane. Literally. My first encounter with the SR-71 came when I was 10 years old in the form of molded black plastic in a Revell kit. Cementing together the long fuselage parts proved tricky, and my finished product looked less than menacing. Glue,oozing from the seams, discolored the black plastic. It seemed ungainly alongside the fighter planes in my collection, and I threw it away.
Twenty-nine years later, I stood awe-struck in a Beale Air Force Base hangar, staring at the very real SR-71 before me.
I had applied to fly the world’s fastest jet and was receiving my first walk-around of our nation’s most prestigious aircraft. In my previous 13 years as an Air Force fighter pilot, I had never seen an aircraft with such presence. At 107 feet long, it appeared big, but far from ungainly.
Ironically, the plane was dripping, much like the misshapen model I had assembled in my youth. Fuel was seeping through the joints, raining down on the hangar floor.
At Mach 3, the plane would expand several inches because of the severe temperature, which could heat the leading edge of the wing to 1,100 degrees. To prevent cracking, expansion joints had been built into the plane. Sealant resembling rubber glue covered the seams, but when the plane was subsonic, fuel would leak through the joints.
The SR-71 was the brainchild of Kelly Johnson, the famed Lockheed designer who created the P-38, the F-104 Starfighter, and the U-2.
After the Soviets shot down Gary Powers’ U-2 in 1960, Johnson began to develop an aircraft that would fly three miles higher and five times faster than the spy plane-and still be capable of photographing your license plate. However, flying at 2,000 mph would create intense heat on the aircraft’s skin.
Lockheed engineers used a titanium alloy to construct more than 90 percent of the SR-71, creating special tools and manufacturing procedures to hand-build each of the 40 planes. Special heat-resistant fuel, oil, and hydraulic fluids that would function at 85,000 feet and higher also had to be developed.
In 1962, the first Blackbird successfully flew, and in 1966, the same year I graduated from high school, the Air Force began flying operational SR-71 missions. I came to the program in 1983 with a sterling record and a recommendation from my commander, completing the weeklong interview and meeting Walter, my partner for the next four years.
He would ride four feet behind me, working all the cameras, radios, and electronic jamming equipment. I joked that if we were ever captured, he was the spy and I was just the driver. He told me to keep the pointy end forward.
We trained for a year, flying out of Beale AFB in California, Kadena Airbase in Okinawa, and RAF Mildenhall in England. On a typical training mission, we would take off near Sacramento, refuel over Nevada, accelerate into Montana, obtain high Mach over Colorado, turn right over New Mexico, speed across the Los Angeles Basin, run up the West Coast, turn right at Seattle, then return to Beale. Total flight time: two hours and 40 minutes.
One day, high above Arizona, we were monitoring the radio traffic of all the mortal airplanes below us. First, a Cessna pilot asked the air traffic controllers to check his ground speed. ‘Ninety knots,’ ATC replied. A twin Bonanza soon made the same request. ‘One-twenty on the ground,’ was the reply. To our surprise, a navy F-18 came over the radio with a ground speed check.
I knew exactly what he was doing. Of course, he had a ground speed indicator in his cockpit, but he wanted to let all the bug-smashers in the valley know what real speed was. ‘Dusty 52, we show you at 620 on the ground,’ ATC responded.
The situation was too ripe. I heard the click of Walter’s mike button in the rear seat. In his most innocent voice, Walter startled the controller by asking for a ground speed check from 81,000 feet, clearly above controlled airspace.
In a cool, professional voice, the controller replied, ‘Aspen 20, I show you at 1,982 knots on the ground.’ We did not hear another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast.
The Blackbird always showed us something new, each aircraft possessing its own unique personality. In time, we realized we were flying a national treasure. When we taxied out of our revetments for takeoff, people took notice.
Traffic congregated near the airfield fences, because everyone wanted to see and hear the mighty SR-71. You could not be a part of this program and not come to love the airplane. Slowly, she revealed her secrets to us as we earned her trust.
One moonless night, while flying a routine training mission over the Pacific, I wondered what the sky would look like from 84,000 feet if the cockpit lighting were dark. While heading home on a straight course, I slowly turned down all of the lighting, reducing the glare and revealing the night sky.
Within seconds, I turned the lights back up, fearful that the jet would know and somehow punish me. But my desire to see the sky overruled my caution, I dimmed the lighting again.
To my amazement, I saw a bright light outside my window. As my eyes adjusted to the view, I realized that the brilliance was the broad expanse of the Milky Way, now a gleaming stripe across the sky.Where dark spaces in the sky had usually existed, there were now dense clusters of sparkling stars. Shooting stars flashed across the canvas every few seconds. It was like a fireworks display with no sound.
I knew I had to get my eyes back on the instruments, and reluctantly I brought my attention back inside. To my surprise, with the cockpit lighting still off, I could see every gauge, lit by starlight. In the plane’s mirrors, I could see the eerie shine of my gold spacesuit incandescently illuminated in a celestial glow. I stole one last glance out the window. Despite our speed, we seemed still before the heavens, humbled in the radiance of a much greater power. For those few moments, I felt a part of something far more significant than anything we were doing in the plane. The sharp sound of Walt’s voice on the radio brought me back to the tasks at hand as I prepared for our descent.
The SR-71 was an expensive aircraft to operate. The most significant cost was tanker support, and in 1990, confronted with budget cutbacks, the Air Force retired the SR-71.
The Blackbird had outrun nearly 4,000 missiles, not once taking a scratch from enemy fire. On her final flight, the Blackbird, destined for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, sped from Los Angeles to Washington in 64 minutes, averaging 2,145 mph and setting four speed records.
The SR-71 served six presidents, protecting America for a quarter of a century. Un beknownst to most of the country, the plane flew over North Vietnam, Red China, North Korea, the Middle East, South Africa, Cuba, Nicaragua, Iran, Libya, and the Falkland Islands.
On a weekly basis, the SR-71 kept watch over every Soviet nuclear submarine and mobile missile site, and all of their troop movements. It was a key factor in winning the Cold War. I am proud to say I flew about 500 hours in this aircraft. I knew her well. She gave way to no plane, proudly dragging her sonic boom through enemy backyards with great impunity. She defeated every missile, outran every MiG, and always brought us home. In the first 100 years of manned flight, no aircraft was more remarkable.
With the Libyan coast fast approaching now, Walt asks me for the third time, if I think the jet will get to the speed and altitude we want in time. I tell him yes. I know he is concerned. He is dealing with the data; that’s what engineers do, and I am glad he is.
But I have my hands on the stick and throttles and can feel the heart of a thoroughbred, running now with the power and perfection she was designed to possess. I also talk to her. Like the combat veteran she is, the jet senses the target area and seems to prepare herself.
For the first time in two days, the inlet door closes flush and all vibration is gone. We’ve become so used to the constant buzzing that the jet sounds quiet now in comparison. The Mach correspondingly increases slightly and the jet is flying in that confidently smooth and steady style we have so often seen at these speeds.
We reach our target altitude and speed, with five miles to spare. Entering the target area, in response to the jet’s new-found vitality, Walt says, ‘That’s amazing’ and with my left hand pushing two throttles farther forward, I think to myself that there is much they don’t teach in engineering school.
Out my left window, Libya looks like one huge sandbox. A featureless brown terrain stretches all the way to the horizon.
There is no sign of any activity. Then Walt tells me that he is getting lots of electronic signals, and they are not the friendly kind. The jet is performing perfectly now, flying better than she has in weeks. She seems to know where she is.
She likes the high Mach, as we penetrate deeper into Libyan airspace. Leaving the footprint of our sonic boom across Benghazi, I sit motionless, with stilled hands on throttles and the pitch control, my eyes glued to the gauges.
Only the Mach indicator is moving, steadily increasing in hundredths, in a rhythmic consistency similar to the long distance runner wh o has caught his second wind and picked up the pace.
The jet was made for this kind of performance and she wasn’t about to let an errant inlet door make her miss the show. With the power of forty locomotives, we puncture the quiet African sky and continue farther south across a bleak landscape.
Walt continues to update me with numerous reactions he sees on the DEF panel. He is receiving missile tracking signals. With each mile we traverse, every two seconds, I become more uncomfortable driving deeper into this barren and hostile land.
I am glad the DEF panel is not in the front seat. It would be a big distraction now, seeing the lights flashing. In contrast, my cockpit is ‘quiet’ as the jet purrs and relishes her new-found strength, continuing to slowly accelerate.
The spikes are full aft now, tucked twenty-six inches deep into the nacelles. With all inlet doors tightly shut, at 3.24 Mach, the J-58s are more like ramjets now, gulping 100,000 cubic feet of air per second.
We are a roaring express now, and as we roll through the enemy’s backyard, I hope our speed continues to defeat the missile radars below. We are approaching a turn, and this is good. It will only make it more difficult for any launched missile to solve the solution for hitting our aircraft.
I push the speed up at Walt’s request. The jet does not skip a beat, nothing fluctuates, and the cameras have a rock steady platform. Walt received missile launch signals. Before he can say anything else, my left hand instinctively moves the throttles yet farther forward.
My eyes are glued to temperature gauges now, as I know the jet will willingly go to speeds that can harm her. The temps are relatively cool and from all the warm temps we’ve encountered thus far, this surprises me but then, it really doesn’t surprise me. Mach 3.31 and Walt is quiet for the moment.
I move my gloved finder across the small silver wheel on the autopilot panel which controls the aircraft’s pitch.
With the deft feel known to Swiss watchmakers, surgeons, and ‘dinosaurs’ (old-time pilots who not only fly an airplane but ‘feel it’), I rotate the pitch wheel somewhere between one-sixteenth and one-eighth inch location, a position which yields the 500-foot-per-minute climb I desire.
The jet raises her nose one-sixth of a degree and knows, I’ll push her higher as she goes faster. The Mach continues to rise, but during this segment of our route, I am in no mood to pull throttles back.
Walt’s voice pierces the quiet of my cockpit with the news of more missile launch signals. The gravity of Walter’s voice tells me that he believes the signals to be a more valid threat than the others. Within seconds he tells me to ‘push it up’ and I firmly press both throttles against their stops. For the next few seconds, I will let the jet go as fast as she wants.
A final turn is coming up and we both know that if we can hit that turn at this speed, we most likely will defeat any missiles. We are not there yet, though, and I’m wondering if Walt will call for a defensive turn off our course.
With no words spoken, I sense Walter is thinking in concert with me about maintaining our programmed course.
To keep from worrying, I glance outside, wondering if I’ll be able to visually pick up a missile aimed at us. Odd are the thoughts that wander through one’s mind in times like these. I found myself recalling the words of former SR-71 pilots who were fired upon while flying missions over North Vietnam.
They said the few errant missile detonations they were able to observe from the cockpit looked like implosions rather than explosions. This was due to the great speed at which the jet was hurling away from the exploding missile.
I see nothing outside except the endless expanse of a steel blue sky and the broad patch of tan earth far below. I have only had my eyes out of the cockpit for seconds, but it seems like many minutes since I have last checked the gauges inside.
Returning my attention inward, I glance first at the miles counter telling me how many more to go, until we can start our turn. Then I note the Mach, and passing beyond 3.45, I realize that Walter and I have attained new personal records. The Mach continues to increase.
The ride is incredibly smooth. There seems to be a confirmed trust now, between me and the jet; she will not hesitate to deliver whatever speed we need, and I can count on no problems with the inlets.
Walt and I are ultimately depending on the jet now – more so than normal – and she seems to know it. The cooler outside temperatures have awakened the spirit born into her years ago, when men dedicated to excellence took the time and care to build her well.
With spikes and doors as tight as they can get, we are racing against the time it could take a missile to reach our altitude. It is a race this jet will not let us lose. The Mach eases to 3.5 as we crest 80,000 feet. We are a bullet now – except faster.
We hit the turn, and I feel some relief as our nose swings away from a country we have seen quite enough of. Screaming past Tripoli, our phenomenal speed continues to rise, and the screaming Sled pummels the enemy one more time, laying down a parting sonic boom.
In seconds, we can see nothing but the expansive blue of the Mediterranean. I realize that I still have my left hand full-forward and we’re continuing to rocket along in maximum afterburner.
The TDI now shows us Mach numbers, not only new to our experience but flat out scary. Walt says the DEF panel is now quiet, and I know it is time to reduce our incredible speed. I pull the throttles to the min ‘burner range and the jet still doesn’t want to slow down.
Normally the Mach would be affected immediately, when making such a large throttle movement. But for just a few moments old 960 just sat out there at the high Mach, she seemed to love, and like the proud Sled she was, only began to slow when we were well out of danger. I loved that jet.
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 11-30-2011).]
Almost 2,200mph "No airbreathing, manned jet-propelled aircraft has ever even approached the cruising speed of the the SR-71 Blackbird. The Blackbird's maximum speed, often quoted at Mach 3.2, is officially classified to this day. It still holds the world speed record. Simply amazing."
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09:49 AM
nitroheadz28 Member
Posts: 4774 From: Brooklyn, NY Registered: Mar 2010
The Soviets spent tons of $$, time, and effort trying to modify surface to air and air to air missles to knock one down and never could. As I understand it, they could get high enough or fast enough but never both.
It's really difficult to get your mind around the speeds and altitude it flew at. When you see a commercial jet high in the clear sky, and figure it's around 30,000 ft, and then realize the Blackbird is exceeding that over twice, it would be far less than a dot in the sky if visible at all.
I've seen lots of jets make low level passes at high speeds, and you could see them coming. In 2004 or '05, the Air Force did a twilight flyover at San Angelo's 4th of July celebration using (I forget now which one) a B1 or B2-maybe F-111 out of Dyess AFB Abilene--I just can't remember which one. The program said it would be coming from the south and would turn on some lights when it approached the city. Announcer informed us it was inbound and all eyes turned south. It was like "Here I am--now I'm gone"--took just that long.That sucker was movin and belching fire--the sonic boom rattled windows and set off every car and home alarm in the city, but I just can't visualize mach3+ no way no how.
I understand it isn't possible (I don't think) for Blackbird to fly those high Mach speeds at low altitude due to air density, but if it was possible, help me out here. In the below picture, the far treeline is about 3/4 mile off--about 4000'. If a Blackbird were to approach at Mach 3.2 and 500ft (if it were possible) would my eyes even be able to see it?
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 11-30-2011).]
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10:34 AM
TommyRocker Member
Posts: 2808 From: Woodstock, IL Registered: Dec 2009
Originally posted by maryjane: It's really difficult to get your mind around the speeds and altitude it flew at. When you see a commercial jet high in the clear sky, and figure it's around 30,000 ft, and then realize the Blackbird is exceeding that over twice, it would be far less than a dot in the sky if visible at all.
Or another viewpoint - that commercial jet will look like a smaller dot BELOW the SR71 than it does to us from the ground. At the altitudes the SR71 can fly, the sky turns black and you can see stars.
Check out "James May On the Moon" - you can find it on YouTube, most likely. He goes up in a U2, and while it's not as fast and hits about 70k feet, the view out of the cockpit looks more like a spacecraft on orbit than an aircraft in flight.
They also use GTOs as spotter cars when they land.
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10:54 AM
2.5 Member
Posts: 43231 From: Southern MN Registered: May 2007
Maryjane, that was a good article. Thanks for sharing. I do remember in the Reader's Digest story I read that he said they were riding in the lower extremities of space and everything above was black. Even at cruising speed, he said that when the throttles were pushed the acceleration was like a dragster coming off the line at green light.
2.5, you are correct that the true speed capabilities of the craft are still classified. I've read that many times, including in some official documents.
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01:32 PM
kevin Member
Posts: 2722 From: Elk Grove, CA USA Registered: Jan 2000
I KNOW the liberal thoughts within our country, dislikes to its core, the eminence of the United States' air superiority. It is unfair to be the best. How can I make such a statement? Ask the liberal why it is a good idea to cut our military budget. THey will tell you. And when they do, this will prove my point.
Cordially, kevin
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01:38 PM
MJ Member
Posts: 214 From: Punxsutawney Registered: Jun 2008
An amazing aircraft, no doubt. The technology for the time is really what is mind-blowing. Though none were shot down, we lost nearly half of the ones we built. Most of the crashes were results of electrical glitches and a few flame-outs. The SR-71 had no onboard means of restarting an engine if it fell below a certain RPM. Each engine was "jumpstarted" on the ground by a Chevy 454. Hows that for a pony motor eh? I'm sure their reasoning behind that is the same of why most racecars don't have starters, weight. One desintegrated in flight, only the pilot survived. He was never able to eject and I believe he is the only man still to this day to successfully have and airplane eject from him. Probably the most ironic of all, with all the engineering brilliance that went into this project, is the one that burnt to the ground at the end of a runway. ABS test + magnesium wheels, you do the math...
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01:41 PM
2.5 Member
Posts: 43231 From: Southern MN Registered: May 2007
An amazing aircraft, no doubt. The technology for the time is really what is mind-blowing. Though none were shot down, we lost nearly half of the ones we built. Most of the crashes were results of electrical glitches and a few flame-outs. The SR-71 had no onboard means of restarting an engine if it fell below a certain RPM. Each engine was "jumpstarted" on the ground by a Chevy 454. Hows that for a pony motor eh? I'm sure their reasoning behind that is the same of why most racecars don't have starters, weight. One desintegrated in flight, only the pilot survived. He was never able to eject and I believe he is the only man still to this day to successfully have and airplane eject from him. Probably the most ironic of all, with all the engineering brilliance that went into this project, is the one that burnt to the ground at the end of a runway. ABS test + magnesium wheels, you do the math...
Cool to hear some inside info
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01:44 PM
Gokart Mozart Member
Posts: 12143 From: Metro Detroit Registered: Mar 2003
Because of the cycles of heating/expansion and cooling/contraction, the panels have warped, so much so that you can't replace one panel from another SR-71.
Its original designation was reconnaissance/surveillance - RS. Lyndon Johnson goofed and reversed the letters in a speech. Now it stands for strategic reconnaissance.
To make a long story short, the three most commonly known reasons are:
The SR-71 is getting too old to maintain and/or it was too expensive Satellites could do it all Never stated officially, but was widely believed, was that the Blackbird was being retired because a superior replacement was entering service (Aurora?).
At least two of those reasons don't hold up:
Maintaining: The Blackbird was in good shape. There were more than enough of many components (including engines) in storage to last as far out as you wanted to project. In fact, there are still hundreds of millions of dollars of parts, already paid for, in stock.
Cost: Regarding cost, the SR-71 was not cheap. The cost of running the SR-71 fleet in the 1980s was $260 million annually. ABC News has stated that the cost of a single reconnaissance satellite is about $1 billion. It isn't cheap, but it isn't too expensive. It costs $50,000 an hour to fly the SR on a routine basis. It wasn't a lack of work that sent the Blackbirds into retirement, there were far more requests for SR-71 time than there were aircraft to fly the missions. The Aurora? Maybe…
Why it really retired
The SR-71 was assigned to SAC. SAC, though, didn't really see the plane as contributing to SAC's mission (dropping bombs) or image, and it had always been somewhat of an awkward fit. Further, unlike its various C-135 modes and the U-2, the SR-71 couldn't loiter, nor did anyone ever promise that it could (although with some of its planned upgrades it could perform more functions than it was then doing). SAC really didn't want the airplane.
One legitimate complaint against the aircraft: The biggest users of the SR-71 were the CIA, for obvious reasons, State and the Navy. The Navy had for years operated what was essentially a Mach 2, shorter legged SR-71, the RA-5C. When it retired, the Navy suffered a severe loss of reconnaissance capability. Although the F-14 provides reconnaissance capability with its TARPS system, that system has been held back while there are repeated attempts to give the Navy's Designated Wonderplane, the F/A-18, to take over the reconnaissance mission. As a result, the Navy has been an enthusiastic proponent of the SR-71 for reconnaissance as well as defense exercises. It is quite familiar with what a rapidly responding asset like the SR-71 could do, even when you had to go very high up to get the aircraft. USAF didn't choose to use most of the kind of intelligence the SR-71 could gather. However, funding for the SR-71 came out of USAF's budget, where it competed with other programs USAF wanted more. There had been proposals to treat the SR -71as a national asset and fund it accordingly, but these moves were blocked at various levels. There was also limited talk of the USN funding the program, but this also went nowhere. If you're the Navy are you going to fund an aircraft that isn't yours? If you're USAF, you may not want the plane, but there's no way you're going to let anyone paint "Navy" on the side of the fastest airplane in the world.
The SR-71 also was not liked by many of the "overhead" or satellite people at the NRO and elsewhere who thought satellites were the best for everything. They considered the SR-71 to be a competitive, rather than complementary system. By their very nature, satellite successes (and failures) tended to be very hush-hush and here was the SR-71 getting the "glory". Further there was the oft stated opinion by many that satellites could do anything needed better than anything else. While they are marvelous devices, this has never been true. The SR-71 flying around tended to gainsay the omnipotent image of satellites.
In the 1980s, opposition to the SR operations got stronger in a number of areas. Already planned sensor and maintainability upgrades were cancelled, and then because the SR couldn't perform the function an upgrade was supposed to do, this was given as a reason why the SR wasn't capable enough. Personnel rotation policies also were used against the SR. Because of its unique nature, the SR required service personnel that had a higher level of experience than other aircraft. USAF recognized this for many years and didn't rotate support personnel as often. In the 1980s, this policy changed and maintenance personnel went on the normal USAF rotation, lowering the experience level and increasing the mmh/fh ratio, which was then trumpeted as "proof" that the SR was becoming less maintainable. There were also options explored to further reduce the annual cost of the SR fleet, down to around $150 million annually. These would have involved greater use of contractor personnel, feasible on such a specialized, limited quantity aircraft, but were turned down as was the plan to permanently base (instead of operating as a Detachment) two SR-71s in England.
Then a T-39 crashed in April, 1985. General Jerry O' Malley was aboard, on his way to an official speaking engagement. He understood the nature of the SR-71 and its unique requirements and benefits. He was likely to become the Air Force Chief of Staff in 1986, and possibly even Chairman of the Joint Chiefs after that. When he was killed, General Welch went on to become chairman, and he was known as being hostile to the SR-71. This was when the SR-71's fate was sealed, although it took three more years to die.
The actual retirement of the SR-71 demonstrated its unpopularity with some at the top. Usually, when a major aircraft goes out of service, there are very high ranking officials present and numerous tributes are offered to the aircraft. At the retirement of the SR-71, many observers noted the absence of the usual highest rank of military and government officials at the ceremony. It's well known that the SR-71 delivered to the Smithsonian established new speed records, as the Smithsonian requested. What isn't well known is that the Air Force initially refused the request for a record flight, and in fact kept trying to block it up until the last minute. It took the personal intervention of Sen. John Glenn to permit the record flight to take place. Even then, the crew was instructed to fly a conservative by-the-book profile, which was unnecessary considering that this was to be the aircraft's last flight ever. After the arrival of 17972 at Dulles, USAF made no effort to help the Smithsonian in its preservation and it was left to deteriorate in the D.C. weather. The bird is now in a climate-controlled hangar, but that hangar was donated by the hangar manufacturer. One would expect that USAF would have pushed the PR value of this flight for all it was worth, but if you review the publicity of the time, you'll find it didn't come from there.
Why it was re-activated
Blackbird supporters said this all was a big mistake, but really no one listened to them
Less than a year after the record flight it became apparent that it was a big mistake. When Desert Shield began, Gen. Schwarzkopf was reported to have asked for the SR-71 very early on. It is known that very soon after Saddam moved into Kuwait, USAF approached Lockheed and asked how long it would take to restore SR-71 operations. Lockheed's response was that depending on the priority and if USAF could supply the sensor packages (USAF had them and even Lockheed didn't know where they were), the first one could be operational in 14 days and the next one around thirty days after that (remember, they hadn't been out of service that long at this point). There was no response for a number of weeks and then Lockheed was directed to forget the whole thing.
The SR would have had a major impact in the war. Basically, it could have done a lot better at tracking the ever-moving Scuds than sattelites would have. As it is, the best locating of Scuds was not done by airborne intel, but by special ops forces placed in Iraq. Stupid!
The people on top have left, and the ones that are there wouldn't be embarrased by the return of the SR-71.
The congress is funding it separately, so it doesn't compete with other projects.
Plus, the SR-71 fleet (what's left of it) is cheap. The planes are bought and paid for. There are lots of spare parts.
There are still people who know how to fly it.
The contractor is not getting filthy rich reactivating them. Only $72.5 million would cover it, and Lockheed ended up giving a good portion of that back.
So, there it is, a basic view of why the SR-71 retired and then was re-activated.
[This message has been edited by Gokart Mozart (edited 11-30-2011).]
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06:06 PM
PFF
System Bot
Cheever3000 Member
Posts: 12400 From: The Man from Tallahassee Registered: Aug 2001
I once read that at high speed, going from daylight into night gave the sensation of an impending crash into a wall. The night side of the earth would approach that fast.
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06:37 PM
carnut122 Member
Posts: 9122 From: Waleska, GA, USA Registered: Jan 2004
It's amazing to think that something that is still so amazing is rooted in the 50's. I mean, THIS was still a pretty modern automobile:
On a side not... I want one of those Buicks...
If that's a 56 Special (I think it is?), that's the "ancient" car my mom hauled me around in when I was in grade school. Every other kid's parents had newer and "cooler" cars. Now I'm with you, I'd love to have one (to go with my 53 F100).
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08:05 PM
Formula88 Member
Posts: 53788 From: Raleigh NC Registered: Jan 2001
What the manufactorer/USAF says it is limited to and what it can actually fly are 2 entirely different things. Evidently pilots believed "speed limits are made to be broken".
quote
‘You might want to pull it back,’ Walter suggested. It was then that I noticed I still had the throttles full forward. The plane was flying a mile every 1.6 seconds, well above our Mach 3.2 limit.
How much above Mach 3.2 is "a mile every 1.6 seconds"?
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04:41 AM
jetman Member
Posts: 7793 From: Sterling Heights Mich Registered: Dec 2002
What the manufactorer/USAF says it is limited to and what it can actually fly are 2 entirely different things. Evidently pilots believed "speed limits are made to be broken".
How much above Mach 3.2 is "a mile every 1.6 seconds"?
Actually, it's not. 1 mile every second would be 60*60 or 3600 mph. Since it's a mile every 1.6 seconds, we just take 3600/1.6 to get 2250 mph. That's fast... really fast. But the speed of sound is 768 mph. 2250 is only 2.93 times the speed of sound, and that's where Mach comes from, right?
So they weren't above Mach 3.2. They were going Mach 2.93.
Hmm...
This thread is sweet.
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07:44 AM
fierofool Member
Posts: 12899 From: Auburn, Georgia USA Registered: Jan 2002
What is the car for that is on the runway when the U2 is landing in that clip?
The U2 had permanent wheels only under the fusilage. When the fuel tanks in the wings were fully fueled, they would droop so badly that they would drag the runway. Each wing had a set of training wheels, so to speak that held the wings up until lift off and then they were dropped onto the runway. They didn't use retractable wing wheels to increase fuel capacity. The chase car was to be there at landing to carry and reinstall the training wheels when the craft came to a stop.
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09:00 AM
PFF
System Bot
TommyRocker Member
Posts: 2808 From: Woodstock, IL Registered: Dec 2009
The U2 had permanent wheels only under the fusilage. When the fuel tanks in the wings were fully fueled, they would droop so badly that they would drag the runway. Each wing had a set of training wheels, so to speak that held the wings up until lift off and then they were dropped onto the runway. They didn't use retractable wing wheels to increase fuel capacity. The chase car was to be there at landing to carry and reinstall the training wheels when the craft came to a stop.
Can't remember which, but there was another a/c that also had this wing droop problem. Can't remember which now, and it may have been an experimental.
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10:23 AM
2.5 Member
Posts: 43231 From: Southern MN Registered: May 2007
Actually, it's not. 1 mile every second would be 60*60 or 3600 mph. Since it's a mile every 1.6 seconds, we just take 3600/1.6 to get 2250 mph. That's fast... really fast. But the speed of sound is 768 mph. 2250 is only 2.93 times the speed of sound, and that's where Mach comes from, right?
So they weren't above Mach 3.2. They were going Mach 2.93.
Hmm...
This thread is sweet.
This is getting interesting-er I found websites that say Speed of sound is 761.6 miles per hour
"I'm sorry to have to be so vague, but the answer to your question is "it depends!" The reason we can't be more specific is that it all depends on what the speed of sound is through a substance under certain conditions. Now if you had asked how fast is Mach 2 in the standard atmosphere at sea level, the answer could be found by simply looking up the speed of sound at sea level in a standard atmospheric table and multiplying it by two. Since the speed of sound through the standard atmosphere is 761 mph (1,223 km/h) at sea level, Mach 2 then follows as 1,522 mph (2,447 km/h). If you were to ask how fast is Mach 2 at an altitude of 30,000 ft (9,150 m), we would use the same methodology to find out that it is only 1,356 mph (2,180 km/h) because the speed of sound generally decreases as altitude increases. .... While this is indeed the case up to about 36,000 ft (11,000 m), the speed of sound eventually reaches a constant, then starts rising again, reaches a new constant, starts decreasing again, reaches a new constant, then starts rising yet again! The reason for this odd behavior is that the speed of sound depends on more than just density, but also on atmospheric pressure and (by extension) temperature......" http://www.aerospaceweb.org...mosphere/q0059.shtml
[This message has been edited by 2.5 (edited 12-01-2011).]
Actually, it's not. 1 mile every second would be 60*60 or 3600 mph. Since it's a mile every 1.6 seconds, we just take 3600/1.6 to get 2250 mph. That's fast... really fast. But the speed of sound is 768 mph. 2250 is only 2.93 times the speed of sound, and that's where Mach comes from, right?
So they weren't above Mach 3.2. They were going Mach 2.93.
And I'm like that other guy up there, math isn't one of my strong points, but I learned enough in physics to know that the speed of sound depends on temperature. 768 mph is the speed of sound at 68* F and 0% humidity. Since temperature decreases the farther you travel into the upper atmosphere, the slower the speed of sound will be. So you'd have to find out the atmospheric temperature at 80,000 feet and then start to do some calculations.
I loved calling in the Blackbird in MW2, favorite Kill Streak reward.
Anyways, using a temperature of -74.51* C @ 80,000 feet, that calculator spits out a speed of sound of 631.986 mph. So plug that in to your formula (2250/632) and we get Mach 3.56. They were HAULING.
[This message has been edited by 1988holleyformula (edited 12-01-2011).]
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11:37 AM
MJ Member
Posts: 214 From: Punxsutawney Registered: Jun 2008
And I'm like that other guy up there, math isn't one of my strong points, but I learned enough in physics to know that the speed of sound depends on temperature. 768 mph is the speed of sound at 68* F and 0% humidity. Since temperature decreases the farther you travel into the upper atmosphere, the slower the speed of sound will be. So you'd have to find out the atmospheric temperature at 80,000 feet and then start to do some calculations.
I loved calling in the Blackbird in MW2, favorite Kill Streak reward.
Anyways, using a temperature of -74.51* C @ 80,000 feet, that calculator spits out a speed of sound of 631.986 mph. So plug that in to your formula (2250/632) and we get Mach 3.56. They were HAULING.
Yeah, that's true. I knew about the Temperature, but didn't even worry about it thinking it would be a tiny difference.
They were hauling! Lol.
So when you go that fast, time is different, right? So.. They were up there probably a few seconds less than what the clock sitting at home said. Crazy.
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12:28 PM
Formula88 Member
Posts: 53788 From: Raleigh NC Registered: Jan 2001
What is the car for that is on the runway when the U2 is landing in that clip?
To serve as a spotter for the pilot. The pilot can't see the runway when landing. Also, to play Led Zepplin really loud so they can be cool when landing.
[This message has been edited by Formula88 (edited 12-01-2011).]
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12:43 PM
Formula88 Member
Posts: 53788 From: Raleigh NC Registered: Jan 2001
Originally posted by theBDub: So when you go that fast, time is different, right? So.. They were up there probably a few seconds less than what the clock sitting at home said. Crazy.
Technically yes, but it's such a small fraction of time it's not noticeable. Tiny fractions of a second. Mach 3.2 is about 2500 mph at sea level. The Space Shuttle goes 17,500 mph, or the equivalent of Mach 22. If the SR71 pilots were off seconds, Astronauts on the ISS would lose hours or days over a tour.
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12:48 PM
squisher86SE Member
Posts: 1350 From: Franklin, IN, USA Registered: May 2005
Interesting tidbit (especially for firearms enthusiasts): 2200 mph = 3230 fps (feet per second).
Let that sink in.
To help show the significance of that speed:
9x19 parabellum ammo (normal 9mm) clocks in at 1300 fps 7.62x54 Mosin Nagant round in military surplus typically chronos in the 2600 fps range. The 5.56x45 is in the 3100 fps range.
Faster than a speeding bullet indeed.
And, the speed of sound technically changes with the density of the medium the sound is traveling through. 768 mph for air on wikipedia is qualified as "in dry air at 68 deg. fahrenheit" (probably also at sea level pressure), so there will be some fluctuation as to the actual speed depending on the source, but ~760-770 mph in air are reasonable yardstick estimates.
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wuz that?" Hopefully, I wouldn't blink. 
That is fast!
