SR-71 Blackbird

Tags:
Sr71 Blackbird
sonicbomb
  • Submitter:
    sonicbomb
  • Visits: 30,339
  • Subscribers: 51
  • Comments: 2
  • Updated: 19-Jun-09
  • Videos: 106
  • International International
  • Comments: 69
  • Views: 152,251
  • Added: 27-May-07

Developed for the USAF as reconnaissance aircraft more than 40 years ago, SR-71s are still the world's fastest and highest-flying production aircraft. The aircraft can fly more than 2200 mph (Mach 3+ or more than three times the speed of sound) and at altitudes of over 85,000 feet. As research platforms, the aircraft can cruise at Mach 3 for more than one hour.

  1. Categories: Wheels & Wings
  2. Related Link: Sonicbomb.com
  3. Favorite On: viper66 ahsanshaheen 4Bob9 nugies rbarroso
Comments on

SR-71 Blackbird

69 Comments | Add Comment
  • the SR71

    is the best aircraft ever made. it was the first stealth aircraft ever made and used and as far as i am concerned it still is the best.

    By uthought 1180415978 Reply Spam [+8] Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • Facts only please

      One source of facts about the SR-71 is the book "Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird" by Paul F. Crickmore, 1986.

      -it is not ram jet propelled, it has J-58 (JT11D-20) continuous-bleed afterburning turbojets rated at 32,500 lb thrust at sea level.

      -SR-71 skin temperature is + 500 degF during flight, requiring the use of avanced titanium alloys through out the aircraft.

      -a variable inlet ram, adjusts (reduces) air flow into the engine as aircraft speed increases. You can't dump supersonic speed air into a turbojet engine.

      -both it and the U-2 were high resolution aerial photo platforms. The SR-71 got there and back faster, of course. Guess what, the best high resolution aerial photos are still from aircraft.

      Just the facts.

      By bicycle1953 1230349436 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • Actually...

      the XR -15 something... achieved a speed of MACH 6

      By esne 1185368059 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • X-15

      The X-15 is a rocket plane, powered by rocket engines, unlike the SR-71 which uses a turbine engine.

      By MotorCitySarge 1191526288 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • actuelly

      actuelly the blackbird uses a ram jet system with literaly rams the air into the combustion engine(bassically a spark plug)instead of a turbine with compresses the air further for better lift at low altitudes.

      By flyfreak 1212814784 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • Actually.....with proper grammar

      The air inlets were a critical design feature to allow cruising speeds of over Mach 3.2, yet provide subsonic Mach 0.5 airflow into the turbojet engines. At the front of each inlet was a sharp, pointed movable cone called a "spike" that was locked in the full forward position on the ground or when in subsonic flight. During acceleration to high-speed cruise, the spike would unlock at Mach 1.6 and then begin a mechanical (internal jack screw powered) travel to the rear.[6] It moved up to a maximum of 26 inches (66 cm).

      The original air inlet computer was an analog design which, based on pitot-static, pitch, roll, yaw, and angle-of-attack inputs, would determine how much movement was required. By moving, the spike tip would withdraw the shock wave, riding on it closer to the inlet cowling until it just touched slightly inside the cowling lip. In this position shock-wave spillage, causing turbulence over the outer nacelle and wing, was minimized while the spike shock-wave then repeatedly reflected between the spike center body and the inlet inner cowl sides. In doing so, shock pressures were maintained while slowing the air until a Mach 1 shock wave formed in front of the engine compressor.[7]

      The backside of this "normal" shock wave was subsonic air for ingestion into the engine compressor. This capture of the Mach 1 shock wave within the inlet was called "Starting the Inlet". Tremendous pressures would be built up inside the inlet and in front of the compressor face. Bleed tubes and bypass doors were designed into the inlet and engine nacelles to handle some of this pressure and to position the final shock to allow the inlet to remain "started." It is commonly cited that a large amount of the thrust at higher mach numbers comes from the inlet. However, this is not entirely accurate. Air that is compressed by the inlet/shock wave interaction is diverted around the turbo machinery of the engine and directly into the afterburner where it is mixed and burned. This configuration is essentially a ramjet and provides up to 70% of the aircraft's thrust at higher mach numbers.

      By The_ Punisher 1232384987 Reply Spam [+1] Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • REAL knowledge here.

      Glad to hear some real technical knowledge. I can tell that you have some real resource at hand!. Very impressed with your knowledge. What source do you use. I have read two very good books on the SR and do most of the tour guides here at Evergreen Air & Space Museum on the SR.

      By SR71 man 1243836104 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • Excellent info!

      Wow, its nice to see some accurate information on the internet....so rare these days...thanks SR71man! I thought I knew a fair amount about this aircraft, but I certainly learned some more from this post!

      By venmus93 1246691970 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • music

      I hope their not playing that music in the pilots pit, he'll fall asleep at the wheel

      By pHalcon 1185257091 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Still Bad Ass!

    Sinister and Bad Ass as Hell! To me, this aircraft is truly an amazing example of American engineering at it's absolute finest! Especially when one considers the era in which it was designed and built! Slide rules were the norm. There was NO computer aided anything back then. At least so we know of. It is still an amazing craft. Even by today's standards. It is my All Time personal favorite aircraft! Period!

    By JoeGuitarGod 1182983088 Reply Spam [+5] Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • The 60's/70's plane

      did have a computer in it to help with all of four functions. It helped with high speed stability and was the 1st so equipped

      By Sigurd79 1193194941 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • Sr computers

      Initially the SR -71 did not have computers to help with engine control, but in 1976 they installed three 11 killo-bite computers into the SAS system to control the spike and by-pass doors thus simplifing the pilots job considerably! Up till then the pilot had to manually adjust these items with three toggle switches on the throttle control.

      By SR71 man 1239667003 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Music Track

    Yes the music track is on the bladrunner movie.
    But more exactly it's

    Artist: Vangelis
    Album: Reprise 1990-1999
    Released: 2000
    Track: Blade Runner:Rachel's Song

    By Tonal 1180419422 Reply Spam [+3] Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Phenomenal Plane

    Saw a vid on the final flight that set the all time record, the pilot said the plane was never pushed to the limits even in that final flight.

    By htiffirg 1180395465 Reply Spam [+1] Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Nice Sountrack

    Could anyone please post the title or album of the soundtrack. Thanks

    By Mr. Hyde 1180358206 Reply Spam [+1] Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Actually

    It has a 9 stage compressor, axial flow, single spool and the turbine is a two-stage axial flow. The engine is more compared to operating like a turbine engine at takeoff and then converts to a ram jet once in high speed flight.

    By hendog1439 1227118520 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • A monument of the human mind.

    US Air Force.

    By sminnian 1191564012 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Airplane

    This Metal Cafe's stuff's pretty neat..you know Orville and Wilber Wright

    By gongshow1 1188019682 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • .

    the fastest jet ever made at that time

    By shawnking 1180915271 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • A very cool plane

    But I hear it was never used much. By the time they had them in production, satelites were in place that could do the job better and cheaper.

    By circledance 1180681936 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • Ussage of SR-71

      Don't bekieve that. There was a total of 50 aircraft built; 32 SR-71, 2 ea. M-21 drone carring versions, 3 ea YF-12A, and 13 A-12 models. Most of the aircraft flew missions over most of the world and accumulated flight hours running into the thousands. The SR we have in our museum ( 971 ) has over 1600 flight hours on it. When most missions were around four hours long, that amount to a LOT of missions.!! I presently work with Evergreen Air & Space Museum in McMinnville Oregonn, "Home of the Spruce Goose".

      By SR71 man 1243834486 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • The SR-71 Blackbird

      was used all the time. Satellites couldn't get the pictures the Sled could. The resolution of the cameras on board the Sled were the best. Satellites had to wait until their orbit came around for pictures and our enemies could time it and move what they didn't want seen. With the Sled you didn't know when it was over you.

      By The_ Punisher 1234335372 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Nice Vid

    i really enjoyed the sound track. a little more technical info on the bird would have made this a five starer for mine.

    By waxy01 1180344785 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • little 'fun facts',,


      Just prior to being de-commisioned as an active US Air Force machine, an SR-71 broke the speed record for a trans-north american flight.

      Going 'feet-dry' over the California coast the SR-71 was over the US capitol in Washington DC in just over 58 minutes. That's correct. Over 3000mph.

      It used a fuel mixture that was so volitale that if the two chemicals touched, they ignited. Its skin was titanium with ribs in it in order to survive the extreme temperatures that friction with the air caused when you go that fast. This is also why all but the black ones have really cruddy paint. The black paint was a chemical breakthrough that could survive more than one mission.

      By HellbilleH 1180384693 Reply Spam [+1] Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • Don't know where you get your facts....

      The blackbird could not fly at 3000 mph. It's engines could not achieve that speed - they weren't designed for it.

      "Speed Over a Straight Course (15-25km): 2,193.167 mph SR-71A. "

      "SR-71 West Coast to East Coast of USA (National Record-Speed Over a Recognized Course): Coast to Coast Distance: 2,404.05 statute miles...Time: 1 hr 07 min 53.69 secs...Average Speed: 2,124.51 mph"

      The fuel was modified JP-7, kerosene basically. It was not hypergolic.

      The black paint was a special derivative designed to radiate heat away from the airframe.

      By johnbergstromslc 1180545588 Reply Spam [+2] Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • the 3000mph was my bad math,,,


      the fuel info and the 58 minutes from the west coast to its position over the US capitol | obtained from a book. Once | find the info | will pass it on. | may have the fuel confused with another aircraft in the book.

      By HellbilleH 1184053348 Reply Spam [+1] Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • another fun fact

      the speed of the SR-71 Blackbird is classified.
      I would venture to guess the original engineers do not know how fast the sled will go.

      By Rotupmoc 1196551369 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • If you only knew...

      Without a doubt a fantastic aircraft! What seems to have been forgotten was not only the true capabilities of the aircraft, but the instruments within. Satellites might be able to read something 1 cm, but when SR-71 flew, they didn’t. Thanks to the fine people at Kodak and others for what you don’t know the plane was capable. If you knew what the SR-71 and the people behind her were really capable, you would be impressed with the next generation, and that isn’t a predictable satellite.

      By gone2fast 1195361078 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • ive heard

      it can reach a speed of mach 3.3 ...from a japanese artist

      By descolada_Virus 1184084802 Reply Spam [+1] Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • Top speed

      was Mach 3.5

      By The_ Punisher 1234336033 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • For the record...

      The fastest I've heard at debriefs was 3.5 Mach.

      By The_ Punisher 1232390101 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • another fun fact...

      at 72,000 ft it took the intire state of California to myake a "U" turn, no joke

      By Keoni99 1181072045 Reply Spam [+1] Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • Correction..

      The SR-71 flew from Edwards AFB to Washington DC in 1 hour 4 minutes and 19.89 seconds at a average speed of 2, 144.83 mph. It could never reach the speed of 3,000 mph because of temperature redlines.

      By The_ Punisher 1234335901 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • Actually..

      The YF-12 weren't painted in the familiar black. The cruddy paint you speak of was far from cruddy. It was radar absorbing and had heat sink qualities to it.

      By The_ Punisher 1232389846 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • The Music

      is Rachels Song from the Bladerunner soundtrack. In regards to technical info, there are literally hundereds of interesting and unique facts about this bird, to list them here would be impracticle.

      By sonicbomb 1180365749 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • because of the speed and altitudes

    because of this: "The aircraft flew so fast and so high that if the crew detected a surface-to-air missile launch, the standard evasive action was simply to accelerate. " (taken from wikipedia). Can mig do this?

    By Paulius Liekis 1180287594 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • sdfsdf

    what is the need to develop a specialized aircraft that can do only this, when you could have made a plane similar to the mig25(31)? a mig 31 can carry not only long range missiles, but he also can act as an aerial command post and control other friendly aircraft.

    By Rhodesian 1180279917 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • ...

      Because the SR-71 is a more effective reconnaissance than for example the Mig 25(31). The Mig is a big lack in technology, and the SR-71 Blackbird’s stealth is a very good thing, which the mig doesn’t have. So, if you want to spezialize in only reconnaissance, the SR-71 Blackbird is best.

      By Version 5 1180288580 Reply Spam [+3] Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • 'Stealth' is a relative concept...

      The SR-71 was stealthy in it's day, but it pales to today's technology. The U.S. now has vehicles that can stay over a target, photographing it undetected for days, if not weeks.

      A cool plane, though. Turned me on to the properties of titanium, a 'super metal' if there ever was one.

      By johnbergstromslc 1180299247 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • yep

      they're called satellites...lol

      By Kramerica 1180325162 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • Mig a'int shit compared to Blackbirds

      The former Soviet Union was so tramatised by the fact that the SR-71 flew over it's airspace at will that they tried everything they could think of to shhot it down. They outfitted Mid Foxbats with the largest engines they had and the best air to air missles they had and stationed them at points all over the USSR. When they tried to intercept they did so at full afterburners and still never managed to hit an SR-71. The migs then had to glide back because they burned their engines up in the futile effort. All explained by the mig pilots themselves in the Discovery Channel's "Wings" episode about the SR-71 Blackbird.

      By RLC58 1180445232 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • this aircraft

      still today holds world records and if not for the invention of this aircraft there would not be the advances we have today in stealth and technology

      By uthought 1180416369 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • Two of these planes went missing.

      They say it is possible that the missing aircraft were flying so fast they went back in time.

      By Debaser 1180444774 Reply Spam [-1] Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • best plane ever

    but, there will never be such a machine that travels the speed of light, if there was one that went that fast, the speed would rip the pilot apart and the machine would collapse upon itself

    By Mr. Borat 1196900068 Reply Spam [-1] Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Make money online

    Get paid for taking surveys at SURVEY4PROFIT dot NET

    By karlybigbabeqe 1191417140 Reply Spam [-1] Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • im pretty sure

    mach 3 is 2400 mph...

    but it is still the best plane ever made

    By RITALIN is my friend 1184738973 Reply Spam [-1] Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • what now

    if that's what you could build 40 years ago what the hell are you building now. what secrets do you have these days

    By n25scott 1184615663 Reply Spam [-1] Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • OMG

    OMG look at the landing strip at 1:18!! That's Area 51.. whoa. Guess they used it for experimental aircraft testing rather than UFO storage, after all :)

    By jproffer 1182969024 Reply Spam [-1] Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • SR-71

      a once experimental aircraft, it can go into the stratosphere, higher than any other plane in existence, except for space shuttles which are really a rocket with wings...

      By descolada_Virus 1184084711 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • Sure looks like it

      Although, Edwards and Groom lake had similar dry lake runways that were marked out in black similar to this one. My guess, Groom Lake, like you said. And yes, the SR-71 was tested extensivly at Groom Lake. In fact, I witnessed one of the Blue SR-71's fly out from Groom Lake early one morning while camping in the area many years ago. BTW, I don't buy into the conspiricy theory ideas.

      By TattiePie 1183517523 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
    • Area 51

      is and always has been a Aerial design, research and test facility. or atleast, ill believe this until they find little green men and they better be DAMN convincing little green men

      By descolada_Virus 1186442678 Reply Spam Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • how gay can it look?

    russia's got a top secret plane thats actualy faster and can travel world in hours, it can take f-22 out easly along with many planes and its features are amazing, so what makes america think they got top technolagie?

    By Croatia2007 1182898541 Reply Spam [-1] Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • Firefox

    Was that Clint Eastwood that went into the cockpit at the beginning of the clip? ;-)

    By rif42 1182804532 Reply Spam [-1] Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • OMg

    i skeet alll ofter the sr-71

    By Keoni99 1181071844 Reply Spam [-1] Moderate Up Moderate Down
  • sr71

    sr71 is used to monitor UFO activity at high altitude and to get places quikly in order to do so. The reconosense was always a secondary use.

    By brad1212 1199843862 Reply Spam [-2] Moderate Up Moderate Down
69 Comments | Add Comment