What is the SR-71 Blackbird?
I took my godson to the Air and Space Museum in LA’s Exposition Park a couple years ago, where a mockup of the A-12 (a predecessor of the SR-71) overlooks the parking lot, poised as if prepared to strafe the poor innocents walking toward the California Science Center for no reason other than they made good targets. While looking at the magnificent plane with unabashed awe, he asked me, “What is the A-12?”
Gazing at the fake jet with equal admiration, I said to him, “Cool… that’s what it is: cool.”
Of all the amazing aircraft produced by America’s many aerospace manufacturers, I would have to say that, without a doubt, the SR-71 and its cousins, the A-12 and the YF-12 are by far the most impressive looking ones of them all. The lines and details are elegant, streamline and, let’s face it: it’s one wicked bird.
I’ve heard considerable debate about the differences between the A-12, the YF-12 and the SR-71. At a glance, they all seem the same. If all three flew by at top speed, you would not be able to distinguish a difference; of course, as they would be flying at over 2,000 mph, they would be little more than a blur.
So, where are the distinctions and why build three nearly identical jets?
Lockheed started off with the prototype, the YF-12. Like the early X-planes, the Y in this jet’s designation indicated that it was an experimental aircraft. The idea was to build the fastest fighter plane on Earth, and they succeeded… sort of. When they figured out that they had built a fighter that flew faster than its bullets or missiles, the idea seemed reasonably silly.
Deeply ensconced in the Cold War, the United States needed a plane to replace the aging U-2 in fly-overs to photograph Soviet military bases and facilities. The CIA wanted something that could not only fly as high as the U-2, but after losing Frances Gary Powers’ U-2 to a Soviet missile, they wanted a jet that could outrun the USSR’s defenses. With a maximum speed of Mach 3.35 at 75,000 feet, the A-12 fit the bill nicely.
Thus, the YF-12 became the A-12. And when the CIA got their hands on it, they slapped some black paint on the A-12 and re-designated it the SR-71 Blackbird. As a tool of the CIA, the SR-71 is understandably a spy-plane used for high altitude reconnaissance.
The original YF-12 design incorporated a longer nose to accommodate a large radar dish later replaced by photographic equipment. Therefore, the A-12 and SR-71 have a considerably shorter snout than the YF-12. Another difference is that the chines (the wedge-shaped fin-like projections on both sides of the fuselage) of the A-12 and SR-71 extend all the way to the tip of the nose, as where in the YF-12 they stop just ahead of the cockpit. Otherwise, the YF-12 and the SR-71 are essentially the same.
The body of the SR-71 (as well as the other two) is made of titanium, making it extremely durable and super lightweight. Because of the friction that results at the high speeds attained by this aircraft, the jet’s exterior becomes very hot, even while flying in the upper, frigid reaches of the Earth’s atmosphere. This causes the titanium panels to expand. Therefore, while at rest on the ground, parts of the plane contain gaps between them that fill as the panels expand during its frantic flights. This makes for a messy aircraft that tends to leak, to the dismay of the poor schmucks who have to clean the runway every time a Blackbird takes off or lands.
Because it flies at such high altitudes, the pilot of the SR-71 has to wear a pressure suit (most commonly called a spacesuit, though there are telltale differences between the two), just as did the pilots of the U-2 and the X-15. This doesn’t qualify such pilots as astronauts, but you better believe they feel ultra-cool whenever they march out to board their jets.
The SR-71 “Blackbird,” formally known as the Lockheed SR-71, was an advanced reconnaissance aircraft considered iconic of superior American aerospace technology. The sleek, stealthy craft was black colored, 107 ft 5 in (32.74 m) long, had a 55 ft 7 in (16.94 m) wingspan, 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m) tall, with a cruising speed of Mach 3.2 (2,200+ mph, 3,530+ km/h), and a loaded weight of 170,000 lb (77,000 kg). Its maximum speed was unknown, though it could have been Mach 4 or above. The SR-71 Blackbird has been called “one of the most spectacular planes ever built.” Its cost and function was similar to that of spy satellites. First introduced in 1966, 32 SR-71 Blackbird craft were produced throughout the late 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, at a per unit acquisition cost of over $200 million USD (US Dollars), with the craft remaining in use until 1998, when it was permanently retired. The SR-71 Blackbird was built using the most advanced technology and design features available at the time, including
