Zoom, Zoom!!
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Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (Strategic reconnaissance aircraft)
- Thread starter mTk
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I read:
"...The Lockheed SR-71, nicknamed "Blackbird" was designed to be invisible to radar and fly higher and faster than any aircraft at the time. To achieve this, it was necessary to provide it with a titanium hull that could withstand the extreme temperatures and the incredible stress of its acceleration, and in the 1960s there was only one state that could provide the United States with the necessary amount: its mortal enemy the Soviet Union. . ."
That should be scary just watching it approach.
"...The Lockheed SR-71, nicknamed "Blackbird" was designed to be invisible to radar and fly higher and faster than any aircraft at the time. To achieve this, it was necessary to provide it with a titanium hull that could withstand the extreme temperatures and the incredible stress of its acceleration, and in the 1960s there was only one state that could provide the United States with the necessary amount: its mortal enemy the Soviet Union. . ."
That should be scary just watching it approach.
Nice pics!
Crazy expensive aircraft though
“In all, the Blackbird cost about $200,000 per hour to operate – the fuel alone cost $18,000 per hour). Per year, the SR-71 cost between $200 and $300 million. As the Cold War ended, and as satellite technology advanced to the point where the SR-71’s reconnaissance abilities had become redundant, the costs were no longer justifiable. Not only was the Blackbird mothballed, but the plane’s impressive logistical and support apparatuses were mothballed, too.”
Crazy expensive aircraft though
“In all, the Blackbird cost about $200,000 per hour to operate – the fuel alone cost $18,000 per hour). Per year, the SR-71 cost between $200 and $300 million. As the Cold War ended, and as satellite technology advanced to the point where the SR-71’s reconnaissance abilities had become redundant, the costs were no longer justifiable. Not only was the Blackbird mothballed, but the plane’s impressive logistical and support apparatuses were mothballed, too.”