SR-71 Blackbird openion?

Question

Do you think it was the best spyplane on its time.

Answer 1

Worlds fastest Jet
2- Pratt & Whitney J58 turbo-ramjets, 32,500 lb. thrust w/afterburners
Maximum speed: mach 3.5 or or more than 2,500 MPH
Maximun operating ceiling: 101,500 feet or 19 plus miles high
Weights: 60,000 lb. dry / 170,000 lb. full fuel and loaded (for bear, lol)
One of the 3 SR-71 Blackbirds strategly locationed around the globe, still flying today can take pictures any where in the world withing 6 hours of take off.
The Mig-25 FOXBAT-B is the closest plane to be able to catch it and it is more than 700 MPH slower at top speed.
The pilots wear the same suits as the space shuttle crews do.
The metal skin reaches over 400 degrees at top speed and high alitude.
The Blackbird takes off with light fuel (and stops at the gas station in the air) at 30,000 feet, 7 minutes later for a fuel up (and don't forget the windows)
It then dives to go supersonic to mack 3 and then climbs to 82,000 feet and (stops at another Gas station, got to have coffee and smokes, LOL), and then they go to work either taking pictures or sending missiles to their targets, from hundreds of miles on the good guys side of the line.
32 were built and 3 are still in operations as af this book.

My openion: the best, prettiest, and fastest aircraft ever built.
I can't recall the name of it, but Clint Eastwood made a picture about stealing a Russian jet and I feel it was made bassed on the Bkackbird. ???????????????

Answer 2

Best spyplane of its time? Absolutely. Nobody else has anything close to it.

What you probably don't know is that they actually made a "drone" version of SR-71, just one engine, but same supersonic mach 3 performance due to no cockpit or fuselage. Both test drones were lost somewhere in China or Russia. It's amazing luck that the Russians never realized what the wreckage really was.

Answer 3

The SR-71 was the best plane of its time, but is obsolete now.

True, no aircraft ever equalled its performance and it was never shot down, but recce satellites and UAVs do the job better. (Usually you don't want the people you are spying on to know they are being spied on; the SR-71 is very visible on radar).

The U-2 was obsolescent in 1960 when Gary Powers was shot down over the USSR by a SAM. One was shot down over Cuba in 1962 also. The U-2 allows for economical surveillance of areas that aren't protected by SAMs or high altitude fighters, but are otherwise outdated.

Answer 4

Yes I do. Like everyone else said its the fastest, highest flying and most beautiful recon plane ever. A good book to check out of the Black Bird is "Sled Driver" by Brian Shul.

Also, the movie that Clint Eastwood was in about stealing the spy plane was called "Fire Fox" it was not the Black Bird but looked somewhat similar

Answer 5

I like the U-2 myself. I think the SR-71 is a little excessive. After all if you are flying at 80,000 feet and nobody can see you.....do you really need to go mach 3?

Answer 6

The absolute finest reconnaissance aircraft ever flown. Kbilyak04 says it is over the top and doesn't need to go that fast but I think the Russians proved him wrong when they shot down a U2. It helps to at the edge of missile range AND flying almost as fast as the missiles that are attempting to shoot down the beauty.

Answer 7

Yes

Answer 8

Yes,I was aroud them. In flight they expanded several inches from the heat. On the ground they leaked fuel.20 minutes from phoenix to st. Paul

Answer 9

MACH 3+. At altittudes so extreme pilots needed astronaut suits. Its advances in aerodynamics were impressive. The "carried" wings, heat dissipation techniques.... etc etc etc. Yeah it was the best. Oh and add gorgeous to it all.

Answer 10

................... EVEN NOW ...................... you find it the best looking and its performance not surpassed .............. and was designed ALMOST 50 years back ..... JUST THINK ........... of the aircraft ............ the black beauty ................