The SR-71 was MUCH FASTER than the Air Force will admit

--BREAK--

Boeing recently got into some trouble by claiming the new F-15EX has a top speed of nearly Mach 3, only to walk that claim back a few days later.

This got us wondering about other aircraft with top speeds Uncle Sam may not have been entirely honest about... Like the legendary SR-71 Blackbird.

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Citations:

[jaybee]

My favorite quote from Brian Shul’s book was “We did Nebraska in 5 minutes. I think that’s the best way to do Nebraska.”

[jamesbarca]

I didn't hear about Brian Shul dying. Rest in Peace, Major Shul. Your service and your L.A. speed check story will never be forgotten.

[splender]

The Blackbird was the right plane at the right time. It was a bit of a miracle that a plane like this could have been constructed before modern computers and technology. These guys were at the top of their game.

[cowslinger]

I was a 19 year old Airman, stationed at RAF Mildenhall, 84 - 86. We had SR-71s there. My war time duty was Rapid Runway Repair. So I got to put on my Chem gear, and lay out by the runway, and watch them take off and land. Such a magnificent machine. Great memories.

[jimsackmanbusinesscoaching]

Two stories about the SR-71:

1 - I met a guy that told me he worked on the engines for the SR-71. What he said was that the turbine blades were encased in a ring of graphite. The blades went so fast that they stretched and ate into the graphite to maintain the seal. This whole system had to be replaced after every flight.

2 - I also met a guy that was stationed at the Plattsburgh AFB and told me he saw an SR-71 cross his radar screen once. There were just two blips before it exited his screen.

[docohm]

I was 18 stationed at Beale AFB as a Avionics Instrument Tech back in 1982. I fixed all the instruments and did the "spike schedule" on the SR-71. The spikes could move 26 inches and the fwd and aft doors would open and close at different speeds and turns. We checked the system up to 85, 000 ft and topped out at 3.2 mach on the spike cart(test equipment). Each SR-71 sortie had a formal debrief with the tech reps and the mechanics. For my shop we were interested in aerodynamic disturbances or engine stalls which usually occurred when the inlet spike and or doors were out of calibration for the speed, altitude, or AOA. We had recorded MRS tapes. This was like a EKG line across a paper. The altitude topped at 85, 000 feet and the speed stopped recording at 3.2 mach. I saw many tapes of 3.2 mach. The Lockheed engineers never disclosed what the absolute top speed was they did say it was limited by the spike and the fwd and aft doors. I am 60 now and I am blessed to say I wrenched on the SR-71 for the first years of my AF career. This was a awesome video, thanks for bringing back memories. God Bless 🙏

[KurtisIsley]

My dad worked on F-111s in the late 1960s somewhere near Fort Worth Texas. One day, while he and many others were working on those planes in the hangar, an SR-71 developed some kind of problem and had to land at that facility.

The managers came into the hangar and told everyone to stop what they were doing and to get out of the hanger RIGHT NOW!! This was sometime between 1968 and 1970 when the SR-71 had just started flying and was still super secret.

My dad and his fellow co-workers had no idea what was going on, so they went to the break room/lunch room... which had some great big windows gave them a great view of the runways and allowed them to see the SR-71 roll up into the hangar.

Can you imagine the thoughts that went through their heads? They knew what jet fighters looked like and they knew what the B-52 looked like. Then, they see this plane that looks like nothing else on the planet!! A plane that looks like something out of a science fiction movie.

Anywho... that is my story. I hope you like it.

[RA]

I grew up in between Springfield and Dayton. My best friend’s father was a project manager for Rockwell on the Bone. It was a regular occurrence to have F-15’s buzz by VERY low at serious speeds over the farms. One day, my friends father calls my dad and gives him a time to get his son and I over to Wright Patt with a special pass. We went through security and we’re directed straight to a hanger where we met my friend’s dad. We went out to the flight line, sure enough, about 10-15 minutes later in comes an SR-71. Lands, refuels, the pilots go out looking like astronauts with their little AC units. They loaded back up with fuel leaking and took back off. Shy of a Saturn V or a shuttle launch, I’m not sure I’ve heard or FELT anything like that. They ended up doing a pass at full afterburner with the whole base watching. Never forget that memory.

[travistolbert]

The fact that A-12 and SR-71 weren’t limited by their engines, but were limited by the heat buildup in the airframe is an incredible thing to contemplate. If the material science had been there for Kelly Johnson and his team just how far could these aircraft been flown to? These beauties are some of the most awesome air breathing jets to take to the sky’s!

[MiscMitz]

I had a guided tour of the Seattle Museum of Flight. The guide used to be a 71 pilot. Told some amazing stories. When he told us the "official" too speed, my father asked what the unofficial top speed was. He responded with, "Fast is all I can say."

[johnrathbun]

You really didn't think they were really gonna admit to its actual capabilities of a top secret airplane now did you? 😅

[caroledwards]

What ppl need to know is the SR-71 was under a blanket of secrecy. So let the beauty of the SR-71 remain true. She preformed, she done well, she will always be loved as she is. ❤❤

[scottw]

50s tech with records that still hold, as far as we know...unbelievable tech from Kelly Johnson and all the dedicated engineers who produced this masterpiece.

[ScottAlanAnderson]

I had the chance to attend a speech made by an SR71 backseater. He said they never reached the aircraft's limits and that every time the aircraft went up, it could break every record it previously set.

[well-blazeredman]

Best line: '... while outrunning missiles.'

[JOERANSTRAIGHT]

Just got to see the SR71 at McMinnville Evergreen aviation Museum in McMinnville Oregon. You can reach out and touch it. It is awesome to behold. This has been my childhood dream to see it and I got a little wound up because I got to see it and touch it and fulfill a dream. The level of technology involved to get an aircraft to move through the air so fast is testament to the dedicated men who pushed forward to the edge and beyond to make sure this country is the most dominant and most prepared to defend freedom. I am now 56 years old and an Army veteran. I hope we see more of this. I want to make sure my kids can grow up free. This plane sent a notice to those who have desires to have tyranny over the masses that we see you and you better be afraid…

[mikedebear]

A guy I know was manning one of the scopes in the CIC aboard a carrier back in the early nineties when he mistakenly triggered an alert for an incoming ballistic missile track. He was pretty new to the fleet and saw something dropping towards the fleet descending rapidly through 100k feet and "Way the hell faster than mach 3". He called for an alarm and it took a minute for the XO to get over there and ID it as a scheduled Blackbird flight

[ajctrading]

I love the blackbird, to think that this was designed in the 1950s with sliderules, truly shows how amazing those engineers and builders were. I DONT believe when the blackbird was retired in 1990, that it wasn't replaced by something else even faster ( Aurora etc).

[Tom-ejeg]

Back in 1988 I had a girlfriend who was a USAF air traffic controller. She monitored the sea of Japan. She told me that SR-71's often flew across her airspace, but did not show-up on radar. SR-71 pilot's transmitted their position using Morris code. She said it was pretty easy to calculate their speed between position fixes. They crossed her airspace at 3, 000 mph. I don't think anyone believes the SR-71 could only fly 500 mph faster then a stripped-down F-15 in full after-burner.

[adolfoconde]

There is 2 things about black bird performance and design , even without checking all the video, I'm full of admiracion for the team members who developed this platform, and the complex material they struggle to find , congratulations for highlight that wonderful machine !!!