SR-71 Spy Plane That Drove the USSR Insane

The SR-71 Blackbird is the Best Spy Plane ever created and this is why it’s so incredible.
Designed to fly at an insane 2,193 mph, which is over three times the speed of sound, it was capable of reaching unimaginable altitudes of over 85,000 feet, more than twice the height of most jumbo jets.
Even while flying at Mach 3.2 it could take photos of every location on earth from the border of space. No enemy aircraft nor radar ever caught a Blackbird. It was too fast and flew so high that no technological device was capable of tracking it
This spy aircraft never crossed Soviet airspace, but it didn't need to, because thanks to its side cameras it could capture images spanning hundreds of kilometers into any country just by flying near its borders.
The SR-71 operated secretly in the service of both the US Air Force and NASA, until 1998 when it was decommissioned not because of any performance issues, but due to its high maintenance cost of up to $200.000 per hour and around $300 million per year!

[SaintMcFoye]

Him: $300, 000 upkeep.
Me: Well that's not much.
Him: Per HOUR.
Me: Oh. Yeah, let's cancel this service...

[SGK]

This was made 30 years before .

Imagine what USA has now in their bunker....

[HolyReality]

I have been to Lockheed plant.
I was told that in the 1970s the SR 71 could take a picture of a dime 5 miles in the sky, while moving at mock three and could tell you the year on the dime
I was also told that the plane leaks on the ground
The seals are designed to expand as the plane reaches Mach 3, the metal expands, so it actually leaks fuel when it’s sitting stationary. Love this thing

[TeakKey]

Kind of the same thing as the James Bond paradox. If you’re known as the world’s best spy, are you really that good at your job?

Edit: I was kind of half joking, I understand it has been since declassified, but my point was that there could be a better one we don’t know about because it’s so good they still use it.

[David-bfbz]

SR-71s were routinely tracked by radar... just couldn't do anything about it with fighters or missiles of the time

[ms]

“Was” one of the best spy planes there was. We have more advanced aircraft you don’t know about that does allot more.

[cshadburn]

My Dad flew this jet until 1979. It's speed and altitude is still top secret and my Dad took the secrets with him. Blue Skies Colonel.

[jkoeberlein]

I lived as a kid in their flight path. My brother and I swore it was the bat plane.

[benb]

Imagine your mortgage being an Air Force official wanting to check on a Soviet base one afternoon

[Davide_Cracking]

Enemy seeing the SR-71 on the radar knowing that every missile couldn't reach it: "Sir, an enemy aircraft! Oh wait, it's just the daily SR-71"

[ShireGanj]

Fun fact. You’ll always see it dripping fuel on the ground because of structural gaps that would close and tighten after take off due to the airframe expanding from the extreme heat it tolerated during flight. It could only be fuelled right before takeoff.

[Cmoehlman]

My grandpa helped design the autopilot for that, may he rest in peace

[stephennessler]

Has been my favorite aircraft for many years.

[davidwelch]

I saw one flying into NAS Miramar along time ago for a airshow. That was the coolest thing I had ever seen at that frame.
Be safe and be 😎

[bdbyace]

Imagine being the badass piloting this beast. Wow, what a rush!

[dimsy]

"Its to fast and flight so high.."

Emo Kids : "Worthy Opponent"

[joaoportesantava]

The documentary of this plane “blackbird” is awesome! What an engineering achievement this was. The rest of the world even today have a hard time understanding how they did this.

This is my favorite plane

[theapexdragon]

I wish I could've seen such a beautiful plane in real life.

[bandiel]

"DO YOU EVEN READ MY CHRISTMAS LIST?"
-Alucard

[dmathmothtutinean]

I saw this Black Beauty at Misawa Air Force base. I remember, that smell… 👍🏿‼️