In 1968 Popular Mechanics did an in-depth article about the fantastic Blackbirds. Here are a couple of excerpts.
***
IN FEBRUARY, 1964, President Johnson announced we had a superspeedy, supersecret jet airplane called the A-11. In July, 1964, he announced that we had developed a recon- naissance version called the SR-71.
In May, 1965, Air Force pilots, flying a fighter version, the YF-12, set nine speed and altitude records that still stand, in- cluding a speed of 2070 mph, and an altitude of 80,257 feet. All this was three and four years ago.
What ever happened to the A-11? What ever happened to the SR-71? What ever happened to the YF-12? What ever happened to Baby Jane?
Well, Baby Jane is on the Late Show, but the three "Black- birds/' as the pilots call them, are still around, still flying, still superspeedy, and still supersecret. It's no secret what a Blackbird can do, but it's a definite secret what it really is doing, and a considerable secret why it isn't allowed to do more.
Lockheed, through its resident genius, Kelly Johnson, developed the Blackbird at its famous "Skonk Works" in Burbank, Calif., and moved it, one piece at a time in hush-hush secrecy, to its isolated "Ranch," somewhere in Nevada. There it was put together and flown before President Johnson's announcements.
The YF-12, after it was moved to the Air Force Flight Test Center at Ed- wards Air Force Base, Calif., set nine new records, all in the same day, all since recognized by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, and all still standing. They are:
1. Absolute straight-course speed, 2070 mph.
2. Absolute sustained altitude, 80,257 feet.
3. Straight-course speed for jets (same) .
4. Sustained altitude for jets (same) .
5. Closed-course speed, 1688 mph.
6. 1000-kilometer course (same) .
7. 1000-kilometer course with 1000 kilogram payload (same).
8. 1000-kilometer course with 2000 kilogram payload (same) .
9. 500-kilometer course, 1643 mph.
TWO BLACKBIRDS, SR-71 (in flight above) and YF-12 (in hangar below), are two versions of same plane. SR-71 is operational at Beale AFB, Calif., but no one will say what it's doing. YF-12 is still being tested at Edwards AFB, and no one knows or will say why it's still there
Physically, the SR-71 is slightly taller and about six feet longer than the YF-12, and its flanged nose section resembles a sting ray. But to the average eye, the two planes look identical. Internally, of course, the SR-71 substitutes reconnaissance equipment for armament.
The SR-71 is also reported to have prob- ably the most accurate (better than one nautical mile per hour) inertial naviga- tion system in any aircraft. Similar to those used in missiles, it is mounted on gimbals and takes periodic sightings of stars which are then fed to a computer to determine corrections. The plane can then fly, hands off, and in complete silence (no radio contact) with complete precision.
.jpg)
Social Plugin