Lockheed SR-71: the secret to the speed of the fastest aircraft on Earth

  • Nov 02, 2021
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Lockheed SR-71: the secret to the speed of the fastest aircraft on Earth

"Blackbird" is one of the most famous reconnaissance aircraft in the history of mankind, not only due to bizarre shape of the fuselage, but also due to the incredible speed that this machine is capable of gaining during flights. Although the SR-71 is no longer used by the CIA today, the aircraft is still one of the fastest on planet Earth. What is the secret of its speed?

The fastest aircraft of the Cold War. / Photo: ponp.ru.
The fastest aircraft of the Cold War. / Photo: ponp.ru.
The fastest aircraft of the Cold War. / Photo: ponp.ru.

The development of the Blackbird was completed in 1964. Then the car made its first flight. The aircraft entered service after a series of tests in 1966, joining the US CIA. In total, the Americans made 32 of these reconnaissance aircraft with a futuristic design. The latter was by no means dictated by the aesthetic preferences of the designers, but by a practical necessity - to reduce the aircraft's visibility for detection equipment.

The secret of the plane has not yet been revealed. / Photo: nastol.net.
The secret of the plane has not yet been revealed. / Photo: nastol.net.
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The aircraft was actively used by the Americans during the Cold War between the blocks as an effective reconnaissance tool. Part of the SR-71 was based in Europe, part in Japan. The Soviet air defense often registered the fact of violation of the state border by this reconnaissance aircraft. True, every time the Blackbird was discovered, the plane immediately turned around and went back to its airspace at full speed. The SR-71 was especially actively used during the Arab-Israeli Yom Kippur War in 1973.

The engine has not yet been repeated. / Photo: carakoom.com.
The engine has not yet been repeated. / Photo: carakoom.com.

It never happened to shoot down the Blackbird, since the plane was actively using a very effective anti-missile trick - going to super-altitude in the shortest possible time. In this he was helped by simply monstrous speed by the standards of the 1960s in Mach 3.2. The secret of such agility, of course, lay in the power plant used. The reconnaissance aircraft was powered by the J58 engine, which operated at subsonic and transonic speeds like a conventional turbojet. However, when it reached Mach 2, the J58 started operating as a ramjet engine. The design of the J58's power plant is still classified. Little is known about him. And most importantly, not a single country, including the Soviet Union, was able to replicate the unique design.

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I have never been shot down. / Photo: wallhere.com.
I have never been shot down. / Photo: wallhere.com.

Continuing the topic, read about MiG-27: Soviet attack aircraft firing from a ship's cannon.
A source:
https://novate.ru/blogs/280521/59164/

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