Incredibly Secret and Extremely Fast
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- čas přidán 12. 08. 2021
- The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird remains the world's fastest jet-propelled aircraft of all time. Built in the early 1960s, it was able to reach speeds of Mach 3.3 at over 90,000 feet. If missiles were launched at it, the Blackbird simply outflew them. That's how fast it was.
In its three-decade history with over 2,800 hours of flight time, the Blackbird flew covert operations over Communist skies to gather classified information. It was the perfect reconnaissance aircraft.
Still, its development was surrounded by secrecy and controversies that only increased the public's interest, and the US government continually tried to keep classified information from reaching the Soviets with middling success.
The Lockheed SR-71 ultimately embodied the pinnacle of aviation technology during the Cold War, and its unmatched speed, state-of-the-art technology, and effective performance elevated it to legendary status.
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Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.
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One of the most badass and gorgeous aircraft ever built.
I 100% agree, faster than a bullet, and just badass sexy.
If anyone disagrees, then you're probably a communist.
@@Fister_of_Muppets theres currently as many commies in america as most anywhere else wonder what the likes of George W Thomas J John QA George Patton Douglas McArther an even Abe Lincoln think of america now ?
Yes, it’s beautiful almost beyond reason. It kind-of looks masculine and feminine at the same time whilst still remaining totally badass.
The only other aircraft I would put in this class of beauty is the XB-70 Valkyrie, another flat out astounding machine.
*The
A 60 year old plane is still the coolest one out there.
genial designers
it's just looks awesome... would love to see one in real life. at 20000ft or higher, doing mach 2-ish, in a nice pressurized suit...
Most houses still had a black and white TV alongside the new color ones when this plane was created.
@@bartdegroot4826 they have an SR-71 and an YF-12 at the Air Force Museum in Ohio. I was there last week. Pretty epic.
Not sure I’d describe a plane at Mach 3 as “cool” given the heating issues…
I know way too much about aircraft and design from biplanes to the space shuttle, and STILL the SR-71 awes me - great vid as always.
I thought you were a triple jumper
Oh go and take a running jump.....
;)
What makes the plane particularly impressive is with a first flight in 1962 it was designed with 1950's technology.
I believe C.W. Lemoine (SP?) aka Mover interviewed an SR-71 pilot. It was very interesting.
Jonathan Edwards you can never know too much. Keep on learning. Cheers.
The 71 is still an awe-inspiring Aircraft to this day seeing them sat in museums you can't imagine the incredible technology and what they have 60 years later .
@Ben Dover its actually not that big
@Ben Dover its actually not that big
@Ben Dover you can
@@captin1058 Well, it's as long as about a Boeing 727.
I have no idea what tech they have but considering I can look into my backyard on Google earth, they can probably tell what Putin fed his dog from the crap in HIS backyard.
One fact I find wonderous is the SR-71 would navigate by using instruments that could triangulate star positions so the Blackbird could operate without relying on tell-tale electronic emissions.
You gotta remember, she predates GPS satellites... Whats interesting is the moment she rolled out of the hanger, she knew where she was on the planet. Even in daytime/clouds...
R2d2
She used an inertial guidance system updated by an astrotracker. A number of reconnaissance and espionage aircraft used such systems. Even when GPS satellite systems became available, such aircraft still kept the inertial/astrotracker systems in addition in order to be independent of signal based systems.
Really a brilliant system.
huh gps emits electronic transmissions?
J-58 didn't just operate in afterburner. It was a hybrid ram jet / turbojet. At speed the inlet cones adjusted to regulate airflow and that airflow when around the turboject core and operated as a ramjet.
I am really impressed
But, the US Has got to stay jumps ahead of the Russians and Chinese
For safety of Countries like Australia.
Kind of like the Sukhoi.
@@kenmason3621 yeah as long as Joe Biden is not President, he can't even remember what Australia is.
@@Fister_of_Muppets true lol
@jcmount Yeah, funneling air to the afterburner.
Was fortunate enough to watch them take off in the late 80s! SR-71 Pilots were more like astronauts .. Amazing how the engines sound too!
I met a couple of these pilots while they were in their suits. My grandfather was very involved in the U2 and SR71 programs. When I was a kid he would take me to work with him and I’d get to sit in the hangar with the SR71 while it was being worked on. I was allowed to sit in the pilots seat and flip a some switches. This aircraft is in my family’s blood.
I was in Basic Training in Ft Bliss/White Sands in the early 80s. Watched a contrail waaaaay up there one day. It was across the sky and gone in a fraction of the time of any other aircraft I’ve ever seen before or since. I’ve always chalked it up as a Blackbird.
The KING of the skies. Hail, Kelly Johnson.
the crazy thing is the st71 is still the best, and it is 6 decades old!
Then we have the fastest man aircraft, the x15 from 6 decades ago, which has yet to be beat. The 50s and 60s were exciting times for aerospace!
Oh and the Apollo moon mission, and the giant 747, two more products of that wonderful age of aviation!
Oh what great things that flew so long ago! Only the 747 still flies today of these great feats of flight. If you lived back in those days, the advancements were mind blowing. To see the 747 fly, to watch the moon landings, to read about the x15 smashing speed records, to learn of the secret sr71, oh what a time that was!
My favorite aircraft of all time. Had a model of it hanging from my ceiling during my childhood. This thing was made in the 60's. I can only imagine what they have now that we don't know about.
It could be flying and we wouldn’t be knowing about it.
@@pricelessppp yep, probably flies out of Area 52 or 53.😉
Search Arora then you will know !
I built a model of it too which I hung from my ceiling as well.
@@johntiedemann7725
I read that the mach 6 aurora has been obsolete for 30 years.
Those 10 meter discs from the Grey people are where it's at. Folding space. Bringing point B to point A. Impossible speeds with no sensation of movement within it's own gravitational field.
It in effect doesn't move. It moves the universe around it.
True physics is not taught in our universities.
From what I hear, China is pissed off because the US and Russia won't share that technology with them.
About .01% of people can wrap their head around this concept.
I’m proud to say I worked with the imagery from the SR. It was an honor.
i, and MOST AMERICANS are proud to have paid part of the taxes that let these overpaid smart idiots working on that project FOREVER! never was completely done was it!??
@@dalemaloney255
Congratulations Dale, you've just won the Moron AND the Jackass awards for the year!
@@touchofgrey5372 wheres the monety?!
@@dalemaloney255 being paid for another secret aircraft to be developed
There were many claims about the quality of the imagery coming from that program. One I heard was that if somebody was reading a newspaper at the time then the photo analysts could read it as well. Another said that the photo analysts could read license plates of cars. So just how good was the resolution of those pics?
Kelly Johnson was an absolute genius!!
To say the least. Look at the time line that it took him to conceive it and get it into production. More amazing things about the engines out there as well.
My Grandfather was a radar operator in a P-61 in a night fighter squadron in WW2. Years later, he and my Grandmother moved to CA where he designed gyroscopic parts for the SR-71 at Skunkworks. He later retired as director of engineering at Honeywell in MN after 40 years.
One of the most beautiful aircraft to take to the skies.
Hawk 1966 I like your pseudonym. 1966 was a damn good year.
@@californiadreaming9216 it brought me unto the world.
@@Hawk1966 likewise. Cheers.
I feel like we will never see a surge in aviation technology like we did in the 50s and 60s, when you look at this plane and the arvo Vulcan and the models previous, the jump in tech was astonishing, the Lancaster had props and cables for the operation of flight surfaces the next plane out of the same company had super sonic capability and fly by wire. An amazing jump in a remarkably short time
Today the military has a laundry list of missions they want a new jet to accomplish. The F-111 was maybe the first multi-role aircraft. Before that the military said we need a high altitude bomber, an air superiority fighter, a ground support fighter, a jet that is the fastest damn thing in the sky and so on
Then they ask for special requirements: a super sonic interceptor fighter bomber with a high rate of climb (F-104);
A long range bomber escort, a low cost light weight supersonic fighter for export (F-5) and training (T-38);
a Mach 2 low level nuclear bomber (F-105);
a gun fighter (F-8);
an all weather carrier STOL Attack aircraft (A-6);
an all weather over the horizon fighter bomber intercepter (no cannon or guns) that evolved into the multi role (F-4).
The 1970’s brought us the the iconic F-14, F-15, and F-16 that developed into multi role fighters
But in 1960 the laundry list variable-sweep wings, afterburning turbofan engines, and automated terrain-following radar for low-level, high-speed flight turbofan engines, and automated terrain-following radar for low-level, high-speed flight nuclear capable interdictor-strategic bomber-tactical attack aircraft (F-111)
Why never stopped
And don’t get me started on why SAC had to have so many different bombers.
The cold War and the $ we dumped in to staying in first helped us to see that progress not as big of a threat now so the $ goes elsewhere
You’re gonna shit your pants when you see the technology they’re not showing us today. Technology that can completely revolutionize our world. That’s not their agenda though
I'm glad that you talked about the A-12. Most people skip over that plane and just go straight to talking about the Blackbird but the A-12 was a very integral part of the development of the SR-71.
In 1971 Nixon mined Haiphong Harbor in North Vietnam, and the Air Force was moved to DEFCON 3. Air Force aircraft were rotating bases all over the country. I was temporarily assigned to the flight line as an Aircraft Arresting Barrier crew chief at Kingsley Field, Oregon. We had 4 SR-71's come through at different times, and was fortunate enough to get up close to these magnificent birds. They are truly awesome to behold. 50 years later & the SR-71 Blackbird is still my favorite aircraft of all times.
I think the SR71 is one of the most beautiful things man has ever created 😍😍😍😍
The Wright Flyer wasn't bad either!
Have you seen one in person? It's more gorgeous (more gorgeous?) in person, than in any pic or video. You just can't see the curves and shapes in photos...
@@Backroad_Junkie not yet, I fully intend to go to IWM Duxford though!
🎄🎃👾🃏🏋️🍄🍆🌌
🌏🛸
To clarify; it was not faster than the missiles that were fired at it. But it was fast enough that, even though they were faster, no missile could catch up to it before reaching the limit of its range.
Sort of like: you're running from the cop at 85mph and he's doing 100mph, but you start out 1/4 mile ahead and he only has enough gas to go 2 miles. No ticket today!
top tip for all the new drivers out there. Make a note of this kids.
And hit the county line to shake his jurisdiction
Excellent analogy Mike. Well done!!
@@The_Dudester
Thank you, sir.
Honestly.. this is just about any aircraft.
The Israelis couldn’t shoot down Mig-25s used for reconnaissance over the Sinai and Negev either. And even though Concorde “only” flew at Mach 2.. the hotrod English Electric Lightning was the only plane that could catch it in a stern chase.
But the cop analogy is bollocks. Nobody can outrun a radio and a spike belt.. and very few have the intelligence to keep going straight. Turns always slow yoy down.
Which actually emphasizes perfectly why the SR-71 was never used over a huge nation like the USSR. It’s nothing to do a high speed dash over a tiny nation like North Vietnam or North Korea-again.. look at how the Mig-25 did the same thing over Israel.
But if you have missiles and interceptors coming up ahead of you, you have to evade, and every evasive maneuver slows you down.
And this was the case during the Baltic Transits. Both the Soviets and the Swedes had interceptors ready ahead of its flight path because it was so long, so predictable (due to political constraints), and very easy to detect (anyone within ten miles of RAF Mildenhall knew when an SR-71 took off).
The only reason why one was never shot down is because the Swedes were neutral and just trolling… and the SR-71 remained solidly in international airspace.
My father was a Sperry-Univac engineer and would travel around SAC Air Force bases working on their mainframe systems. I would go with him all around the country as a kid when I was on summer vacations. One summer in California he says to me, "I want to show you something," and he takes me to watch an SR-71 take off. For a 12 year old, it was such an amazing feeling, seeing something so secret. You literally felt the SR-71 fly by because its afterburners shook your insides. As it passed us, I noticed it also had two little trainer jets taking off alongside of it. So cool. However, on our way back to the hotel to drop me off we were pulled over at gunpoint by air force police and I got the crap scared out of me. Apparently the jets that took off with it were looking for people watching the takeoff and we had to spend some time proving we weren't spies.
Our gov can't charge bank for our top secrets if a spy steals it for free . I'm looking at you Bejing Biden🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🧂🧂🧂
Damn 😅
My Uncle Kermit was the optical Supervisor for the A-12/SR-71 and had kept it super secret for fifteen years before public notice.
The paint was for thermal control, not radar absorption - source: Ben Rich, former head of the Skunk Works who came up with the idea of using black paint.
It did both actually though but your right
It was also to disguise the radar absorbing materials on the leading edge of the wings and chines.
Well it didn't do much about radar since it had missiles fired after it.
Since the Soviets could see the SR-71s and shoot SAMs at it then the paint must've not been radar absorbing.
The stealth features made the plane less visible to radar, a kind of camouflage to hide from radar at a distance. The plane was not immune to radar.
This means less warning time afforded to the enemy to fire missiles, because the enemy could not detect the plane from a long distance. The missile could not be launched soon enough before the SR71 was out of the missiles range.
At 3 times the speed of sound, if the enemy radr does not see the SR71 until it is only 15 miles away, well it will be long gone past before the missile can be launched. The distance will be covered in 30 seconds If you could detect the sr71 at 200 miles away, well then you got time to set up the missile attack properly, you will has several minutes to launch at the optimal moment to intercept the SR71 within the missiles limited range.
Stealth AND speed / altitude performance is what prevented any SR71 from being shot down. Both were vital to this success rate.
Stealth of the SR71 was not 100%, but it was at least good enough for the job, given the speed and altitude of the aircraft.
So yes the radar can detect the SR71 when it was close, but at a distance, the SR71 was not detectable!
We got an A-12 here in Huntsville. Kelly Johnson, several engineers and a group of pilots that flew them were here for the dedication ceremony. They allowed people to sit in the cockpit for a few moments to get an idea of what it was like. I was shocked that they were able to access so many switches in such a small space. Somewhere I have a picture of myself in it.
The Blackbird has and is still a Futuristic design, and a Beauty to behold. Never armed, except with cameras. Iconic looks and design.
From 1979 - 1981, I lived and worked near Beale AFB. An avid model railroader, I befriended and worked part-time, for a local hobby shop owner. He also happened to be a retired Air Force officer. Through our many discussions, I found out he was a rear seater, and former base commander at Beale. Our passion being toy and model trains, he ragaled me with many an "unclassified " story of this aircraft, and many other aircraft, he had flown in, starting with the RB-50, as we sorted through acquired collections and repaired old toy trains. Unfortunately he passed some years ago, but is fondly remembered.
Kelly Johnson was a genius
Privatised the black projects after roswell
Lets hear it for Pratt and Whitney as well! Don't know why I was thinking GE, but happy to see it.
60 years old and they are just building aircraft that will stay with it. Outrun a 30-06 rifle bullet.. awesome.
It never ceases to amaze me the technology Skunk works had back then.
And they did it all with slide rules
Kelly Johnson really was an incredible engineer. He and his team at the Skunkworks pushed engineering boundaries all throughout WW2
@@gavinb9627 yeah he's one of my heroes along with the Canadian team who built the cf105 ,most of whom went on to become upper management at NASA because Canada's government was dumb enough to let them go...
And to think Skunk Works banged out the SR-71 with paper, pencils and slide rules!
Just imagine what they have now
Utah’s Hill Airforce museum has the only surviving YF-12 C variant of this incredible plane. It’s so cool to look at
The YF-12 C variant is actually an SR-71 that was loaned to NASA, who wanted the YF-12, but was given the 71 under the new designation so as not to reveal the still classified stealth characteristics of the YF-12.
There's an oxcart in los Angeles county too , can't remember the name of the museum though
For years there was one at the Air National Guard base in Bloomington Minnesota. It was a sad day when the Air Force moved it to another location.
@@steveb6103 There's also an SR-71A at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum not far from Omaha, NE in Ashland. It used to be house at Offutt AFB, NE.
There is a YF-12 at Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile although I can't remember the variant.
check out the LA Speed Check video, one of the funniest Blackbird stories ever told by the actual pilot.
That would be Brian Shul
very funny indeed. everyone got a laugh outta that one.
I recently saw this plane so close, I could touch it. The titanium feels weird under your fingers, not as cold as steel, and when you knock on the wing with your knuckles, it feels like there’s only a very thin sheet of metal there, which there is. Close by, it looks like it’s from 2100 and 1930 at the same time. The looks which is futuristic even now, combined with clearly seen sheets of metal and rivets. Magnificent.
Absolutely one of the best planes America ever made. Great!!!👏🏻🇺🇸
...that we know of
Seeing table scraps bud.
@@jonathanperry8331 That is why I said “one of the best planes”. There are others known and unknown.
There is literally no “unknown” plane that America has. Lol.
The closest America ever got to it was the F-117 that was in service from 1983 to 1988 before it was confirmed to the public (plenty of people knew about it) and only took another 11 years until one was shot down by a 1960s Soviet era SAM.
The B-2 was revealed to the public right away but the back was carefully hidden. The idiots neglected to close the airspace above it, and the press who chartered a light aircraft got photos of the entire plan view of the plane unobstructed.
You see.. the US always tries to have this aura of invincibility.. yet it continuously has all of these embarrassingly dumb things happen to it. Like losing to a bunch of rice farmers in SE Asia (Yes lost. Peace treaty signed. NVA violates it. USA does nothing. Lost!). The Pentagon Papers and the Family Jewels. Edward Snowden and Wikileaks. The most powerful airforce in the world only having two old unarmed ANG F-16s to scramble on 9/11 with orders to ram.. too late.
So no.. there is no SR-72, no Aurora, no plane that we don’t know about. Period.
Lived on Beale AFB , the SR 71 home base , my classmate a friend of mine father was a Blackbird pilot . When it was first stationed on Beale, we were told as children not to talk about it or take pictures of it,
Coolest aircraft ever seen, great post 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Best US Air Force story ever told is the LA speed check of the SR71.
You finally got to my favorite jet! I've loved them ever since I saw a picture of one in an aviation book during the 70's.
I saw an SR-71 in IWM Duxford a couple of weeks ago. Nothing compares to it.
To me, going back years to childhood, the SR-71 was the coolest thing I ever saw. In learning more as I grew older regarding its performance capabilities, etc, it still blows my mind.
My farther first witnessed the 71 in the late 70's/early 80's in northern Maine while hunting one afternoon. He first spotted a running light approaching and within a second it passed overhead a slight angle, Zero noise and gone in a flash. He sat down on a stump baffled at what he thought was a u.f.o.! and not till he finally heard the sound of the jets way after did he realize what it was. This would of been around the time they were setting air speed records across the U.S. Much love for this aircraft and thanks for scaring the hell out of my dad, hahaha!!
SR-71 flew out of Beale AFB in northern California for many years. They would fly over my house during take-off. I usually saw them departing after dark. During the late 1980's and until the mid-90's the SR-71 maintained advantages over orbital surveillance platforms depending on specific target locations and package delivery times.
I am one of those who believes the SR-71 was retired only because, using the same level of secrecy as when it was built in the early sixties, something faster has already been built. Years ago I, as an RN, took care of an engineer who worked at Edwards Airforce Base. I knew they were not allowed to speak freely about classified projects, but I asked " Without breaking any secrecy protocol, can you tell me anything at all about new developments in aircraft at the base?"
They smiled and said " Think of propulsion based upon hydrogen and electricity." I knew the SR-71 was likely due to be eclipsed in the speed department "So it's REALLY fast?" I asked. "CRAZY fast!!" they answered.
Circa 1991.
yep i think so as well.
Highly unlikely. There is no need for anything faster.
1) Military satellites have resolution high enough to read license plates at an angle.
2) Missile development has reached the point that anything even 30% faster, which would be an almost impossible feat of engineering, would still be vulnerable.
3) The cost of maintaining such an aircraft of that capability is just not worth what you can get from it.
4) The capacity of our government to keep things secret is highly overrated. If such a plane was in operational service, it would be known. There would be tens of thousands of people involved, from the manufacturer to the military personnel operating and supporting it, to everyone else that might be in a position to see it; there are no planes or airbases that are completely invisible.
@@mikearmstrong8483 I agree with you; however satellites have limitations that can only be overcome by recce aircraft, such as known trajectories and time over target. I don't think we have a successor to the 71 per se, but likely use some other means to get the data we need.
Sounds like the engineer was having a reaction to his meds.
@@mikearmstrong8483 tell me about missions conducted by US Army SFOD-D which aren’t in a book about “failures in the 1980’s” or “how it was formed.” You have no idea what government is capable.
When a planes armorment is nothing more than several cameras, and its still more badass than anything out there, you know you've designed a great plane.
Ninety-six million for 12 Archangel jets. That wouldn't even pay for the paint on one now.
Home Depot has a sale on paint this weekend 🤷♂️ Gloss or flat? 😃
@@Twobarpsi Love the reply.
They could never pull it off today for even 100 billion.
those were 1960 dollars! they were not inflated dollars! they were REAL SILVER dollars.
Ninety-six million in 1960 would be almost a Billion dollars today! (inflation calculator)
8:36
This is a video taken of the "YF-12A" variant.
It was the only version, out of the 3, that had active radar in the nose, and carried 2 air-to-air missiles inside it's midsection.
Eagle eyed folks can always spot this version from the different nose cone attached to the front: It didn't have the continued "chines" on the nose, that continued along the edge of the rest of the fuselage.
I love that this plane was designed to leak like crazy while on the runway because the friction of the air going over it while in flight caused enough thermal expansion to seal it all up.
I live in Tucson. We have one of these bad boys at the Pima Air and Space museum. It's always the first place we go to when my daughter and I go (kind of a tradition). It is lifted and you can easily walk under it and see all the panels. Wonderful display!
I was able to visit the Pima Air & Space museum in 2019, only 27 years after my last visit. The SR-71 display was great, but so much other stuff was great too. It's the only place I've seen where you can stand back and look over the whole B-36 at once, with nothing blocking your view. Great place!
I saw this plane in flight at the Scott air base air show in Belleville Illinois back in the 70s, and I immediately fell in love with this plane. Here it is 2023 and that is the most sleek and beautiful plane of all times to me. I remember the announcer saying ,that the Black Bird was leaving from its base in Kansas city mo. and would be arriving at Scott air base in about 10min. In about 10 min. the audience was told to look at the end of the runway because the black bird was about to drop down for a fly bye, and when it did that was awesome and I fell in love with this plane.
Whoop #1 for the first time! The Blackbird was a marvelous bird. The whole plane actually stretched while in supersonic speeds!
I was able to watch them take off at night. those afterburners were quite a show. SR-71 is my fave aircraft from my time in SAC.
I had the privilege of visiting the SAC museum in Omaha, NE where they keep one of these beasts. I also worked with a gentleman who was in the Air Force under SAC.
the fact that a successor is indeed named SR-72 brings a tear to me eye.
Im 38 and at 5yrs old my father ,airforce radar operator, got me a model and a schematic ,still my fav bird ,thier still one of a kind
One of my favorite planes, absolutely beautiful :)
Crazy fact: One of the SR-71 planes disintegrated mid-flight at 78,000 feet and Mach 3.2 and one of the crew, pilot Bill Weaver, survived the free fall that was essentially atmospheric re-entry.
The other crew member did not survive. Can’t recall his name off hand. I believe he broke his neck.
I was fortunate enough to see the "Habu" fly in at March Air Force Base in 1984 on the Friday before the open house airshow! My best friend, at the time, his dad was a Tech Sergeant in the Air Force and Vietnam Veteran. My buddy and I were on the flight line and the SR-71 did a flyby and lit ONE BURNER....it was awesome to see and I was 13 year's old at the time. Saw some more amazing century series airplanes fly in that were still operational! But he SR-71 made a HUGE impression on me that afternoon on the flight line looking up!
Since 1980 I am a hudge fan of the Blackbird. In those times you rarely got some information about it. I wish I would have seen one during an air show, just hearing the mighty engines once in a lifetime 😔
I dread to think how many hours of my life I've spent watching videos about this plane. And yet here I still am...
Got to see a SR-71 in Tucson, AZ. Amazing!
The Pima Air Museum at Tucson has a fantastic SR71 display. One of the top aero museums, they got 3 b52s, one of them the x15 drop plane! and nearly every US service bomber, fighter, foreign jobs, commercial planes, rockets, space, a nuclear bomb. great staff, very knowledgeable, very well run, a must see! A retired Air Force general manages the place, it is very well done!
Jeeze the SR-71 is really in Ace Combat mode by the fact that it can be in AB continuously!!! Such an amazing piece of technology.
U-2 dragon lady , A-12 archangel and SR-71 blackbird .... 3 planes that are absolutely gorgeous and incredible feats of engineering and technology even to this day . wish UK had all 3 at RAF Duxford
I saw it fly at several airshows. Also probably saw one over Iceland in the early 90's. It was a black dot against a clear blue sky, moving rather rapidly.
The US obtained the Titanium much the same way the USSR obtained the massive tires required for them to fly their copies of the B-29 bomber that they had reversed engineered after WW2.
I heard that the Titanium came from the USSR. The CIA created bogus companies in other countries to buy the ore.
when you build anything, ya gotta sit in on sumptin. guess wheels would be alright! or maybe the kitchen table.
@@dannydaw59 i think russia supplied it thru different ways, tho. they did not KNOW about it for a while tho..
I lived near Beale Air Force Base.
I have two stories about this plane.
1. My school went on several field trips to the base. One year they let you climb a scaffold to look at the top of the plane. The scaffold was very close to the cockpit. A friend of mine took pictures of the cockpit’s interior because the airman responsible for covering the cockpit did not cover it over.
The Air Force confiscated my friend’s camera, and then gave it back along with developed pictures of the non-classified materials along with a new roll of film.
2. I was home, skipping school, and I heard a rumble. The SR-71 engines had a unique sound. I looked out my window and saw two SR-71s flying in formation.
I saw this at the duxton air museum back in 2010. The thing is huge and the engines are massive
Spent a few years growing up om Kadena in the 70s. You could FEEL when the Habu was taking off, the thunder of those engines could be heard long after that black dart was out of sight.
My wife was stationed at Kadena AB in the late 1970s. She said that you could always tell when Habu was being launched or recovered because the airfield was essentially closed an hour before launch and an hour before landing. That's when all the local inhabitants gathered off base at the ends of the runways to take photos of the aircraft as it passed overhead.
The nickname Habu came from a deadly snake in Okinawa and the surrounding islands.
I did a TDY at Kadena in the summer of 72. I got to look at the film of the daily flights over Vietnam.
I was TDY from Beale AFB to DET-1 a few times. It’s only now that I’m realizing how lucky I was to be in the program. I worked on the avionics and radios. If you know what a COM/NAV-50 is…Hi!
@@gregsteve2634, I was the Nav 1 onboard an RC135V when we had an RC-135Q, RC-135V, and SR-71 coordinated mission. It was necessary to have a "special radio" to communicate with the SR. I had to brief a 1 button as to why we were poking the Bear.
I also had the good fortune to be with the first outside group of AF officers get a tour of the SR, interview with a crew suiting up, startup (talk about BIG starters), and launch. It was right before they officially announced its existence to the public and we were the guinea pigs.
As an RC-135 crewmember, we went TDY to Kadena many times. There I got to get into the back seat nav station. The nav-com setup and radar system were interesting.
Way back when, the government showed up at the home of the CEO of Revell asking how they were able to produce their plastic model kit of the SR-71. He replied, "you've got your secrets and I've got mine."
Nonsense.
I read that, too, in at least one of the histories of Revell. So yes, sense.
Nope.
The real story was more interesting.
It was Testors who made an “F-19 Stealth fighter”. It wound up not resembling the real stealth fighter.. the F-117, at all. But the USAF determined that it had an amazingly low RCS for what essentially was a child’s toy.
@@Bartonovich52
Nope.
Two separate stories.
And the story involving a REAL airplane is FAR more interesting.
And the KGB never tried to assassinate Clint Eastwood for exposing FIREFOX. As "interesting" as that might be.
I remember a story from someone who heard it from a Smithsonian Museum guide. Described how an ex and old soviet air pilot touched the wing of an SR 71 on display and muttered "I finally got you". Kinda set in stone how legendary Lockheed's masterpiece was and is.
What I read many times is that blackbird never intended to be stealth (this concept is newer). The dark Blue coat is heat-resistant, and the exhaust plumes were so hot and big that they were easily detected by radar.
There is one on display at the evergreen aviation museum in McMinnville Oregon. These are even more impressive in person.
Imagine being someone without clearance, accidentally catching a glimpse of this thing, and going _WHAT THE FUUUUUUU..._
Plenty of people without clearance saw it. I watched it close up all the time in Okinawa, and I'm sure the locals did too.
@@mikearmstrong8483 Nice! I'd love to see one in the air.
It was known in Okinawa as the habu, I saw it several times when I was stationed at the MCAS on Okinawa and went to the USAF Kadena base.
I imagined the $25,000 the CIA will pay me to remain silent.
Was that payout taxable income?
I am American enough to shut up about it for patriotism sake, but hey, if they want to hand me money, I wont refuse it.
$25,000 that was a LOT of money back then. You could buy a house with that kind of money.
The soviets and red chinese never missed a take off I am sure.
Saw one flying while I was in Guam. Glows in the dark! AWESOME!!! Look but don't touch. Heat ripples for an hour afterwards. Right before Desert Storm.
So proud my Father actually worked on the engines before anyone knew of the plane. I vividly recall the day the aerospace firm he worked for had a picnic and announced the project once it was declassified. My Dad looked to his coworker and said "I told ya it was gonna be a spook!" Then he had to explain what that meant to me. Of course this was all during the Cold War, and patriotism was endemic to every household in my neighborhood. I think I bragged about it at school for a week at least.
The choice of music gives this Video an "Ace Combat" feel.
It is always interesting to follow the timelines on the new technology.
While the SR-71 has been retired, I do not think that the mission requirements
have retired in the last 20 years.....
They’ve been off loaded to satellites and Drones :(
@@jzerious4523 same or better results without the risk of personnel getting shot down…
@@pjotrtje0NL And cheaper. Satellites are less flexible (they cant be used to make photos of a region every time, they have an orbit which lasts 90 minutes and which can be calculated), but they have a resolution of less than 10 cm now.
@Ben Dover so how have you come to that conclusion? What data have you used?
@@jzerious4523 And other aircraft.
I remember coming back to the States in 1988 from Clark AB. I was 10. We were sitting on the plane after landing at Kadena. My dad call for me and pointed out the window. I saw both Blackbirds sitting out on the ramp. I live in Kansas now. The Kansas Cosmosphere has one on display hanging from the ceiling. I knew a crew chief while I was in the AF that crewed the SRs before they were retired. He said they were a pain in the ass to work on. Also, they couldn't take off with a full load of fuel. They had to hook up to a tanker shortly after takeoff. They would have 2 tankers in a primary pattern, 2 in a secondary pattern and 2 on the ground just to make sure it could got fueled.
They have one hanging from the ceiling?! One day I'm taking a trip to Kansas just to see this.
@@slumbynature4557 My bad. It's not hanging, it on pedestals. It's the first thing you see when you walk in. It's at an angle, rolled to one side slightly like it's diving right at you and the nose is low enough for you to touch.
Always favored the B-17 flying fortress, F-14 tomcat, P-51 mustang & this SR. Just beautiful works of art.
Stunning design and intimidating aircraft even by today's standards ... despite having no weapons !
I remember being in awe the first time I saw one many years ago ...
purtyer than a crossed gal!
One of the most common misconceptions about this plane is that it was designed to fly over the USSR. Eisenhower ended direct overflights of Soviet territory in 1960 when the U-2 was shot down. The Blackbird flew over China, North Korea, Libya, East Germany, Ect. But never the Soviet Union.
It never flew over the soviet union, but it was used for photo reconnaissance of the soviet union, it flew along the border and took the photos sideways, because of the high altitude it could take photos of areas in a relatively far distances from the border without penetrating soviet airspace
It was designed to fly over the USSR, but never did do.
Marvelous Aircraft !!! My favourite out of all Aircrafts . I live in the Northeastern US and remember seeing the SR-71 doping refueling operations just overhead . I happened to be working outside on the
farm and saw this AWESOME Aircraft ! Once the Bird was done taking on fuel , a wondrous thundering roar and She was GONE ,leaving the KC- 135 alone in an instant.
Retired Navy guy and really enjoy your videos. I saw one of these up close and personal back in the day - amazing aircraft.
I ❤ the Blackbird !
A-12 is said to be faster, with less range.
Yep. A-12 drivers called the 71 the "family model" 🤣
Higher flight ceiling as well, by about 10,000 feet higher IIRC.
Wasn't there a plan to arm the A-12?
@@zacharynorton9796 Yep, the YF-12. Never went into production though.
@@zacharynorton9796 Initially yes, but never came to fruition.
The blackbird is my favourite aircraft of all time, nothing has ever looked as good, it has an awsome name it has awsome performance and it is just awsome. Would LOVE to go for a flight in one, its sad because it will never happen but one can dream
U.S. government phone : Hello ?
Telemarketer : Hi, we've been trying to reach you about your blackbirds extended warranty..
do ya warrenty the whole thing or jus the extended part of it??
A MASTERPIECE of engineering. In one doc they said it would expand the length a whole FOOT because of the heat buildup. I can't wait to see the 73, if we are ever allowed to, and I live long enough! LOL
9 inches of to length to aircraft frame
The SST had the same problem.
Yugoslavia was never behind the "Iron Curtain". Stalin and Tito openly hated each other and USSR was never confident enough to invade.
Yugoslavia was behind the Yugoslav Curtain. Although not aligned with the Soviets, it too was a harsh evil dictatorship.
@@dave8599 There was no curtain. Anyone could come and go as they pleased. While it was not a democratic system, it was more open than any other socialist regime in the world. It wasn't perfect, but only the hard right-wing nationalists will tell you that it was evil. It was built on anti-fascist ideology as is only right.
When I arrived at LA's California Science Center, I was a newbie to LA's attractions and seeing the A-12 mounted on an angle display right at the parking lot was a shocking and awesome experience.
Both A-12 and SR-71 are gorgeous and magnificent.
Absolutely love all of the Dark channels. You guys make some great documentaries
Archangel was the program that several planes competed for. The A-12 won and was code named “Oxcart”.
I like the channel but so many things said are wrong and could be easily gotten right with minimal effort.
Project Oxcart was the program that was for continued development and operations of the A12, and Archangel was the Lockheed Martin internal code name for the aircraft design project. The A12, won Project Gusto that several manufacturers competed for.
I like your comment, but so many things said with each edit are wrong and could be easily gotten right with minimal effort.
@@carneeki also, Oxcart refers to the whole surveillance program, not the planes themselves. All variants of the airframe were called Blackbirds.
Aha! I was getting A-12 mixed up with SR71. Cheers Greg! 👍👍
I'm laughing at the pedantry in here. Keep it up y'all.
@Galileo7of9 watch any video of Kelly Johnson talking about the planes. He consistently refers to the whole family as blackbirds. Putting quotes around an uncredited paragraph means nothing.
For reference: www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Dn8kBiy6RkOs&ved=2ahUKEwiGhJaR267yAhUBXc0KHWDbBXQQwqsBegQIBhAB&usg=AOvVaw0Y_hn_PICY-I_P7tWaavPO at 6:58 " it's been said of the Blackbirds, and the SR -71 in particular..." If Kelly Johnson calls them all Blackbirds, that's what they were, are, and will always be.
The book "Skunk Works" By Ben Rich is a great read, and a great audio book
1982-83 I was stationed at Futemna Okinawa Marine corps air station. One time on approach to nearby Kadena air force base I saw an SR-71 turning and burning on take off roll. It was absolutely ASTOUNDING. The flames well exceeded the length of this plane. The distinctive rings of fire blasting out behind were something I'd never imagined. My first impression was that the concrete runway was was going to be torn up behind these rings of fire. It left the runway and immediately went nearly vertical and disappeared into the low level Okinawa clouds.
I was based on Okinawa from 1985 to 1986, I witnessed some of the "launches" and pattern work the Habu did. It really shook the island.
@@DickWeinerUSA one outrageous plane is all I can say.
My dad was stationed at Kadena 73-78. us kids would be on our bikes on the hill above the school(we had the BIGGEST ramp set up there) and watch ...no FEEL the Habu launch
I saw one at the Oshkosh air show in the mid 1980’s. Since am a pilot now, it was amazing that the SR71 was flying the a pattern to land, was like 10 to 15 miles out, on down wind leg of landing pattern. Because it was so fast, it took lots of distance to turn. Plus when it took off, it was so loud, you feel the sound waves.
another video describing my love life in my 20s. When will it end.
The stuff of my childhood dreams. 🤠👍
To anyone curious enough to care, the Blackbird didn't leak that much fuel. If they had more than about 7 or 8 drips of fuel per minute, they'd abort or use another SR71 if one is on station. The video shown of one leaking a ton is either sped up, a video example of what not to see before your flight, or both.
I was 7 in 1964 when LBJ held his conference, the SR-71 Blackbird blew my mind then and it still does to this day.
The "U-2" you showed is actually a TR-1, a development of the U-2.
I still prefer the Blackbird to the Dragon Lady
@woo chee name and the looks and performance envelope
What’s surprising is that neither the U-2 or the A-12/SR-71 had official nicknames. They both started out as super secret CIA aircraft that the Air Force didn’t have or even want to do much with their development. When I was stationed in Okinawa, the only nickname I ever heard for the SR-71 was Habu. That was the name of a very fast and deadly snake on the island. The Okinawans thought the hooded head of this viper resembled the plane and the name stuck.
@@thecraigster8888 very true, I have heard that nickname for it. It seemed to collect a new nickname wherever it went just like the U2.
saw a blackbird as a kid up at Edwards Air Force Base, always been intrigued with it ever since dad had clearance at the time and getting suspended from a day of 5th grade and forced to go to work with my old man really paid off incredible piece of cold war history🇺🇸
Also incredibly LOUD! Saw one of these at an air show back in the mid-70s. The shriek was deafening.
not exactly , it couldn't really safely out fly a missile most SAMS of the time were faster than mach 3 but by the time the station got active locked on and fired the blackbird was gone , that was its strength. some incidents in North Korea and Israel the SAMS were on line and the pilots did push it up into the mach 4 range to evade but that was beyond its recommended flight envelope
Wait the sr71 is capable of mach 4?
@@Cloudine-fu4rk not on paper but check out interviews of the pilots
It never went Mach 4… period.
Those pilots are telling fish stories.
Only a fraction of its hours were spent over Mach 3.. and still it needed a week of maintenance between flights. Even Mach 3.5.. .2 above redline.. would likely have written the airframe off.
According to a Skunkworks engineer, it’s “official” top speed was Mach 3.2 but was capable of MUCH higher speeds. Also, I read an article written by one of the pilots who mentioned about having missiles fired at them on a mission and by SOP, they went full throttle on it. He wouldn’t say exactly how fast they went, but said that they “saw Mach speed numbers that had never been seen before”.
@@bigdaddy7119 those are the interviews i mentioned , one was over N Korea i think
Coolest man made thing ever.
Change my mind...
Bidet
@@crownhic6827 2nd coolest man made thing ever.
Change my mind...
The USAF!
That way it includes the sr71 and a whole host of other incredible vehicles / war machines / people - many seen on this channel.
@@zerocool5395 🤣
Starship.
The plane was required to reach MACH 3 to 3.5. But it's top speed. Is still listed as Top Secret. I find that very intriguing. A beautiful plane.
SR was still over flying North Korea in 1971. Two landed at our base Kunsan AB, South Korea. . Left following morning. Contrail momentarily visible heading south to Kadena, AFB, Okinawa. AKA The Habu.