The Spy Plane That Couldn't Be Shot Down
By Nathan Devlin
After US pilot Gary Powers U-2 spy plane was shot down by the Russians and fell from 70,000 to 30,000 feet, the Lockheed group were looking for a new way to spy on the Soviets during the cold war. Powers was shot down by the then new surface to air missiles used by the Russians.
After the Powers incident President Eisenhower asked Lockheed to build a plane that couldn’t be shot down. Little did anyone know at their advanced development group in Burbank, California, they were already on the case. Lockheed engineer Kelly Johnson, one of the greatest designers of all time, and his team were already hard at work designing something the likes of which we have never been seen before.
This new plane was to exceed more than 2,000 mph at over 75,000 feet in the air, a task in theory the planes of that era could achieve. However, only for a short period of time.
This innovative new plane had to do this for several hours to avoid being detected.
What was later to be known as the SR-71 first took flight at the infamous Area 51 and was flown by Lockheed pilot Lou Schalk on April 30th, 1962.
With the heat shield temperature expected to be more than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, deciding on what materials to use which could cope with the heat brought many issues. Titanium Alloy was their only option; it provided a great balance of stainless steel, was somewhat light weight and durable at extremely high temperatures.
However, standard tools used to craft airplanes broke the alloy, therefore new tools were designed and made from titanium to make sure the material was protected.
Later that year in October 1962 the demand for this new plane was ramped up as pilot Rudolph Anderson was killed by a soviet surface to air missile over Cuba in a U-2 plane at the height of their missile crisis.
Lockheed responded with its SR-71 Blackbird.
On July 30th, 1963, it achieved a speed of Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound) at 78,000 feet, hitting three thousand feet per second.
Measuring 106 feet in length with a wingspan 55 feet it was not small by any means.
At this speed and height there was no chance of surface to air missiles getting anywhere close. Even when someone attempted to fire on the Blackbird, the control panel would glow red. Any missiles that tried to fire on it would end up miles from its target.
Piloting such an innovation was no mean feat. But those who were lucky enough to fly it were giddy with the challenge and thrill inducing responsibilities. Air Force Colonel Jim Wadkins said: “At 85,000 feet and Mach 3, it was almost a religious experience. Nothing had prepared me to fly that fast… My God, even now, I get goose bumps remembering.”
The first SR-71 was delivered and entered service on January 1966 at Beale Air Force Base, California.
The pilots had to wear specific suits like those worn by astronauts. While in the air food was deposited into the pilot’s mouths in toothpaste-like tubes. Water was also delivered through tubes from tanks that sat beneath the pilot.
USAF could only fly the aircraft for about a week as the mission turnarounds could be quite lengthy. The Blackbird would often return from missions with panels misaligned, bolts and screws missing or broken parts.
After the cold war was over and the Soviet Union was disbanded, the SR-71 was no longer required and the USAF retired their fleet of Blackbirds in January,1990.
Unlike many other aircrafts though it wasn’t retired for long as two Blackbirds were used with NASA utilising the aircraft to test high speed and high-altitude neuro nautical research at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Facility.
Today there are 20 confirmed SR-71 Blackbirds currently on display in the world, some of the most notable in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia, USA and at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, England.
Blackbirds’ stats:
3,551 missions flown.
11,008 mission flight hours.
53,490 total flight hours.
2,752 hours Mach 3 time (missions).
11,675 hours Mach 3 time (total).
