![]() The SR-71 designator is a continuation of the pre-1962 bomber series, which ended with the XB-70 Valkyrie. SR-71 Ī-12 production on what would later become the Blackbird assembly line at Skunk Works The program's cancellation was announced on 28 December 1966, due both to budget concerns and because of the forthcoming SR-71. The A-12 flew missions over Vietnam and North Korea before its retirement in 1968. The J58s were retrofitted as they became available, and became the standard powerplant for all subsequent aircraft in the series (A-12, YF-12, M-21) as well as the SR-71. The aircraft was meant to be powered by the Pratt & Whitney J58 engine, but development ran over schedule, and it was equipped instead with the less powerful Pratt & Whitney J75. Thirteen were built two variants were also developed, including three YF-12A interceptor prototypes, and two M-21 drone carrier variants. The A-12 first flew at Groom Lake (Area 51), Nevada, on 25 April 1962. The CIA turned again to Kelly Johnson and Lockheed's Skunk Works, who developed the A-12 and would go on to build upon its design concepts for the SR-71. The 1960 downing of Francis Gary Powers's U-2 underscored the aircraft's vulnerability and the need for faster reconnaissance aircraft. Lockheed's previous reconnaissance aircraft was the relatively slow U-2, designed for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Since 1976, it has held the world record for the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft, a record previously held by the YF-12. The SR-71 has been given several nicknames, including Blackbird and Habu. ![]() A total of 32 aircraft were built 12 were lost in accidents, but none lost to enemy action. If a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, the standard evasive action was simply to accelerate and outfly the missile. During reconnaissance missions, the SR-71 operated at high speeds and altitudes to allow it to outrace threats. Clarence "Kelly" Johnson was responsible for many of the design's innovative concepts. It was developed as a black project from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft in the 1960s by Lockheed and its Skunk Works division. The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft. The raised second cockpit is for the instructor. An SR-71B trainer over the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California in 1994.
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