Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird

Specifications
Aircraft Type:	Strategic Reconnaissance
First Flight:	November 1966
Wingspan:	55 feet 7 inches
Length:	107 feet 5 inches
Height:	18 feet 6 inches
Weight:	60,000 lbs
Capacity:	Two
Status:	Display - Static

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is the world’s fastest and highest flying “air-breathing” production aircraft. On July 28, 1976, the SR-71 set a world speed record of 2,193 miles per hour. The same day, another SR-71 set a world altitude record of 85,068.997 feet! To achieve a low drag at Mach 3+ speeds, Lockheed designed the SR-71 with a delta wing configuration. Its two Pratt and Whitney J-58 engines operate as ordinary jet engines at low speeds and are switched to ramjets at speeds above 2,000 miles per hour. Although retired by the Air Force in 1990, a few Blackbirds received funding from Congress for additional flights. The Museum’s SR-71A (61-7971/NASA 832) flew for NASA crews as part of the reactivation program in 1995 and 1996, then retired. On long-term loan from the United States Air Force Museum, the Blackbird is among the Museum’s newest aircraft.