The Sr-71

[Silverstrike]

Declassified Flight manual says with commanders Authority Mach 3.3 is authorized. So I would say it can go in excess of that as well.

http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/manual/5/5-8.php

Just some info the Mach indicator in the YF-12A at WPAFB has a readout at 10 I think it could do Mach5+ not to much over that as even the titanium would melt if exposed to that type of air friction for any length of time.

Plus just look at what the Soviets had for Sams 3 that had better performance envelope then what the SR could do by what the Air Force said it could do

SA-5 Gammon Mach 3.5 and 150,000 ft alt
SA-10 Grumble Mach 4.5 100,000-130.000 Ft alt
SA-12 Gladiator Mach 5 and 150,000 ft alt.

Now if the SR could only do 3.3 and have a service ceiling of 85,000 ft then 1 would of been lost to enemy fire. Its still the only plane I know that got shot at 5000+ times and didn't suffer any damage or hits in the 30+ years of service.

But 3 things would of eventually grounded them even if the US still wanted to fly them
1 the J58 Ramjet was no longer being produced plus spares were also not being made only what was on hand for rebuilds

2 All the dies were destroyed after the last SR-71 was made so spares for the craft for airframes and other sub systems were non available so after the airframes started to show wear and tear they couldn't be replaced

3 JP7 jet fuel it was the only aircraft in the inventory that took this and how it was refined is still classified to this day so it was really quite unfeesable to make for just 1 type of aircraft.

 

[Vashthestampede]

Just because the missile can go faster doesn't mean it is a guaranteed intercept. It has to be able to make up the difference between the launch point and the aircraft before it runs out of maneuvering energy. The fact that the sr-71 can go mach 3.2 and also incorporates some first generation stealth measures does make it very difficult to intercept especially if the pilot makes turns forcing the missile to further expend its limitted maneuvering energy trying to impact the target.

The sr-71 isn't going mach 5 ever thats a fact. Thats a full 1,000mph of classified flight performance and so far no air breathing aircraft has ever touched hypersonic speeds.

 

[cj3113]

Exactly, think about it. This plane was developed in the 50s. Makes you wonder what they are working on now....

Scamjets.

Capable of reaching speeds of Mach 12-18. Anywhere on Earth in less than 90 minutes.

Guinness World Records recognized NASA's X-43A scramjet with a new world speed record for a jet-powered aircraft - Mach 9.6, or nearly 7,000 mph.

No need for electromagnets when you have such a simple concept.

 

[Silver2003Cobra]

in Brian Shul's own words, from the article..

well, using Brian Shul's own words..

Within seconds he tells me to 'push it up' and I firmly press both throttles against their stops. For the next few seconds, I will let the jet go as fast as she wants.

It is a race this jet will not let us lose. The Mach eases to 3.5 as we crest 80,000 feet. We are a bullet now - except faster. We hit the turn, and I feel some relief as our nose swings away from a country we have seen quite enough of. Screaming past Tripoli, our phenomenal speed continues to rise, and the screaming Sled pummels the enemy one more time, laying down a parting sonic boom. In seconds, we can see nothing but the expansive blue of the Mediterranean. I realize that I still have my left hand full-forward and we're continuing to rocket along in maximum afterburner.

how fast was she moving.. only 2 guys know.. Bran Shul and Walter Watson..

 

[NO-BlkLightning2K]

eh hem. scramjets.

 

[carrrnuttt]

who cares what it was? they have planes in development that can hit mach 12-15. they are using electromagnets or some shit to alter the air in front of the plane to create a slipstream, reducing the drag dramatically. ok, i'm very sure they're not using electromagnets to do this, but they are doing it. now, whether they have a working prototype utilizing this technology remains to be seen. but i would be shocked if they didn't. skunk works ftw.

What the **** are you being all abrasive about? If you don't care, don't ****ing reply.

 

[NO-BlkLightning2K]

What the **** are you being all abrasive about? If you don't care, don't ****ing reply.

simmer down, hot rod. i was simply pointing out that it's old tech, and the new shit will blow it away.

 

[svtfocus2cobra]

It's crazy to think that one of those has flown over my area numerous times, and if I never would have read that I never would have known.

They have one at the Boeing Museum of Flight at their airfield in Seattle that you can sit in. The cockpit seemed like most other planes from what I can remember but the exterior is quite a sight!

 

[carrrnuttt]

simmer down, hot rod. i was simply pointing out that it's old tech, and the new shit will blow it away.

And what you were pointing out had abso****inglutely nothing to do with what I was saying, which is the person I quoted was making up crap with his proclaimed top-speed for the Blackbird.

 

[oldmodman]

When Kelly Johnson designed that aircraft he also designed an even faster unmanned drone that needed to be launched at such a high speed only the SR-71 could do it. It was named the D-21 (some info here)

http://www.unrealaircraft.com/gravity/sr71.php

a few pics http://aeroweb.brooklyn.cuny.edu/database/aircraft/getimage.htm?id=316

 

[Silver2003Cobra]

simmer down, hot rod. i was simply pointing out that it's old tech, and the new shit will blow it away.

don't be so sure about that.. we still don't have a gun that can take the place of the 16" guns on the Iowa class battleships..

just because it's "new" dosn't mean it's any better..

 

[NO-BlkLightning2K]

And what you were pointing out had abso****inglutely nothing to do with what I was saying, which is the person I quoted was making up crap with his proclaimed top-speed for the Blackbird.

that your point was irrelevant? a shame this isn't in sd.

 

[NO-BlkLightning2K]

don't be so sure about that.. we still don't have a gun that can take the place of the 16" guns on the Iowa class battleships..

just because it's "new" dosn't mean it's any better..

ever hear of the rail gun? it's still in the testing phase, but it's one bad bitch, that's for sure.

 

[DriveNASCAR]

To me what makes the SR71 the most impressive plane is that it was built back in the early 60's when jets were still a fairly new item and this one pushed the envelope right through the roof.

That's what I was thinking. Pretty impressive that a jet designed and built four decades ago is still the world's fastest plane.

 

[carrrnuttt]

that your point was irrelevant? a shame this isn't in sd.

Really? Are you THEN saying that the dude IS telling the truth about what he claimed was the SR-71's "top-speed"? Because if you aren't defending him in that regard, YOUR point is irrelevant to what I was saying. It was a ****ing A to B conversation, that you weren't smart enough to C your way out of.

And yes, it IS a shame this isn't in Smackdown. I'm not the one with fruity pictures of myself floating all over SVTP and on the web. Now go quote someone else and make irrelevant remarks about what they said. I'm done with you.

 

[NO-BlkLightning2K]

Really? Are you THEN saying that the dude IS telling the truth about what he claimed was the SR-71's "top-speed"? Because if you aren't defending him in that regard, YOUR point is irrelevant to what I was saying. It was a ****ing A to B conversation, that you weren't smart enough to C your way out of.

And yes, it IS a shame this isn't in Smackdown. I'm not the one with fruity pictures of myself floating all over SVTP and on the web. Now go quote someone else and make irrelevant remarks about what they said. I'm done with you.

hmm, i posted pics of myself on the interwebz? news to me. and yeah, we'll all just rest assured with your assurances. :rollseyes have fun constructing the, "my dad's brother's cousin's mom's son designed it" post.

 

[NIT2WN]

A thing the pilot/author forgot to mention was the plain took off from Virginia or that area flew across the Atlantic at 60,000ft+ drop down refueled and had to fly around France or England [heard the story long ago and my memory is rusty] due to them not giving us permission to fly through their airspace took the pics and was back home the next morning. I can't remember hoe long it took to fly the mission but I'm thinking 12 or 18 hours round trip. President Reagan authorized it at all cost but get the pics. That mission led to the counterstrike we made on Libya and missed Kadhfi[sp] by 30-45 minutes as we detroyed a safe house and one or more of his palaces. I believe we killed members of his family but this was a long time ago and I was 12 or so. I also remember being told by a family friend in the Airforce, that NASA in the early years of the shuttle program accidently allowed a photo of the shuttle and a SR71 Blackbird out. I didn't understand the big deal myself, but he said they didn't even want the two in the same shot suggesting the Blackbird was either capable of a higher speed or that they escorted the shuttles back to the ground. This was in the mid to late 80's. I'm still amazed at how fast that thing. The lead designer actually forecasted[sp] the plane's future in the 1st years. He stated that this plane would be the fasted plane bar none for the next 25 years. He made that statement in the early 70's. The plane holds the fastest TransAtlantic flight ever and coast to coast. It took it roughly 45 min from Cali to Virginia creating a shockwave over New Mexico that was said to have rattled dishes. I read on the final flight from Paris to New york that they actually push one wide open throttle and she never stopped gaining speed. The pilots became scared that she would shake apart and let off. To have that kind of power at your finger tips is just amazing.

 

[Snagged]

Great post, thanks for sharing.

I loved this part:

"One day, high above Arizona, we were monitoring the radio traffic of all the mortal airplanes below us. First, a Cessna pilot asked the air traffic controllers to check his ground speed. 'Ninety knots,' ATC replied. A twin Bonanza soon made the same request. 'One-twenty on the ground,' was the reply. To our surprise, a navy F-18 came over the radio with a ground speed check. I knew exactly what he was doing. Of course, he had a ground speed indicator in his cockpit, but he wanted to let all the bug-smashers in the valley know what real speed was 'Dusty 52, we show you at 525 on the ground,' ATC responded. The situation was too ripe. I heard the click of Walter's mike button in the rear seat. In his most innocent voice, Walter startled the controller by asking for a ground speed check from 81,000 feet, clearly above controlled airspace. In a cool, professional voice, the controller replied, 'Aspen 20, I show you at 1,742 knots on the ground.' We did not hear another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast."

 

[SlySy]

^^^ Yeah, that part was great. I giggled to myself

 

[bunk22]

the f-22 dosnt need to go that fast... its stealthy. They put it up against an entire squadron of top gun pilots AT top gun.... and the one jet shot them all down because none- of them - could get a lock on the jet.... the f-22's real performance comes into play with the fact that its fuel efficient and stealthy like a Mofo! not so much that it goes fast.... its like the jet they had back in Nam that would do make 2.8 or something stupid... yeah it would GO that fast, but it would run out of fuel before it could return to base OR get ARed... what was that planed called... the 104 phantom....??.... the one plane that has a higher shoot down rate by enemy fire than any other plane in History! :lol: yeah we won that war :cuss:

It's the F-4 Phantom II and what exactly do you mean by higher shoot down rate? Not sure what that means.

A entire squadron of Top Gun pilots?? You sure about that. Yes, in mock combat, the F-22 gets off shots before the merge, claiming hypothetical kills and it is the baddest jet out there but nothing is invincible:

Navy Super Hornet guns its superior.