Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird
 |
| |
| Description |
| Manufacturer: |
Lockheed |
| Designation: |
SR-71 |
| Version: |
A |
| Nickname: |
Blackbird |
| Type: |
General Reconnaissance |
| Specifications |
| Length: |
107' 5" |
32.74 M |
| Height: |
18' 6" |
5.64 M |
| Wingspan: |
55' 7" |
16.94 M |
| Empty Weight: |
60000.0 lbs |
27210.0 Kg |
| Gross Weight: |
170000 lbs |
77097.0 Kg |
| Propulsion |
| No. of Engines: |
2 |
| Powerplant: |
Pratt & Whitney J58 |
| Thrust (each): |
32500 |
14512 |
| Performance |
| Range: |
2900 miles |
4669.00 Km |
| Max Speed: |
2000.00 Mph |
3220.00 Km/H |
1740.54 Kt |
| Ceiling: |
85000.0 Ft |
25907.0 M |
Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird
Created by Kelly Johnson, the SR-71 Blackbird set the world speed record
in July 1976 of 2193.167 MPH and has held it ever since. In the same flight
it also set the altitude record of 85,068.997 feet. One SR-71, serial
number 61-7972, was donated to the Smithsonian Institute and in a farewell
flight, flew from Los Angeles to Washington DC in 64 minutes.
The SR-71 was designed as a high-speed high altitude aircraft, providing
pre-attack and post-attack reconnaissance. SR-71 aircraft flew most of their
operational missions from Detachment 1, Kadena Air base, Okinawa. Between
1968 and its deactivation in 1990, the SR-71 fleet flew 2,410 sorties.
No SR-71 was ever shot down or hit by enemy fire, and they are known
to have outrun over 4000 missiles. It could fly 1 mile in under 2 seconds.
It was at Okinawa that the Blackbird earned the nickname Habu
after a native deadly snake. When the SR-71 flew, the Okinawans thought
it looked like a Habu snake in flight. Sortie marks were tallied on the aircraft
as small white habus.
Constructed of 93% titanium alloy and composites, it produces original stealth
technology. A special paint is applied giving it a higher thermal emissivity
when cruising at high Mach and contains tiny iron balls that dissipates
electromagnetic radiation. The paint alone adds over 60 lbs to the jet.
The complex Pratt and Whitney J58 engines are very unique. Inlet temperatures
can reach 1100 degrees C. and require astralloy discs in the turbine sections
to withstand the heat. The combustion exhaust temperature reaches 2000 degrees
F. The blast created by the SR71 stretches for 3000 feet and the turbulent
air sizzles at over 200 degrees. The SR71 cruises in afterburner so it
incorporates an Air Inlet Control System (spikes) and a bleed by-pass system,
which increases or decreases airflow into the engine, when flying between
subsonic and supersonic speeds. The largest engines ever built for an aircraft,
they produce 160,000 horse power giving the blackbird a thrust to weight
ratio of 5.2 to 1. Designed as a combination turbo-ramjet engine, after attaining
desired altitude and speed, the engines are throttled back and speed is
maintained by the airflow passing through the engine, thus requiring less
thrust from exhaust, consuming less fuel.
Heat generated during flight can reach over 1000 degrees F. temperatures
that cause the fuselage to expand in flight. After landing, ground crews
cannot go near the aircraft for over 30 minutes. Once the plane has cooled,
it literally seeps fuel on the ground until it flies again. The flight crew
wears special self- contained space suits to protect them during flight and
to ensure survival during a high altitude ejection. Temperatures inside the
cockpit reach 200 degrees and 550 degrees on the windscreen. To heat their
food they simply held it against the windscreen. A pair of complete suits
cost approximately $185,000.
The SR-71 uses a special JP-7 high-temperature jet fuel. It can carry 12,219
gallons and, at top speed, needs refueling every 45 minutes. It consumes
fuel at about 8000 gallons per hour. The fuel doesn't burn easily and it
requires a chemical ignition system to start the engines. Tri-ethyl borane
(TEB) is injected into the engines at start-up, re-start and when going into
afterburner. The fuel system is also used to cool the aircraft environmental,
hydraulic, oil, TEB systems, and associated lines.
The SR-71 has 6 main BF Goodrich 32-ply tires, each filled with 415 PSI of
nitrogen. Impregnated with aluminum powder to reduce heat, they cost $2,300.00
each and are serviceable for approximately 15 landings.
Cameras in the SR-71 can map 100,000 square miles per hour in which selected
targets could be enlarged 20 times for analysis.
The SR-71 proved itself to be a valuable asset to the United States and a
technological masterpiece. It was a thoroughbred; however, the $30,000 per
hour price tag became too expensive to operate and the SR-71 program was
canceled in 1990.
In 1995 the SR-71's talents were needed once again and the program re-activated.
Two blackbirds were returned to active duty at Beale AFB, simply to once
again be chopped on the defense budget and canceled again. The aircraft were
retired again in 1997.
The March Field Air Museum's SR-71, 61-7975, was delivered to the Air Force
in 1967. (Note: in the past we have identified our SR-71 as 64-17975).
Our SR-71 spent several years at Kadena AFB, flying photo recon missions
over Vietnam during the war. The small white snakes or "HABUs" that
adorn the rear cockpit are sortie marks tallied for every econnaissance mission
during Vietnam. Our SR-71 accumulated 82 such marks.
During Linebacker II in December 1972 our SR-71 performed one of the most
important missions: flying over targets exactly when 60 B-52's would drop
their bombs. By doing this they were able to provide additional ECM coverage
to protect the bombers and take reconnaissance photos. The pictures revealed
unknown enemy emitters that were responsible for B-52 losses.
In 1987 our SR-71 flew an 11-hour mission over Iran searching for unfriendly
missiles overlooking the Gulf of Hormuz. Their revelation enabled a warning
to the U.S. Navy and neighboring countries. The red scimitars on her tail
are evidence of missions over the Persian Gulf prior to the Gulf War.
After Shayne Meder, Aircraft Restoration Manager, tracked down a former
crew chief of 975, she got the real story behind the skin patches on the
right engine nacelle. It seems our Blackbird was performing a high mach outrun
of a SAM (Surface to Air Missile) in 1987 and shelled a turbine blade. She
outran the missile, but had to make an emergency landing as a Naval air station
in the Key West area.
On 28 February 1990, the museum's SR-71, 61-7975, flew from Beale AFB
and landed at March AFB, completing her career with 2,854 flight hours, 743
of which were over Mach 3. She was stripped of her top secret equipment and
assigned to the museum. All but three of the Blackbirds were declared surplus
when the cost of operation caused them to be retired. It was believed that
satellite reconnaissance could do the same job.
In February 2000, 10 years after her last flight, the museum began restoration
work on 61-7975. During the restoration it was discovered that the left rudder
had once been on a sister SR-71, 61-7978. This SR-71 wore the famous
Playboy bunny and was named Rapid Rabbit. In 1972 during a landing
mishap, 61-7978 was damaged beyond repair. Her crew safely escaped and the
salvaged parts were removed to be used on other operational blackbirds. At
some point while at Kadina, the 978 left rudder had been installed on our
museum's 975. SR-71, 61-7978, was the first SR-71 to be stationed at
Kadina and the first to complete a mission over Vietnam. If you should ever
need to rekindle your patriotic fires, just walk out to the flight line,
look at that left rudder on our SR-71 and realize that 978 blew a hole in
the sound barrier over Hanoi to let our POWs know we were there.
In 2001, the museum's SR-71 appeared in the Warner Brothers movie, "Space
Cowboys", starring Clint Eastwood, who spent a day on location at the museum
while filming that picture. The scene is about one-third of the way into
the movie; the characters have about one minute of dialogue near the fuselage
under the plane.
Specifications:
First Flight: December 1964
First Operational Use: March 1968
Wingspan: 557
Length: 1075
Height: 186
Engines: Two Pratt & Whitney J58 continuous after-burning turbojets with
32,500 lb maximum thrust each
Publicized Max. Speed: 3.5 mach (2,310 mph)
Take-off speed: 200 knots
Landing speed: 150-155 knots. Uses a drag chute to stop.
Service Ceiling: 88,000 ft plus
Max. Range: 2,982 miles un-refueled (has flown 18,000 mile missions with
in-flight refueling)
Weight: 170,000 lb max weight
Crew: 2
Cost: $24.616 million in 1972
Total Built: 32
Number Lost: 12(accidents)
Number in Museums: (as of 1999) 14
References:
The US War Machine, 1983. Ray Bond.
Arsenal of Democracy II, 1981. Tom Gervasi.
March Field Museum Literature.
Lockheed SR71, 1993, Paul Crickmore
SR71 in Action, Signal Publications
Flight magazine, Feb 2000
Airpower magazine