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SR-71A - At sunset with maintenance technician.

(U.S. Air Force photo)
The SR-71, unofficially known as the "Blackbird," is a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft. The first flight of an SR-71 took place on December 22, 1964, and the first SR-71 to enter service was delivered to the 4200th (later, 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, California, in January 1966. The U.S. Air Force retired its fleet of SR-71s on January 26, 1990, because of a decreasing defense budget and high costs of operation. The USAF returned the SR-71 to the active Air Force inventory in 1995 and began flying operational missions in January 1997. Throughout its nearly 24-year career, the SR-71 remained the world's fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft. From 80,000 feet it could survey 100,000 square miles of Earth's surface per hour. On July 28, 1976, an SR-71 set two world records for its class: an absolute speed record of 2,193.167 miles per hour and an absolute altitude record of 85,068.997 feet.
800x600, 26 KB
original at www.af.mil

SR-71A Blackbird

(U.S. Air Force photo)
The SR-71, unofficially known as the "Blackbird," is a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft. The first flight of an SR-71 took place on December 22, 1964, and the first SR-71 to enter service was delivered to the 4200th (later, 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, California, in January 1966. The U.S. Air Force retired its fleet of SR-71s on January 26, 1990, because of a decreasing defense budget and high costs of operation. The USAF returned the SR-71 to the active Air Force inventory in 1995 and began flying operational missions in January 1997.
800x600, 57 KB
original at www.af.mil

SR-71B over California

(U.S. Air Force photo)
In 1994, Congress appropriated funds and directed the Air Force to recommission a small fleet of SR-71's, two A models and one B model, to be operational by Sept. 1995. The aircraft are assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing's Detachment 2 at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The SR-71 flys at more than three times the speed of sound at altitudes in excess of 80,000 feet (approximately 15 miles high). Three times the speed of sound (Mach 3) is more than 2,000 miles per hour or about 3,100 feet per second. By comparison, the muzzle velocity of a .30-06 rifle bullet is only 3,000 feet per second.
1024x768, 33 KB
original at www.af.mil

SR-71B at sunset

(U.S. Air Force photo )
In 1994, Congress appropriated funds and directed the Air Force to recommission a small fleet of SR-71's, two A models and one B model, to be operational by Sept. 1995. The aircraft are assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing's Detachment 2 at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The SR-71 flys at more than three times the speed of sound at altitudes in excess of 80,000 feet (approximately 15 miles high). Three times the speed of sound (Mach 3) is more than 2,000 miles per hour or about 3,100 feet per second. By comparison, the muzzle velocity of a .30-06 rifle bullet is only 3,000 feet per second.
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