When I was a kid I used to visit the Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin Air Force Base. While the museums was home to many of the most notable aircraft in US history, one wonder stood apart from the rest, the SR-71 Blackbird.
Aside from being the fastest air-breathing aircraft ever built, the SR-71 looked alien in its design. Its sleek, elongated airframe echoed its speed and it’s black body hinted at its use a spy’s go to jet. Over the course of the SR-71’s 32-year lifetime the plane was unmatched in its ability to capture information and avoid enemy interference. Although the SR-71 has been retired for 15 years no plane has yet to match its abilities. That is, until now.
In a recent announcement Lockheed Martin has said it will finally develop the SR-71’s successor, the SR-72.
“Envisioned as an unmanned aircraft, the SR-72 would fly at speeds up to Mach 6, or six times the speed of sound. At this speed, the aircraft would be so fast, an adversary would have no time to react or hide.” Says a Lockheed press release.
“Hypersonic aircraft, coupled with hypersonic missiles, could penetrate denied airspace and strike at nearly any location across a continent in less than an hour,” said Brad Leland, Lockheed Martin program manager, Hypersonics. “Speed is the next aviation advancement to counter emerging threats in the next several decades. The technology would be a game-changer in theater, similar to how stealth is changing the battlespace today.”
More impressive than the SR-72’s performance statistics might be it’s expected delivery date. The aviation giant believes it can have SR-72’s “operational” by 2030.
Image and Video Courtesy of Lockheed Martin