This Is Why The USAF Really Retired The SR-71 Blackbird
Story by Henry Kelsall • 2h ago
Lockheed’s SR-71 Blackbird is perhaps the greatest military spy plane ever built. First flying in the 1960s, the Blackbird was capable of speeds over Mach 3 and it served with the United States Air Force up until the late 1990s. Thanks to its speed and low radar profile, not once did a Soviet missile or aircraft get a lock on the SR-71. Only the Swedish and their Viggens managed to do so. But if the SR-71 was such an effective spy aircraft, why was it retired?
Well an advancement in satellite technology, the cost of flying the aircraft and more all resulted in the aircraft’s retirement. There were those in the US Air Force that would have loved to see it keep flying. But ultimately, the SR-71 made its last flight with NASA, in 1999.
The SR-71 Could Outfly Any Soviet Interceptor
The SR-71 truly was an untouchable aircraft. The top speed of the aircraft was Mach 3.3, or 2,200 mph. It could do this at a service ceiling of 85,000 ft. The SR-71 flew so high its pilots were effectively wearing spacesuits, not normal flying gear. And the speed meant that Soviet interceptors simply couldn’t catch the aircraft. Aircraft like the MiG-25 Foxbat and MiG-31 Foxhound certainly had Mach 3 capable speeds. But not over as long a period as the Blackbird. By the time they were on course to intercept, the SR-71 would be out of Soviet airspace.
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