SR-72 "Darkstar": The Hypersonic Marvel Set to Redefine Aerial Dominance

[rangerrebew]

SR-72 "Darkstar": The Hypersonic Marvel Set to Redefine Aerial Dominance
Story by Sarah Wilson • 4h

The world of aeronautics is waiting for a revolutionary jump, with the release planned by Lockheed Martin of its SR-72 “Darkstar”, a hypersonic aircraft designed to break all speed records and change the concept of air missions. Powered by the legendary heritage of the SR-71 Blackbird, the SR-72 wants to lift extra-hypersonic speeds to Mach 6.0, more than doubling the velocity of its flying predecessor.


First fielded more than five decades ago, the SR-71 Blackbird still holds unmatched speed and altitude performance, with an unprecedented Mach 3.2 and 85,000 feet. After being retired in the late 1990s, its replacement, the SR-72, is said to restore and even improve on those capabilities. The SR-72, otherwise called the “Son of Blackbird,” has been under development since 2007 under the leadership of Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works team.
 
 
The development of the SR-72 has been highly classified, and its exposure in the movie Top Gun has piqued public interest and speculation. The aircraft is slated to be made with advanced materials that will be able to withstand extreme temperatures produced during hypersonic speeds. Engineers are looking at high-performance composites like ceramics, carbon, and metal mixes to fortify the airframe’s integrity.

Lockheed Martin had teamed up with Aerojet Rocketdyne for the development of a new engine for the SR-72, based on the now-canceled HTV-3X project. The goal is to have an engine that can continue running efficiently at speeds above Mach 5.0. Such a mode of flying needs innovative solutions to manage the huge amount of heat and stress on the airframe.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/sr-72-darkstar-the-hypersonic-marvel-set-to-redefine-aerial-dominance/ar-AA1pe1Bb?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=6bb42dc0a77246e881e1d48d5a30913e&ei=85

[Smokin Joe]

Okay. It's fast. How do you not run into your own bullets? I get that when they are fired, the muzzle velocity is relative to the aircraft, but the projectiles would slow very rapidly and the aircraft would not. Considering the difficulties of deploying any weapon at Mach 6 or so, what offensive capabilities does it have?

[DefiantMassRINO]

SR-71 was a spy plane.  Film, not bullets.

[MeganC]

Okay. It's fast. How do you not run into your own bullets? I get that when they are fired, the muzzle velocity is relative to the aircraft, but the projectiles would slow very rapidly and the aircraft would not. Considering the difficulties of deploying any weapon at Mach 6 or so, what offensive capabilities does it have?

The SR-72 would be a recon platform and not a fighter.

However...it has been considered that its speed would be an offensive weapon if it can fly fast at lower altitudes.

Merely passing another aircraft at Mach 3+  could destroy many aircraft.

[Smokin Joe]

The SR-72 would be a recon platform and not a fighter.

However...it has been considered that its speed would be an offensive weapon if it can fly fast at lower altitudes.

Merely passing another aircraft at Mach 3+  could destroy many aircraft.

You would think the design would be as slippery as possible, but the wake vortices could be plane wreckers.