The world of aviation is in an uproar about the possibility that finally, in 2025, it might see the arrival of Lockheed Martin’s SR-72, the hypersonic successor to the SR-71 Blackbird. Frequently called the “Son of Blackbird,” this aircraft could change military aviation with its unprecedented speed and advanced technology.
The SR-71 Blackbird was constructed during the 1960s to be the world’s first supersonic reconnaissance aircraft, reaching just over Mach 3. With an operational altitude of 85,000 feet, for most of its service life, from 1966 until 1999, serving both in the USAF and NASA, it could not be attacked. Even though the SR-71 was retired, no other aircraft to date has broken its record, and thus, according to appropriately ensuing opinion, is held to be an icon of aviation.
Now, enter the SR-72, a hypersonic stealth aircraft designed to do everything bigger and better than its predecessor. The project has been in development by Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Programs, commonly known as “Skunk Works”, and is expected to reach speeds over Mach 5, possibly even Mach 6. In that way, the SR-72 would outrun the latest missile defenses, retaining an unattackable status like that of the SR-71.
Of all the hypersonic capabilities, the most critical has to do with the propulsion system of the SR-72. This is reportedly powered by a Turbine-Based Combined Cycle hypersonic propulsion system, which merges turbofan engines at lower Mach with scramjets at hypersonic Mach. This allows an aircraft to reach and sustain above Mach 5.
It was suggested by Lockheed Martin executives in 2013 that a test vehicle could fly by 2025, with entry into service in the 2030s. But recent comments from Vago Muradian, editor-in-chief of the Defense & Aerospace Report, suggest that the first prototype could already have been delivered to the USAF. The SR-72 might take to the skies quite soon, some speculation has it.
This SR-72 is not a question of speed but will be enabled with state-of-the-art weaponry. It will be equipped with Lockheed Martin’s new HSSW system, which can fire hypersonic weapons faster than any other, and supposedly be a part of the arsenal of the SR-72. Such is the case; the SR-72, powered by its speed and firepower, could penetrate any airspace to strike targets across a continent in under an hour.
With little information published by the government on the design, specification, and roles of the SR-72, this plane has enormous potential. It captures the imagination of military experts and all those who love aviation. Until we get more news, the SR-72 stands as a statement to Lockheed Martin’s history of breaking the boundaries of aviation technology.