The Lockheed Martin SR-72 Darkstar is getting ready to rewrite all record books of aerial reconnaissance and surveillance. Dubbed the “Son of Blackbird,” this design attempt is set to outclass its predecessor, the legendary SR-71 Blackbird. The SR-71 holds many records even to this day since it was decommissioned and is hailed as the fastest plane ever to have flown.
As such, the new American concept UAV SR-72 hypersonic craft is to take flight in 2025. This new concept is to be unleashed for surveillance, intelligence, and reconnaissance missions, promising to touch possibilities that have never been tapped before in speed and altitude capabilities. The program leading this ambitious venture is that of Skunk Works, the advanced project division of Lockheed Martin.
The SR-71 Blackbird was developed in the 1950s and 1960s with superlative technology. It was a clandestine-built aircraft, designed to overfly the agreement’s fringe of space and avoid missiles. The development was driven by the need to collect accurate intelligence about the Soviet Union and led to an airframe that could fly at 70,000 feet with relative impunity from Soviet defenses. What made a Blackbird the most protected was its speed and altitude, it might just as well be immune to the currently used surface-to-air missiles.
The SR-72 Darkstar seems set to build on that legacy, with Lockheed Martin dropping a tantalizing hint for a new spy airframe to fly with the U.S. Air Force. The SR-72 is designed to reach hypersonic speeds over Mach 5.0, abandoning even the craziest sophistication of modern-day air defense. Further elaborating on the point, the manager of Lockheed’s program, Brad Leland, stated, “Hypersonic aircraft, coupled with hypersonic missiles, could penetrate denied airspace and strike at nearly any location across a continent in less than an hour.”
With those kinds of expectations, a powerhouse engine will be needed on the SR-72. The original Blackbird was powered by the unique Pratt & Whitney J58 turbojet, often referred to as a “turboramjet,” which the new engine will have to eclipse if it’s going to meet the hypersonic goals set for the SR-72. As tensions between Washington and Beijing rise, the timely production of the SR-72 is needed in terms of U.S. national security interests.
The SR-72, reportedly over 100 feet long, is due to enter service by 2030, in line with the USAF’s hype road map. Lockheed has briefed officials of the government on the prospect, and preliminary arrangements about funding for the demonstrator and the engine have taken place. The SR-72 will cruise at over 4,000 mph; military reach points will be reached quickly, and this will change the game in how aircraft are used.
The SR-72, currently in development, offers the U.S. Air Force the capability to process at an unprecedented speed while penetrating advanced air defenses. In real terms, this means quite a strategic advantage in consideration of the state of the world right now. If effectively made, the SR-72 will manage to go faster than the modern best anti-air-defense systems, and what will be changed in the game in air warfare.