This legendary machine represented speed and technological might in the Cold War era, the Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird.” It was able to outmaneuver missiles and outrun interceptors. The aircraft, serving almost for 25 years, established many speed records among which stands a mind-blowing 2,193.167 miles per hour on July 28, 1976, which is 3,529.56 km/h. Moving at speeds over a bullet from a World War II-era M1 Garand rifle, the Blackbird’s legend solidified in many minds as an untouchable aerial marvel. Despite a dozen being lost in accidents, none ever fell to enemy fire, which is quite an achievement given that an estimated 4,000 missiles were fired at it.
Given that the Blackbird was just about beyond compare in its capabilities, one wonders why the Soviet Union never really copied the type. The Soviets had a history of reverse-engineering foreign designs; for example, the Sukhoi Su-9, which was heavily influenced by the Messerschmitt Me 262, and the Tupolev Tu-4, which was virtually an exact copy of the American Boeing B-29 Superfortress. In the case of the SR-71, though, there was no known direct copy built by the Soviets, probably because they just couldn’t manage to shoot one down.
In return, the Soviet Union was developing its supersonic reconnaissance aircraft. This project was the Tsybin RSR, or “Reactivnyi Strategicheskii Razvedchik,” which means “jet strategic reconnaissance.” The RSR predates the Lockheed SR-71. Work in the Soviet design bureau, headed by aviation designer Pavel Tsybin, began in 1954. It was to have been a supersonic strategic bomber with Mach 3 performance; its maximum range was to be 10,000 miles, and its service ceiling was to be 98,000 feet.
However, as development continued, the RSR was realized not to be able to reach its initially specified range; it would not be able to return to base if it was launched against an intercontinental target. The project was thus redesigned as a reconnaissance vehicle with turbofans for takeoff and ramjets for cruise above Mach 2, with a service ceiling of 73,800 feet and a 2,500-mile range. These requirements, though impressive, never materialized beyond the prototype stage.
In April 1961, the then Soviet Premier, Nikita Khrushchev, who favored missile and space programs, officially scrapped the RSR project. On the other hand, the SR-71 Blackbird was able to succeed in this high-speed reconnaissance that the RSR could never do.
The Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird” was a black project developed from the Lockheed A-12 in the 1960s by the Skunk Works division under the mind of American aeronautical engineer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson. The SR-71 radar-absorbing design first saw operational duty with the USAF in January 1966. Although retired in 1989, the SR-71 was briefly reactivated by the USAF in the 1990s, after which it was finally placed under firm retirement in 1998. NASA flew the Blackbird as a research platform until 1999.
Equipped with SIGINT sensors, SLAR, and cameras, the SR-71 flew at Mach 3.2 and 85,000 feet, and its deficiencies around threats could simply be solved by acceleration. Of 32 built, 12 were lost to accidents. None to enemy action. The mission of the SR-71 has long been taken over by reconnaissance satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); a proposed UAV successor, the SR-72, is currently under development by Lockheed Martin and is due to fly in 2025. To this day, in 2024, the SR-71 holds the world record for the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft, attesting to its legacy.