A Blackbird is missing
Discussion
An interesting article on TWZ this morning. A static display SR-71 (the last one to fly) has gone missing and NASA have teased an image of a new x-plane looking very similar.
https://www.twz.com/air/a-sr-71-blackbird-has-vani...
Given the F-117A was 'retired' and then re-emerged as an LO adversary, I wonder if it is possible to re-commission a long retired airframe as complex and unique as the Blackbird. AIUI even when it retired the KC-135Qs remainined in service, despite there being no 'customers' for JP7 officially in the US inventory.
Even if they did bring it back, why would it be needed today? It isn't going to outrun modern SAM threats any more, and isn't LO enough to avoid detection.
https://www.twz.com/air/a-sr-71-blackbird-has-vani...
Given the F-117A was 'retired' and then re-emerged as an LO adversary, I wonder if it is possible to re-commission a long retired airframe as complex and unique as the Blackbird. AIUI even when it retired the KC-135Qs remainined in service, despite there being no 'customers' for JP7 officially in the US inventory.
Even if they did bring it back, why would it be needed today? It isn't going to outrun modern SAM threats any more, and isn't LO enough to avoid detection.
As long as airframe fatigue and engine hours/fatigue aren't major considerations, then I'd say it's definitely possible, but also definitely expensive and logistically almost ludicrous (JP7* production as per the article, the specific tankers for carrying JP7 and refuelling it probably aren't airworthy any longer, let alone the spares/repairs issue for what was a monstrously bespoke aircraft and highly complex engines).
...that said, it was well proven to work at Mach 3+, and the physics issues of a reusable airframe (& engine) operating at those temperatures haven't changed in the last 60 years. So it may be that recommissioning 1 (more?) Blackbird(s) to run as technology/material test-beds might be cheaper than developing a whole new untried X-plane for that specific purpose.
* Any extended running at higher Mach numbers will run into the same problems that required the development of JP7 in the first place, so they've probably already run through multiple multiple options before getting to this point. I'd also like to point out that if anyone needs me to do some work in the SoCal area in the near future I'm open to offers...would just ask for flexible hours!
...that said, it was well proven to work at Mach 3+, and the physics issues of a reusable airframe (& engine) operating at those temperatures haven't changed in the last 60 years. So it may be that recommissioning 1 (more?) Blackbird(s) to run as technology/material test-beds might be cheaper than developing a whole new untried X-plane for that specific purpose.
* Any extended running at higher Mach numbers will run into the same problems that required the development of JP7 in the first place, so they've probably already run through multiple multiple options before getting to this point. I'd also like to point out that if anyone needs me to do some work in the SoCal area in the near future I'm open to offers...would just ask for flexible hours!
You could learn from how they are built etc, and things like stripping to investigate build techniques,but surely tech has moved on so much since the 60s, most of that will be fairly useless.
It may be the new craft is a similar size, so they want to use an airframe for some reason.
Nasa flew them for quite a while after CIA service I think. Not sure when that finally stopped, probably 90s or early 00s.
But most likely it's an AI image to make nerds froth, it probably looks nothing like that.
It may be the new craft is a similar size, so they want to use an airframe for some reason.
Nasa flew them for quite a while after CIA service I think. Not sure when that finally stopped, probably 90s or early 00s.
But most likely it's an AI image to make nerds froth, it probably looks nothing like that.
bergclimber34 said:
You could learn from how they are built etc, and things like stripping to investigate build techniques,but surely tech has moved on so much since the 60s, most of that will be fairly useless.
It may be the new craft is a similar size, so they want to use an airframe for some reason.
Nasa flew them for quite a while after CIA service I think. Not sure when that finally stopped, probably 90s or early 00s.
But most likely it's an AI image to make nerds froth, it probably looks nothing like that.
It's still likely to be cutting edge IMO. Nothing really superceded it. It may be the new craft is a similar size, so they want to use an airframe for some reason.
Nasa flew them for quite a while after CIA service I think. Not sure when that finally stopped, probably 90s or early 00s.
But most likely it's an AI image to make nerds froth, it probably looks nothing like that.
Arguably the greatest aircraft ever made.
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