The 1960s are known for a lot of things, but the political hostilities between countries led by the Soviet Union and the United States continued well into 1990.
The United States is known to develop tools and weapons to get ahead in whatever armed or unarmed warfare that could ensue. One of those was the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, arguably the fastest and greatest aircraft ever made.
When you let a Top Gear presenter on a high altitude and long-range Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance cold war aircraft, it’s bound to be a memorable moment. This is exactly what happened 20 years ago when Top Gear and Speed Series’ host Jeremy Clarkson checked out a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird aircraft.
One minute into the spine-tingling clip and we hear Jeremy Clarkson say, “this thing once flew from New York to London in 140 minutes.”
Let's take a closer look at the iconic Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
The Fastest Plane Ever Made Was Built For Speed And Stealth
While managing to brave foreign territories with precision and grace, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was the ultimate speedster and stealth machine.
During the course of the Cold War, the Blackbird was capable of flying faster and much higher than any other aircraft.
More than 50 years after it was developed in secrecy on American soil, it is still the only aircraft capable of doing the numbers it does. As a kid growing up, Jeremy was probably one of the few kids with a picture of a military airplane on his wall.
Now sitting inside this stealth machine, you could tell a lot of research and years of technology were combined to bring this machine to life. Being part of a group of spy planes meant it is designed to go into enemy territories without getting detected or shot down.
The Lockheed SR-71 plane’s paint job was spectacularly designed to dispel heat while on the go, giving it the nickname the Blackbird. On the exterior, you will find sleek lines of its long fuselage. This design contributed towards giving it that iconic look.
Some Of The Specs That Made The Lockheed SR-71 Tick Were Simply Insane
Standing on the runway, you'd be greeted by the majestic sight of the Blackbird, one of America's craziest military airplanes.
The jet-propelled beast stood at a length of 107 ft and 5 inches and had a wingspan of 55 ft 7 inches; it’s as long as the Alpine Tower. The Blackbird weighs a massive 67,500 lbs, but it has a maximum weight of 172,000 lbs.
So what did the fastest jet-propelled aircraft of all time run on? Well, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird flew on two 32,500 lbs thrust Pratt and Whitney J-58-1 after burning turbojets.
For its aerodynamic control surfaces, the Blackbird came with an all-moving vertical tail fin. This was placed just above each of the engine elevons and nacelles on its outer wings. The maximum cruise speed of the Blackbird stood at a cloud parting speed of 1,911 knots and 3,539 Km/h. No jet-propelled aircraft in the world comes close.
Also, with a world speed record for air-breathing engines, the Lockheed SR-71 clocked in at 2,193 MPH.
To date, no other aircraft has managed to take off under its power and fly faster, and by the looks of things, none might for a long time.
With such speed, it still managed a fuel economy of 0.24 nautical mile/gallon or 0.117 kilometers/liter.
Every Good Thing Has End, Even For The World's Fastest War Plane
Chief Test Pilot Robert J. Gilliard made the first test flight in 1964 just before Christmas, on December 22nd. But years later, the use of spy satellites by the US military rendered the Blackbird obsolete and too expensive to maintain.
In 1966, a single Lockheed SR-71 cost $33 million to purchase. If sold as a brand new warplane today, we could be looking at an estimated and massive $250 million price tag.
In its time, the Blackbird accumulated 2,800 hours of flight time in all of its 24 years of service with the United States Air Force. It took Lt. Cols Ed Yielding and Lt. Col. Joseph Vida just an hour, four minutes, and 20 seconds to get to Washington from LA for its last flight.
The year was 1990, and the Blackbird managed to complete this speed record while averaging 3,418 kilometers or 2,124 MPH. Fast forward to 2001, where former Top Gear frontman Jeremy Clarkson goes on enthusiastically about the wonders of the world's fastest jet.