The Lockheed SR-71 " Blackbird " is a retired long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporation. [N 1] Its nicknames include " Blackbird " and " Habu ". [1] The SR-71 was developed in the 1960s as a black project by Lockheed's Skunk Works division.

Learn about the creation of the Blackbird, the world's fastest plane, by Kelly Johnson and the Skunk Works team at Lockheed Martin.

The SR-71, unofficially known as the "Blackbird," is a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft (U.S. Air Force photo by Ken LaRock)

Jul 10, 2017 · The Blackbird evaded all 4,000 missiles fired at it and, to this day, remains the only Air Force aircraft to never lose a crewmember associated with it; whether in the air or on the ground. The Blackbird was designed to operate at extreme velocities, altitudes and temperatures.

The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance airplane that served in the U.S. Air Force from 1964 to 1998. The Lockheed A-12 was produced from 1962 to 1964, and was in operation from 1963 until 1968.

Designed to fly at speeds of Mach 3, this jet-powered, piloted aircraft is the fastest plane on record. The SR-71C at Hill Aerospace Museum in Utah is the only C-model Blackbird ever built. The SR-71 was developed post-WWII, when Soviet …

Historical details and photographs of America's Mach 3 supersonic spyplane aircraft, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.

Unofficially, the SR-71 carried many nicknames, including the "Habu," "SR," "Lady in Black," and "Sled;" but most of us know the SR-71 as the "Blackbird." The SR-71 was developed as a long-range strategic reconnaissance aircraft capable of flying at …

The last of a small family of aircraft built by Lockheed’s famous Skunk Works, the SR-71 is one of the most recognized aircraft ever built. Design of what would become the Blackbird began in 1958 with a request from the CIA for an aircraft to replace the Lockheed U-2.

The Air Force permanently retired SR-71 in 1998, leaving NASA with the two last airworthy Blackbirds until 1999. The fastest recorded speed for the SR-71 was Mach 3.32 (2,193 mph), an official speed record set on 27 July 1976.