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SR71 Blackbird: Unbelievable engineering [engine]

GTaudiophile said:
You should read 'Skunk Works' by Ben Rich.
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This. Read that book when it came out 1996.

9780316743006_p0_v1_s260x420.jpg

Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed

complements this book that came out the same year.
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2Q==
SR-71 Revealed: The Inside Story
 
I loved the part in the "Skunk Works" where they were trying to show the Air Force the A12/SR71 could make an effective interceptor.

They installed look-down shoot-down radar and a trapeze system to launch air-to-air missiles.

After launching the missiles at Mach 3+ they would fall 80,000ft accelerating the entire way until they hit their targets at Mach 6+. 😱
 
Funny that they're acting like this is new info when it has been publically available for 20-30 years....
 
The craziest thing about the SR 71 is the fuel leakage on the runway.

http://www.sr-71.org/blackbird/sr-71/

In order for the SR-71 to fly the worldwide missions, it has a special fleet of modified KC-135Q tankers for refueling. SR-71s run on JP-7 fuel, that fills the six large tanks in the fuselage. The component parts of the Blackbird fit very loosely together to allow for expansion at high temperatures. At rest on the ground, fuel leaks out constantly, since the tanks in the fuselage and wings only seal at operating temperatures. There is little danger of fire since the JP-7 fuel is very stable with an extremely high flash point.
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Edit: You also get a finite number of afterburner ignites because of the catalyst needed to start the reaction. (~16)
 
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I've been an ardent admirer of these aircraft for many years. They represent a pinnacle of aviation prowess that is as yet unsurpassed in many regards, and as such still remain a timely topic of discussion.
 
crashtech said:
I've been an ardent admirer of these aircraft for many years. They represent a pinnacle of aviation prowess that is as yet unsurpassed in many regards, and as such still remain a timely topic of discussion.
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And will likely not be passed at all because there's no need for a craft like that anymore.
 
pfft. you think that is great technology? check this out:
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wroom wrooom. wrooompotpotptptopotpotpotpotptmeeeeeeeeee...
 
I'll always admire the SR-71 and I believe it serves as the pinnacle of military aircraft. But I think had the XB-70 gone into production it would have matched the SR-71 in greatness.
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