National Security Journal on MSN

2731 mph fact: In 35 years of SR-71 Blackbird operations, the Air Force lost 12 aircraft to accidents — only 1 mishap was fatal

Between its maiden flight in 1964 and its retirement in 1999, the U.S. Air Force lost 12 of its Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird ...
National Security Journal on MSN

The SR-71 Blackbird could hit Mach 3 but was almost cancelled

The legendary SR-71 Blackbird that broke every aviation record almost never got built. In the early 1960s, Secretary of ...
The National Interest on MSN

The SR-71 Blackbird Can’t Run on Jet Fuel. Here’s What It Uses Instead.

Ordinary jet fuel would boil and combust inside the Blackbird’s fuel tanks—meaning the aircraft must use a special fuel blend ...