Fastest Jet-Powered Aircraft Lockheed SR-71

The SR-71 Blackbird is one of the most spectacular aircraft ever built. It is a long-range, supersonic reconnaissance aircraft capable of flying at Mach 3.2. The first operational flight of the SR-71 took place on March 21, 1968. When it first flew, it was an amazing performer and still is after three decades of unmatched capabilities. The SR-71 has accumulated many outstanding achievements. The SR-71 program itself has been a total success based on the fact that the aircraft holds all of the official airspeed and altitude records. On September 13, 1974, an SR-71A set a speed record from London to Los Angeles at an average speed of 1,435.587 mph. When fuel is low the plane can reach altitudes of over 90,000 feet. This is considered to be the extreme edges of Space. (Commercial airliners cruise at altitudes around 30,000 feet). Originally, the Blackbird was built to be equipped with weapons but was converted into a reconnaissance plane when it was realized that the plane flew faster than a rifle bullet. In simple terms, it would have shot itself down. Finished aircraft were painted a dark blue (almost black) to increase the emission of internal heat (since fuel was used as a heat sink for avionics cooling) and to act as camouflage against the sky. The aircraft was designed to minimize its radar cross-section, an early attempt at stealth design. Crews flying the SR-71 at 24,000 m faced two main survival problems: 1) With a standard pressure demand oxygen mask, human lungs can not absorb enough of 100% oxygen above 13,000 m to sustain consciousness and life, and 2) the instant heat rise pulse on the body when exposed to a Mach 3.2 air flow during ejection would be about 230 C.

To solve these problems, the David Clark Company was hired to produce protective full pressure suits for all of the crew members of the aircraft. These suits were later adopted for use on the Space Shuttle during ascent. In addition, at Mach 3.2 cruise the external heat rise due to the compression of air on the vehicle would even heat up the inside of the windshield to 120 C and cooling of the crew members was vital. This was achieved by cooling the air with an air conditioner. The air conditioner dumped the heat from the cockpit into the fuel prior to combustion via a heat exchanger.

Titanium structures and skin

Before the Blackbird, titanium could only be found in aircraft in high-temperature exhaust fairings and other small parts directly related to supporting, cooling, or shaping high-temperature areas. Building the Blackbird's structure using 85% titanium and 15% composite materials was a first in the aircraft industry. The advances made by Lockheed in fabricating this material have been used in subsequent high-speed aircraft, such as most modern fighters. (Titanium: A strong, low-density, highly corrosion-resistant, lustrous white metallic element that occurs widely in igneous rocks and is used to alloy aircraft metals for low weight, strength, and high-temperature stability. Atomic number 22; atomic weight 47.87 melting point 1,660C; boiling point 3,287C; specific gravity 4.54; valence 2, 3, 4.) Titanium was difficult to work with, expensive and scarce. In fact, much of the titanium bought by Lockheed to make Blackbirds was imported from the Soviet Union. Initially, 80% of the titanium delivered to Lockheed was rejected due to metallurgical contamination. Studies of the aircraft's titanium skin revealed that the metal was actually growing stronger over time, because of intense heating due to compression of the air, caused by the rapid flight of the vehicle.

Major portions of the upper and lower inboard wing skin of the SR-71 were corrugated, not smooth. The thermal expansion stresses of a smooth skin would have caused splitting or curling. By making the surface corrugated, the skin was allowed to expand vertically and horizontally without overstressing, which also increased longitudinal strength. Despite its success, aerodynamicists initially opposed the concept and accused the design engineers of trying to make a 1920s era Ford Trimotor known for its corrugated aluminum skin go Mach 3. The red stripes on some SR-71s are to prevent maintenance workers from damaging the skin. The curved skin near the center of the fuselage is thin and delicate. There is no support underneath with exception of the structural ribs, which are spaced several feet apart.

Engines
Pratt & Whitney J58 engines beneath the SR-71 Blackbird on display at Imperial War Museum Duxford.

The Pratt & Whitney J58-P4 engines used in the Blackbird were the only military engines ever designed to operate continuously on afterburner, and became more efficient as speed increased. Each J58 engine could produce 145 kN of static thrust. Conventional jet engines cannot operate continuously on afterburner and lose efficiency as airspeed increases. The J58 was unique in that it was a hybrid jet engine. It could operate as a regular turbojet at low speeds, but at high speeds it became a ramjet (air collected from the atmosphere is ducted into the engine to serve as the oxidizer for the burning of fuel that is stored on board). The engine can be thought of as a turbojet engine inside a ramjet engine. At lower speeds, the turbojet provided most of the compression and most of the energy from fuel combustion. At higher speeds, the turbojet throttled back and just sat in the middle of the engine as air bypassed around it, having been compressed by the shock cones and only burning fuel in the afterburner.

Design and operational details

General characteristics Crew: Payload: Length: Wingspan: Height: Wing area: Empty weight: Loaded weight: Max takeoff weight: Powerplant: Wheel track: Wheel base: Aspect ratio: 2 1,600 kg of sensors 32.74 m 16.94 m 5.64 m 170 m2 30,600 kg 77,000 kg 78,000 kg 2 Pratt & Whitney J58-1 continuous-bleed afterburning turbojets,145 kN each 5.08 m 11.53 m 1.7

Performance Maximum speed: Range: Ferry range: Service ceiling: Rate of climb: Wing loading: Thrust/weight: Mach 3.2+ (2,200+ mph, 3,530+ km/h,1900 knots+) at 24,000 m 5,400 km 5,925 km 25,900 m 60 m/s 460 kg/m2 0.382

Miscellaneous Blackbird Information

There are three variations of the Blackbird: the A-12, YF-12, and SR-71. Blackbird missions over North Vietnam were the fastest ever flown in combat. The SR-71's engines run on JP7 fuel, which is a special low-volatility fuel. A fleet of modified KC-135Q tankers keep the Blackbird in the air. The Blackbird's tires are filled with nitrogen and impregnated with powdered aluminum to enable them to withstand heat. The nose contains reconnaissance sensors. The entire unit is detachable so that different sensor combinations can be quickly fitted. There are four compartments in the fuselage that can house panoramic, longrange and infrared cameras, electronic intelligence sensors and side-looking radars. The only other aircraft that approaches the Blackbird's speed is the MiG-25 Foxbat, and it can only sustain Mach 3 for a few minutes, which is compared to the five to eight hour missions that are regularly flown by the SR-71. The Concorde is the only other aircraft that can sustain supersonic flight for many hours at a time. The SR-71 is one of the first examples of the use of stealth technology.

Questions and Thoughts About the SR-71

1. Isn't the X-15 the fastest airplane, not the SR-71? The X-15 is the fastest airplane and was rocket powered. The SR-71 is the Fastest air-breathing jet in the world. 2. How high does it fly? The SR-71 flies in excess of 25,900 m. The curvature of the Earth has been said to be visible. "On a clear day you can see forever"... Colonel Alison 3. What was the purpose of the aircraft? It is an unarmed global strategic reconnaissance spy plane. 4. How much did it cost to build? At the time, each SR-71 cost 33 million US dollar to build and after becoming accepted by the U.S. Air Force the price tag went to 34 million per airframe. 5. How many SR-71's were built? 50 Blackbird airframes of various designations. The dies or molds were destroyed as directed by then Secretary of Defense McNamara to prevent any other nation from building the aircraft. 6. How good are the cameras on the aircraft? They can photograph a golf ball on the green from 24.4km. The cameras can survey 285 000 square km of the Earth's surface per hour. 7. How many aircraft were shot down by unfriendly forces? None. In 1981 Kelly Johnson announced that the SR-71 has had over 1,000 missiles launches against it, but none successful. 8. If I was the pilot of an SR-71 would I lose weight after the mission? Yes, Pilots in a pressure suit can lose up to 2.3 kilograms in a four hour flight. 9. I have heard that the nickname of the SR-71 is "HABU", what does that mean? Habu is the name of a Cobra snake in Okinawa, Japan. Because of the sleek "hooded" appearance of the Blackbird, the Okinawan's claimed it looked like a Habu snake. Thus the nickname. Additionally, SR-71 Crewmembers are called Habu's. 10. Was the SR-71 designed by a computer? No, every aspect of the aircraft was designed with a Slide Rule! 11. Why did the U.S. Air Force quit flying them? Costs to operate was a minimal factor in the actual decision to cancel the SR-71's. There was a variety of reason, but in the end it boiled down to politics in the Pentagon. 9th SRW Commander Colonel Richard Graham's book "SR-71's Revealed" details the reasons for cancellation of the SR-71 Program. There are no Blackbirds designated for flights. The remaining Blackbirds are all currently in Museums or are awaiting disposition to a Museum. 12. Has any woman or enlisted man flown on the SR-71? Yes, Congress-lady Beverly Byron, who took a ride in the B model in November of 1985. Additionally, in October 1991 Marta Bohn-Mayer became the first Female Pilot on the SR-71 at Dryden Flight Research Center. No enlisted man ever flew on the Blackbird to my knowledge. Those fortunate enough to ride in the 2 seated trainer model received a Mach 3 pin and patch stating "I flew three times the speed of sound". 13. How many people have flown the Blackbirds and how many crewmembers have been killed? 478 total people have flown the Blackbirds. More people have climbed to the top of Mount Everest than has flown this aircraft. Although a few Lockheed crewmembers were killed during the testing stages of the Blackbird, the U.S. Air Force never lost a man in the entire 25 years of active service. The SR-71 flew for 17 straight years (19721989) without a loss of plane or crew. Considering the environment the Blackbirds flew in, that is an enviable safety record.

What is the fastest jet on earth?

Officially, the world's fastest jet-powered aircraft remains the SR-71 Blackbird. Although the official record is about Mach 3.3 (or 3.3 times the speed of sound), many believe the aircraft could actually fly much faster. However, it seems unlikely that the SR-71 could go much faster than about Mach 3.5, with a very slim chance of Mach 4, due to propulsion and structural limitations. By Mach 3.6 or 3.8, shock waves generated by the nose of the aircraft are formed at an angle such that they impact the engine nacelles and cause the engines to unstart. In addition, heat generated by the aircraft's high speed increases to the point that certain portions of the plane's structure begin to fail by about Mach 3.5. Since this article was originally published, the SR-71's speed record has been broken by NASA's X-43 Hyper-X experimental aircraft. This unmanned vehicle was designed to test an experimental engine called a scramjet at speeds ranging from Mach 7 to Mach 10. At the X-43's cruising altitude of 30,510 m, these Mach numbers correspond to speeds of approximately 7,640 km/h to 10,855 km/h.

The scramjet, which stands for supersonic combustion ramjet, is a subclass of the jet engine. However, the X-43 was accelerated to these high Mach numbers by a booster rocket, and the aircraft only flew under scramjet power for a few seconds before falling into the sea. From a purist's point of view, the X-43 did not truly break the jet-powered aircraft speed record since it was incapable of cruising at and sustaining these high speeds. Nonetheless, some believe the SR-71's speed record has already been bested by its supposed replacement dubbed the Aurora. Aurora (also credited as the SR-91 Aurora) is the popular name for a hypothesized United States reconnaissance aircraft, believed by conspiracy theorists to be capable of hypersonic flight (speeds of over Mach 5). According to the hypothesis, the Aurora was developed in the 1980s or 1990s as a replacement for the aging and expensive SR-71 Blackbird. If this mysterious new spy plane does indeed exist, it is believed to cruise at speeds ranging from Mach 5 to Mach 8 at 30 510 m. These Mach numbers correspond to speeds of 5,435 km/h to 8,685 km/h. The Aurora may use scramjets, pulse-detonation wave engines, or some other exotic form of propulsion to reach these speeds. However, we should stress that there is no conclusive evidence that this plane ever existed.

A flight simulator model of an artist's concept of the Aurora aircraft

SR-71 Blackbird