SR-72?, Astra or Aurora?

[gramps]

The SR-71(blackbird) was scrapped in 1998. Why? The military wouldn't scrap a successful design without having something better in the wings. The article tries to explain.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/rumors-secret-warplanes-preceded-mach-111600240.html
gramps

 

[Merle1948]

you wouldn't think so, but sometimes the govt does stupid things - like removing guns from our fighters...... :shock:

 

[Jeepnik]

Rumors or Aurora have circulated for decades. Now, there are still a few SR-71's flying. Folks just aren't talking about it much.

Is there a super secret spy plane the public doesn't know about? Probably. Well find out when they develop it's successor.

Also, the military is constantly experimenting, as are the major aerospace companies with new designs. A couple I've read a bit about are the HAFX (high altitude fighter experimental) and LUFX (light utility fighter experimental). Both of which may not have anything to do with fighters and might never see anything more than prototype production.

Let's face it, the public never hears about the really good stuff until it's old news.

 

[Bull Barrel]

Who is flying these aircraft? All remaining planes are display units, as are the A12s.
None have been scrapped. The tooling to build them was scrapped but none of the planes.

 

[gramps]

Jeepnik stated: "The public doesn't get to hear about the really good stuff, till it is old news". Quoted for truth!
gramps

 

[bogus bill]

True there are many satellites that lesson the need for fast spy planes BUT and satellites cant be turned for developing situations plus the paths are known and their arrival times are known when they will be flying over. Thats why there still is the need to have the spy planes. As far back as thirty/fourty years ago I worked on "stuff" that was coordinated moving around when they knew other country satellites were due over. I suppose certain pilots still have to stay qualified to be able to fly those planes.

 

[Jeepnik]

Last I heard the CIA still had a "couple". There has never been an accurate accounting of just how many SR-71 / A-12's were built. Or just who ended up with them. That's the nature of secret squirrel stuff.

While in the USAF we had an egress book that covered every aircraft in the US inventory (that they told us about). It also had some allied aircraft as well. Basically it showed how to get folks out of the aircraft and shut down the engines and so forth.

The "A-12" was just a line drawing showing a rescue hatch and instruction on how to pull the lanyard inside.

That's it, plane crashes, plane burns. If you can't get the pilot out, pilot burns. Super secret squirrel stuff in the 70's. And the plane was built over 10 years earlier.

But just think. The A-12 came about in the 60's. It was and in many ways still is cutting edge. Just what could the minds of the type of folks that designed it come up with since.

Aircraft construction materials alone have gone through a revolution.

 

[Bull Barrel]

RU-2s are still flying.
I have a couple friends who worked on both Habu and Dragon Ladys.

 

[Jeepnik]

RU-2s are still flying.
I have a couple friends who worked on both Habu and Dragon Ladys.

Yep, last I read they were up to the S model and expected to operate beyond 2020. So, if U-2s are still flying, I strongly suspect a few SR-71's might be out there still.

 

[Bull Barrel]

Just because U2s are flying has no bearing on SRs.
They built U-2s until 1989 so they are still young as far as aircraft go. Lockheed says at the rate they are being flown and upgraded they are good until 2050.