I was in the Air Force during the service of the SR-71, One of the aircraft came to my base, a SAC base with nuclear weapons there. I already had a secret clearance to work around these weapons. I was assigned to guard the aircraft and was permitted to have my best friend with me. Two Security Police as we were had to to present while guarding the SR-71. We were like two kids in a candy store with money to spend. Our classifications were temporarily moved to top secret during our assignment. We were told some information by the crew that was way above our classification and pay grades, we knew to take this information to our graves and as for me I have not talked much about the aircraft. In retirement it still holds records for height and speed. Nothing can compare to this wonderful aircraft, both of us counted it one of the highest privileges to even be near it.
@@hattrick2219 From what I know, these were never put in place. It was meant to, but there were reasons not to turn the plane to use, or in fact, arm them? There was, for the YF, intention to, but never came to be?
I was stationed at Beale AFB with the SR71 and the U2 during the 1980's. I serviced the equipment used to refuel both aircraft. I have a few photos taken of me in the cockpit. Awesome planes to watch take off and land. We lived on base and our windows rattled all the time when they broke the sound barrier.
They probably only built 50 Blackbirds in total. That includes 18 A-12 types and its direct derivatives broken as twelve A-12 single-seaters plus the A-12T trainer, 3 YF-12A interceptor prototypes, and two MD-21 drone carrier-launchers. Add in 32 SR-71s consisting of 29 fully-operational front-line deployed planes plus 3 trainers, 2 SR-71B + 1 SR-71C which was a partial recycle of a damaged YF-12A. These planes were 90%+ titanium which is probably why the US Air Forces wanted to scrap them so that the metal could be recycled into new planes! For the amount of titanium used in the Blackbirds, you could probably stretch that across several hundred new fighter airframes! It never made sense to me WHY the USAF wanted to scrap the Blackbirds. It's NOT about national security -- the Russians know about as much about these planes as Lockheed does. When I found out they COULD recycle the titanium, it made sense that they would scrap the existing Blackbird airframes (excepting the few planes pre-retirement of the SR-71 that were in museums like the sole surviving YF-12A). Fighters only use titanium for strength (the wing boxes of the F-14, frame reinforcement in the F-15 and F-18) and firewalls between engines for fighter designs that have closely spaced twin engines (F-15, F-18). That's still far less titanium use than a Blackbird. Even 30-some surviving Blackbirds would have provided quite a bit of recyclable titanium for the US aviation industry. There's no fighter I'm aware that used more than 25-28% titanium by components in its entire airframe. I think the F-14 used the most in its airframe, 25% by weight. Only 9% of the F-4 Phantom structural weight was titanium, barely 5% of the F-16 empty weight is titanium as a way to save on manufacturing costs. I think the F-15 might have been close by percentage to the F-14 but of course the F-15 was about 12,000 lbs LIGHTER than the F-14 in empty weight! The F-22 is about as heavy (empty weight) as the F-14 and uses a similar percentage of titanium if only slightly less than the Tomcat.
The A-12 trainer couldn’t go to Mach 3 because it didn’t have the J58 engine, which wasn’t ready, it used a J75. If it had the engine it was designed for it would have been 3.2
" What we needed was an interceptor and we didn't get one". IMO we got something much better than a simple interceptor and much more valuable. Nothing else, including satellites, could go anywhere in the world, at anytime no matter how contested the area was
Is this some weird Text-to-speech bot overdub? The phrasing of “the experts were astonished at the public” at around 2:00 doesn’t make any sense at all.
I really liked the U2 docu at the end. The narrative for the SR/YF12 almost seemed computer generated by a non-english speaker. Understandable, but just, weird. Thanks for posting these though!
The most high tech aircraft needed two start carts to get it running. Each cart had a pair of 400 bhp V8 engines which would be run up to full power. That’s 1600 bhp of V8 muscle going flat out. Bling tool’s getting the job done.
Apparently the ground crew blew up that many of the V8s by not disengaging the drive shaft that every scrap yard for a hundred mile radius was devoid of them.
They flew over are soccer field during practice when I lived in Okinawa japan. Locals called it the haboo . also saw it at the air show in Okinawa but they had some covers over parts .
"Eisenpunk promoted an Open Skies Policy to spy on the Soviets, which they declined upon. Eisenpunk ignored the declination, "looking at whatever was there, because the nuclear stakes were seen as too high."" Fuckin' tyrannical arses. Any excuse is good enough, even to spy upon our ALLIES!!! "We do what we want, and we make YOU do what we want. To not follow our wish is to be obliterated." Been so since the end of WW2. Screw you, government. Screw you, "presidenski".
Who ever made this documentary isna complete hater. These plames are the best feats ever accomplished. The narrative of this docu gets it all wrong in terms of addressing the aura and legacy this plane is known for.
I was at the Military Museum in Beijing in 2002 and there is a U-2 there on display rebuilt by fragments and debris from what I understood was a shot down or crashed plane. Can anyone say more about this? Thanks from Oslo.
There were two U-2 shot down: one over Russia (the most famous), the other over Cuba, where the pilot also died. Perhaps the one in China is just a fake for propaganda purposes, or parts of one of the other two?
I worked on every part of the SR-71's, U-2's, KC-135's, and T-38's for nearly ten years as a Machinist / Metals Technology Supervisor and Section Chief. The SR-71's titanium was amazing to work with. Decades after it's retirement I was able to purchase some original mission flown titanium parts. I now make rings and collectables using this material.
SEXIEST AIRCRAFT EVER! Could you do a dedicated video on the SR-71 (RS-71) Drone please? My older brother was fortunate enough to be based at Beale AFB in Eastern California as a mechanic for the U-2 and "other aircraft" from 1991-1994. Oh the stories that he was "able to share" with me!
I’m surprised it was originally intended as an interceptor. Flying at >Mach 3 means turns are difficult not to mention the lengthy start procedure using four V8 muscle car engines. The need to refuel shortly after takeoff would further crimp its usefulness.
If this aircraft began development in 1959, imagine what is flying now. Or; without a genius like Kelly Johnson (who I always thought had help from aliens), maybe not so much. Maybe computers can make up for the johnson genius or maybe the AI is helping out while considering how to replace us.
@@Dave5843-d9m the proof of that might be possibly the most brilliant F1 engineer of all time: Adrian Newey. His lack of use of computers is well known. Lots of sketches and notes. Amazing innovator!
@@Dronescapes You can try with any book written by Chris Pocock, he is an expert with the U-2 history. I also did several articles about the U-2 missions over the years, through, US, taiwanese, chinese and israeli sources. Also try to search "Black Cat Squadron". That was the taiwanese unit, which flew clandestine, high altitude U-2 missions over China and North Vietnam and Korea, between 1962-1974. Another unit, the "Black Bat Squadron" did deep penetration mission over China with ELINT aircrafts, from 1953. September 9, 1962 Huai Chen took off from Taoyuan at 0600 for a mission on military deployment in Jiangxi region in U-2C "378". He was shot down by SA-2 fired by PLAAF 2nd Surface-to-Air Guided Missile Battalion over Nanchang. Chen was alive when he was found but died at the hospital. November 1, 1963 Robin Yeh flew this mission on nuclear weapons facilitie in northwestern China in U-2C "355". He was shot down by SA-2 fired by PLAAF 2nd Surface-to-Air Guided Missile Battalion over Jiangxi and was captured alive by the Chinese Communists. He was released to Hong Kong on November 10, 1982. July 7, 1964 Terry Lee took off in 362 from NAS Cubi Point, Philippines on a mission on China's supply lines to North Vietnam. He was shot down by SA-2 fired by PLAAF 2nd Surface-to-Air Guided Missile Battalion over Fujian and was killed. A Chinese source claimed that his ejection seat was not armed and so could not fire. January 10, 1965 Jack Chang took off in 358 from Taoyuan at about 1830 and the aircraft was shot down in Inner Mangolia at about 2115 by missiles fired by PLAAF 1st Surface-to-Air Guided Missile Battalion and was captured alive. He was also released on November 10, 1982. September 8, 1967 Tom Huang flew this mission in 373 over Jiangsu province, Shanghai, and Hangzhou. He was shot down by Chinese-made Red Flag 2 by PLAAF 14th Surface-to-Air Guided Missile Battalion over Jiaxing and was killed. I know about the SR-71 and the A-12 never flew over the USSR and China, but flew several ocasions over Vietnam, and North-Korea for example. P.S. the first S-75 Dvina (SA-2) SAM succes happend over China, in 1959, against a taiwanese RB-57D. P.S. #2 Because the September 9, 1962 shot down, U-2 flights over Cuba were restricted by Secretary of State Dean Rusk. Flights were not allowed to fly over the island, only LOROP photography was allowed, from international waters. That was one of the reason (and the weather), why the SSM sites were found "late".
Amazing to think that these extraordinarily innovative aircraft were developed using Imperial weights and measures at a time when much of ameriqa was racially segregated.
All ready had a long range intercepter...the AVRO Arrow developed in Canada hence the US wanted it canceled. Surpassed all requirements such as speed, height to speed ratio... It would accelerate going verticle with Iriquoi engine deleloped in Canada. Look it up, politics got in the way.
Nonsense! The Arrow had a 820 mile range, less then Mach 2 speed, 58,000 foot ceiling and could never see vertical. Never seen service, never finished, it was junk!!
It's obvious from this narration - the grammatical errors, non sequiturs and statements that make no sense - that English is not this guy's first language, but it makes for a terrible video. But almost none of these comments seem to recognize that.
Ну это ещё не самолёт это прототип когда ещё сможет он летит нормально, ещё вопрос, и сможет ли он воевать, тоже вопрос,. Он хоть то кобру сделает ли или уйде в длительный штопор вопро , а так летать прямо может и синица
"Literally everything on the aircraft had to be invented from scratch, right down to the paint." That's absurd. Your narrative is overloaded with hyperbole and overstatement, but this one takes the cake.
The paint was invented solely for this aircraft, why is the statement absurd? Tires were designed to be at 300 psi and nitrogen filled, windscreens made from quartz to withstand heat...etc. Even mundane items had to designed to handle the most extreme heat.
Click the link to watch more aircraft, heroes and their stories, missions: www.youtube.com/@Dronescapes
Kelly Johnson really did a great job i adore the SR71
So good to see Kelly a really strong man,I hope he is heaven
My grandpa helped design ECM on the U2 and SR-71 and boy is that stuff cool to hear about
I was in the Air Force during the service of the SR-71, One of the aircraft came to my base, a SAC base with nuclear weapons there. I already had a secret clearance to work around these weapons. I was assigned to guard the aircraft and was permitted to have my best friend with me. Two Security Police as we were had to to present while guarding the SR-71. We were like two kids in a candy store with money to spend. Our classifications were temporarily moved to top secret during our assignment. We were told some information by the crew that was way above our classification and pay grades, we knew to take this information to our graves and as for me I have not talked much about the aircraft. In retirement it still holds records for height and speed. Nothing can compare to this wonderful aircraft, both of us counted it one of the highest privileges to even be near it.
Weapons?
You mean planes, or drone.
While the YF is a "prototype fighter" or experimental version fighter, it was unarmed.
@@Xogroroth666 The YF-12A carried three Hughes AIM-47A missiles and was going to be used as an Interceptor.
@@hattrick2219 From what I know, these were never put in place.
It was meant to, but there were reasons not to turn the plane to use, or in fact, arm them?
There was, for the YF, intention to, but never came to be?
@@Xogroroth666 The YF-12A not only carried, but fired missiles at mach 3.
@@davidsinn Well well, I stand corrected then.
Is there any information about this?
An order for 12 examples was placed 30th of January 1860. Incredible. I guess the SR-71 was truly ahead of it's time.
Yes, the SR-71 turned the tide of the Civil War against the South!!!
Did the confederates have it or was it used by the yankees in 1860?
1960*
I got a little chuckle about that as well, wasn’t going to. I applaud your doing so
Goes so fast it breaks time barriers as well as sound
The coolest thing I've ever seen in the sky, no contest.
One of the great engineering feats of the 20th century hands down.
Gieda žmonijos
I was stationed at Beale AFB with the SR71 and the U2 during the 1980's. I serviced the equipment used to refuel both aircraft. I have a few photos taken of me in the cockpit. Awesome planes to watch take off and land. We lived on base and our windows rattled all the time when they broke the sound barrier.
I was an electrician working on the Hard Rock Fire Mountain casino near Beale and I loved it when the Dragon Lady would fly over.
They probably only built 50 Blackbirds in total. That includes 18 A-12 types and its direct derivatives broken as twelve A-12 single-seaters plus the A-12T trainer, 3 YF-12A interceptor prototypes, and two MD-21 drone carrier-launchers. Add in 32 SR-71s consisting of 29 fully-operational front-line deployed planes plus 3 trainers, 2 SR-71B + 1 SR-71C which was a partial recycle of a damaged YF-12A.
These planes were 90%+ titanium which is probably why the US Air Forces wanted to scrap them so that the metal could be recycled into new planes! For the amount of titanium used in the Blackbirds, you could probably stretch that across several hundred new fighter airframes!
It never made sense to me WHY the USAF wanted to scrap the Blackbirds. It's NOT about national security -- the Russians know about as much about these planes as Lockheed does. When I found out they COULD recycle the titanium, it made sense that they would scrap the existing Blackbird airframes (excepting the few planes pre-retirement of the SR-71 that were in museums like the sole surviving YF-12A). Fighters only use titanium for strength (the wing boxes of the F-14, frame reinforcement in the F-15 and F-18) and firewalls between engines for fighter designs that have closely spaced twin engines (F-15, F-18). That's still far less titanium use than a Blackbird.
Even 30-some surviving Blackbirds would have provided quite a bit of recyclable titanium for the US aviation industry. There's no fighter I'm aware that used more than 25-28% titanium by components in its entire airframe. I think the F-14 used the most in its airframe, 25% by weight. Only 9% of the F-4 Phantom structural weight was titanium, barely 5% of the F-16 empty weight is titanium as a way to save on manufacturing costs. I think the F-15 might have been close by percentage to the F-14 but of course the F-15 was about 12,000 lbs LIGHTER than the F-14 in empty weight! The F-22 is about as heavy (empty weight) as the F-14 and uses a similar percentage of titanium if only slightly less than the Tomcat.
Amazing video...almost 70 years ago...imagine now....where did u find this video? It must be declassified.
Keep in mind titanium reacts with almost Everything! So just the fact they were able to work it as an alloy was unfathomable for the time
👍
The A-12 trainer couldn’t go to Mach 3 because it didn’t have the J58 engine, which wasn’t ready, it used a J75. If it had the engine it was designed for it would have been 3.2
After the J58 was installed, you know it went faster! 3.4, 3.5... Makes you wonder.
" What we needed was an interceptor and we didn't get one". IMO we got something much better than a simple interceptor and much more valuable. Nothing else, including satellites, could go anywhere in the world, at anytime no matter how contested the area was
Like I said before we had mach 2 interceptor aircraft in the 50s and improving, Avro Arrow.
That's an impressive bird.
Love it.
Looks like new footage released by Lockheed?
Very informative.
Is this some weird Text-to-speech bot overdub? The phrasing of “the experts were astonished at the public” at around 2:00 doesn’t make any sense at all.
I really liked the U2 docu at the end. The narrative for the SR/YF12 almost seemed computer generated by a non-english speaker. Understandable, but just, weird. Thanks for posting these though!
Awesome bird!!!!!
I think so too Tony!
The most high tech aircraft needed two start carts to get it running. Each cart had a pair of 400 bhp V8 engines which would be run up to full power. That’s 1600 bhp of V8 muscle going flat out. Bling tool’s getting the job done.
Apparently the ground crew blew up that many of the V8s by not disengaging the drive shaft that every scrap yard for a hundred mile radius was devoid of them.
It was 800 one start cart per j58
Gone are the days.
I really like this channel
Thank you TNK! And Happy Festivities!
They flew over are soccer field during practice when I lived in Okinawa japan. Locals called it the haboo . also saw it at the air show in Okinawa but they had some covers over parts .
The D21 is basically a single Pratt @ Whittney J58 engine with wings.
Not that amazing, were it not, that it is a drone.
In 1964 ... .
"Eisenpunk promoted an Open Skies Policy to spy on the Soviets, which they declined upon.
Eisenpunk ignored the declination, "looking at whatever was there, because the nuclear stakes were seen as too high.""
Fuckin' tyrannical arses.
Any excuse is good enough, even to spy upon our ALLIES!!!
"We do what we want, and we make YOU do what we want.
To not follow our wish is to be obliterated."
Been so since the end of WW2.
Screw you, government.
Screw you, "presidenski".
The D-21 was powered by a Marqaudt RJ-43 ramjet, P&W had nothing to do with it.
@@davidsinn I meant the looks, not the actual engine.
My bad.
I should have been more clear.
Thank you for pointing that out.
Who ever made this documentary isna complete hater. These plames are the best feats ever accomplished. The narrative of this docu gets it all wrong in terms of addressing the aura and legacy this plane is known for.
LBJ didn’t say A11 vs A12 ( A12 being the CIA classified bird). LBJ did say SR71 instead of RS71 I a news conference and the name stuck.
Spaceships 🚀
Absolutely bad ass.
I was at the Military Museum in Beijing in 2002 and there is a U-2 there on display rebuilt by fragments and debris from what I understood was a shot down or crashed plane. Can anyone say more about this? Thanks from Oslo.
There were two U-2 shot down: one over Russia (the most famous), the other over Cuba, where the pilot also died. Perhaps the one in China is just a fake for propaganda purposes, or parts of one of the other two?
Amazing aircraft
Absolutely Armando!
project oxcart. A12 Archangel...
The YF-12 interceptor actually was designed to use the AIM-47 Falcon and not the AIM-54 Phoenix missile.
Baddest plane ever made, convince me otherwise. Who needs missles or defense system when you can just out run them and go 3000 mph or close too
I worked on every part of the SR-71's, U-2's, KC-135's, and T-38's for nearly ten years as a Machinist / Metals Technology Supervisor and Section Chief. The SR-71's titanium was amazing to work with. Decades after it's retirement I was able to purchase some original mission flown titanium parts. I now make rings and collectables using this material.
und buying the titanium from the USSR oh the irony
Outstanding "new information"
🙏
MPH?
What is it with Imperial Anti-science measurements?
Even your industry and science uses the ISU measurement system, why can't the rest of you?
SEXIEST AIRCRAFT EVER!
Could you do a dedicated video on the SR-71 (RS-71) Drone please?
My older brother was fortunate enough to be based at Beale AFB in Eastern California as a mechanic for the U-2 and "other aircraft" from 1991-1994.
Oh the stories that he was "able to share" with me!
Not really about 'sexy' though.
I’m surprised it was originally intended as an interceptor. Flying at >Mach 3 means turns are difficult not to mention the lengthy start procedure using four V8 muscle car engines. The need to refuel shortly after takeoff would further crimp its usefulness.
11 planes were lost!!?? Wow,,,, thats a lot.
If this aircraft began development in 1959, imagine what is flying now. Or; without a genius like Kelly Johnson (who I always thought had help from aliens), maybe not so much. Maybe computers can make up for the johnson genius or maybe the AI is helping out while considering how to replace us.
😎😉
Computers can refine existing ideas. They can’t make up for design genius like Kelly Johnson or even RJ Mitchell from the 1930s.
@@Dave5843-d9m the proof of that might be possibly the most brilliant F1 engineer of all time: Adrian Newey. His lack of use of computers is well known. Lots of sketches and notes. Amazing innovator!
Totally, seven U-2 were shot down . Five of them over China between 1962-1967
I don’t know what history book you are reading, but two U-2s were shot down (Russia and Cuba) and no SR-71 was ever shot down.
@@Dronescapes You can try with any book written by Chris Pocock, he is an expert with the U-2 history.
I also did several articles about the U-2 missions over the years, through, US, taiwanese, chinese and israeli sources.
Also try to search "Black Cat Squadron". That was the taiwanese unit, which flew clandestine, high altitude U-2 missions over China and North Vietnam and Korea, between 1962-1974.
Another unit, the "Black Bat Squadron" did deep penetration mission over China with ELINT aircrafts, from 1953.
September 9, 1962
Huai Chen took off from Taoyuan at 0600 for a mission on military deployment in Jiangxi region in U-2C "378". He was shot down by SA-2 fired by PLAAF 2nd Surface-to-Air Guided Missile Battalion over Nanchang. Chen was alive when he was found but died at the hospital.
November 1, 1963
Robin Yeh flew this mission on nuclear weapons facilitie in northwestern China in U-2C "355". He was shot down by SA-2 fired by PLAAF 2nd Surface-to-Air Guided Missile Battalion over Jiangxi and was captured alive by the Chinese Communists. He was released to Hong Kong on November 10, 1982.
July 7, 1964
Terry Lee took off in 362 from NAS Cubi Point, Philippines on a mission on China's supply lines to North Vietnam. He was shot down by SA-2 fired by PLAAF 2nd Surface-to-Air Guided Missile Battalion over Fujian and was killed. A Chinese source claimed that his ejection seat was not armed and so could not fire.
January 10, 1965
Jack Chang took off in 358 from Taoyuan at about 1830 and the aircraft was shot down in Inner Mangolia at about 2115 by missiles fired by PLAAF 1st Surface-to-Air Guided Missile Battalion and was captured alive. He was also released on November 10, 1982.
September 8, 1967
Tom Huang flew this mission in 373 over Jiangsu province, Shanghai, and Hangzhou. He was shot down by Chinese-made Red Flag 2 by PLAAF 14th Surface-to-Air Guided Missile Battalion over Jiaxing and was killed.
I know about the SR-71 and the A-12 never flew over the USSR and China, but flew several ocasions over Vietnam, and North-Korea for example.
P.S. the first S-75 Dvina (SA-2) SAM succes happend over China, in 1959, against a taiwanese RB-57D.
P.S. #2 Because the September 9, 1962 shot down, U-2 flights over Cuba were restricted by Secretary of State Dean Rusk. Flights were not allowed to fly over the island, only LOROP photography was allowed, from international waters. That was one of the reason (and the weather), why the SSM sites were found "late".
@@CombatantBlog P
Amazing to think that these extraordinarily innovative aircraft were developed using Imperial weights and measures at a time when much of ameriqa was racially segregated.
All ready had a long range intercepter...the AVRO Arrow developed in Canada hence the US wanted it canceled. Surpassed all requirements such as speed, height to speed ratio... It would accelerate going verticle with Iriquoi engine deleloped in Canada. Look it up, politics got in the way.
Nonsense! The Arrow had a 820 mile range, less then Mach 2 speed, 58,000 foot ceiling and could never see vertical. Never seen service, never finished, it was junk!!
I witnessed one crash in 68
His name in spanish is El Pajaro Negro .
It's obvious from this narration - the grammatical errors, non sequiturs and statements that make no sense - that English is not this guy's first language, but it makes for a terrible video. But almost none of these comments seem to recognize that.
🛑🛑 I think SR71 is Really Cool, but given the past couple of days; it looks like a Balloon can do the same job. 🎈😂👍
Ну это ещё не самолёт это прототип когда ещё сможет он летит нормально, ещё вопрос, и сможет ли он воевать, тоже вопрос,. Он хоть то кобру сделает ли или уйде в длительный штопор вопро , а так летать прямо может и синица
28:54 Definitely a chinnese spy.
Water town IE: AREA 51
😛❤🦴🦾👍👍👍👍👍🌲🌲
Sure whatever they wants I want 50 billion usd nvda stocks
Ну дерматин вообщем
Uuu
Hh
"Literally everything on the aircraft had to be invented from scratch, right down to the paint."
That's absurd. Your narrative is overloaded with hyperbole and overstatement, but this one takes the cake.
The paint was invented solely for this aircraft, why is the statement absurd? Tires were designed to be at 300 psi and nitrogen filled, windscreens made from quartz to withstand heat...etc. Even mundane items had to designed to handle the most extreme heat.
Everything down to the Tyre bro! This plane was a bullet
КРАСНЫЙ Б 49 КРАСНЫЙ СТРЕЛА ЗАПУСК 17 А АГОНЬ БЕЗ ПРИДУПРИЖДЕНЙ АГОНЬ ПРЕМОЙ ПАПАДАНЙ
МИГ 25 ,его превосходил ,он выше на много
The mig 25 is made out of spare lada parts
DO YOU EVEN READ MY CHRISTMAS LISTS!?