Lockheed Martin developing successor to the SR-71 Blackbird

When the last SR-71 Blackbird was grounded in 1998 it was a double blow. Not only did aviation lose one of the most advanced aircraft ever built, but also one of the most beautiful. Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works has now revealed that it is building a successor to the Blackbird: the SR-72. Using a new hypersonic engine design that combines turbines and ramjets, the company says that the unmanned SR-72 will be twice as fast as its predecessor with a cruising speed of Mach 6.

The SR-72 uses technology from the HTV-2 (Image: Lockheed Martin)

Believe it when I see it roll out the door.
Clever toy otherwise though.

Spiny Norman said:

Believe it when I see it roll out the door.
Clever toy otherwise though.

going on the pic, if it goes into operation, pics of it’s bow shock will be popular

Riff-in-Thyme said:

Spiny Norman said:

Believe it when I see it roll out the door.
Clever toy otherwise though.

going on the pic, if it goes into operation, pics of it’s bow shock will be popular

Yeah no real point in trying to make it too stealthy, it’ll stand out on IR about 2,000 km away.

Spiny Norman said:

Riff-in-Thyme said:

Spiny Norman said:

Believe it when I see it roll out the door.
Clever toy otherwise though.

going on the pic, if it goes into operation, pics of it’s bow shock will be popular

Yeah no real point in trying to make it too stealthy, it’ll stand out on IR about 2,000 km away.

I did get the picture it was all about response time

Has Kelly Johnsons finger prints all over it, wonder of he still alive?

Has Kelly Johnsons finger prints all over it, wonder of he still alive?

he died back in 1990.

ChrispenEvan said:

Has Kelly Johnsons finger prints all over it, wonder of he still alive?

he died back in 1990.

I can see him sneaking off the plot at night to tinker……

Riff-in-Thyme said:

ChrispenEvan said:

Has Kelly Johnsons finger prints all over it, wonder of he still alive?

he died back in 1990.

I can see him sneaking off the plot at night to tinker……

Sorry to hear he died, and yeah >>I can see him sneaking off the plot at night to tinker……

But not beautiful like the SR71.

Tamb said:

But not beautiful like the SR71.

fluffy dice will help(when I’ve overriden the remote in one passing and installed me a seat in it, obviously)

Tamb said:

But not beautiful like the SR71.

Or the P38

bob(from black rock) said:

Tamb said:

But not beautiful like the SR71.

Or the P38

neither of those develop a pretty compression burn to their leading edge……..

Riff-in-Thyme said:

Not only did aviation lose one of the most advanced aircraft ever built, but also one of the most beautiful.

Like much military designed equipment, it has a type of beauty that results when utilitarian form meets extreme function but I could never call it “beautiful”.

Carmen_Sandiego said:

Riff-in-Thyme said:

Not only did aviation lose one of the most advanced aircraft ever built, but also one of the most beautiful.

Like much military designed equipment, it has a type of beauty that results when utilitarian form meets extreme function but I could never call it “beautiful”.

It’s beauty was in it’s engineering and the nostalgia it now induces for those who followed it’s history

The F35 designed by Buddy Rich? was a great machine too, although not desined by Kelly Johnson, I think Buddy had a great mentor in Kelly.

bob(from black rock) said:

The F35 designed by Buddy Rich? was a great machine too, although not desined by Kelly Johnson, I think Buddy had a great mentor in Kelly.

Ben Rich. He died long before the F-35 was ever put to paper, he was heavily involved in the F-117 though.

Spiny Norman said:

bob(from black rock) said:

The F35 designed by Buddy Rich? was a great machine too, although not desined by Kelly Johnson, I think Buddy had a great mentor in Kelly.

Ben Rich. He died long before the F-35 was ever put to paper, he was heavily involved in the F-117 though.

Then who designed the F35? (sorry about my 73 year old brain) and yeah it was the F-117, and what did the F-35 look like?

bob(from black rock) said:

Spiny Norman said:

bob(from black rock) said:

The F35 designed by Buddy Rich? was a great machine too, although not desined by Kelly Johnson, I think Buddy had a great mentor in Kelly.

Ben Rich. He died long before the F-35 was ever put to paper, he was heavily involved in the F-117 though.

Then who designed the F35? (sorry about my 73 year old brain) and yeah it was the F-117, and what did the F-35 look like?

I don’t know who headed the F-35 team sorry but it looks like this –

The F-117 looks like this –

How do I put an image in here please?

Tamb said:

How do I put an image in here please?

!http://www.address.com/image.jpg!

Tamb said:

How do I put an image in here please?

copy the image url and paste it in between two apostrophes, without spacing

‘C:\Users\Sandy\Desktop’

Tamb said:

‘C:\Users\Sandy\Desktop’

Nah, needs to be on the internet, not your local poota.

Carmen_Sandiego said:

Tamb said:

‘C:\Users\Sandy\Desktop’

Nah, needs to be on the internet, not your local poota.

Yes. I thought I’d cut & pasted the url but still had an old one in the cliupboard. Not accustomed to this borrowed lappy.

Tamb said:

Yay! It worked.

Tamb said:

Tamb said:

Yay! It worked.

Google says it is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blohm_&_Voss_BV_141

Weirdest plane I’ve seen. What is it with Germans and their ridiculously bizarre war equipment?

Tamb said:

Tamb said:

Yay! It worked.

Is that a jet/rocket on the starboard wing?

Tamb said:

Shopped.

Carmen_Sandiego said:

Tamb said:

Tamb said:

Yay! It worked.

Google says it is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blohm_&_Voss_BV_141

Weirdest plane I’ve seen. What is it with Germans and their ridiculously bizarre war equipment?

I see. Observer platform. No wonder it didn’t go into service

The idea was that it could stand continuously on a wingtip & pull very high G turns.

Riff-in-Thyme said:

Tamb said:

Tamb said:

Yay! It worked.

Is that a jet/rocket on the starboard wing?

No it’s the cockpit.

Tamb said:

Riff-in-Thyme said:

Tamb said:

Yay! It worked.

Is that a jet/rocket on the starboard wing?

No it’s the cockpit.

had to get a side view from the wiki page for a better look. wonder how good a snap you’d get in a high G turn?

>What is it with Germans and their ridiculously bizarre war equipment?

A futile attempt to balance their hopeless (& self-inflicted) attrition rate with cheap but “cunningly clever” devices.

BV 141

Other BV Planes