Every fact and statistic is just mind-blowing! The KC-135Q had a modified high-speed boom, which would allow refueling of the Blackbird at nearly the tanker's maximum airspeed with minimum flutter. On 28 July 1976, SR-71 serial number 61-7962, piloted by then Captain Robert Helt, broke the world record: an "absolute altitude record" of 85,069 feet (25,929 m). On the SR-71, titanium was used for 85% of the structure, with much of the rest polymer composite materials. 61-7976) operational mission flown from Kadena AB over Vietnam, 29 May 1968: CMSgt Bill Gornik begins the tie-cutting tradition of Habu crews' neckties, 3 December 1975: First flight of SR-71A (AF Ser. [123], The SR-71 was the world's fastest and highest-flying air-breathing operational manned aircraft throughout its career and it still holds that record. [34] Because of this, and the lack of a fuel-sealing system that could handle the airframe's expansion at extreme temperatures, the aircraft leaked JP-7 fuel on the ground prior to takeoff,[35] annoying ground crews. NASA was the final operator of the Blackbird, who used it as a research platform, retiring it in 1999. If the SAM site could track the SR-71 and fire a SAM in time, the SAM would expend nearly all of the delta-v of its boost and sustainer phases just reaching the SR-71's altitude; at this point, out of thrust, it could do little more than follow its ballistic arc. [26]:204 While the SR-71 survived attempts to retire it in 1988, partly due to the unmatched ability to provide high-quality coverage of the Kola Peninsula for the US Navy,[119][26]:194195 the decision to retire the SR-71 from active duty came in 1989, with the last missions flown in October that year. These SR-71 photos were photographed by civilians or members/veterans of the US. [90][40], The first flight of an SR-71 took place on 22 December 1964, at USAF Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, piloted by Bob Gilliland. In flight, the ANS, which sat behind the reconnaissance systems officer's (RSO's), position, tracked stars through a circular quartz glass window on the upper fuselage. [26] Graham said that the last-mentioned one was only a sales pitch, not a fact, at the time in the 1990s. The SR-71 was one of several spy airplanes built to venture into enemy territory without being shot down or even detected. [86] The cabin needed a heavy-duty cooling system, as cruising at Mach3.2 would heat the aircraft's external surface well beyond 500F (260C)[87] and the inside of the windshield to 250F (120C). [57][58] The engine was most efficient around Mach3.2,[59] the Blackbird's typical cruising speed. The counterargument was that the longer the SR-71 was not upgraded as aggressively as it ought to have been, the more people could say that it was obsolescent, which was in their interest as champions of other programs (a self-fulfilling bias). Special radar-absorbing materials were incorporated into sawtooth-shaped sections of the aircraft's skin. As the SR-71 had a second cockpit behind the pilot for the RSO, it could not carry the A-12's principal sensor, a single large-focal-length optical camera that sat in the "Q-Bay" behind the A-12's single cockpit. The high temperatures generated in flight required special design and operating techniques. [178], Avionics SAS, autopilot, and manual control inputs would fight the yawing, but often the extreme off-angle would reduce airflow in the opposite engine and stimulate "sympathetic stalls". NASA operated the two last airworthy Blackbirds until 1999. This flight was awarded the 1971 Mackay Trophy for the "most meritorious flight of the year" and the 1972 Harmon Trophy for "most outstanding international achievement in the art/science of aeronautics".[132]. The mission was to do an incident preparedness check and identify an aircraft of high interest. The SR-71 Blackbird is a supersonic reconnaissance aircraft. The squadron finally closed in mid-1990, and the aircraft were distributed to static display locations, with a number kept in reserve storage.[26]. ", U-2 / A-12 / YF-12A / SR-71 Blackbird & RB-57D WB-57F locations. Swedish Air Force fighter pilots have managed to lock their radar on an SR-71 on multiple occasions within shooting range. [49], At the front of each inlet, a pointed, movable inlet cone called a "spike" was locked in its full forward position on the ground and during subsonic flight. Experience gained from the A-12 program convinced the Air Force that flying the SR-71 safely required two crew members, a pilot and a Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO). Less than two weeks . [102] Pilots did report that missiles launched without radar guidance and no launch detection, had passed as close as 150 yards (140m) from the aircraft. On 29 November 2018, the four Swedish pilots involved were awarded medals from the USAF.[116][117]. It was built by Lockheed's "Skunk Works" in the 1960s for the United States Air Force (USAF). [66] However, the amount of fuel that leaked was not enough to make the refueling necessary; the planes refueled because the maximum speeds of the aircraft were only possible with aerial refueling. [49] Its "blue light" source star tracker, which could see stars during both day and night, would continuously track a variety of stars as the aircraft's changing position brought them into view. From 80,000 feet, an SR-71 could survey 100,000 square miles of Earth's . Capture of the plane's shock wave within the inlet is called "starting the inlet". (In order to be selected into the SR-71 program in the first place, a pilot or navigator (RSO) had to be a top-quality USAF officer, so continuing career progression for members of this elite group was not surprising.) The USAF could fly each SR-71, on average, once per week, because of the extended turnaround required after mission recovery. 61-7956/NASA No. Twelve SR-71s were lost and one pilot died in accidents during the aircraft's service career. The aircraft, however, was detected on radar as soon as overflights began and it was only a matter of time before one would be intercepted. This portion of the skin was only supported by widely spaced structural ribs. Despite this, however, its shape made it vulnerable to radar detection. Get the latest updates on NASA missions, watch NASA TV live, and learn about our quest to reveal the unknown and benefit all humankind. For comparison, the best commercial Concorde flight time was 2 hours 52 minutes and the Boeing 747 averages 6 hours 15 minutes. The Blackbird was to retrace and photograph the flightpath of the hijacked 727 from Seattle to Reno and attempt to locate any of items that Cooper was known to have parachuted with from the aircraft. Congressional conferees stated the "experience with the SR-71 serves as a reminder of the pitfalls of failing to keep existing systems up-to-date and capable in the hope of acquiring other capabilities. The 1970s proved to be the most noteworthy period for the high-Mach Blackbird. [53] After wind tunnel testing and computer modeling by NASA Dryden test center,[54] Lockheed installed an electronic control to detect unstart conditions and perform this reset action without pilot intervention. Rob Vermeland, Lockheed Martin's manager of Advanced Development Program, said in an interview in 2015 that high-tempo operations were not realistic for the SR-71. [N 2] This USAF version was longer and heavier than the original A-12 because it had a longer fuselage to hold more fuel. American aerospace engineer Clarence "Kelly" Johnson was responsible for many of the aircraft's innovative concepts. Also, with the allocation requiring yearly reaffirmation by Congress, long-term planning for the SR-71 was difficult. On 26 April 1971, 61-7968, flown by majors Thomas B. Estes and Dewain C. Vick, flew over 15,000 miles (24,000km) in 10 hours and 30 minutes. [22], In 1968, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara canceled the F-12 interceptor program. On 28 July 1976, SR-71 serial number 61-7962, piloted by then Captain Robert Helt, broke the world record: an "absolute altitude record" of 85,069 feet (25,929m). The limitations of reconnaissance satellites, which take up to 24 hours to arrive in the proper orbit to photograph a particular target, make them slower to respond to demand than reconnaissance planes. Book Synopsis. The CIA ordered 12 of these aircraft, and starting in 1965, A-12s began flying missions as part of Operation Black Shield out of Kadena Air Force Base on Okinawa, Japan. Congress reauthorized the funds, but, in October 1997, President Bill Clinton attempted to use the line-item veto to cancel the $39million allocated for the SR-71. It reached 20,000 feet (6,100m) of altitude in less than two minutes, and the typical 80,000 feet (24,000m) cruising altitude in another 17 minutes, having used one third of its fuel. [26] Dick Cheney told the Senate Appropriations Committee that the SR-71 cost $85,000 per hour to operate. An advanced, long-range, Mach 3.2 strategic reconnaissance aircraft. SR-71 Blackbird - Absolute Altitude (Sustained Flight) - Manned Aircraft. A second round of armed JA-37s from ngelholm replaced the first pair and completed the escort to Danish airspace. The design was designated YF-12A in 1962 and it took its first successful Groom Lake flight in the following year. In 1989, SR-71 operations were suspended, and the SR-71 program was soon terminated after flying for 24 years with the Strategic Air Command. more than 30 years ago, SR-71s are still the world's fastest and highest-flying production aircraft. [6] Since its retirement, the SR-71's role has been taken up by a combination of reconnaissance satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); a proposed UAV successor, the SR-72, is under development by Lockheed Martin, and scheduled to fly in 2025. Related: Here Are The Most Terrifying Aircraft Ever Used By The Military In later life, the radar was replaced by Loral's Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar System (ASARS-1). 61-7956, flies its 1,000th sortie, 21 April 1989: SR-71, AF Ser. By 1970, the SR-71s were averaging two sorties per week, and by 1972, they were flying nearly one sortie every day. No. 11, November 1974. It was a slow craft and visible on radar, but it compensated for these deficiencies with its high-altitude capability. [81][82], SLAR, built by Goodyear Aerospace, could be carried in the removable nose. [2] If a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, the standard evasive action was simply to accelerate and outpace the missile. It was found that the plane was in obvious distress and a decision was made that the Swedish Air Force would escort the plane out of the Baltic Sea. St. Louis, Missouri, to Cincinnati, Ohio, distance 311.4 miles (501.1km), average speed 2,189.9 miles per hour (3,524.3km/h), and an elapsed time of 8 minutes 32 seconds. 831 officially delivered to NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at, 28 September 1994: Congress votes to allocate $100million for reactivation of three SR-71s, 28 June 1995: First reactivated SR-71 returns to USAF as Detachment 2, 9 October 1999: The last flight of the SR-71 (AF Ser. There were also trainer versions of the A-12 and SR-71. Beginning in 1980, the analog inlet control system was replaced by a digital system, which reduced unstart instances. On landing, the canopy temperature was over 572F (300C). When we are trying to find out if the Serbs are taking arms, moving tanks or artillery into Bosnia, we can get a picture of them stacked up on the Serbian side of the bridge. Colonel Rich Graham, SR-71 pilot, described the acquisition process: The airplane is 92% titanium inside and out. In actuality, the YF-12 was the twin-seat version of the top-secret single-seat Lockheed A-12, and its design became the forerunner of the highly sophisticated SR-71 Blackbird strategic reconnaissance aircraft. No. One widely conventional view, and probably the best-known view, of the reasons for the SR-71's retirement in 1989a view that the Air Force itself offered to the Congresswas that besides being very expensive, the SR-71 had become redundant anyway, among other reconnaissance methods that were ever-evolving. The investigation determined that the new aircraft would need to be supersonic and have a small radar cross-section. Hinckley, UK: AeroFax-Midland Publishing, 2002. When the SR-71 was retired in 1990, one Blackbird was flown from its birthplace at USAF Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, to go on exhibit at what is now the Smithsonian Institution's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. After a meeting with the CIA in March 1959, the design was modified to have a 90% reduction in radar cross-section. NASA.gov brings you the latest images, videos and news from America's space agency. [85] The rest of the crew members ejected safely or evacuated their aircraft on the ground. Merely accelerating would typically be enough for an SR-71 to evade a SAM;[3] changes by the pilots in the SR-71's speed, altitude, and heading were also often enough to spoil any radar lock on the plane by SAM sites or enemy fighters. [105] Five flights were attempted but on each occasion no photographs of the flight path were obtained due to low visibility.[106]. This generated a rapid counter-yawing, often coupled with loud "banging" noises, and a rough ride during which crews' helmets would sometimes strike their cockpit canopies. [104] In 1996, the USAF claimed that specific funding had not been authorized, and moved to ground the program. During aerial reconnaissance missions, the SR-71 operated at high speeds and altitudes (Mach 3.2 and 85,000 feet, 25,900 meters), allowing it to outrace or entirely avoid threats. Landing speeds were also reduced, as the chines' vortices created turbulent flow over the wings at high angles of attack, making it harder to stall. SR-71 "Blackbird". No. Fuselage panels were manufactured to fit only loosely with the aircraft on the ground. [36] The temperature of the exterior of the windscreen reached 600F (316C) during a mission. [57], Air was initially compressed (and heated) by the inlet spike and subsequent converging duct between the center body and inlet cowl. This position reflected the spike shock wave repeatedly between the spike center body and the inlet inner cowl sides, and minimized airflow spillage which is the cause of spillage drag. Back when they were building the airplane the United States didn't have the ore supplies an ore called rutile ore. During aerial reconnaissance missions, the SR-71 operated at high speeds and altitudes (Mach 3.2 and 85,000 feet, 25,900 meters), allowing it to outrace or entirely avoid threats. Bleed tubes and bypass doors were designed into the inlet and engine nacelles to handle some of this pressure and to position the final shock to allow the inlet to remain "started". [123], Retired USAF Colonel Jay Murphy was made the Program Manager for Lockheed's reactivation plans. Free shipping for many products! Two records set: World Absolute Closed Circuit Speed Record over a 1000 Kilometer Course (The SR-71 is a Class C-1 Group III jet engine aircraft, same as the Mig-25 Foxbat) - 2092.293 MPH, surpassing the previous Absolute Speed Record of 1853 MPH and the World Class Speed Record of 1815 MPH set by a Russian Mig-25 Foxbat in October, 1967. Several aircraft have exceeded this altitude in zoom climbs, but not in sustained flight. These generals were adept at communicating the value of the SR-71 to a USAF command staff and a Congress who often lacked a basic understanding of how the SR-71 worked and what it did. USAF Chief of Staff General Curtis LeMay preferred the SR (Strategic Reconnaissance) designation and wanted the RS-71 to be named SR-71. No. Kelly Johnson realized that the A-12 airframe might work, and designed an interceptor version of the A-12. American leaders needed to know about the Soviet Unions nuclear capability, ICBM program, and military installations. [N 5][47][48], The air inlets allowed the SR-71 to cruise at over Mach3.2, with the air slowing down to subsonic speed as it entered the engine. [35] Within 20 seconds the aircraft traveled 4,500 feet (1,400m), reached 240 miles per hour (390km/h), and lifted off. One of the most impressive vehicles to come out of the Lockheed Skunk Works experimental and clandestine development team is the SR-71 Blackbird. [42] Drawing on early studies in radar stealth technology, which indicated that a shape with flattened, tapering sides would reflect most energy away from a radar beam's place of origin, engineers added chines and canted the vertical control surfaces inward. [64][65], Several exotic fuels were investigated for the Blackbird. An SR-71 refueling from a KC-135Q Stratotanker during a flight in 1983. Mach3.2 was the design point for the aircraft, its most efficient speed. The media transcript given to the press at the time still had the earlier RS-71 designation in places, creating the story that the president had misread the aircraft's designation. "[122], Macke told the committee that they were "flying U-2s, RC-135s, [and] other strategic and tactical assets" to collect information in some areas. Before the July speech, LeMay lobbied to modify Johnson's speech to read "SR-71" instead of "RS-71". . There were two routes. [124] All other Blackbirds have been moved to museums except for the two SR-71s and a few D-21 drones retained by the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (later renamed the Armstrong Flight Research Center). These are only two of the numerous records set by the SR-71 and its cloud of Blackbirds. 61-7978) arrives at, 21 March 1968: First SR-71 (AF Ser. One successful offshoot of the A-12 was the SR-71 Blackbird. Attempts to add a datalink to the SR-71 were stymied early on by the same factions in the Pentagon and Congress who were already set on the program's demise, even in the early 1980s. [11] That same day SR-71 serial number 61-7958 set an absolute speed record of 1,905.81 knots (2,193.2mph; 3,529.6km/h), approximately Mach3.3. In addition to reaching altitudes higher than 25,908 meters (85,000 feet) and cruise at speeds greater than Mach 3.2, it could survey up to 160,934 square kilometers (100,000 square miles) of territory in just one hour. While the SR-71 carried radar countermeasures to evade interception efforts, its greatest protection was its combination of high altitude and very high speed, which made it almost invulnerable. Thirteen were built; two variants were also developed, including three of the YF-12 interceptor prototype, and two of the M-21 drone carrier. Show more Show more 7:16 Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. European operations were from RAF Mildenhall, England. [26], The SR-71, while much more capable than the Lockheed U-2 in terms of range, speed, and survivability, suffered the lack of a data link, which the U-2 had been upgraded to carry. [N 1] It was operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and NASA.[1]. No. The SR-71 was the world's fastest and highest-flying operational manned aircraft throughout its career. These were called the TA-12, SR-71B, and SR-71C. Johnson decided to counter this criticism by revealing the existence of the YF-12A USAF interceptor, which also served as cover for the still-secret A-12[20] and the USAF reconnaissance model since July 1964. The aircraft was meant to be powered by the Pratt & Whitney J58 engine, but development ran over schedule, and it was equipped instead with the less powerful Pratt & Whitney J75 initially. SR-71 Blackbird spotted breaking the sound barrier at high altitude. Early A-12s were tested with Pratt & Whitney J75 engines in 1961, but were retrofitted with J58 engines optimized to meet the speed rating of Mach 3.2 once they became available in 1963. 64-17972, flying from New York to London in 1 hour 54 minutes and 56 seconds, for an average speed of 1,806.96 mph. It set world records for altitude and speed: an absolute altitude record of 85,069 feet on July 28, 1974, and an absolute speed record of 2,193.2 miles per hour on the same day. The chines also acted like leading-edge extensions, which increase the agility of fighters such as the F-5, F-16, F/A-18, MiG-29, and Su-27. However, by the mid-1980s, these SR-71 generals all had retired, and a new generation of USAF generals mostly wanted to cut the program's budget and spend its funding on different priorities, such as the very expensive new B-2 Spirit strategic bomber program. Kloesel, Kurt J., Nalin A. Ratnayake and Casie M. Clark. [62] Maximum flight speed was limited by the temperature of the air entering the engine compressor, which was not certified for temperatures above 800F (430C). The SR-71 was developed as a black project from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft during the 1960s by Lockheed's Skunk Works division. In 1976, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird broke the world's record for sustained altitude in horizontal flight at 25,929 meters (85,069 feet). This configuration never flew operational missions due to horrific accidents involving difficulty with drone separation that occurred during testing. [81] Initially, the TEOCs could not match the resolution of the A-12's larger camera, but rapid improvements in both the camera and film improved this performance. 61-7972, when the Astro-Inertial Navigation System (ANS) fails on a training mission and they accidentally fly into Mexican airspace, 5 February 1968: Lockheed ordered to destroy A-12, YF-12, and SR-71 tooling, 8 March 1968: First SR-71A (AF Ser. Tweet Print Number of views (3119) Tags: Aircraft Records SR-71 Record List Landis and Jenkins 2005, pp. Some secondary references use incorrect 64- series aircraft serial numbers (e.g. In June 1998, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the line-item veto was unconstitutional. [84] After landing, information from the SLAR, ELINT gathering systems, and the maintenance data recorder were subjected to postflight ground analysis. What would happen if an SR-71 tried to surpass that altitude? It decelerates further in the divergent duct to give the required speed at entry to the compressor. [12], The A-12 first flew at Groom Lake (Area 51), Nevada, on 25 April 1962. In the early years of operation, the analog computers would not always keep up with rapidly changing flight environmental inputs. It has set numerous speed and altitude records including the following in chronological order May 01, 1965 Absolute Altitude: 80,257.86 ft (24,390 meters). The aircraft was flown to the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio in March 1990. For other uses, see, See the opening fly page in Paul Crickmore's book. ", "Design and Development of the Blackbird: Challenges and Lessons Learned", "Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" - Air Power Provided", "SR-71 Blackbird: The Cold War's ultimate spy plane", "OXCART vs Blackbird: Do You Know the Difference? [38], The Blackbird's tires, manufactured by B.F. Goodrich, contained aluminum and were filled with nitrogen. The SR-71 entered service in January 1966. At take-off, the afterburner provided 26% of the thrust. On 28 July 1976, SR-71 serial number 61-7962, piloted by then Captain Robert Helt, broke the world record: an "absolute altitude record" of 85,069 feet (25,929 m). On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Along with its low radar cross-section, these qualities gave a very short time for an enemy surface-to-air missile (SAM) site to acquire and track the aircraft on radar. Due to unease over political situations in the Middle East and North Korea, the U.S. Congress re-examined the SR-71 beginning in 1993. 61-7950) delivered to, 22 December 1964: First flight of the SR-71, with Lockheed test pilot Robert J "Bob" Gilliland at Palmdale, 21 July 1967: Jim Watkins and Dave Dempster fly first international sortie in SR-71A, AF Ser. Due to budget concerns, this model never went into production. Answer (1 of 7): In fact, common data say that SR-71 could fly at 85,000ft (26km) altitude and up to Mach 3.35 with a cruise speed of Mach 3.1. Major sections of the skin of the inboard wings were corrugated, not smooth. The funding was later cut to $72.5million. However, a bomber variant of the Blackbird was briefly given the B-71 designator, which was retained when the type was changed to SR-71. The SR-71 was capable of flying at speeds over Mach 3.2 and at a height of 85,000 feet (25,900 Meter). On one occasion, one complete wing with engine was replaced as the easiest way to get the plane airborne again. No. Only one aircraft even has the distinction of achieving radar lock on the legendary spy plane. Modifications were made to provide a data-link with "near real-time" transmission of the Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar's imagery to sites on the ground.[104]. The V8 start carts remained at diversion landing sites not equipped with the pneumatic system. [81] ELINT-gathering systems, called the Electro Magnetic Reconnaissance System, built by AIL could be carried in the chine bays to analyze electronic signal fields being passed through, and were programmed to identify items of interest. Downstream of this normal shock, the air is subsonic. Very often an aircraft would return with rivets missing, delaminated panels or other broken parts such as inlets requiring repair or replacement. [56], The SR-71 was powered by two Pratt & Whitney J58 (company designation JT11D-20) axial-flow turbojet engines. [60], At around Mach3, the temperature rise from the intake compression, added to the engine compressor temperature rise, reduced the allowable fuel flow because the turbine temperature limit did not change. The Foxhound climbed at 65,676 feet where the crew. Flights often lasted more than six hours and covered more than 11,265 kilometers (7,000 square miles). YF-12A # 60-6934 Absolute Speed Over a Straight Course: 2,070.101 mph .YF-12A #60-6936 The primary consumers of this intelligence were the CIA, NSA, and DIA. Water bottles had long straws which crewmembers guided into an opening in the helmet by looking in a mirror. The CIA approved a US$96million contract for Skunk Works to build a dozen spy planes, named "A-12", on 11 February 1960. For thermal experiments, this produced heat soak temperatures of over 600 degrees (F). ", "SR-71 Pilot Interview Richard Graham Veteran Tales", "SR-71 Online - SR-71 Flight Manual: Section 4, Page 4-86", "SR-71 Online - SR-71 Flight Manual: Section 4, Page 4-99", "SR-71 Online - SR-71 Flight Manual: Section 4, Page 4-123", "SR-71 Online - SR-71 Flight Manual: Section 4, Page 4-129", "SR-71 Online - SR-71 Flight Manual: Section 4, Page 4-132", "SR-71 Online - SR-71 Flight Manual: Section 4, Page 4-146", "First man to fly the world's fastest aircraft dies in Rancho Mirage", "SR-71 Pilot Interview Richard Graham, Veteran Tales interview at Frontiers of Flight Museum (at 1:02:55)", "Memorandum for the Chairman, Sanitization and Decontrol Working Group Black Shield Photography", "Bye Bye U-2: CIA Legend Allen Predicts End Of Manned Reconnaissance", "SPIONFLY, DEN KALDE KRIGEN - Spionfly landet i Bod", "TV: Krnvapenskra bunkern styrde flygplanen", "4 Swedish JA-37 Viggen pilots receives medals for SR-71 Blackbird rescue operation 1987 Part:1/2", "4 Swedish JA-37 Viggen pilots receives medals for SR-71 Blackbird rescue operation 1987 Part:2/2", "SR-71 World Record Speed and Altitude Flights", "A-12, YF-12A, & SR-71 Timeline of Events", "Spy Plane Sets Speed Record, Then Retires. Some of this compressor flow (20% at cruise) was removed after the fourth compressor stage and went straight to the afterburner through six bypass tubes. NASA developed a computer to control the engine bypass doors which countered this issue and improved efficiency. [2] If a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, the standard evasive action was simply to accelerate and outpace the missile. . [89], Blackbird pilots and RSOs were provided with food and drink for the long reconnaissance flights. A joint project of the Air Force and CIA, the U-2 had great successes flying along the borders of the Soviet Union starting in 1956, eventually completing 24 successful missions. [112][113][114], On 29 June 1987, an SR-71 was on a mission around the Baltic Sea to spy on Soviet postings when one of the engines exploded. Marshall, Eliot, "The Blackbird's Wake", Air & Space, October/November 1990, p. 35.