Free College Research Paper on
SR-71 Blackbird
(First 3 Pages)
After the invention of the first plane
by Orville and Wilber Wright in 1903, the technology has been
developed for both civilian and military purposes. In both world
wars, airplanes were used for bombing the enemy target. The military
planes of the United States government dropped the notorious atoms
bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. In time of war and
peace, planes are used for spying functions also. During the cold
war era, the use of spy aircraft had been incredibly increased. The
airplane manufacturers worked day and night to introduce highly
sophisticated versions of aircrafts for spying. One of those many
state of the art productions is the SR-71 Reconnaissance spy plane.
The plane commonly known as “Blackbird” was built by the Lockheed
Corporation in 1968.
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The Lockheed Corporation holds an
enviable position in manufacturing warplanes. The unmatched U-2
Reconnaissance aircraft was introduced in 1955. It was designed to
fly at very high altitudes and remain in air for long hours. The
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the United States Air Force
for spying on enemy territories used the plane. On May 1, 1960, a
U-2 flown by the United States military officer Francis Gary Powers
crashed in the USSR. This accident resulted in great tussle between
the two countries. Powers was put to trail and was imprisoned. After
this incident, the CIA and the USAF were both looking for a more
sophisticated aircraft. The Lockheed Corporation developed the
concept of Blackbird at their famous Skunk works in California. The
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is the world’s fastest jet airplane. It was
an invisible recon aircraft designed for high-altitude military spy
missions.
The first version of Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was manufactured in
1958. The aircraft had the capability of flying at the altitude of
more than 26,000 m (85,000 feet) with speeds in excess of Mach 3.
The visibility of Sr-71 on radar was only 1%. These qualities made
the aircraft easier and safer for reconnaissance missions in the
enemy territories. The Blackbird was an advanced version of an
earlier aircraft A-12. The chief architect and designer of A-12,
Kelly Johnson completed the project in the early 1960s and the first
aircraft was delivered to the United States government in 1964. The
speed of this new model was Mach 3.2+ and could fly on an altitude
of more than 85,000 ft.
In 1968, SR-71s were put into operation at United States Air Force
bases at Beale Air Force Base, California, Kadena, Japan and
Mindenthall, United Kingdom. During 1964 and 1990, the Blackbirds
flew almost every inch of the world supporting highly confidential
missions of the United States government. The aircrafts made of
Titanium with a maximum weight of 172,000 pounds were capable of
flying at a speed of over three times the speed of sound. The exact
statistics about the speed and performance were never revealed.
Unlike U-2, SR-17 had a capacity of carrying two persons. The
aircraft incorporated two Pratt & Whitney J58 turbojet engines with
32,500 lbs. of thrust each. The length was 107 ft. 5 inches, whereas
the height was 18 ft. 6 inches with a wingspan of 55 ft. 7 inches.
Lockheed manufactured 32 Blackbirds that become the most celebrated
of all the aircrafts it made so far. The Blackbirds were extremely
safe in air but had difficulties in landing. Of the 32, 11 crashed
during landing. However, not even a single aircraft was traced or
shot by the enemies throughout its flying history. The design of
Blackbirds was kept extremely
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