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| The
SR-71 has been called "The seeker of truth, that is without
peer or equal." My fascination with the SR-71 first began
when President Johnson announced the presence of Lockheed's
YF-12 on 29 February 1964. On 24 July 1964 he made a further
announcement confirming the existence of an aircraft about to
be named the SR-71. The first public photographs of the SR-71
revealed a sleek, sinister looking black aircraft that was sure
to become the envy of every Air Force aviator. To a raw recruit
just entering pilot training, the idea of flying that plane
became one's wildest fantasy. |
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When
the Blackbird first arrived on Okinawa, the residents pointed to the
aircraft flying around the island and shouted, "Habu, Habu!"
It reminded them of the indigenous snake on Okinawa, called the Habu.
The snake was generally not aggressive, but when backed into a corner
it could inflict a painful and sometimes deadly bite. Thus, the SR-71
became affectionately nicknamed "Habu" (pronounced "Haw-boo")
by those who flew it and those closely associated with the program.
Along with the aircraft being nicknamed "Habu", SR-71 crews
were likewise called "Habus." |
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Col.
Roger Jacks
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"I was amazed how quiet, smooth, and
graceful the aircraft performed. What a feeling as an SR-71
crew member to fly so high above the earth, be awed by the beauty,
and the peacefulness. It was as comforting as sitting in a movie
theater seat and mentally being rocketed through space while
glued to a Star Trek movie. The view outside the aircraft window
above 80,000 feet was breathtaking. Below the aircraft, the
sky was light, almost baby blue; clouds were far below and looked
like small clusters of white cotton. Looking out to the horizon,
the curvature of the earth could be clearly seen. At the aircraft's
altitude the sky was a dark blue, and as I swept my eyes upward,
the color darkened to a deep purple. Aerodynamically, the aircraft
was so well designed that it was very difficult to slow down
for a turn programmed at a slower airspeed. I quickly decided
the airplane was indeed born to be a "high flyer." |
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| "I'd
be on station for five hours, and I'd see a SR-71 contrail above
me, coming in from the China Sea toward Thailand. An hour later,
I'd see a contrail going the other way. I'd know that pretty
soon that S.O.B. would be in a bar having a cold beer and telling
stories and I'd still have five more hours up there. You can
imagine the feeling." |
Col.
Willie Horton
U-2 pilot
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The
only aircraft that even approaches the Blackbird's speed is
the MiG-25 Foxbat, and it can only sustain Mach 3 for a few
minutes. The SR-71 routinely flew eight hour missions at Mach
3+. The U-2, the Blackbird's rival reconnaissance aircraft,
slogs along at subsonic speeds.
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A.
J. Gunderson
J58 expert, Pratt and Whitney
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"It
is true that after about 10 minutes of running at max, with
little or no external lights, all of the internal parts in the
turbine and forward afterburner areas are visible as heat shadow.
It does look like you are actually looking through the engine
at the vanes and various spraybar attachment points." |
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| "My
first ride was with Maj. Ty Judkins, a "throw caution to
the wind" pilot who embraced a work-hard, play-hard philosophy.
We had just climbed above 80,000 feet and were cruising in excess
of Mach 3 when Ty said, "You want to see how high and fast
she'll go?" I said hesitantly, "Ok." I remembered
from my B-52 flying days another pilot once reaching the aircraft's
maximum airspeed and how it shook so violently I thought it
was going to come apart. I was waiting for the same thing to
happen in the SR-71 and thinking to myself, this is going to
be one hell of a free fall down to 14,000 feet if we have to
eject. To my surprise, the aircraft was smooth and rock solid
as it reached its maximum airspeed and altitude (Mach 3.2 at
85,000 ft.). In fact, it was clear to me the aircraft wanted
to go higher and faster. Ty proudly announce, "well, here
we are!" I managed a slowly spoken and in awe, "ya." |
Col.
Roger Jacks
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| No
SR-71 has ever been lost or damaged due to hostile action. The
aircraft was extremely difficult for enemy radars to find. Featuring
the original stealth technology,
the SR-71's wings, tail, and fuselage were constructed with
special composite materials, called iron ferrites, that absorbed
radar energy rather than returning it to the sender. At cruise
speed and altitude, the radar cross section of the SR-71 represented
a target of less than three square meters.
For comparison purposes, the radar cross section of an F-15
fighter is somewhere around 100 square
meters. Even if the aircraft could be found on radar,
its detection was so late that there was simply not enough time
for a missile to lead the SR-71 for a successful Kill. |
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Lt.
Col. "Geno" Quist
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"During
my Pentagon years there was a continual case brewing about the
vulnerability of the SR-71 to enemy missiles. It came to a head
during the final days of the Pentagon budget decision to cancel
the SR-71 program. The Pentagon "experts" advocating
the demise of the program had no clue as to the true vulnerability
of the SR to surface-to-air threats - so they decided to broadcast
the word (disinformation) that it was "vulnerable."
I asked for, and received, a document from SAC which, as far
as I know would be true to this day, indicating that the threat
to the SR-71 from any source, surface or airborne, is at best
"LOW." For some reason nobody paid attention to the
SAC study." |
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"They
had a master plan to intercept the SR-71 by positioning a MiG-25
in front of it and one below it, and when the SR-71 passed they
would fire missiles. But it never occurred. Soviet computers
were very primitive, and there is no way that mission can be
accomplished."
"First of all, the SR-71 flies too high and too fast. The
MiG-25 cannot reach it or catch it. Secondly, as I told you,
the missiles are useless above 27,000 meters, and as you know,
the SR-71 cruises much higher. But even if we could reach it,
our missiles lack the velocity to overtake the SR-71 if they
are fired in tail chase. And if they are fired head on, their
guidance systems cannot adjust quickly enough to the high closing
speed." |
Lt.
Viktor Belenko
Soviet pilot
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Return
to Habus |
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