Artist’s conception (right) of an SR-71 at altitude is a view only a spacecraft—or another Blackbird—would have. The first A-12 flew on April 26, 1962.

The SR-71 was fast but fussy — getting the Blackbird into the sky took hours of preparation. Once it was airborne though, it set world records which stand today. Speed Demon ...

Notes Photographer of original image of the plane is Jeff Tinsley. Summary Color postcard of the SR-71 Blackbird landing at Washington Dulles International Airport in 1990. The plane is housed at the ...

The SR-71 was fast but fussy — getting the Blackbird into the sky took hours of preparation. Once it was airborne though, it set world records which stand today. Speed Demon ...

Following the loss of a U-2 reconnaissance aircraft over the Soviet Union on May 1, 1960, Lockheed needed “to build the impossible—and do it fast.” Called the SR-71—SR for Strategic ...

In the timeline where the U.S. Air Force and the CIA picked the Convair Kingfish over Lockheed's A-12/SR-71 program, they would've had an even crazier jet.

IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. Plastic exhibit model of a starting ...

The SR-71 Blackbird spy plane could fly faster than Mach 3, more than 2,000 miles per hour. This allowed it to easily avoid surface-to-air missiles.

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is a visitor favorite at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Lieutenant Colonel Ed Yeilding ...