SR-71 Blackbird

SR-71 "Blackbird"
Type	Strategic Reconnaissance
Manufacturer	Lockheed Skunk Works
Designed by	"Kelly" Johnson
Maiden flight	22 December 1964
Introduced	1966
Retired	1998
Primary users	United States Air Force NASA, CIA
Number built	32
Developed from	A-12 OXCART

The Lockheed SR-71 was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3 strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed YF-12A and A-12 aircraft by the Lockheed Skunk Works. The SR-71 was unofficially named the Blackbird; its crews often called it the Sled, or the Habu ("snake"). The SR-71 line was in service from 1964 to 1998. Clarence "Kelly" Johnson was the man behind many of the design's advanced concepts. The SR-71 was one of the first aircraft to be shaped to reduce radar cross section. However, the aircraft was not stealthy and still had a large enough radar signature to be tracked by contemporary systems. The aircraft's defense was its high speed and operating altitude; if a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, the standard evasive action was to simply accelerate. Thirteen aircraft are known to have been destroyed, all for non-combat related reasons.

-wikipedia-