Description

The definitive technical guide to the incredible Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird and its intelligence-gathering systems.

The SR-71 represents the very pinnacle of Cold War aircraft design and it has become an aviation icon. Together with its predecessor, the A-12, the Blackbird was a giant leap into the technical unknown and the design employed many forms of new technology made necessary by the excesses of speed, altitude and temperature to which the aircraft was subjected.

Paul F. Crickmore charts its 34-year Air Force career, in which the SR-71 proved itself to be the world's fastest and highest flying operational manned aircraft. It set a number of world records for altitude and speed, including an absolute altitude record of 85,069ft on 28 July 1974, and an absolute speed record of 2,193.2mph the same day.

This truly was a unique and ground-breaking aircraft, whose fascinating design history is explored here in full and illuminated with photographs and detailed technical illustrations.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Design and development
Technical specifications and variants
Operational history
Conclusion
Select bibliography
Index

Product details

Published Jun 20 2015
Format Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition 1st
Extent 64
ISBN 9781472804945
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations 25 col
Series Air Vanguard
Short code AVG 20
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Paul F. Crickmore

Paul F. Crickmore is the author of the much-acclai…

Illustrator

Adam Tooby

Adam Tooby is an internationally renowned digital…

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