SR 71 Blackbird – World’s fastest airplane
By Narendra V
SR 71 Blackbird is the world’s fastest airplane which was operated by United State Air Force from 1964 to 1998. It was developed and built by Lockheed Corporation. It was a spy plane used to photograph enemy territory.
It can reach speed of Mach 3.3 (3.3 times the speed of sound – 3540 km/hr). And it flies at an altitude of 24 km from the surface of the earth. It can go a distance of 5400 km without refueling. In 34 years of service it never lost to enemy missile. Even if a surface to air missile was fired at it, it can easily escape by simply accelerating.
Totally 32 aircraft were built and 12 lost in accidents. It was having one pilot and one Reconnaissance Systems Officer. It was participated in more than spy 3500 missions.