Blackbird : the untouchable spy plane
Hamilton-Paterson, James2017
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The American 'spy' aircraft, the SR-71 'Blackbird' was deliberately designed to be the world's fastest and highest-flying aircraft and has never been approached since. It was conceived in the late 1950s by Lockheed Martin's highly secret 'Skunk Works' team under one of the most brilliant aero designers of all time, Clarence 'Kelly' Johnson. Once fully developed in around 1963/4 the Blackbird represented the apogee of jet-powered flight. It could fly at well over three times the speed of sound above 85,000 feet and had an unrefuelled range of 3,200 nautical miles. It flew with great success until 1998 (with NASA 1999). Despite extensive use over Vietnam and later battlefields none was ever shot down. The Blackbird's capabilities seem unlikely ever to be exceeded.
Main title:
Blackbird : the untouchable spy plane / James Hamilton-Paterson.
Author:
Hamilton-Paterson, James, author
Imprint:
London : Head of Zeus, 2017.
Collation:
224 pages, 12 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (black and white, and colour) ; 21 cm
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:
9781786691200 (hbk)
Dewey class:
623.74670973623.7467
LC class:
UG1242.R4
Language:
English
Subject:
BRN:
1915173
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