- 7/6/2025
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00:00:00Faster than a speeding bullet, and unlike any other aircraft ever built, it raced the sun and won.
00:00:27Flying at speeds of 2,000 miles an hour, in the top 1% of the Earth's atmosphere, it holds every major speed and altitude record for a jet.
00:00:38You did all of this effortlessly, and that was the feeling you had, that you had control of so much power.
00:00:46It was the world's first stealth aircraft, flying over enemy territory and photographing 100,000 square miles of the Earth's surface in an hour.
00:00:57You were sitting at the very front of that 107-foot-long spear, penetrating enemy airspace.
00:01:02You were truly the tip of the sword.
00:01:05If anything went wrong, we would be on the 6 o'clock news.
00:01:08Once shrouded in secrecy, battle stations now reveals, using archive film and color reenactments,
00:01:15the covert world of the SR-71 Blackbird.
00:01:27During World War I, the first reconnaissance aircraft were developed to photograph the enemy in an attempt to gain a tactical advantage.
00:01:37World War II saw more sophisticated aircraft and camera technology that played a vital role in the Allied victory.
00:01:43World War II
00:01:49After the Second World War, the world was left with two ideologically opposed superpowers.
00:01:58The Cold War had begun, and the United States wanted to keep a watchful eye on events behind the Iron Curtain.
00:02:05America was desperate for information about Soviet nuclear stockpiling, fighter capability, and bomber threat.
00:02:16In early December 1954, the task of creating the next generation of reconnaissance aircraft was assigned to the visionary designer Kelly Johnson
00:02:29and his elite team from Lockheed's advanced development program, known as the Skunk Works.
00:02:35I think Kelly's operation of the Skunk Works was probably unique in the aviation industry.
00:02:44To start with, he had a very, very small cadre of people.
00:02:47He handpicked everyone that worked for him.
00:02:49They were swore to ultimate secrecy.
00:02:51There was absolutely no leaks within the system.
00:02:54He was guaranteed of that.
00:02:55He also made it a point to co-locate his engineers and his producers, the people who were building the airplanes,
00:03:02so the engineer could come up with a drawing, and he would walk out on the hangar floor and talk to the man who's bending metal.
00:03:11I can't stress enough the engineers directly with the shop people all the time.
00:03:17And Kelly, when you had a problem, you'd have a meeting, and decisions were made right then.
00:03:23He was always very fair.
00:03:26He could be very tough.
00:03:29He was no pussycat, I'll tell you.
00:03:33Kelly's Skunk Works produced their first spy plane in 1955, the U-2.
00:03:40In an effort to evade Soviet radar, the U-2 was designed to fly at an altitude of 75,000 feet.
00:03:47In 1956, it began overflying the Soviet Union on reconnaissance missions.
00:03:53But the Soviets' latest radar systems were more advanced than had been anticipated.
00:04:01When the U-2 flown by the CIA first began their operations over the Soviet Union,
00:04:07they were shocked to discover that the Soviets were tracking them, even on the very first mission.
00:04:11Every U-2 flown over the Soviet Union was in serious danger.
00:04:20The U-2 was being tracked, and that was a great concern to, not only to our country, but to Lockheed,
00:04:26who had promised that this airplane would never be seen.
00:04:28Determined to create the ultimate spy plane, Kelly Johnson returned to the drawing board.
00:04:35He began designing a new supersonic aircraft that could fly faster and higher than the U-2,
00:04:41with the lowest possible presence on enemy radar screens.
00:04:44Then, on the 1st of May, 1960, disaster struck.
00:04:54A U-2 flown by Francis Gary Powers was shot down by an SA-2 missile.
00:05:06Powers survived and had a very public trial, designed to humiliate the U.S.
00:05:11and deter them from carrying out any further reconnaissance flights.
00:05:17But with tensions between the superpowers mounting,
00:05:20the need for reconnaissance was more urgent than ever.
00:05:24Kelly Johnson's plans for an advanced supersonic spy plane became the number one priority.
00:05:31In order to create an aircraft capable of operating at the speeds and altitudes that Kelly envisaged,
00:05:36his skunkworks team would have to overcome a series of huge technological problems.
00:05:44The biggest problem that he was going to face, and he knew this up front, was going to be temperature.
00:05:49The temperatures that the aircraft would encounter at those speeds were phenomenal.
00:05:55It was clear that a traditional aluminium airframe would not withstand these extreme conditions.
00:06:00You could not fly an airplane past 2.6 Mach,
00:06:09and you'd just barely make it then with aluminium, because the aeroplane had just turned it jelly.
00:06:15The decision was made to build the airframe from titanium.
00:06:21Titanium was both light enough to reach altitudes in excess of 80,000 feet,
00:06:25and strong enough to withstand the enormous temperatures generated by Mach 3 flight.
00:06:32No one had ever built an airplane out of titanium.
00:06:35So he had to begin from scratch.
00:06:37We didn't even have tools that you could use to develop titanium,
00:06:41and to bend it, and to shape it, and to make an airplane.
00:06:44So we had to start by designing tools.
00:06:47It was a gigantic undertaking.
00:06:51Creating an aircraft able to cruise at Mach 3 was difficult enough.
00:06:55But the skunkworks also had to face the challenge of combining this level of performance
00:06:59with the new science of stealth.
00:07:04To avoid features that would create strong radar reflections,
00:07:08the plane had taken on a revolutionary shape.
00:07:15The wings were blended into the body,
00:07:18and the long surfaces on the forward fuselage, known as chimes,
00:07:22were designed to deflect incoming radar waves.
00:07:28As were the inward-angled twin fins,
00:07:31the pointed engine cones,
00:07:35and the nearly flat lower fuselage.
00:07:38Also, a special radar-absorbent plastic, or composite,
00:07:43was developed to be incorporated into all the leading edges.
00:07:49When you look at an SR-71,
00:07:5120% of what you see is composite.
00:07:54You know, it's just unbelievable at that time.
00:07:56And it was developed in our shops.
00:07:58An SR-71 was a hundred times smaller radar return
00:08:07than an F-14, which is only half as big
00:08:10and was developed ten years later.
00:08:12So that was the really, truly first airplane
00:08:15specifically designed with stealth in mind.
00:08:18On the 22nd of December, 1964,
00:08:23the SR-71 was rolled out onto the flight line
00:08:26at Lockheed's Burbank plant.
00:08:32Coated in black, radar-absorbent ferrite paint,
00:08:36the Blackbird, as it became known,
00:08:38was an extraordinarily futuristic-looking machine.
00:08:41Lockheed test pilot Robert Gilliland
00:08:47would be the first in the cockpit.
00:08:51When we got going, as a matter of fact,
00:08:53for the actual first flight,
00:08:55it had 383 open items.
00:08:58These are things that are supposed to be working
00:09:00that aren't working.
00:09:01So it was a bare-bones type of operation
00:09:03for the first flight.
00:09:05And you might say these kind of things could be dangerous,
00:09:08but there are plenty of other people
00:09:10that would like to have been in my position
00:09:11and I assure you of that.
00:09:14The exhilaration when we made the first engine run
00:09:17and they had those afterburners going in there
00:09:19and that thing is straining against those cables,
00:09:22and I just felt, boy, this is really going to be something.
00:09:33The flight lasted just over one hour,
00:09:36reaching top speeds of over 1,000 miles an hour,
00:09:39a phenomenal accomplishment
00:09:40for a first flight of any aircraft.
00:09:46Kelly Johnson was there and some of his guests were there
00:09:48and I don't remember who all else was there,
00:09:50but the whole kit and caboodle were very happy,
00:09:53including me.
00:09:54It seemed that Kelly had created his ultimate spy plane,
00:10:01but would it be able to evade radar
00:10:03and fly high enough and fast enough
00:10:06to escape the Soviet fighters and missiles?
00:10:09flying at speeds in excess of Mach 3 at altitudes over 80,000 feet,
00:10:19the SR-71 Blackbird was the fastest and highest flying jet in the world.
00:10:24In 1966, the first SR-71 spy plane was delivered
00:10:32to Beale Air Force Base in California.
00:10:35The first Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron
00:10:37now needed an elite force of airmen to fly it.
00:10:41Well, my first thought was I sure hope that I'm selected for the program.
00:10:47I mean, that was ultimate, to get selected for the program.
00:10:50In order to qualify for the SR-71,
00:10:55you had to be very good at what you were doing
00:10:57thus far in your aviation career.
00:11:00In fact, you had to be pretty much the best at what you did
00:11:02to be considered as a candidate.
00:11:06Each Blackbird needed two crew members,
00:11:09the pilot and the RSO, the reconnaissance systems officer.
00:11:13It was extremely exciting to get signed into Beale Air Force Base
00:11:18and to think that you're going to be flying in this airplane,
00:11:20you cannot wait.
00:11:22But the selection interviews and evaluations alone lasted a week
00:11:25and included a rigorous physical examination,
00:11:28the same as experienced by the astronaut corps.
00:11:32Now, the first two days were physicals,
00:11:34an astronaut physical, in a sense,
00:11:37taking an EKG on a treadmill and full-body x-rays,
00:11:40just a very extensive physical exam.
00:11:43They also wanted to know if you were the kind of person
00:11:46that they could live with on the road,
00:11:48because you had to spend a lot of time together,
00:11:51you know, in the sense it's part of your family.
00:11:54And they wanted to evaluate people
00:11:55to see if they'd be a good member of their family.
00:12:03The pilot began his actual training
00:12:05with long hours in T-38s and in the SR-71 simulator.
00:12:10The intense simulator sessions
00:12:12tested the crew members to their limits.
00:12:14They basically made it a grueling experience.
00:12:19They would just give me multiple malfunctions to deal with.
00:12:24In fact, they'd just keep giving you another problem
00:12:26on top of another problem
00:12:27until you're juggling five or six or seven balls at once.
00:12:32And eventually, you have to start dropping them.
00:12:34And they would evaluate how you prioritized
00:12:37which ball do you drop.
00:12:40After months of training,
00:12:41the crews were ready for their first flight together.
00:12:44The extreme speed and altitude called for special protection,
00:12:48and this came in the shape of the $120,000 pressure suit.
00:12:52Two technicians suit you up.
00:12:56You step down into it.
00:12:57You put your arms into it, and it comes up to your back.
00:13:00The boots are separate from the suit,
00:13:02and they're just regular real combat boots.
00:13:05The gloves are especially handmade for you,
00:13:08and they snap on with little O-rings onto your suit.
00:13:13Then we put the helmet on.
00:13:14It's quite heavy, and once they snap it down,
00:13:16you hear yourself breathing.
00:13:17For a few moments there, you get some claustrophobia.
00:13:20I did, anyway.
00:13:22The suit was designed to have 100% oxygen
00:13:25in the nasal cavity area,
00:13:27and then compressed air in the rest of the suit,
00:13:31so that if you were to lose cabin pressure
00:13:34at 80,000 feet or above,
00:13:37the nitrogen bubbles in your system would come out
00:13:40and your blood would boil.
00:13:41So you need some kind of an environment around you.
00:13:44That's what the pressure suit provided.
00:13:48Suited up, the pilot and RSO are ready
00:13:51to be escorted out to the aircraft
00:13:53for their first flight together.
00:14:01There are three people that do nothing but strap you into the cockpit,
00:14:04and unlike a lot of aircraft,
00:14:06this cockpit is down sort of in the bowels of the aircraft.
00:14:09You get placed down inside the cockpit and strapped in.
00:14:16And then the canopy is lowered on top of you.
00:14:20You don't even lower it yourself.
00:14:21Someone has to do that for you and lock it down.
00:14:23You're kind of becoming part of the aircraft,
00:14:25and it's becoming part of you.
00:14:26A shot of triethyl borine gas ignites the fuel,
00:14:33and the J-58 engines are starting.
00:14:42Where it really got impressive
00:14:44is when it starts taxiing out of the hangar.
00:14:47And it's 110 feet long,
00:14:48and so this thing keeps coming out,
00:14:50keeps coming out, keeps coming out,
00:14:51and all of a sudden you realize
00:14:53that's an awesome-looking airplane
00:14:55as it gradually comes out of the hangar.
00:15:00So here we were looking at an airplane
00:15:02that was going to be going 2,000 miles an hour,
00:15:04and its design was so futuristic.
00:15:08It was like no other airplane
00:15:09that had ever been designed
00:15:10because it was going to fly in an environment
00:15:12that no other airplane had ever been in.
00:15:15Power has been 3-0, it's number one for takeoff.
00:15:17I never forget how it feels
00:15:20to light those afterburners
00:15:21and feel one light before the other one does,
00:15:23and it jerks you pretty hard.
00:15:28And it accelerates rather rapidly.
00:15:30In just a matter of seconds,
00:15:32you're hitting 180 knots indicated airspeed,
00:15:36lifting off at 210,
00:15:37making sure you get the gear retracted
00:15:39before it overspeeds at 300 knots,
00:15:41and you keep pulling that nose up
00:15:43to try to achieve the 400-knot climb out.
00:15:45And in less than 2 minutes from brake release,
00:15:48you're pulling it out of afterburner
00:15:50and you're level at 24,000 feet.
00:15:53It's quite a ride.
00:15:59I remember the first time
00:16:01I took the aircraft up to speed
00:16:02and to altitude,
00:16:04I went through Mach 1,
00:16:05and then I approached Mach 2,
00:16:08and it went through Mach 2
00:16:09without the slightest indication of any problems,
00:16:11and I marveled at that,
00:16:14and then it rolled right on through Mach 3.
00:16:18Of course, none of us
00:16:19had ever been that fast before,
00:16:20but you did all of this effortlessly,
00:16:24and that was the feeling you had,
00:16:25that you had control of so much power
00:16:27on this aircraft
00:16:28that it was almost limitless.
00:16:30As the SR-71 accelerates
00:16:34through Mach 3,
00:16:35the triple sonic boom
00:16:37is followed by a blast of heat
00:16:38radiating from its black skin
00:16:40that reaches temperatures
00:16:41of 1,100 degrees.
00:16:45It truly flew through the air
00:16:47like a hot knife through butter.
00:16:48It really did.
00:16:49So it was pointy on every end,
00:16:51but it had elegance.
00:16:53But it was an elegance
00:16:54that was designed for performance.
00:16:56After 10 months of gruelling training,
00:17:01the SR-71 crews
00:17:02were ready to go operational.
00:17:05Flying over heavily defended areas
00:17:06in enemy territories
00:17:07would push both the aircraft
00:17:10and the crews to their limits.
00:17:18On March the 21st, 1968,
00:17:21the first SR-71 operational sortie
00:17:24was flown out of Kadena Air Force Base
00:17:26in the U.S., Okinawa, Japan.
00:17:30The Vietnam War had been raging
00:17:32for five years
00:17:33and the United States
00:17:34was determined to contain
00:17:35and defeat communism
00:17:37in Southeast Asia.
00:17:42The role of the SR-71
00:17:44would be to gather photographic
00:17:46and electronic intelligence
00:17:48of their enemies.
00:17:49They would fly daily
00:17:50over territories
00:17:51where one mistake
00:17:52could cost the lives of the crew
00:17:53and provoke an international incident.
00:17:56In this program,
00:17:59the margin for error
00:18:00was so narrow,
00:18:02almost to nothing,
00:18:03that it really was
00:18:05the pressure of flying
00:18:06the mission flawlessly
00:18:07so that because
00:18:08if anything went wrong,
00:18:09we would be on the 6 o'clock news.
00:18:12SR-71 missions
00:18:14were always carefully planned.
00:18:15In their briefing,
00:18:18the crews thoroughly study
00:18:20the mission route
00:18:20and surveillance areas
00:18:21and are warned
00:18:22of potential enemy threats.
00:18:24Well, we try to stay
00:18:25well-informed
00:18:26about our adversaries' capabilities,
00:18:30about their ability
00:18:32to track our movement,
00:18:33our aircraft,
00:18:34any potential surface-to-air missiles
00:18:36that might be a threat to us
00:18:38or any aircraft
00:18:39that might be a threat to us
00:18:40during a flight.
00:18:41Three hours before the mission,
00:18:46they have a medical check-up
00:18:47and eat a high-protein meal
00:18:49of steak and eggs.
00:18:53The crew chief and his staff
00:18:54spend hours inspecting the SR-71
00:18:57for any possible mechanical problems.
00:18:59Pre-flight on the aircraft
00:19:02starts around midnight.
00:19:03We're saying for a 6 or 7 o'clock
00:19:05launch in the morning.
00:19:07And there's a lot of procedures
00:19:09that you go through.
00:19:11Cameras have to be uploaded.
00:19:13The bays are in the forward section
00:19:14of the chines.
00:19:16And then the cameras
00:19:17was electrically lifted up into it.
00:19:20We always loaded a light load of fuel
00:19:22for the mere fact
00:19:24that it's a lot easier
00:19:25on the airframe,
00:19:26it's a lot easier on the tires,
00:19:27the landing gear,
00:19:28and so forth like that.
00:19:29There was always excitement
00:19:32in the air, electrifying.
00:19:33Every time you'd fly the airplane,
00:19:35everybody was keyed up.
00:19:37Everybody did their job
00:19:38and did it extremely well
00:19:39and took it very, very seriously.
00:19:42Everybody worked together,
00:19:44and it was a team effort,
00:19:45and everybody knew
00:19:47that they was striving
00:19:49for that one thing,
00:19:50and it was perfection.
00:19:52The SR-71 demanded it
00:19:54because there was no room for error.
00:19:56When you get ready
00:19:59to launch the airplane there,
00:20:00things are happening so fast
00:20:02that you send the airplane off,
00:20:04and of course,
00:20:04you're going to be concerned
00:20:05about whether or not
00:20:06it's going to come back.
00:20:10You're constantly thinking
00:20:11whether everything is correct
00:20:13or not,
00:20:13and those questions
00:20:15kind of creep into your mind.
00:20:28Above 60,000 feet,
00:20:30the crew switches off all contact
00:20:32with air traffic control.
00:20:34Only a select few know
00:20:35where the Blackbird goes next.
00:20:37The pilot in the SR-71
00:20:42spent all of his time
00:20:44flying the airplane.
00:20:47The airplane operated
00:20:48on autopilot, that's true,
00:20:49but you had to kind of
00:20:51hand-fly the autopilot.
00:20:53It demanded your attention
00:20:54all the time,
00:20:55and so the fellow
00:20:56in the back seat,
00:20:56the reconnaissance systems officer,
00:20:58he handled all
00:21:00of the auxiliary systems.
00:21:03Sitting in the rear cockpit,
00:21:04the RSO must keep the plane
00:21:06on the black line,
00:21:07the pre-planned route
00:21:08to the target.
00:21:11As they reach enemy territory,
00:21:13he concentrates on the radar
00:21:14and defensive systems,
00:21:16trying to jam enemy communications
00:21:18in the event of a missile launch.
00:21:20We carried the same type of jammer
00:21:23that was used throughout
00:21:25the Vietnam War
00:21:26by all of the fighters and bombers,
00:21:29which attempted to jam
00:21:31the communication
00:21:32between the radar site
00:21:33and the missile itself.
00:21:36Once they began
00:21:38the communication,
00:21:39our indications
00:21:40in the cockpit
00:21:41would go from warning
00:21:43to jamming,
00:21:45and it would be jamming
00:21:46that communication link
00:21:48to the missile.
00:21:51But sometimes,
00:21:52the enemy would try
00:21:53to attack the SR-71
00:21:54by launching a missile
00:21:56without any radar guidance.
00:21:57We were coming in
00:22:01off the water,
00:22:03headed inland,
00:22:04and the pilot says,
00:22:07Hey, Reg,
00:22:07look out your right window,
00:22:09and here is
00:22:11what looks like
00:22:12a telephone pole
00:22:13about 150 yards away
00:22:15that's going
00:22:16just straight up.
00:22:19He said,
00:22:20Was that close enough?
00:22:21And I said,
00:22:22Yeah,
00:22:22that was close enough.
00:22:24Our main defense
00:22:28that we were fired upon
00:22:29was increased speed.
00:22:31And we could increase
00:22:32100 knots,
00:22:33200 knots
00:22:33in just a matter of seconds,
00:22:34which is a lot of
00:22:35differential in speed
00:22:37for a missile
00:22:37to cope with.
00:22:41Approaching the target area,
00:22:43the RSO concentrates
00:22:44on operating
00:22:44the high-tech
00:22:45surveillance equipment.
00:22:47The six different cameras
00:22:49were able to photograph
00:22:50100,000 square miles
00:22:52in an hour,
00:22:53producing images
00:22:55with such high resolution
00:22:56that a vehicle's number plate
00:22:58could be clearly identified.
00:23:02The surveying capability
00:23:03of the aircraft
00:23:04was fantastic
00:23:06because you're going
00:23:07in a straight line
00:23:08for 2,000 miles.
00:23:10You could look out
00:23:11as far as the horizon goes,
00:23:14and from horizon to horizon,
00:23:16that's what you could survey.
00:23:18For the crews,
00:23:26flying in the top
00:23:261% of the atmosphere,
00:23:28it gave them
00:23:29a unique perspective
00:23:30on the world.
00:23:31The first thing
00:23:32that you notice
00:23:33that's phenomenal
00:23:33is the change
00:23:34of the sky color.
00:23:35At about 60,000 feet,
00:23:36the sky turns
00:23:37a deep indigo steel blue
00:23:39that is so mesmerizing.
00:23:41You just want to look at it.
00:23:43It's fascinating.
00:23:43If I flew the aircraft
00:23:48up near the Arctic Circle,
00:23:50and I might actually
00:23:51traverse dawn to dusk
00:23:54and back two or three times.
00:23:56I've seen the sun rise
00:23:57and set three times
00:23:58on a flight,
00:23:59which is very unusual.
00:24:00We're actually flying faster
00:24:02than the Earth's rotation,
00:24:03so we're outrunning the sun.
00:24:04On landing,
00:24:18the highest priority
00:24:18is to download the cameras,
00:24:20known as sensors,
00:24:21as quickly as possible.
00:24:23Everyone was deeply concerned
00:24:25that their sensor performed
00:24:26as it was designed to do
00:24:28and programmed to do,
00:24:30so there was a lot
00:24:31of serious concern there
00:24:33and there was a lot
00:24:33of happiness
00:24:34because the plane
00:24:36had made a successful mission
00:24:37and the crews were home.
00:24:40The films were then rushed off
00:24:41for processing and analysis.
00:24:44The photo interpreters
00:24:45were a brilliant bunch
00:24:46of young airmen,
00:24:47and they could look
00:24:48at that film
00:24:48and they could spot
00:24:49something had been moved
00:24:50or a new facility
00:24:51was going up.
00:24:53They were great at that.
00:24:55And they would call
00:24:56their supervisors
00:24:57if they saw something
00:24:58of interest, you know,
00:24:59that needed to be flagged
00:25:00and brought the attention
00:25:01of the intelligence people.
00:25:03One of the things
00:25:03I enjoyed about
00:25:04flying the Blackbird
00:25:05was knowing
00:25:06that information is power.
00:25:08The information
00:25:09we would gather
00:25:10could very well preclude
00:25:12bombs having to be dropped
00:25:13at all.
00:25:14It could save
00:25:15a lot of people's lives
00:25:16by having the right information
00:25:18at the right time.
00:25:20The Blackbird crews
00:25:21were successfully
00:25:22infiltrating enemy territory
00:25:23and gathering a mass
00:25:25of intelligence
00:25:25about their adversaries.
00:25:26But with the Iron Curtain
00:25:29still firmly in place
00:25:30and Soviet technology
00:25:32constantly improving,
00:25:34how long would the SR-71
00:25:36remain flying safely
00:25:38in such dangerous areas?
00:25:40In October 1973,
00:25:42they would face
00:25:43their most crucial test.
00:25:49In the early 1970s,
00:25:51the world's attention
00:25:52focused on the Middle East.
00:25:54Tension between America's
00:25:59ally Israel
00:25:59and her Arab neighbours
00:26:01was reaching breaking point.
00:26:04On the 6th of October 1973,
00:26:07Soviet-backed Egypt
00:26:08and Syria
00:26:09attacked Israel
00:26:10and made dramatic
00:26:12territorial gains.
00:26:13With the Middle East
00:26:20caught up in the politics
00:26:21of the Cold War,
00:26:23an Israeli defeat
00:26:24would bring with it
00:26:24the threat of nuclear conflict.
00:26:30The Soviets had launched
00:26:31their Cosmos 596 satellite,
00:26:34bringing them immediate
00:26:35intelligence from the battlefronts
00:26:36and putting them one step
00:26:38ahead of the United States.
00:26:39It was time
00:26:43to bring in
00:26:44the Blackbird.
00:26:46The SR-71
00:26:47would fly directly
00:26:48from Griffiths Air Force Base,
00:26:50New York,
00:26:50to the Middle East.
00:26:52The flight would be
00:26:53over 11 hours long
00:26:54with six refuelings.
00:26:57No Blackbird crew member
00:26:59had ever experienced
00:27:00such a lengthy,
00:27:01complex mission.
00:27:02I flew a 10-and-a-half-hour
00:27:05training flight
00:27:06and I was beat.
00:27:08By the time I got
00:27:08out of the airplane,
00:27:09I said,
00:27:10whew, that's about
00:27:11as far as I can fly.
00:27:12But when they said
00:27:13you can fly 11 hours
00:27:13and 20 minutes,
00:27:14you jump up and you say,
00:27:15yes, sir, you know,
00:27:16I'll be happy to do that.
00:27:18I picked Jim Shelton
00:27:19as the first pilot
00:27:20to fly the mission.
00:27:22I knew he was
00:27:22extremely reliable,
00:27:24highly qualified,
00:27:25and had done extremely well
00:27:26in all of his training
00:27:27and everything.
00:27:27So I had total confidence
00:27:29that if the mission
00:27:29could be done,
00:27:30that Jim would do it.
00:27:33On the 12th of October,
00:27:35under codename Giant Reach,
00:27:37the mission began.
00:27:38We took off from Rome, New York,
00:27:40around 1 or 2 in the morning
00:27:42because you want to be
00:27:44over a target area
00:27:45somewhere between
00:27:4611 and 1 o'clock.
00:27:47This allows you
00:27:48to have some shadows
00:27:51so the photo interpreters
00:27:52can go ahead
00:27:53and judge elevation,
00:27:55but yet get you
00:27:55the best sun position
00:27:56you can have.
00:27:58By 10 o'clock
00:27:59in the morning,
00:28:00the SR-71
00:28:01had reached its second
00:28:02refueling point
00:28:03over Portugal.
00:28:05Because of the highly
00:28:05classified nature
00:28:06of this mission,
00:28:07no one other than
00:28:08the tanker crew
00:28:09knew they were coming.
00:28:11On the way
00:28:12into that particular
00:28:13refueling,
00:28:14the tanker crews
00:28:16said the Portuguese
00:28:17control kept calling out
00:28:19an airplane
00:28:20in relation to the tanker.
00:28:23And the tanker says,
00:28:24you know,
00:28:24we don't see anybody.
00:28:25Of course,
00:28:25they knew it was us,
00:28:26but I'm sure
00:28:27that they could tell
00:28:28on their scope
00:28:28something was happening
00:28:30because the two blips
00:28:31merge for a while
00:28:32for 20 minutes
00:28:33and then this one
00:28:34accelerates on.
00:28:37Jim Shelton
00:28:38approached the
00:28:39Egyptian coastline.
00:28:41The Egyptians
00:28:42were well equipped
00:28:43with their Soviet allies
00:28:45constantly replenishing
00:28:46their supplies.
00:28:46Russia was developing
00:28:48the SA-5,
00:28:50which was a missile
00:28:51that would go up
00:28:52above,
00:28:52well above your altitude
00:28:53and come back down
00:28:54at you.
00:28:56And, yes,
00:28:57that was a concern.
00:29:01With 160 SAM missile sites,
00:29:04many secretly commanded
00:29:05by Soviets,
00:29:06and sophisticated radar
00:29:07tracking systems,
00:29:09they were on full-scale alert
00:29:10watching the skies
00:29:11for any enemy infiltration.
00:29:13As soon as we got
00:29:18into range
00:29:19of the Egyptian SAM sites,
00:29:21they started tracking us.
00:29:24The Egyptians,
00:29:26alerted to an unidentified
00:29:27aircraft appearing
00:29:28on their radar systems
00:29:29and presuming the plane
00:29:30to be either Israeli
00:29:31or American,
00:29:33scrambled to launch
00:29:33their surface-to-air missiles.
00:29:3980,000 feet above them,
00:29:42traveling at a speed
00:29:42of over Mach 3,
00:29:44Jim Shelton's Blackbird
00:29:45was gathering thousands
00:29:46of feet of film,
00:29:48capturing the extent
00:29:49and whereabouts
00:29:49of the Egyptian military forces.
00:29:53You had the radar receiver
00:29:55in the back cockpit.
00:29:57Gary could tell me that,
00:29:58yes, now we're being tracked
00:29:59by some SAM missile.
00:30:02We need to do something.
00:30:03So at that particular point,
00:30:04we would jam,
00:30:05we would speed up.
00:30:08By the time
00:30:09the Egyptian missiles
00:30:09were ready to fire,
00:30:11the SR-71
00:30:12had already cleared
00:30:13their airspace
00:30:14and was speeding
00:30:14towards Israel.
00:30:18But the heavily armed Israelis
00:30:19also had no knowledge
00:30:21of this covert Blackbird operation
00:30:23and immediately went
00:30:24on full alert.
00:30:25When we rolled in on the first pass
00:30:30over Israel,
00:30:32my defensive system
00:30:34just lighted up
00:30:35like a pinball machine
00:30:37and I indicated to my pilot,
00:30:40I got all these indications
00:30:41back here.
00:30:42I said, just, you know,
00:30:43maybe keep your eyes open
00:30:45because it seems like
00:30:47somebody's shooting at us.
00:30:51Despite launching a barrage
00:30:53of missiles,
00:30:53the Israelis did not manage
00:30:55to shoot their presumed enemy
00:30:56out of the sky.
00:30:58The Blackbird headed back
00:31:00to the United States.
00:31:02We got everything
00:31:03we were tasked for,
00:31:04got the airplane back,
00:31:05and that's the first time
00:31:07airplane, the SR-71,
00:31:08had flown 11 hours
00:31:10and 20 minutes.
00:31:12After we land,
00:31:13the next couple of days,
00:31:14Gary and I get invited
00:31:15to the Pentagon.
00:31:17Admiral Moore,
00:31:18Chairman of the Joint Chiefs,
00:31:19wanted to thank us
00:31:20for the work
00:31:22that we had done,
00:31:23and they showed us
00:31:24some photos.
00:31:26The photographs
00:31:27were detailed enough
00:31:28to show how many
00:31:28Israeli tanks
00:31:29had been destroyed
00:31:30in the initial battles.
00:31:31We were to go ahead
00:31:33and resupply
00:31:34the Israelis
00:31:36with some
00:31:37of their lost equipment.
00:31:38So the photo interpreters
00:31:40are counting
00:31:41the number of tanks
00:31:42that we would be replacing.
00:31:44So it was a very
00:31:45crucial point
00:31:46for the SR-71.
00:31:49It was a very
00:31:50sensitive mission
00:31:51and there was a lot
00:31:52of pressure
00:31:52to get that first one done.
00:31:55Jim and his backseater
00:31:56nailed them.
00:31:57He got all the targets
00:31:58and everyone
00:31:59was absolutely elated.
00:32:02Eight more successful
00:32:03Blackbird missions
00:32:04supplied detailed intelligence
00:32:05that the war
00:32:06was now turning
00:32:07in Israel's favor.
00:32:09With this information,
00:32:10the United States
00:32:11was able to broker
00:32:11an eventual ceasefire
00:32:13on the 24th of October.
00:32:16I think the SR-71
00:32:18contributed greatly
00:32:18to the resolution
00:32:19of that war.
00:32:20No one knew
00:32:21the airplane
00:32:21could fly that far
00:32:23and perform a mission
00:32:24like that
00:32:24and come back
00:32:25and hand the intelligence
00:32:28people the product.
00:32:33The Blackbird
00:32:34was also a record breaker.
00:32:37On September 13, 1974,
00:32:39Kelly Johnson's SR-71
00:32:41flew across seven time zones
00:32:43from London to Los Angeles
00:32:45in a race with the sun
00:32:46taking just three hours,
00:32:4847 minutes,
00:32:49and 39 seconds.
00:32:52For the record-breaking flight,
00:32:55I was over at the FAA
00:32:56control center
00:32:57and the controller
00:32:59has a huge screen
00:33:01and he said,
00:33:02here's a 747
00:33:02coming out of Phoenix.
00:33:05And it'd go blip.
00:33:07Blip.
00:33:08It moved about
00:33:09half inch or quarter inch.
00:33:11He said,
00:33:12okay, get ready.
00:33:12Here comes the SR-71
00:33:14out of Canada.
00:33:16And it goes,
00:33:16brrp.
00:33:17And there goes
00:33:18my antenna.
00:33:19Brrp.
00:33:19There goes Idaho.
00:33:21And get ready.
00:33:23Boom.
00:33:24And it almost blew us out of way
00:33:26because he was right overhead.
00:33:28And he was starting to decel,
00:33:31but he managed to blow the windows
00:33:32out of Zaza Gabor's house
00:33:34in the Hollywood Hills.
00:33:35In the same year,
00:33:40the Blackbird had flown
00:33:41a record-breaking flight
00:33:42from New York to London.
00:33:4552 years earlier,
00:33:47Charles Lindbergh
00:33:48had flown approximately
00:33:48the same distance
00:33:49in 33 hours.
00:33:51The SR-71
00:33:52made the flight
00:33:53in one hour,
00:33:5455 minutes,
00:33:55and 42 seconds.
00:33:56But the SR-71
00:34:01would soon be needed
00:34:02in a more serious capacity.
00:34:05Another Soviet-backed
00:34:07Middle Eastern enemy
00:34:07was on the warpath
00:34:08and was determined
00:34:09to humiliate
00:34:10the United States.
00:34:12There would be
00:34:12no better way
00:34:13than to shoot
00:34:14the SR-71
00:34:15out of the sky.
00:34:17Tension between
00:34:25the United States
00:34:25and much of the Arab world
00:34:27continued.
00:34:29In 1972,
00:34:31the revolutionary leader
00:34:32of Libya,
00:34:33Colonel Muammar Gaddafi,
00:34:35announced that he was
00:34:36giving aid
00:34:36to terrorist organizations
00:34:37in Europe
00:34:38and the Middle East.
00:34:43He issued
00:34:44repeated threats
00:34:45to America
00:34:45and indicated
00:34:46that those
00:34:47who crossed
00:34:47the Gulf of Sidra
00:34:48would be crossing
00:34:49a line of death.
00:34:54By the spring
00:34:55of 1986,
00:34:57worldwide terrorism
00:34:58had reached
00:34:58unprecedented levels.
00:35:00President Reagan's
00:35:01patience was wearing thin.
00:35:04Gaddafi deserves
00:35:05to be treated
00:35:05as a pariah
00:35:06in the world community.
00:35:08We call on our friends
00:35:09in Western Europe
00:35:10and elsewhere
00:35:11to join with us
00:35:12in isolating him.
00:35:13If these steps
00:35:14do not end
00:35:15Gaddafi's terrorism,
00:35:16I promise you
00:35:17that further steps
00:35:19will be taken.
00:35:22Then,
00:35:23on the 5th of April,
00:35:241986,
00:35:25a bomb exploded
00:35:26in a West Berlin disco.
00:35:29Among the 232 casualties,
00:35:31two American servicemen
00:35:32were killed.
00:35:38The United States
00:35:39found clear evidence
00:35:41that Libyan leader
00:35:42that Libyan leader
00:35:42Colonel Gaddafi
00:35:42was behind the attack.
00:35:50At RAF Mildenhall in England,
00:35:52SR-71 pilot Brian Shule
00:35:54knew that they were on course
00:35:56for retaliation.
00:35:57Now, we knew that something
00:35:58was going on
00:35:59because all of a sudden
00:36:00the Mildenhall base
00:36:01had an extra security arm of guards
00:36:03around it.
00:36:04Our BOQ living quarters
00:36:05had armed guards at the doors.
00:36:07The next thing you knew,
00:36:08every tanker
00:36:09in the Air Force
00:36:09practically was landing
00:36:10at Mildenhall.
00:36:11There were new airplanes
00:36:12on the ramp
00:36:13that you hadn't seen before
00:36:14and it was no secret
00:36:15to every Brit aircraft spotter
00:36:17out there
00:36:18that there was something going on.
00:36:22The British government
00:36:23would allow the United States
00:36:25to fly the missions
00:36:26from their bases in England.
00:36:27At 9.30 a.m. on the 14th of April,
00:36:31the SR-71 crew members
00:36:33were ordered
00:36:33to a top-secret briefing.
00:36:38They were informed
00:36:39that the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing
00:36:40at Lakenheath
00:36:41would be striking
00:36:42selected Libyan targets
00:36:43within hours.
00:36:47When we heard the words,
00:36:48you know,
00:36:48this morning at 2 a.m.,
00:36:50the F-111s are launching,
00:36:52we were a little surprised
00:36:53that, well,
00:36:53this is for real.
00:36:54It's happening.
00:36:57The SR-71's job
00:36:59would be to record
00:37:00the results of the airstrikes
00:37:01against Tripoli
00:37:02and Benghazi.
00:37:04That night,
00:37:05the F-111s
00:37:06began their mission.
00:37:09So when we're trying to sleep,
00:37:10in the middle of the night,
00:37:11you're awakened by the roar
00:37:12of F-111s taking off.
00:37:15Listening to that,
00:37:16it was quite serious
00:37:17at that time
00:37:18because we knew
00:37:19maybe some of those people
00:37:20wouldn't come back.
00:37:21By the time
00:37:27the SR-71 crews
00:37:29arrived to prepare
00:37:29for their mission,
00:37:30the F-111s
00:37:31were already bombing Libya.
00:37:35My fellow Americans,
00:37:38at 7 o'clock this evening,
00:37:39Eastern Time,
00:37:40air and naval forces
00:37:41of the United States
00:37:42launched a series of strikes
00:37:44against the headquarters,
00:37:46terrorist facilities,
00:37:47and military assets
00:37:48that support
00:37:49Muammar Qaddafi's
00:37:50subversive activities.
00:37:53Today,
00:37:54we have done
00:37:55what we had to do.
00:37:57If necessary,
00:37:58we shall do it again.
00:38:02The F-111s
00:38:03had a number of targets
00:38:04to take out
00:38:05missile defenses,
00:38:06sites and things,
00:38:07but also all the
00:38:08terrorist training camps
00:38:09and to really hit
00:38:10Qaddafi's headquarters,
00:38:11basically,
00:38:12to really show him
00:38:13that we're going to come
00:38:14right into his backyard.
00:38:17Our job was to come
00:38:18and assess everything
00:38:19that was done,
00:38:20gather pictures
00:38:21and target data
00:38:22for maybe succeeding strikes.
00:38:27Flying in directly
00:38:28after a bombing raid,
00:38:30the crews could expect
00:38:31Libya's sophisticated
00:38:32air defense network
00:38:33to be on full alert
00:38:34and eager to retaliate.
00:38:39We were subsonic
00:38:41off Landsan,
00:38:42getting ready to get
00:38:43to the tanker,
00:38:44and we saw the string
00:38:45F-111s coming back.
00:38:47And my backseater Walter
00:38:49was counting the planes
00:38:50as they came back
00:38:51and passed us,
00:38:52and he came up one short,
00:38:54and he knew that somebody
00:38:56had not made it home,
00:38:57and we were very sad
00:38:59in the cockpit
00:38:59at that time
00:39:00before we even started
00:39:01that we had lost
00:39:02an entire crew,
00:39:03but yet it gave us
00:39:05more resolve.
00:39:06after refueling
00:39:13and now traveling
00:39:14at supersonic speeds,
00:39:15they neared the Gulf
00:39:16of Sidra
00:39:17and the Libyan target area.
00:39:21We're doing over
00:39:212,000 miles an hour
00:39:22at this point,
00:39:24and we were like
00:39:26a speeding bullet
00:39:26except faster,
00:39:28and we had crossed
00:39:29the line of death
00:39:30with impunity.
00:39:31But the Libyans,
00:39:36equipped with the latest
00:39:37Soviet long-range
00:39:38high-altitude missiles,
00:39:39posed the greatest threat
00:39:41yet to the Blackbird.
00:39:43It was at that time
00:39:44that Walter started
00:39:45picking up some missile signals.
00:39:47He got two indications
00:39:48and then actually
00:39:48got a launch indication.
00:39:52And we had a big decision
00:39:53to make where we were
00:39:54running into the target area
00:39:56before we made the turn.
00:39:57Do we continue to that point
00:39:59where Qaddafi's headquarters
00:40:00were,
00:40:01or do we make a turn away
00:40:02now to save ourselves
00:40:03from the missiles?
00:40:06And our decision
00:40:07was to push the throttles forward.
00:40:09We thought in 14 seconds
00:40:10we can beat that missile
00:40:11to that point
00:40:12and then make the turn.
00:40:19Made the turn,
00:40:20went feet wet,
00:40:21got to the coast,
00:40:22and I will tell you
00:40:23that was probably
00:40:25the fastest I've ever
00:40:26seen the SR-71 fly.
00:40:30They'd outrun the missile,
00:40:32gathered the photographic intelligence,
00:40:33and were now heading away
00:40:34from the danger zone.
00:40:36Walt said,
00:40:37OK, you can pull it back now.
00:40:39My hand was still locked
00:40:40in the forward position there.
00:40:41We were seeing mock numbers
00:40:43that were a little scary
00:40:44that we had not seen before,
00:40:45and the jet did it effortlessly.
00:40:49The intelligence photos
00:40:50that were brought back
00:40:51clearly showed
00:40:52that the bombing mission
00:40:53had been a success.
00:40:54It was decided
00:40:58there would be no need
00:40:59to risk more American airmen's lives
00:41:00over Libya
00:41:01with further bombing.
00:41:06We brought back
00:41:07the confirmation
00:41:08of to whether we needed
00:41:09to go in again or not,
00:41:10what we had really done,
00:41:12where their defences were,
00:41:13what they really had.
00:41:14But we made a statement
00:41:15to Gaddafi,
00:41:16and if you'll notice,
00:41:17you'll remember,
00:41:17you didn't hear a lot
00:41:18from him for a long time
00:41:19after that.
00:41:20But despite the success
00:41:24of the SR-71s
00:41:25over Libya,
00:41:26its days were numbered.
00:41:28At the end of the 1980s,
00:41:29it was decided
00:41:30that the cost of operating
00:41:31the SR-71
00:41:32was no longer sustainable.
00:41:35The Blackbird program
00:41:36was terminated.
00:41:39From now on,
00:41:40all American surveillance
00:41:42would be carried out
00:41:42by satellites.
00:41:44The reason it was given
00:41:45was that it was
00:41:46too expensive.
00:41:47Well, it's reconnaissance.
00:41:52Sometimes that can be
00:41:54very expensive.
00:41:54And if you don't have
00:41:55reconnaissance,
00:41:56you're pretty blinded.
00:41:58And now they like to say
00:41:59that the satellites
00:42:00can do it all.
00:42:01And satellites can do
00:42:02a great deal
00:42:02in their magnificent
00:42:03capabilities.
00:42:06But there are things
00:42:07they can't do,
00:42:07and there are things
00:42:08that are unique
00:42:09that only the SR-71
00:42:10can do.
00:42:13On December the 20th,
00:42:141989,
00:42:15the SR-71
00:42:17made a final pass
00:42:18down the runway
00:42:18at Lockheed's
00:42:19Burbank plant
00:42:20in honor of all those
00:42:22who worked
00:42:22on this exceptional plane.
00:42:25Kelly Johnson was there
00:42:26to pay an emotional
00:42:27farewell
00:42:27to his favorite creation.
00:42:31I can't say enough
00:42:32about Kelly Johnson
00:42:33himself.
00:42:33He was an absolute
00:42:35aeronautical genius.
00:42:38Working for Lockheed,
00:42:40I think he's made
00:42:41the greatest aircraft
00:42:42that ever existed.
00:42:44There's just something
00:42:45about the sleek
00:42:46SR-71
00:42:47that makes it
00:42:48in a class of one.
00:42:49There is no other.
00:42:52Impressive to the last,
00:42:54the Blackbird set
00:42:55four international
00:42:55speed records
00:42:56while being delivered
00:42:57to the Smithsonian
00:42:58National Air and Space Museum.
00:43:00People love a winner.
00:43:02They love when someone
00:43:03is the best
00:43:04in their field.
00:43:05This aircraft
00:43:06was the best
00:43:06in its field.
00:43:08It was the prime
00:43:09speed machine
00:43:11of the world.
00:43:12Every speed
00:43:12and altitude record
00:43:13that it had set,
00:43:14it holds to this day.
00:43:15The SR-71 Blackbird
00:43:21served six different presidents
00:43:23and saw action
00:43:24on hot
00:43:24and cold war fronts alike.
00:43:27And despite being shot
00:43:28at over 4,000 times,
00:43:30no aircraft
00:43:31was ever lost
00:43:32to enemy fire.
00:43:34It is the only
00:43:35operational airplane
00:43:37in the history
00:43:38of the American Air Force
00:43:39in which no Air Force
00:43:41crew members
00:43:41were ever killed.
00:43:43That's a record
00:43:44that no other airplane has.
00:43:46And when you consider
00:43:47the environment
00:43:47in which it flew,
00:43:49the speed,
00:43:50the altitude,
00:43:51the temperatures,
00:43:52that's a real credit
00:43:53to Kelly Johnson.
00:43:54music plays
00:43:59music plays
00:44:06music plays
00:44:12music plays
00:44:12up
00:44:14music plays
00:44:46I flew the airplane for almost nine years, and I initially checked out in early 1957.
00:45:04I flew the airplane a long time after Mr. Powers went down in 1960, including all of the Cuban missions and missions in Vietnam and missions at other locations around the world.
00:45:19Well, of course, when we went to be selected for the program, none of us had seen the airplane.
00:45:25But we knew now of its existence, and we had seen photographs of it, and everyone was very excited.
00:45:30Now, I had been flying the U-2 for almost nine years, so I knew my days in that program were bound to be numbered.
00:45:36And usually what happens when you leave a program like that, you go to a headquarters and a staff position, and you get to fly a desk for several years.
00:45:43And I certainly didn't want that to happen. I wanted to continue to fly as all pilots do.
00:45:48So when I was given the opportunity to start all over with another brand new program, I was just absolutely delighted.
00:45:55Flying the aircraft in transitioning from the U-2 was quite a radical transition because the airplane was much bigger, heavier, handled considerably different.
00:46:12The U-2, for example, had a yoke, had a wheel like a multi-engine airplane has, whereas the SR-71 had a stick like most fighters would have.
00:46:20And having been flying in fighters for many years before I got into reconnaissance, I was overjoyed to see a stick in the cockpit instead of a wheel.
00:46:30But the B-58 pilots, I think, who came into the program probably found that transition very easy because I think it handled subsonically quite a lot like the B-58 Hustler bomber did.
00:46:41Now, when you transitioned to supersonic performance, then the aircraft became very demanding on the pilot and the backseater, or RSO, or reconnaissance systems officer.
00:46:54It demanded all of your attention all the time.
00:46:58You didn't dare spend much time looking at the scenery or watching the world go by.
00:47:04You had to be flying that airplane every second of the time.
00:47:08And in contrast to the U-2, which had, you know, subsonic speeds, so it wasn't anything that was too demanding.
00:47:16It had a nice autopilot.
00:47:18I've taken naps and written letters and read a chapter in a book when I'm flying the U-2 over the ocean or someplace where I'm not asked to do anything except get from point A to point B.
00:47:28You would never do that in the SR-71.
00:47:30You have to fly the airplane every bit of the time.
00:47:34But again, it's still a very, very honest airplane.
00:47:37I don't think anyone who flew the airplane had any reservations about the nature of the mission or what we were doing with the mission, where we were flying, what our mission objective was, what we were trying to collect.
00:47:50Whether it was electronic intelligence or whether it was photo or radar, we had all those systems on board the airplane, and so we had multiple targets that we were looking for.
00:48:03And some of them involved overflights, and some of them involved peripheral work.
00:48:07And I don't think anyone was really concerned about that aspect of the mission at all.
00:48:13In fact, it used to be rather enjoyable when MiGs would be launched to intercept the SR-71, because they delighted in trying to do that.
00:48:22They would love to have been able to shoot down an SR-71.
00:48:25Of course, they never could.
00:48:26But you could see contrails of the MiGs when they were scrambling and coming up, and it was kind of like tweaking the lion's tail.
00:48:35You know, you could just ignore them and watch them fall out of the sky and just press on with the mission.
00:48:41So in that sense, it was a little bit of entertainment for us.
00:48:45Flying the aircraft at Mach 3 was almost disappointing, because there was no particular sensation of speed.
00:48:53You were too far above everything to get a sensation of speed.
00:48:56The most impressive thing going on would be watching the instruments and seeing what an amazing Mach number you had just passed through.
00:49:03I remember the first time I took the aircraft up to speed and to altitude.
00:49:08I had been supersonic before in a number of airplanes, but all of a sudden in this aircraft, I went through Mach 1.
00:49:14Then I approached Mach 2, and it went through Mach 2 without the slightest indication of any problems, and I marveled at that.
00:49:21And then it rolled right on through Mach 3.
00:49:25And, of course, none of us had ever been that fast before, but depending upon the airplane that particular day,
00:49:31if it was a nice day and the airplane was nice to you, you did all of this effortlessly.
00:49:36And that was the feeling you had, that you had control of so much power on this aircraft that it was almost limitless.
00:49:44And when you got to the desired speed and altitude, you actually had to throttle back.
00:49:48And you'd be cruising at 2,000 miles an hour with the throttle way back from its normal full-power climb performance.
00:49:57So, the impression you had is that you just had a vehicle with unlimited power and speed potential.
00:50:07Well, the two years that I was a Wing Commander, 73 through 75, I think there were two events that highlight the tour that I had of that command.
00:50:17One was, of course, the October missions over the Middle East, and the other was the opportunity to, for the first time, put the aircraft on public display overseas.
00:50:28And in the process of getting there, we were authorized to set some world speed records and to take the aircraft into Farnborough Air Show in the U.K.
00:50:37Getting it over there and putting it on display was enough to get us all very excited, but then to be allowed to set the speed record, which we knew we would set anyway, whether they acknowledged it or not.
00:50:49But they allowed us to make the official run and document the speed run.
00:50:54So, again, I picked Jim Sullivan, who at that time was the chief of standardization.
00:51:01I always pick my chief of standboard as my number one guy to fly the big mission.
00:51:05And, again, this was going to be a pre-announced attempt at a world record, and we had to do it.
00:51:11Once you pre-announce it, you can't afford to fall down.
00:51:14And so we were very concerned that this go as planned.
00:51:19We actually launched two airplanes out of California, and the record attempt was to be from New York to London.
00:51:25So we had two airplanes flying, I think it was 30 minutes apart.
00:51:29And if something happened to Sullivan before he got to New York, because once he started, he was on his own.
00:51:36But if something happened to his airplane before he got to New York for some reason, then the second airplane would make the speed run.
00:51:43But his aircraft worked flawlessly all the way across.
00:51:46And so we set that speed record of, I think it was an hour and 55 minutes from New York to London.
00:51:53And then we were given the opportunity to set another world speed record on the return flight.
00:51:58So I picked another crew.
00:51:59This time I picked a young crew.
00:52:02I wanted the young guys to know that they also had a chance to participate in these things.
00:52:06So I picked a young crew.
00:52:08Buck Adams was the pilot who later retired as a general officer.
00:52:12But Buck flew from London to Los Angeles and set a world speed record in three hours and 55 minutes.
00:52:19Now those records would have been much shorter, except that we had to do some in-flight refueling.
00:52:23We had planned on going to London unrefueled.
00:52:27The airplane is perfectly capable of doing that.
00:52:30But the London weather was terrible, strangely to say.
00:52:34And so we knew we were going to arrive in the London area.
00:52:39And we would still be at speed and altitude over London.
00:52:42So we had to swing way over the English Channel halfway to Paris and back to descend and decelerate
00:52:47to come back to farm or land.
00:52:50And I knew we were going to be on fumes when you put all that together.
00:52:54And we had to have completely good visual conditions in order to attempt that.
00:52:58So much to Kelly Johnson's dismay, I directed that we have an in-flight refueling partway across.
00:53:05And he called me on the phone as soon as he got the word.
00:53:08He was most upset with me for putting in that refueling.
00:53:12And I said, Kelly, it's going to add maybe ten more minutes.
00:53:15It'll be a world record no matter what.
00:53:17And he said, yes, but I want to do it unrefueled.
00:53:19The airplane can do that.
00:53:20I said, I know it can do that.
00:53:22But it can't do it safely under these conditions.
00:53:25The weather is just too bad.
00:53:26We don't even begin to meet the Air Force requirements for fuel reserve.
00:53:31And if you're going into an instrument condition up there, Jim has to have some fuel reserve.
00:53:36So he finally allowed us out that he'd let me do that.
00:53:39But he was very unhappy.
00:53:40But he was there when the airplane landed, as I was.
00:53:43We were all in London at Farm Bar waiting for the airplane.
00:53:46And when he landed, Kelly Johnson was absolutely ecstatic.
00:53:51And he was so happy, he threw a big party for us that night.
00:53:54And so all was forgiven after the record was set.
00:53:58And what was it set at?
00:54:00It was an hour and fifty-five minutes from New York to London.
00:54:04Yeah.
00:54:05That was pretty good.
00:54:06The previous record was something like four or five hours owned by a British pilot, military pilot.
00:54:14So he smashed that one.
00:54:15No one's ever beaten it.
00:54:16No, no, nobody could.
00:54:17No, it'll never be beaten.
00:54:45A United States Air Force strategic air command weapon system.
00:55:04The SR-71, a highly sophisticated reconnaissance aircraft of the 60s, still ahead of the state
00:55:13of the art in the 70s, was first announced in February 1964.
00:55:18The program was started initially with a Systems Project Office given Specialized Management Authority and answering directly to Air Force Headquarters.
00:55:30As the program progressed, the Specialized Management Authority was transferred to the present Advanced Systems Program Office with complete administrative, engineering, and logistics responsibility.
00:55:47A pattern now accepted for several key Department of Defense programs.
00:55:52The Lockheed Advanced Development Projects, nicknamed the Skunk Works since the early 40s, well known for its ability to produce in a tight security atmosphere,
00:56:04was selected to proceed with this highly sensitive program, a global reconnaissance system that would sustain altitudes above 80,000 feet at speeds beyond 2,000 miles per hour.
00:56:18With the experience gained on the YF-12 interceptor program, the task of producing the SR-71 was underway.
00:56:37The airframe and systems design was rapidly finalized.
00:56:42Engineering drawing release moved into high gear.
00:56:47Titanium, a light, high-temperature resistant metal, was selected to endure the torturous environment of triple sonic flight.
00:56:55A sharp workforce, already skilled in working with titanium, was expanded as production tooling and assemblies take shape.
00:57:04Ship number one moved into final assembly.
00:57:08Soon another milestone is reached.
00:57:14Maintaining tight security and under the cover of darkness, serial number 950 leaves the assembly plant.
00:57:21The convoy delivering the first airplane arrives at the flight test facility.
00:57:30Maintaining tight water test facility.
00:58:07This new member of the family of blackbirds made its debut just 22 months after go-ahead.
00:58:19Production aircraft scheduled for evaluation soon arrived at Edwards Flight Test Center.
00:58:26Almost concurrently, Lockheed and Air Force flight test efforts proved the airplane and systems.
00:58:32Meanwhile, facilities at Beale Air Force Base in Northern California were being readied to receive SAC's new Mach 3 Plus aircraft.
00:58:43A new team was being formed. Members were arriving on base daily.
00:58:50The Lockheed ADP Field Engineering Support Group, formed early in the test program, arrived at the operational base, consisting of a small group of engineers, logistics and systems personnel.
00:59:05Equipped with fast response procedures, they brought the manufacturer's entire support as close as the commanding officer's telephone.
00:59:16The Physiological Support Division was busy processing flight crews selected from the many highly qualified volunteers from throughout the Air Force.
00:59:25Personnel were scheduled into training.
00:59:31Animated aides familiarized students with the internal workings of the engine and system components.
00:59:37Functional aides utilizing actual airplane parts are used to develop operational and maintenance skills.
00:59:46Indoctrination with a space suit life support system required by the crew provides the newly assigned team members with first-hand information relating to the SR's hostile operating environment.
01:00:03Transition to the SR was rapidly being accomplished.
01:00:08With introduction to the flight simulator, the goal of flying the Blackbird is in sight.
01:00:15Flight crews experienced the operation and performance of the airplane and reconnaissance systems in a realistic simulation of flight.
01:00:24Flight crew and maintenance training was proceeding on schedule.
01:00:33The all-important day is here.
01:00:36An anxiously awaited member of the team arrives on base.
01:00:42This first Blackbird received by the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was an SR-71B, a trainer.
01:00:52Enthusiastic team members are on hand to congratulate the commander and welcome the star performer.
01:00:58The pace quickens.
01:01:04Additional aircraft arrive.
01:01:06The new birds are on a busy flying schedule.
01:01:20Crews are eager to take to the skies.
01:01:23The brave one.
01:01:24Crews are eager to meet with the stars.
01:01:25Crews are eager to be able to
01:01:45move the stars to the public.
01:01:50The SR's dagger-like shape is thrust through the sky by more power than 45 diesel locomotives.
01:02:02During flight, the cockpit remains comfortable, while just outside, airplane skin temperatures
01:02:08exceed a searing 600 degrees.
01:02:13The men flying this phenomenal machine soon were routinely flying Mach 3 and beyond.
01:02:23The team, proud of their bird and the crews that fly them, established an exclusive club.
01:02:30At an impressive ceremony, each crew member is awarded a Mach 3 plus pin and certificate,
01:02:37honoring his first flight at 2,000 miles per hour.
01:02:43The Strategic Air Command's 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing has flown thousands of hours at Mach 3.
01:02:52They have pioneered sustained operational flight above 80,000 feet at speeds beyond 2,000 miles
01:03:00per hour, carrying forward the tradition of unarmed reconnaissance.
01:03:06They are giving up to their motto, Peace Through Surveillance, by providing information for
01:03:11the security of the United States and the free world.
01:03:16The SR-71 in a single flight has flown over 15,000 miles.
01:03:23On one mission, it is capable of mapping a section of the world equal to a path 60 miles wide from
01:03:30San Francisco to New York.
01:03:36The incredible Blackbirds and the team that operates them are justly proud guardians of peace
01:03:43peace through surveillance.
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