On Monday, October 19, 2015 at 12:40:55 AM UTC-4, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Sunday, October 18, 2015 at 8:24:19 PM UTC-5, Doug Miller wrote:
"Robert Green" wrote in news:mvp4c3$agp$1
@speranza.aioe.org:

What always amazed me was no matter whomever was really filing the flight
plans was why no one thought the Sovs wouldn't bend heaven and earth to
shoot one of the Blackbirds down.

They tried. That's what they built the MiG-25 for: to get as high as possible, as quickly as
possible, to try to intercept the Blackbird.

One of the Blackbird pilots told of a recon flight over Soviet territory when the Soviet AF tried to
intercept them -- a MiG managed to get close enough to launch rockets.

The Blackbird went to afterburners.

And outran the rockets.

Is the top speed of the SR-71, A-12 and YF-12 still classified? I know an average speed record of almost 2,200 mph was made by one crew but what was the top speed. I must wonder what replaced the aircraft other than satellites? o_O

[8~{} Uncle Speed Monster

Wiki puts it at 2200 MPH. Interesting though, that final flight from LA to
Dulles had an average speed of 2148, taking 64 mins. Now IDK how they measure
world records, but I would assume it would have to take off, climb out, then
repeat at Dulles. If they did that, I don't see how the average could be so
close to the top speed.

I think the official position is that no new plane has replaced it.
There have been many reports over the years though of contrails seen high
in the sky with a peculiar "donuts on a string" look. That's lead to
speculation that they have some kind of new pulse type engine that's a
lot faster. Who knows... But it would seem rare that the military gives up a
cool and useful tool, without having a replacement. In this case it
could be a super fast, stealth, drone?