From: bowers@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov (Al Bowers)
Subject: Re: SR-71 Blackbird
Organization: NASA Dryden, Edwards, Cal.
	<1992Nov6.125141.17860@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu>
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 20:55:18 GMT

In article <1992Nov6.125141.17860@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> dnadams@nyx.cs.du.edu (Dean Adams) writes:

>john@newave.newave.mn.org (John A. Weeks III) writes:

> >Most everything on the SR-71 is still classified.  

>Well, there is quite a lot of info around these days.

The aircraft is being declassed as fast as the paperwork can be
written and processed.  most of the aircraft is declassed now.

> >The aircraft is beleived to have been built in three different versions,
> >the A-12, SR-71, and YF-12, with about 40 total airframes constructed.

>Add the M-12 drone carrier to that list.

>Here is a Blackbird type/total listing:

>>  A-12 .... 13
>> YF-12 ....  3
>>  M-12 ....  2
>> SR-71 .... 29
>> SR-71B ...  2
>> SR-71C ...  1
>>---------------
>> total .... 50

Keep in mind, some of those aircraft were made from crashed airframes.
So the numbers are somewhat flexible.  Any number between 48 and about
57 is good though.

> >The planes are beleived to fly at about Mach 3.5 and about 125,000 feet.

>125K is a rather high estimate...

I have a copy of the Researcher's Guide to SR-71 experiments.  In it
is the complete flight envelop.  The max altitude was constarined by
the minimum airspeed limit of 310 KEAS and the maximum design Mach of
3.2.  That and a standard atmosphere will net you about 84,888 feet
msl.  The Guide shows that some aircraft have exceeded that minimum
and gone as high as about 90,000 feet.

The pilot's manual (available at most bookstores for abour $US 100)
has an additional footnote that reads:

"Mach 3.2 to 3.3 speed region only usable when authorized by the
Commander."

> >and the USAF has retained several SR-71 in flyable storage (just incase).

>There are three SRs in storage at Lockheed Palmdale (Plant 42): 962/967/968,
>but from what i've heard they are not particularly "flyable" these days.
>NASA also has plans to use these last three Blackbirds for spare parts.

The flyable storage aircraft are the three that NASA now has.  The
three at Plant 42 are in pretty sad shape.

> >Even though there were supposedly no active Blackbirds during Desert Storm,
> >there are widely circulated rumors that at least one Blackbird mission
> >was undertaken, possibly several more.  
> >These rumors seem to be centered on someone who claims that they were on 
> >board a KC-135 that was carrying the special fuel that is only used by 
> >the Blackbird.

>That would be JP-7 of course, most of which is now stored at Edwards AFB
>and was formerly carried by special KC-135Q tankers.  But... anyone making 
>such a "claim" would have seemingly been part of a classified reconnaissance
>mission.  Therefore if they "talked", it would be a rather serious offense.  
>Maybe it was just JP-5 or something...

And during Desert Storm all three of the flable ones simply sat on the
ground.  The Air Force no longer has any trained personnel to fly or
maintain the aircraft, all are NASA personnel now.

Note that the SR-71: Researcher's Handbook is available from Lockheed
or NASA nad includes the capabilities of these marvelous aircraft.
The two volume set is not restricted or clssified in any way.  And all
the performance data is included.

The person who was told that the top speed of the SR was still
classified, you're having a joke played on you.  All the data is
available, all you gotta do is ask in the right places...

--
"But the fact that a 1938 touring bodied Alfa Romeo I once had is
worth $1 million sometimes bothers the hell out of me.  It's a
personal problem."                                     -Phil Hill
Al Bowers                                 bowers@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov
Iaido   Takamine   Hobie   Rossignol   Alfa Romeo  Ducati (DOD #900)
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