When was the sr 71 decommissioned

In May , an American U-2 spy plane was shot duown in Soviet airspace while taking aerial photographs. Initially, the US government said it was a stray weather research aircraft, but the story fell apart once the Soviet government released photos of the captured pilot and the plane's surveillance equipment.

The incident had immediate diplomatic repercussions for the Cold War and reinforced the need for a new type of reconnaissance plane that could fly faster and higher, safe from anti-aircraft fire. The task of designing such an ambitious machine fell on Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, one of the world's greatest aircraft designers, and his secret division of engineers at Lockheed, called Skunk Works. Everything," recalled Johnson, who died in , the same year the Blackbirds were first retired from service.

The original plane in the Blackbird family was called the A and made its maiden flight on April 30, In total, 13 As were produced, and the plane was a top secret, special access program operated by the CIA.

The Blackbird still holds many aviation records. In it flew a coast to coast flight, from Los Angeles to Washington, in 67 minutes. Credit: NASA. Titanium skin. Because the aircraft was designed to fly faster than 2, mph, friction with the surrounding atmosphere would heat up the fuselage to a point that would melt a conventional airframe.

The plane was therefore made of titanium, a metal that was able to withstand high temperatures while also being lighter than steel. Using titanium presented other problems, however. First, a whole new set of tools -- also made of titanium -- had to be fabricated, because regular steel ones shattered the brittle titanium on contact. Second, sourcing the metal itself proved tricky.

The US government had to purchase a lot of that, probably using bogus companies," said Merlin. The initial aircraft were flown completely unpainted, showing a silver titanium skin. They were first painted black in , after the realization that black paint -- which efficiently absorbs and emits heat -- would help lower the temperature of the entire airframe. The "Blackbird" was born. Same plane, different names.

The A was soon evolved into a variant that was designed as an interceptor -- a type of fighter aircraft -- rather than a surveillance plane. Effectively, this meant adding air-to-air missiles and a second cockpit, for a crew member to operate the necessary radar equipment. This new plane, which looked identical to the A except for the nose, was called the YF A third variant was produced around this time, called the M, which had a pylon on its back for mounting and launching one of the first unmanned drones.

Two were built, but the program was halted in after a drone collided with its mothership, killing one of the pilots. Usually, when someone or something retires, it's because they've grown a little older — and maybe a little slower — over time. Maybe their skills aren't as useful as they once were, so they opt to spend their sunset years peacefully watching others take over their old duties. The SR was in the prime of its amazing life. This was a titanium bird designed to outrun and spy on the Russians, a bird that was fooling Russians even before it was assembled.

When the Blackbird was retired in , not everyone was thrilled with the idea. Much of the debate around the SR's mission and usefulness was because of political infighting, not because of any actual military need the plane couldn't fill. Still, the program was derided by Congressional military and budget hawks as being too costly for its designated mission.

Some speculate the old guard of Air Force Cold Warriors had long since retired and newer generals couldn't explain the plane's mission in the post-Soviet order. Whatever the reason for its retirement, the Air Force's most glorious bird was headed for the sunset — but not before making history and setting a few more records.

When it was operationally retired in , a Blackbird piloted by Lt. Raymond E. Yeilding and Lt. Joseph T. Vida was tasked to fly one last time from Palmdale, California, to its new home at the Smithsonian Institution's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

Apparently, they had somewhere to be in the DC area that day, too. During that Blackbird's final flight on March 7, , the plane and its pilots set four new speed records :.

The SR refueled in mid-air over the Pacific Ocean before beginning its transcontinental journey. It arrived at Dulles International Airport to a throng of onlookers and well-wishers who knew a good thing when they saw one.