Yesterday, the Air Force Armament Museum located at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida completed the process of repainting their SR-71 Blackbird.
As previously reported, the aircraft, SR-71A S/N 61-7959, was completed in 1965 and, in 1975, was modified with a nine-foot boom on its aft end carrying Electronic Countermeasures and an Optical Bar Camera. The result earned the machine the moniker “Big Tail” and it would remain the only example of the type to be fitted with the modification, as tests revealed that the equipment provided no marked advantage. The aircraft performed its last flight in 1976, being placed in outdoor storage before being moved to its current home in 1991.
The project utilized 22 gallons of primer, 22 gallons of paint and newly manufactured information decals. Click below to check out images of the completed machine, including a scrollable panorama.
(via Air Force Armament Museum Foundation Top Photo: Greg Goebel via Wikimedia Commons)
