Tag: SR-71

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Reports Suggest SR-71 Blackbird is Being Prepped for Return to Flight

According to recent reports, Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird #844 (pictured above) is being prepared for a possible return to flight after 27 years.

Former NASA employees have reported being contacted about working on the project over the course of the summer, although NASA itself has yet to make any related statement. It appears that the effort could be related to a new X-Plane project that was teased by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman at a recent All-In Summit in Los Angeles. To date nothing has been confirmed.

#844 (S/N 61-7980) was the final SR-71A built. It served as one of two Blackbirds operated by NASA at Dryden (now Armstrong) Flight Research Center as Mach 3 research platforms. Originally designed by Lockheed’s Skunk Works for strategic reconnaissance, the two-seat, titanium-intensive aircraft could cruise above Mach 3 at extreme altitude. Under NASA it supported investigations into aerodynamics, propulsion, high-temperature structures and materials, atmospheric science, instrumentation, and sonic-boom effects.

On October 9, 1999, 844 made the final flight by any SR-71, securing its place as the last Blackbird to fly. It had been on outdoor display at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base since then, however, it vanished from the location back in May.

(Aviation Week via NY Post Photo: NASA, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

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Revell Releases New Tool SR-71A Blackbird Model Kit

Revell has released their new tool SR-71A Blackbird model kit in 1/48 scale.

Details on the new “Level 5” kit (04967) are limited, although it reportedly contains 206 parts, measures 680mm and spans 355mm. It is also touted as boasting “highly detailed surfaces, detailed cockpit” and “superbly detailed Pratt & Whitney J58 axial-flow turbojet engines.”

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First Look: Engine / Nacelle Test Build for Revell’s New Tool SR-71

Revell has released the first test build photos for their upcoming new tool Gray Project SR-71 Blackbird in 1/48 scale.

The build follows the arrival of the first injection molding tool samples and the first series of photos focus on the J58 engines and the engine nacelles. The company states:

In some of the comments you have already asked whether the detailed engines can also be installed in the aircraft itself. Our designers did not plan this, but experienced model builders can of course accept this challenge and develop a solution themselves. The space would of course be available…

Click below to check out the newly released images.

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Revell to Release New Tool 1/48 SR-71 Model Kit

Revell has announced the development of a new tool SR-71 Blackbird model kit in 1/48 scale.

The model was officially announced at the recent Nuremberg Toy Fair. As of this writing, additional details appear to be nonexistent, although the kit is slated for release sometime in 2021.

(via Revell and Scalemates)

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Museum Completes Repaint of World’s Only “Big Tail” SR-71

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.

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World’s Only “Big Tail” SR-71 Undergoes Repaint

The Air Force Armament Museum located at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida is in the process of repainting their SR-71 Blackbird.

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 repainting process is reportedly being carried out with brush and rollers and, as of this writing, prep work has been completed and primer application is in progress. When complete, the machine will reportedly retain its signature black finish.

Click below to check out photos of the progress.

Continue reading World’s Only “Big Tail” SR-71 Undergoes Repaint