Lockheed SR 71 Blackbird, New York to London in 1h 54 mins, The untouchable reconnaissance plane

The Lockheed SR71 Blackbird is a longrange, highaltitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporation. It was operated by both the United States Air Force (USAF) and NASA. The SR71 was developed as a black project from the Lockheed A12 reconnaissance aircraft during the 1960s by Lockheed s Skunk Works division. American aerospace engineer Clarence Kelly Johnson was responsible for many of the aircraft s innovative concepts. The shape of the SR71 was based on that of the A12, which was one of the first aircraft to be designed with a reduced radar crosssection. At one point, a bomber variant of the aircraft was under consideration, before the program was focused solely on reconnaissance. Mission equipment for the reconnaissance role included signals intelligence sensors, a sidelooking airborne radar, and a photo camera; the SR71 was both longer and heavier than the A12, allowing it to hold more fuel as well as a two