Sr-72
 

Yeah I know you guys in aerospace are all "we knew about this years ago" :D

Lockheed Martin Announces Progress in Hypersonic SR-72 Aircraft Program

Lots of speculation about seeing the full sized flying article on the aviation forums. Seems to have a unique color to the exhaust.

Is this the evolution of the X-43 design from the 90's?
(aka: SR-91)

I think the time lines are rather pessimistic considering published engine testing is nearly a decade old, and the photographic evidence of flying prototypes is all over the Internet.

P&W Tests Dual-Mode Ramjet Engine at Mach 4 Flight Conditions

That original article is confusing, will it be F-22 sized or SR-71 sized?

Must be two different craft, one manned and one unmanned.

Old repost:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/787152-how-slow-can-sr-71-blackbird-fly.html

Right? The A-12 contract was awarded in 1960 and the SR-71 was delivered starting in 1966 and in operational use by 1968.

Wow, might be flying by 2030. I cant wait for this big event, oh, I can wait because I'll never see it.

In everything I've read about the SR71 there has never been any mention of simulators. I assume a lot of the training was simulator based.
Anyone know anything?

Yes, there was a (one) simulator. It was where the initial training/testing was done and many pilots washed out during the simulations. I remember at one point after the Blackbirds were retired by the Air Force but still being flown by NASA it was at Dryden Research Center. My dad got to sit in it. It's now located at the Frontiers of Flight museum in Dallas.

Link SR-71 “Blackbird” Simulator | Frontiers of Flight Museum

This video is of Pilot Richard Graham giving a 'checkout' in the simulator.



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They also made a 'trainer'

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1497019937.jpg

And when did they go public on the SR-71?

I would not be surprised if the SR-72 is and/or has been flying over our heads for a while now.

I think the Blackbird was revealed by LBJ in 1964ish.

There may be an F22 sized demonstrator article and the full development article may be larger.

You are correct... funny because my best friends dad worked in the 71... uprooted his whole family and moved them to Lancaster to work at Edwards for a year or two and then they returned. His dad refused to say a word about what he had worked on. This is back when boys built models, being boys we build hot rods, battleships, and fighter jets... my friend brought home a model of the SR-71 to build and his dad snatched it out of his hands and locked it up!

I think it was the 80's before his dad hung a picture of the SR-71 with signatures (I presume all the people who worked on it)

There's another simulator in Seattle.