[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by fanaudical

I read an article somewhere (can't find it) that speculated that this particular SR-71 is coming out of retirement for high-speed flight testing / aerodynamics study and that NASA is reviving its X-plane program.

NASA has already made a public statement that they are reviving their X-plane program, with a SR-71-ish looking silhouette as the background. This is returning to their roots in a way, public research that helps to advance American aerospace industry.

An SR-71 like aircraft designed with modern tech has the potential to be incredible. The SR-71/A-12 was actually proposed and tested as an attack aircraft but it never got traction due to politics. The Ben Rich book “Skunkworks” is a great read, and a great reminder that often times politics trumps capability.