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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: N. Phoenix AZ USA
Posts: 28,987
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Paul,
NASA has one or two of them flying, and they are still quite a few on active duty with the Air Force. Last I heard they were talking about keeping it airborne until 2014 or so, waiting for a replacement platform to get in the air.
The SR-71 retired (unfortunately) in 1998. That we know of there is no replacement in the air at this time for the -71. Satellites simply cannot be "re-tasked" as often as needed nor as quickly as it was possible to dispatch a -71, so we have a large hole in our airborne intel net now. Grounding the -71 was a political event done internally in the Air Force.
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2021 Subaru Legacy, 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins (the workhorse), 1992 Jaguar XJ S-3 V-12 VDP (one of only 100 examples made), 1969 Jaguar XJ (been in the family since new), 1985 911 Targa backdated to 1973 RS specs with a 3.6 shoehorned in the back, 1959 Austin Healey Sprite (former SCCA H-Prod), 1995 BMW R1100RSL, 1971 & '72 BMW R75/5 "Toaster," Ural Tourist w/sidecar, 1949 Aeronca Sedan / QB
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