Blackbird : the story of the Lockheed SR-71 spy plane
Hamilton-Paterson, James2017
Books
The American 'spy' aircraft, the SR-71 'Blackbird' was deliberately designed to be the world's fastest and highest-flying aircraft and has never been approached since. It was conceived in the late 1950s by Lockheed Martin's highly secret 'Skunk Works' team under one of the most brilliant aero designers of all time, Clarence 'Kelly' Johnson. Once fully developed in around 1963/4 the Blackbird represented the apogee of jet-powered flight. It could fly at well over three times the speed of sound above 85,000 feet and had an unrefuelled range of 3,200 nautical miles. It flew with great success until 1998 (with NASA 1999). Despite extensive use over Vietnam and later battlefields none was ever shot down. The Blackbird's capabilities seem unlikely ever to be exceeded.
Main title:
Blackbird : the story of the Lockheed SR-71 spy plane / James Hamilton-Paterson.
Author:
Hamilton-Paterson, James, author
Imprint:
London : Head of Zeus, 2017.
Collation:
192 pages : illustrations (colour) ; 20 cm
ISBN:
9781786691200 (hbk. :)
Language:
English
Subject:
BRN:
2509864