Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
The definitive technical guide to the incredible Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird and its intelligence-gathering systems.
The SR-71 represents the very pinnacle of Cold War aircraft design and it has become an aviation icon. Together with its predecessor, the A-12, the Blackbird was a giant leap into the technical unknown and the design employed many forms of new technology made necessary by the excesses of speed, altitude and temperature to which the aircraft was subjected.
Paul F. Crickmore charts its 34-year Air Force career, in which the SR-71 proved itself to be the world's fastest and highest flying operational manned aircraft. It set a number of world records for altitude and speed, including an absolute altitude record of 85,069ft on 28 July 1974, and an absolute speed record of 2,193.2mph the same day.
This truly was a unique and ground-breaking aircraft, whose fascinating design history is explored here in full and illuminated with photographs and detailed technical illustrations.
Paul F. Crickmore is the author both of the first detailed book to be published on the SR-71 Blackbird, and of the standard reference work on the subject – the much-acclaimed Lockheed SR-71: The Secret Missions Exposed. He is an honorary member of several A-12 and SR-71 veterans’ associations. Paul is also the author of the first detailed book about the F-117, written in partnership with his wife Alison and published in 1999.
Adam Tooby is an internationally renowned digital aviation artist and illustrator. His work can be found in publications worldwide and as box art for model aircraft kits.