SR-71 Blackbird: Lockheed's Ultimate Spy Plane

As of 2023, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is the fastest manned jet aircraft ever produced. It set the record in 1976 and has been retired since the late 1990s. With its unrivaled speed and stunning appearance, the Blackbird has maintained an almost supernatural mystique to this day. The type entered service in the 1960s as a high-altitude (and obviously extremely high speed) military reconnaissance aircraft. Just 32 were built, nearly half of which were written off in accidents. Nearly 300 ...