What was the SR-71 originally called?

The Lockheed SR-71, unofficially known as the Blackbird and by its crews as the Habu, was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3 strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed YF-12A and A-12 aircraft by the Lockheed Skunk Works (also responsible for the U-2).

What does the 71 in SR-71 stand for?

The SR-71 designation is a continuation of the pre-1962 bomber series; the last aircraft built using the series was the XB-70 Valkyrie. However, a bomber variant of the Blackbird was briefly given the B-71 designator, which was retained when the type was changed to SR-71.

Why is SR-71 not 71?

Supposedly Air Force Chief of Staff General Curtis LeMay preferred the SR (Strategic Reconnaissance) designation and wanted the RS-71 to be named SR-71. Before the July speech, LeMay lobbied to modify Johnson’s speech to read SR-71 instead of RS-71.

What does the U stand for in U-2 plane?

utility
While the mission is pretty much the same, the aircraft doing it are much different. “The ‘U’ in U-2 stands for ‘utility,’ so a lot of people are like, ‘OK, 1955, what are we doing in 2019, when we’re flying F-35s and F-22s why are we flying the U-2 that was built in 1955?’ ” Maj.

Was the SR-71 supposed to be the RS-71?

— On July 25, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson revealed the existence of the SR-71 or RS-71. Then Air Force Chief of Staff General Curtiss Lemay preferred the SR (Strategic Reconnaissance) designation and wanted the RS-71 to be named the SR-71.

Why is U-2 called Dragon Lady?

In these models over 90% of a typical mission is flown within five knots (9 km/h) of stall speed. The difficulty experienced by the pilots flying the U-2 led to it being called the “Dragonlady” because the aircraft was extremely unforgiving with respect to pilot ineptitude or incompetence.

Is mach 10 possible?

On November 16, 2004, NASA made history by launching the X-43A, the first-ever air-breathing hypersonic vehicle, into the atmosphere, achieving Mach 10 speed. The X-43A separated from its booster and accelerated on scramjet power at nearly ten times the speed of sound (7000 MPH) at roughly 110,000 feet.

Why was SR-71 retired but not U2?

As for why U2 has outlived the SR-71, the main reason is the operating costs- the operating costs of SR-71 is quoted to be anywhere from $85,000 to $200,000 per hour, while the U-2 costs much less than that (incidentally, U-2s operating cost is less than that of its proposed replacement, the RQ-4 Global Hawk).