The predecessor: the SR-71 Blackbird
Also known as the “Son of Blackbird,” the SR-72 will succeed the legendary SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest manned air-breathing aircraft in history.
Lockheed’s Skunk Works developed the Blackbird in the 1960s. It remains to be one of the most iconic innovations in the aviation world.
With a max speed of over Mach 3, the SR-71 was sent on strategic missions during the Cold War. Equipped with advanced sensors and cameras, it gathered intelligence over hostile territories.
Not only does it hold speed records, but also altitude records for manned jet aircraft. Its capabilities taunted and toyed with enemy aircraft who could not come close to touching the SR-71.
Some pretty serious engineering made the Blackbird what it was. A major part of its ingenuity was the Pratt and Whitney J58 turbojet engines. These featured a novel bypass air system that allowed them to run at higher speeds than typical turbojet engines.
Will the SR-72 be manned or unmanned?
While the SR-71 which was a manned aircraft, reports on the SR-72 seem to suggest it will be a drone. This means there is no pilot in the aircraft and is remotely controlled.
Today, drones offer major advantages over manned military and reconnaissance aircraft.
First, drones excel in stealth. They can operate with a lower chance of detection, making intelligence missions more likely to succeed.
Second, drones can be more cost effective, both in terms of development and operation.
But perhaps most importantly, drones mitigate the risk of pilot harm. Unlike manned missions, which put pilots in hostile environments, drones allow the operators to be far from danger if things go wrong.
While it would have been cool to see a manned SR-72 aircraft, technology has offered an alternative which is clearly more suitable for its purpose. In doing so, the SR-71 Blackbird will remain as the fastest air-breathing manned jet aircraft even after the SR-72 arrives.
How fast will the SR-72 be?
In 2017, Orlando Carvalho, who was the executive president of Lockheed Martin, disclosed that the SR-72 would exceed Mach 5 in speed. But by how much, remains classified. Current speculation suggests that the aircraft’s max speed will be Mach 6, making it twice as fast as its predecessor.
It is believed the SR-72 will use advanced propulsion tech with two engine modes. The first of which is driven by a turbojet engine, designed for takeoff and cruising speeds. For hypersonic speeds, it will transition to its second engine mode which uses a scramjet.
Scramjets, or supersonic combustion ramjets, enable combustion with supersonic intake air speeds. This allows the aircraft to achieve and sustain hypersonic speeds of Mach 5 or higher. All other jet engine forms slow down the intake air to under the speed of sound before combustion, which limits the max speed of the engine.
To date, only experimental aircraft, such as the Waverider and the X-43 used scramjet engines. The SR-72’s use of this tech would mark a major step in hypersonic flight, pushing the boundaries of speed for serving aircraft.
Keep an eye on the skies. Testing for the SR-72 is set to begin in 2025.
