At Mach 3, friction with the atmosphere raised the SR-71’s skin temperatures to a searing 500 degrees Fahrenheit—hot enough to make the fuselage glow red. Despite being retired a generation ago, the ...

The SR-71 Blackbird, the most impressive plane ever created at the time, remained a mystery even 20 years after its first flight. But in the July 1982 issue, Popular Mechanics published a tell-all ...

The SR-71 is perhaps the most iconic Cold War spy aircraft, famous for many record-setting flights. Seemingly impervious to loss by enemy defenses, a dozen Blackbirds were lost to accidents. On July ...

What You Need to Know: The SR-71 Blackbird, known for being the fastest crewed jet in history, evaded over 4,000 missiles during its service. However, in training exercises, it faced simulated defeats ...