On a stormy day in May 1967, the graceful A-12 Oxcart, a masterpiece of aeronautical engineering, took off from Kadena Air Base on a mission over North Vietnam.
Less than a year later, the SR-71 Blackbird, derived from the Lockheed A-12 and destined to become an icon of military technology, would take off from the same runway and etch its name into the annals of aviation history.
A military derivative and successor to the A-12, the SR-71 is a remarkable marvel, capable of reaching altitudes in excess of 85,000 feet and reaching speeds in excess of 2,100 mph.
Significantly, the aircraft could be equipped with various sensors, such as two Technical Objective Cameras capable of capturing images with a resolution of nine inches, an Optical Bar Camera that could accommodate black-and-white or infrared film, and imaging radar that enabled image capture even under cloud cover.
Additionally, the plane had the capability to carry intercept equipment for collecting radar emissions.
While the SR-71 initially operated in Asia, its scope extended globally, conducting intelligence-gathering missions in locations such as Cuba, Nicaragua, the Middle East (during the 1973 Yom Kippur War and subsequent events), and Benina Airfield in Libya following the 1986 El Dorado Canyon operation.
Peripheral missions of the SR-71 included flights along the borders of East Germany, Poland, and the Soviet Union, with later missions providing radar images of Soviet submarine bases.
The SR-71’s operational achievements were numerous, having flown 3,551 sorties by the end of 1989.
However, despite its undeniable strength, the program faced scrutiny over operating costs and the emergence of alternative reconnaissance technologies such as satellites, leading key figures such as Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Larry D. Welch to recommend its retirement.
The expected end came in 1990, when an SR-71 completed what would have been its final flight to the National Air and Space Museum, breaking the speed record along the way.
However, just months after she was decommissioned, the outbreak of the Gulf War sparked discussions about the Blackbird’s return to service.
Prominent figures like Ben Rich of Lockheed Skunk Works lobbied for a revival of the SR-71, although their efforts were resisted by officials including Defense Secretary Richard B. Cheney.
By 1994, almost four years following the Blackbird’s supposed last flight, advocates of the SR-71 started to achieve more favorable outcomes.
Thanks to the relentless endeavors of individuals like Byrd and other supporters of the SR-71 program, their persistence bore fruit when the Department of Defense appropriations bill for Fiscal 1995 allocated $100 million, with $60 million specifically designated for the restoration of three aircraft to operational condition. The cost estimates for this initiative were substantiated by a Pentagon study conducted on July 15, 1994.
The final blow came from the top office: President Bill Clinton used his veto in 1997 to kill the program. Although the Supreme Court later overturned the veto, the SR-71 was already in the process of permanent retirement, and funding could not reverse the decision within fiscal year limits.
Relevant articles:
– Going Nowhere Fast, Air & Space Forces Magazine