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Caption:
The SR-71, unofficially known as the "Blackbird," is a long-range,
advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed
A-12 and YF-12A aircraft. The first flight of an SR-71 took place on
December 22, 1964, and the first SR-71 to enter service was delivered
to the 4200th (later, 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB,
California, in January 1966. The U.S. Air Force retired its fleet of
SR-71s on January 26, 1990, because of a decreasing defense budget and
high costs of operation. The USAF returned the SR-71 to the active Air
Force inventory in 1995 and began flying operational missions in
January 1997. Throughout its nearly 24-year career, the SR-71 remained
the world's fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft. An
air-to-air front view of an SR-71A strategic reconnaissance aircraft.
The SR-71 is unofficially known as the "Blackbird." (U.S. Air Force
photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael Haggerty)
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