Academy 12448 SR-71A Blackbird

The Lockheed SR-71A is a long-range espionage aircraft operated by the United States Air Force with an enormous maximum speed of over Mach 3. Work on the A-11 (prototype YF-12 / SR-71) began in secret in 1959 according to guidelines given by the CIA, which needed a spy plane even more perfect than the U-2, and it is believed that by 1968, when it was completed production, about 30 machines were assembled, including the training SR-71B. The nickname Blackbird, of course, comes from the black paint that is completely painted on the plane. It has a dual role to play. Firstly, it is a special material that makes it difficult to detect Blackbird by radar, and secondly, the black color is most effective in neutralizing the huge temperatures to which the fuselage is exposed during flights at 3 times the speed of sound. The planes were officially withdrawn from service in the USAF in the late 1980s, and some of them went to NASA. Technical data: length: 32.74m, wingspan: 16.94m, height: 5.64m, maximum speed: 3.56Ma, rate of climb: 60m / s, maximum ceiling: 36500m, maximum range: 5150km, armament: permanent- the plane is unarmed.