AREA 51 AND RELATED CONTROVERSIES

 All unlabeled images are from www.photobucket.com and are all public domain. Other pictures on this site are also public domain and are cited.

            Spy planes played an important role during the Cold War. They helped world leaders know what their enemies are capable of and helped generals with their decisions. The United States had the U-2 spy plane to see the heart of Russia and what it’s doing. Soon enough, the Soviet Union developed SAAM missile system capable of destroying the U-2. In 1980, a U-2 was shot down. The U.S. soon realized that they need a new reconnaissance aircraft capable of supersonic speeds. The plane also needed a high surface ceiling[1]. In 1968, Lockheed Martin’s Skunks Works stood up to the task and began developing what is now called: the SR-71 Blackbird. The Blackbird had to reach up to speeds of mach. 3 (about 2,200 mph) a speed so fast, that the ideas of aviation would have to change. The air intakes of the aircraft would be redirected at a different angle. A plane going 2200 miles per hour can melt the aircraft aluminum frame due to air friction. This means the Blackbird has to be made of titanium.

            Once the frame was built, Lockheed Martin used two Pratt and Whitney Afterburner engines capable of producing up to 70,000 pounds of thrust each. The plane is coated with a black radar absorbent material hence the name Blackbird. The SR-71 was deployed in 1971 and changed the history of the world.

            The Blackbird was able to reach deep into the belly of the Soviet Union and was able to take pictures of missile sights, Army movements, and the capital (Moscow). When the cold war was over, the Blackbird was put to the test. During the Yom Kippur war, the United States helped its ally Israel by sending out Reconnaissance aircraft (the SR-71) to see what the enemy is doing. The Blackbird discovered enemy silkworm missiles capable of destroying ships off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Because of the Blackbird, resources for Israel were saved and the country was saved.

            The reconnaissance aircraft was able to overcome tasks, not get shot down, was able to return safe, and redefine the laws of aviation. This plane was able to change the history of the world. The plane may not have destroyed enemy aircraft, but still put indents in the sky and made the world a better place to live.

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Last modified: 04/02/08