The SR-71 Blackbird The Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft were the basis for developing the SR-71, also called the “Blackbird” or long-range, advanced strategic reconnaissance aircraft. The 4200th (later 9th)…
The T-39 Sabreliner In response to a USAF request for a twin-jet utility trainer, North American Aviation, Inc. launched a private venture to build the T-39. On September 16, 1958,…
SR-71, KC-135Q and JP-7 If not for air refueling, the SR-71 Blackbird’s range would be relatively limited to about 2,000 NM. The aircraft’s range was increased by several air refuelings,…
The Blackbird Developed from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft, the SR-71, sometimes known unofficially as the “Blackbird,” is a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft. The 4200th (later 9th) Strategic…
The F-14 Tomcat In the 1986 movie “Top Gun,” the F-14 Tomcat had a key part. The Navy required an aircraft to defend its surface fleets from hostile aircraft and long-range…
The SR-71 Blackbird A group of Lockheed members led by Clarence “Kelly” Johnson—then vice president of Lockheed’s Advanced Development Company Projects, also referred to as the “Skunk Works” and currently…
The B-58 Hustler On November 11, 1956, the B-58, the US Air Force’s first operational supersonic bomber, took off. Apart from its delta wing design, the Hustler was distinguished by…
David Clark Company American’s David Clark Company (DCC) is a manufacturer and designer of a broad range of industrial and aerospace protective equipment such as headsets, anti-G suits, pressure-space suit…
The SR-71 Blackbird The US Air Force (USAF) created the SR-71 Blackbird in the 1960s. It was a plane that could move at a speed that was more than three…
Nuclear testing At the height of the Cold War, in the early 1960s, nuclear testing was resumed by both the US and USSR. The largest thermonuclear bomb ever dropped was…