Key Points - The official retirement of the SR-71 Blackbird in 1990 was driven more by internal US Air Force politics and budget priorities than by high operational costs or obsolescence, according to ...

The SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest aircraft ever built, was ultimately done in by the Air Force’s most notorious and intractable enemy: budget cuts. The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird remains one of the most ...

On the cover of Aviation Week’s Jan. 20, 1990, issue, a U.S. Air Force/Lockheed SR-71 flies over Lake Almanor in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Air Force had announced the phasing out of the program ...

Sleek, black and evil in appearance, the SR-71 Blackbird was THE masterpiece of Cold War engineering. Flying faster and higher than any fighter, this stealthy reconnaissance aircraft could snoop where ...

The legendary SR-71 Blackbird retains the record for America’s fastest manned aircraft—ever. While almost everyone has heard of the American-made F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II platforms, many are ...