7 wild photos of the SR-71 Blackbird's afterburners in action
The SR-71 Blackbird was powered by two Pratt & Whitney J58 axial-flow turbojet engines.
The Blackbird had a maximum speed of Mach 3+, which is more than 2,000 mph or three times the speed of sound.
Source: US Air Force
In fact, US Air Force pilot Eldon Joersz got a Blackbird up to 2,193 mph (Mach 3.2) in 1976 over Edwards Air Force Base in California, setting a world record for fastest piloted jet flight.
Joersz also set a highest-altitude record during the 1976 flight, reaching nearly 85,069 feet -- over 16 miles above the Earth.
Source: Airspacemag.com
But less than 20% of the Blackbird's thrust used to hit Mach 3 was from the engines.
"During high-speed cruise conditions the balance of total thrust was produced by the unique design of the engine inlet and a moveable conical spike at the front of each engine nacelle," according to NASA.
"Under these conditions, air entering the inlets bypassed the engines, going directly to the afterburners and ejector nozzles, thus acting as ramjets."
More than 4,000 missiles were shot at Blackbirds during its 24 year career, but the aircraft were so fast, they simply accelerated away. Another advantage was their ability to fly at super high-altitude.
Despite no Blackbirds ever being hit by missiles, they did have a 30% crash rate.
Source: Business Insider
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