What Interceptor or Fighter Can Stop the SR-71?

If I remember correctly wasn't the A-12 fitted with some sort of Air to Air missile? Now that would give the 71 a run for its money!

Sv Out

The real problem here is that the full specs of the RS 71 (origional name) are still classified so in dealing with anything that could intercept it we're dealing with classified weapons or classified specs of known weapons.

If you're interested, I highly recommend reading one of my favorite books, "Skunk Works" by Leo Janos and Ben R. Rich (the successor of "Kelly" Johnson the founder of skunkworks at Lockheed).

www.amazon.com...

If I remember correctly wasn't the A-12 fitted with some sort of Air to Air missile? Now that would give the 71 a run for its money!

The YF-12 interceptor prototype for the F-12B interceptor would have carried three AIM-47's, a predecessor to the AIM-54 Phoenix. Unfortunately Robert McNamara cancelled the project, even after Congress had approved the purchase of 90 airframes. Just one shortsighted decision among so many others by McNamara...

By the time ANY ground based or airborne missile sites could aquire and target the SR 71, its already nearly out of range. Whats mach 3+? You're looking at like 30+ miles in just a few seconds. And then factor in that air to air missiles go about what? Mach 2-2.5? The only hope I think for an aircraft to shoot an SR 71 down would be if it was fed data from ground based tracking and ragetting sources very early on and was facing the SR71 already head on.

I dont know that any current KNOWN plane could do it. But...Anything is possible and if the stars aligned them selves just right who knows.

Here you go


www.spyflight.co.uk...

All of these mean that if the SR-71 is nearly invincible after 40 years, the Aurora planes(s) is HMOG

Greetings,

Fred, I heard the same thing but it they were to be mounted on some of your B-52H's in the bone yard for area surpression and, as you mentioned, cruise missile interception.

Its a interesting concept to say the least.

As for the guy who mentioned the A.B.L, my hat goes off to you and you get my vote for the month!

- Phil

Well if you look at the facts of the SR-71's service no plane can intercept a SR-71 the planes that came the closest was the MiG-25 "Foxbat" with a loaded top speed of Mach 2.83 and a Service Ceiling of about 70,000.They went faster and higher but those were all stripped down unarmed versions.
But the mig-25 failed on every attempt to intercept the SR-71 never even geting a chance to sire off a shot. No Mig-25 or Mig-31 has ever fired a missile at an SR-71 and not from a lack of trying.

I would think a upgraded modern Mig-31 would have the best chance but IMHO it would still be Highly Unlikely.

Actually one of the older SAM systems was quite capable of taking out an SR-71 given the right conditions. The system that I am referring to was the old Nike-Hercules system. What would have to be done would be to track the SR-71 from ground radar stations and launch the Nikes in a pattern to bracket the SR-71. With the 5KT warheads on the Nikes the SR-71 wouldn't have a chance.

S.A.Ms are a whole different story

I thought we were talking about planes though

Originally posted by ShadowXIX
S.A.Ms are a whole different story

I thought we were talking about planes though

We were but after they started talking about air launched Patriots, ASATs and ABM Lasers, I had to mention Nike. Actually you could accomplish the samething with a couple of F-104's and some Genie Air to Air missiles. The Genie could carry the Nike warhead. MIght be a little hard on the Starfires though.

[edit on 1-10-2005 by JIMC5499]

Well modern SAMs do indeed have the speed and range to down a SR-71. The window of opportunity to shoot down such an aircraft is not only narrow, but asking alot from even modern tracking systems today.

It would be possible though but no easy task even today IMHO.

My best bet on a realistic (read could perform it on a semi-routine basis) would be the F-35 JSF once it get's it's laser.

Originally posted by American Mad Man
My best bet on a realistic (read could perform it on a semi-routine basis) would be the F-35 JSF once it get's it's laser.

Not a chance

The laser wouldn`t have the range to be able to score a kill on an SR-71 before the SR-71 was long gone.

Originally posted by Harlequin

Originally posted by American Mad Man
My best bet on a realistic (read could perform it on a semi-routine basis) would be the F-35 JSF once it get's it's laser.

Not a chance

The laser wouldn`t have the range to be able to score a kill on an SR-71 before the SR-71 was long gone.

You do realize that Lasers travel the speed of light right? Because if they didn't, it wouldn't be a Laser. A laser is only a single ray of amplified light that heats up a target through high energy.

Now if an SR-71 could out run a laser, I'd be impressed.

Shattered OUT...

Perhaps what Harlequin meant was that:

1. The F-35 w/ 100 kw laser would require seconds rather than microseconds of laser contact with the SR-71 in order to cause enough structural damage to insure destruction.

2. The F-35's proposed 100kw laser would have to be within a couple of miles of the SR-71 and again, maintain that distance for maybe 3-5 seconds on a target potentially travelling at 1 mile every 6 tenths of a second.

Gee, I don't know, maybe you could blind the pilot and cause him to crash...

On the otherhand the Airborne Laser 747 once operational would have no problem shooting the SR-71 down as it's destruction could be almost instantaneous at a range of over 100 miles...

Originally posted by intelgurl
Perhaps what Harlequin meant was that:

1. The F-35 w/ 100 kw laser would require seconds rather than microseconds of laser contact with the SR-71 in order to cause enough structural damage to insure destruction.

2. The F-35's proposed 100kw laser would have to be within a couple of miles of the SR-71 and again, maintain that distance for maybe 3-5 seconds on a target potentially travelling at 1 mile every 6 tenths of a second.

Gee, I don't know, maybe you could blind the pilot and cause him to crash...

On the otherhand the Airborne Laser 747 once operational would have no problem shooting the SR-71 down as it's destruction could be almost instantaneous at a range of over 100 miles...

It would seem my best bet was a bad one

thank you intelgirl - yes , what i meant to say , was range and power - the laser wouldn`t have the instant kill , and would have to maintain the target for burnthrough - which as the F-35 is alot slower than an SR-71 is not going to happen.

Don't be fooled by the SR-71's theoretical capabilities and vast quantities of hype. In practice, they could be intercepted by MiG-25PDs, as described in "Intercepting The Blackbird" in AFM last year.

"We were impressed by its precision" said a Swedish observer who monitored the intercepts against the 'Baltic Express' Blackbirds from Mildenhall "it was always at 63000 ft and 1.6 nm behind the Blackbird".

The MiG-25s are thought to have taken up these tactics to match the launch parameters of an (unknown) missile, possibly one custom-built for the task or perhaps designed to take out B-70's.

I suppose if you have a target that you can overfly in a straight run, keep going and land on the other side you could go at top speed, but in real life if you have to turn the Blackbird has problems.

Im surpised no one has mentioned the cabilities of the sprint missile. Indeed, short burn time, but it could acheive mach 10 in 5 seconds!!! I heard someone mention the nike zues missile, sprint evolved from that. This missile was most likely, unbeatable by anything in its path. intercept from ground to 100,000 feet occured under 15 seconds. Nuclear blast would eliminate anything in the way.

Take away the nuc, replace the missile with conventional high explosive, todays guidance and tracking capabilities, fire it from an f-22, sr-71 is wasted.

Train