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Originally posted by Sabre262
I think the SR-71 could get away with a flight over Russia without getting shot down by squadrons of Mig 25 or 31's however considering that spy satellites can do most of the things the SR-71
Originally posted by FredT
I think it would have been a dicey proposition for the A-12 at best back in its 60's heyday. Today, It would get shot down pretty quick. It was quick and fast, but despite KJ's efforts it was not stealthy. It would be toast pretty quick
[edit on 10/22/04 by FredT]
Originally posted by ShadowXIX
Wasnt the SR-71 flown all the way up to the end of the cold war. I know the thing was shot at thousands of times Russia never brought a blackbird down but not from a lack of trying.
Originally posted by grumpyoldman
I love the thought of someone taking evasive action at Mach 3 in an SR-71!
Mach 3 is purely straight-line stuff. Sorry.
However, your sheer speed does tend to protect you from SAMs, to a degree. The SR-71's shape - note the blending of the nose chine into the wing leading edge - gave it some stealth capability. Mind you, it must shine light a beacon when you point an infra-red sensor at it
Originally posted by P_38lightning
Up in the cold atmosphere, 80,000ft, the SR-71 would be a fairly easy target for an advanced IR seeking missile. First, those twin engines are amazingly powerful and HOT. Next the friction heat from the Mach3 speeds. If it does glow that means that is is pretty hot. I have seen Russian SAMs they are HUGE. They are why an SR-71 couldn't go over the USSR.
Due to the great temperature changes in flight, the fuselage panels were essentially loose. Proper alignment was only achieved when the airframe warmed up, due to the air resistance at high speeds, and the airframe then expanded several inches...
Nonetheless, once the airplane landed no one could approach it for some time as its canopy was still hotter than 300 degrees Celsius.
www.wordiq.com...
Originally posted by P_38lightning
Up in the cold atmosphere, 80,000ft, the SR-71 would be a fairly easy target for an advanced IR seeking missile. First, those twin engines are amazingly powerful and HOT. Next the friction heat from the Mach3 speeds. If it does glow that means that is is pretty hot. I have seen Russian SAMs they are HUGE. They are why an SR-71 couldn't go over the USSR.
Originally posted by mad scientist
Just one thing, there wasn't such a thing as advanced IR missiles back in the 60's. Besides all heavyweight Soviet SAM's of that era were radar guided just as they are today.
Originally posted by sminkeypinkey
Originally posted by mad scientist
Just one thing, there wasn't such a thing as advanced IR missiles back in the 60's. Besides all heavyweight Soviet SAM's of that era were radar guided just as they are today.
- No this is incorrect as any picture of an early missile armed Mig 25 will show us.
4 AA6's; 2 pointed white top and blunter two black top. 2 radar, 2 infrared.
Apparantly it was their policy to ripple fire one of each at targets just to make it harder for the target to escape.
(also, from the size of those things I don't think it is too incredible to presume they originally had an interchangable small nuclear warhead for taking down the B70 had they come to be and been - as expected - the main threat the Mig 25 was designed to counter.)
Originally posted by MPJay
The top speed isnt' classified, check out the online flight manual. I've posted about it before.
Originally posted by longbow
1, He was talking about ADVANCED IR misilles.
2. Do you know what SAM is? It's Surface-Air misille, so I don't know why are you talking about those carried by Mig-25.