This is the amazing Lockheed Martin SR-72—the space Blackbird

reply to post by waynos


Doesnt look like rolls nor BAE have a hand in the engine design of the SABRE rocket in the skylon... at least going off the wiki page for it :/ The creator is, instead, Reaction Engines

kingofyo1
reply to post by waynos

 

Doesnt look like rolls nor BAE have a hand in the engine design of the SABRE rocket in the skylon... at least going off the wiki page for it :/ The creator is, instead, Reaction Engines

People learnt, the very hard way, that if you take a penny of UK government money, it comes with zero lube and no morning after pillow mint. Best off in private hands.

Should of run with the Americans when they offered up funds and an airbase to develop HOTOL like aircraft. 'Flight testing and operations could begin in 1990' said one memo.

reply to post by Astr0


I have a thread somewhere, about the US doing the same. A company developed a revolutionary stealth coating, and the government said thanks, and didn't pay a dime for it.

reply to post by Zaphod58


Yeah, Zaph I remember you saying something about that not too long ago! kinda funny how they can screw some people so hard "all in the name of the United States!"

reply to post by kingofyo1


But as you can see here

en.wikipedia.org...(spacecraft)

Skylon is basically the son of HOTOL, with the same guys working on it under a different project name, with designer Alan Bond and the same Rolls Royce guys who worked on the HOTOL engine.

Whilst their corporate identities are not attached, it is the same brains. Either they have no interest in it at all, which is entirely possible, or there is something political afoot. I don't know which.

reply to post by waynos


Well in that case, they've got a lot of quality knowledge attached which should speed up the project instead of having to find new technologies to do the same thing

This post. Vago was very close.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Lockheed Martin's New Mach-6 Spy Plane

By Vago Muradian

Ten years after the U.S. Air Force retired the SR-71 spy plane, Lockheed Martin's legendary Skunk Works appears back at work developing a new Mach-6 reconnaissance plane, sources said.

The Air Force has awarded Lockheed's Advanced Development Projects arm a top-secret contract to develop a stealthy 4,000-mph plane capable of flying to altitudes of about 100,000 feet, with transcontinental range. The plan is to debut the craft around 2020.

The new jet--being referred to by some as the SR-72--is likely to be unmanned and, while intended for reconnaissance, it could eventually trade its sensors for weapons.

The Air Force is working on several programs to improve its global intelligence-gathering. Satellites offer global coverage, but the ones with the highest resolution operate on largely predictable orbits, and many countries have mastered the art of hiding from them. Moreover, China's successful anti-satellite missile test in January hinted that U.S. satellites might become vulnerable.

The new aircraft would offer a combination of speed, altitude and stealth that could make it virtually impervious to ground-based missiles, sources said. Even the SR-71 is said to have evaded hundreds of missiles fired at it during its long career, although some aircraft sustained minor damage.

But experts say enormous challenges remain. First, the SR-71's top speed was about 2,200 mph. Pushing a plane at twice the speed in the thin air of the upper stratosphere would require exceptionally powerful engines. Second, friction at high speeds could reduce stealth.

"An aircraft with these characteristics could prove a potent response to anti-satellite weapons," said Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute. "If U.S. reconnaissance satellites were lost, an SR-72 could get to areas of interest quickly and provide persistent surveillance in place of the satellite."

And don't bother asking the Air Force or Skunk Works execs about their work. Neither is commenting and Skunk Works is skipping next week's Paris Air Show.

"As a matter of policy, we don't talk about classified programs--whether or not they exist," said Lockheed's Tom Jurkowsky.

reply to post by grey580


WOW! I'd love to know his sources That post is almost word for word what we've recently found out. Wonder if he's got any more details that havent been released regarding it?

Before the F117 was common knowledge there were several different images of several designs leaked out such as the F-19. There was even a video game made using one of the leaked images. Who's to say this design of the SR-72 is one of them?

img441.imageshack.us...

Here's the F19 model from Testors - www.fantastic-plastic.com...

reply to post by kingofyo1


Skunk Works. Do you think he'd just HAPPEN to write an article that's almost word perfect as the press release by accident?

reply to post by Zaphod58

Agree Z. On all points.

reply to post by Zaphod58


Was thinking it was either an insider source working on the project, or a disclosure directly from the skunks... Didnt know for sure

reply to post by kingofyo1


Yeah. And that post is from 2007. The image is an old one. however the info is spot on.

webcache.googleusercontent.com...:hUbBBY79S-cJ:www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/06/airforce_sr72_070617/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

And look at Vago
www.defensenewstv.com...

This guy has probably been in several very skunky projects.

I mean look at his guest list of people he interviews.

Brett B. Lambert, the former Defense Department Industrial Base Policy Chief, discusses how the U.S. government shutdown is impacting the defense industry.
Also: Air Force Brig. Gen. John Michel, discusses training the Afghan Air Force.
Plus: an exclusive interview with Marc Parent, CEO of CAE, the world�s largest training and simulation company.

reply to post by kingofyo1


Disclosure of course. They handed him the article and said to put his name on it, and make it seem like it was leaked. Skunk Works doesn't leak unless they want to. That place is locked tighter than Fort Knox when it comes to information. You do NOT work there if there's even a chance you might leak something.

reply to post by Zaphod58


makes total sense to me! Now I wonder when a "leak" of a non artist rendered flying picture will pop?

reply to post by kingofyo1


In 2018 when they said it would fly.

reply to post by Zaphod58


oh but we all know its been flying for a while now, so some personal pictures should surface, especially when they fly it more often, or go into daytime flight with it, right?

reply to post by kingofyo1


Only if someone happens to be in the right place at the right time. I'll almost guarantee no one from SW will leak anything.

I would imagine that snapping a picture of something going mach 6 would be pretty difficult...That's faster than a bullet.

reply to post by MystikMushroom


But they don't take off and land at Mach 6.