Lockheed Martin announces plans for SR-72 hypersonic spy drone

Lockheed Martin announces plans for SR-72 hypersonic spy drone

I found this in my Face Book news feed a couple days ago. I did a search on ATS but didn't see anything recent on this. There were past posts and scuttlebutt dated 2007 about "dark swift" and "aurora." I'm surprised I didn't see this from Zaphod or gariac. It's interesting to note that the article claims it will have "strike" capability, unlike the SR 71.

Aircraft experts and military aficionados have cause to rejoice now that Lockheed Martin has debuted the SR-72 unmanned spy plane, the long-awaited successor to the SR-71 Blackbird and potentially the first hypersonic craft to enter service.

Plans for the SR-72 drone were first unveiled Friday in an Aviation Week article which revealed that Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works advanced development program has drafted plans for a plane that could fly as fast as Mach 6 - twice the speed of the Blackbird.

The SR-72 would have the ability to gather intelligence, conduct surveillance and reconnaissance, and launch combat strikes at an unprecedented speed. The plane is designed to fill what is considered in military circles to be a gap in capabilities between the spy satellites orbiting Earth and the manned and unmanned technology meant to replace the SR-71.

Lockheed Martin now believes it has encountered a technological breakthrough rendering the conversation around costs irrelevant.

SR 72

reply to post by Cosmic911


Topic started yesterday already with 13-pages:

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


Stickied topic started in 2007 with 23 pages and still active:

SR-72 Confirmed: Mach 6 Project Blackswift

reply to post by _BoneZ_


Cool. Thanks. Mods do your thang!

Please follow the links above.

Closed.