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

reply to post by Zaphod58


Can you tell us if they are even using JP-7 or something else in those tanks?

reply to post by Stealthbomber


Officially, they have flown two UAVs in a refueling formation, and a Lear flown by remote, with pilots on board, behind a tanker in precontact position.

So, officially they will be able to soon. *cough*

reply to post by Sammamishman


They use go fast juice.

reply to post by Zaphod58


UN-officially though.........

reply to post by Zaphod58


I think I need some of that this morning.

reply to post by Sammamishman


UN-officially.....I know NOSSING! *cough*

www.youtube.com... Another new cool Lockheed video

reply to post by darksidius


Nice video, I hadn't seen that one yet. I think it is the first time I've seen anything that gave a sense of scale to the SR72 (2:17 left side). It looks like the size of a small fighter.
It also shows LM UCLASS mock up or development prototype.

reply to post by Sammamishman


I thought that the lower spoiler in the wind tunnel was rather interesting. Haven't seen that configuration before.

reply to post by Zaphod58


Looks like some kind of bypass mechanism that spills higher pressure air from under the wing to the lower pressure zone above the wing? I image that would make that particular wing dip?

reply to post by Sammamishman


It's similar to current systems, but more efficient I would imagine.

reply to post by Sammamishman


Yes nice looking of the SR-72, there is a reference of the size in each plane of the hangar interesting. We see on the top of the SR-72 pictures a refueling system, the size look the same of a fighter.

reply to post by grey580


A space concorde you mean.

reply to post by jazz10


No, this is light years ahead of Concorde. And doesn't carry passengers.

Does this one leak like a sieve too?

The secret ingredient to stealth paint is... embedded iron filings and a leaky airframe.

Comes with a warning sticker: DO NOT GET WET.

reply to post by kathat


The SR-71 leaked because it had to.

reply to post by kathat


That's not a secret to stealth paint, while some do have the iron balls you mentioned, it's only the SR-71 that leaked and that was because the titianium it was made from would heat up and expand when it was flying.

The SR-71 wasn't all that stealthy to radar, they could see it coming they just didn't have much at the time to shoot it down.

a reply to: Stealthbomber

Dad hated titianium.

a reply to: Zaphod58

This was because the heat generated at speed required the airframe to be able to expand right? When it got going the skin would heat up, expand and shut off the fuel leaks.

I've always been curious about this. Why wasn't there a way to keep the fuel from leaking? Like an internal bladder?

If we were to talk about new materials for the skin do you think they might be able to 'adjust'?

I know you know why, but any hints as to why the expansions made a difference? I would have thought fuel was confined in a certain 'fuel leak proof' place.

I'm super new to this whole thing, so I'm betting someone can tell me why there isn't/wasn't a sealed area on the plane for fuel. Come on, this has to be old stuff.

I think I just figured out an answer to that last question. Because we lacked a certain something back in the day.

a reply to: Domo1

Internal bladders are made of rubber. The skin was hot enough after a flight that certain areas could cause third degree burns.