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SR-72: US secret hypersonic jet to allegedly break sound barrier in 2025 | Believed to be a top-secret project of the US Air Force, the SR-72 is touted to reach over 4,000 mph (6,437 kph), making i... (interestingengineering.com)

submitted 11 months ago by L4s@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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[–] Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world 46 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

This new plane is a hypersonic weapon delivery drone, barely related to the SR-71 aside from the speed it can travel.

As to the sixty years thing, satellites made spyplanes nearly entirely obsolete and traditional aircraft with stealth technology covered the remaining cases well enough that there wasn't a need for more speed. Research went into making missiles better instead, and this is designed to be a launch platform for those missiles.

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 22 points 11 months ago

yep. you could hide from radar, but thermals or acoustics would give you away. if you're trucking mach 5 leading edge friction alone might give you away even if you're coated with RAM and aerogels and magic dope.

I suspect it's just Lockheed wringing more 'magic' out of the skunkwork's legacy. I don't doubt the aircraft will be awesome, but like the f22, it'll be limited by physics and budgets and we'll wonder what the competing runner-up would do better/cheaper/faster.

See: YF23 heh.

That said I really do hope the Skunworks is still making magic we just aren't cleared for, and maintain the Kelly Johnson / Ben Rich legacy of hits.

[–] Poem_for_your_sprog@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

Then why do we still operate the U2? SR-71 was operated all the way until 1999. Hubble was launched in 1990 so the large mirrors for spy telescopes had to have been in use well before that.