50 Years After The SR-71’s Unbroken Record, Its Strangest Engineering Secrets Still Stand Out

Simple Flying

Crafted by the Skunk Works division of Lockheed under the leadership of legendary aerospace engineer Kelly Johnson, the SR-71 Blackbird has never been dethroned as the world champion of airspeed. Tail number 61-7958 set the world absolute speed record at 2,193 mph (3,529 km/h) at Beale Air Force Base in July, 1976, a record that still stands in 2026.

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