The SR-71 Blackbird is a now-retired supersonic aircraft that holds several flight-speed records to this day, including fastest airplane at 2,193 mph (3,529 km/h), even though it was built in the 1960s at the height of the Cold War.
The Blackbird is a stealth plane, designed to be difficult to detect. Instead of weapons, it was outfitted with specialized sensors, radar, and photography equipment and was designed with a profile to reduce it’s radar detectability by 90%.
It’s top speed was Mach 3.2 and maximum altitude was 85,000 ft (25,900 m), both ratings exceeded that of any other aircraft that may have wanted to attack it. The idea was threat avoidance—if a Blackbird was ever detected, it could simply outrun any attacks.
Unlike most aircraft, the Blackbirds are 85% titanium, which was difficult for the US government to obtain in the quantities required. At a cost of $34 million each, only a few dozen of these stealthy aircraft were built and they were officially retired in the 1990s without any combat losses.
At 9:15 am on June 17, 1970, an SR-71A with a registration number of 61–7970 struck a tanker plane while attempting to refuel over Texas. The Blackbird’s cockpit was damaged so both pilots ejected safely, despite some broken bones, and the plane descended to Earth. The tanker plane landed safely despite the damage it had incurred.
Following the crash, the government quietly cleaned up the site. However, over the subsequent decades locals were able to find and scavenge the desert crash site for pieces of wreckage that had been left behind, much of which was buried by the force of the impact.
We have worked with a team that carefully recovered portions of the outer skin and other pieces of the supersonic aircraft. These are invaluable artifacts of aviation history and components of a major scientific achievement. The velocity and altitude at which this 1960’s era material has traveled is something few living humans will experience.
The authenticity and provenance of these pieces has been confirmed independently by identifying various part numbers on the wreckage, the assemblage of pieces which form a turbine blade of the J58 engine, and the abundance of titanium.
| Date: | 17-JUN-1970 |
| Time: | 09:30 |
| Type: | Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird |
| Owner/operator: | United States Air Force - USAF |
| Registration: | 61-7970 |
| MSN: | 2021 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | 20 miles east of El Paso - USA |
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Beale AFB (KBAB) |
| Destination airport: | Beale AFB (KBAB) |
