oconnor@disney.crd.ge.com (Dennis O'Connor) (02/25/90)
From: oconnor@disney.crd.ge.com (Dennis O'Connor)
Excerpts from Aviation Week and Space Technology, Jan. 22 1990 pages 38-44
[Hand-wringing about politics and beatiful color photos not included]
Excerpted without permission.
Article Title:
"U.S. Reconnaissance Weakened by SR-71 Program Termination"
by Micheal A. Dornheim
The Lockheed SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft is being taken out of
the Air Force operational inventory, but three of the aircraft
may have a future flying research misions for NASA. [...]
The SR-71 has continued to produce good intelligence, and it's
performance is unmatched 28 years after the first Blackbird flew. [...]
The aircraft is the victim of the budget squeeze and the lack of
a strong advocate. The Air Force funds the aircraft [...] the main
users of the SR-71's reconnaissance have been the Navy, the Central
Intelligence Agency, and the Defense Intelligence Agency, and they
receive intelligence data free of charge.
The SR-71 is a national intelligence resource, while its
predecessor, the A-12, started out as a CIA project. The
9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing of the Strategic Air
COmmand (SAC) operates the SR-71 because the aircraft is
part of the single integrated operating plan ( SIOP ) for
fighting a nuclear war.
[...] [ Congress tried to transfer the SR-71 program to the Air
National Guard, but failed on a "point of order" ] [...]
[For the SR-71] It takes about a day to plan a mission, prepare the mission
tape, and load the appropriate sensors on board the aircraft. [...]
No SR-71s have ever been lost to hostile fire. But their appearance
on radar and unique sonic boom could be politically provocative
during peacetime, limiting the SR-71 to coastal missions.
In the event of a superpower confrontation, satellites will be
prime targets [...] Proponents of the SR-71 believe its
flexibility will make it more survivable in wartime than satellites.
However, the aircraft does require protected bases for its complex
logistical support, and protected airspace for aerial refueling.
[...] The SR-71 is considered expensive at $200-300 million per year.
In 1983, operating costs were about $18,000 per hr. [...] according to
a former SR-71 pilot. Normal ground support is one crew chief, five
mechanics and one electrician to launch and maintain an aircraft. The
number of operational sorties per year is still classified. [...]
The Blackbird family consists of the A-12, YF-12 and the SR-71. The
CIA gave initial approval to the A-12 on Sept. 1, 1959, and the
airplane made its first flight 31 months later on Apr. 26, 1962,
piloted by Louis W. Schalk. The A-12 was built as a follow-on
penetrating reconnaissance aircraft to the U-2, since the U-2
was becoming vulnerable. However, the US adopted a policy of not
overflying the Soviet Union in the 1960s, removing some of the
A-12's missions.
The YF-12 is a two-seat Air Force version of the single-seat
A-12, and it first flew on Aug. 7, 1963, piloted by James D. Eastham.
Maximum weight of the YF-12 is 127,000 lb., and the empty weight is
about 60,700 lb.
All the Blackbirds are powered by the Pratt & Whitney J58 turbojet
engine. The J58 has a bleed bypass cycle at high Mach number, where
valves open to let 12% of the air from the compressor's fourth
stage bypass the rest of the engine and go directly to the
afterburner. The nacelle inlet, with its large moveable spike
and various bleeds and bypasses, is critical to efficient operation
at Mach 3.2 cruise.
The SR-71 was ordered by the Air Force in late December, 1962, and made
its first flight on Dec. 23, 1964 piloted by Robert J. Gilliland. All
Blackbird versions have the same 55.6-ft. wingspan, but the SR-71
is longer, heavier and a more refined design.
The 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing is based at Beale AFB, Calif.,
and has two detachments operating overseas- Det. 1 at Kadena AFB,
Okinawa, and Det. 4 at RAF Mildenhall, U.K. The two aircraft
based at Mildenhall were expected to make their final flight
back to the U.S. late last week.
One flight test aircraft is based at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale,
Calif., and operated by Det. 6 of the 2762nd Logistics Squadron.
Each aircraft has a major airframe inspection every 8-9 years,
performed at Palmdale. A number of A-12s and SR-71s are in storage
at Palmdale and Beale AFB.
Final disposition of the SR-71 was determined by the Air Force
in early January. The flight test aircraft (tail number 17972)
currently holds the world's absolute speed and sustained ceiling
records, and is scheduled to be delivered to the Smithsonian
National Air and Space Museum in late February. The museum
has requested that this be a record-setting flight.
The aircraft with the most combat sorties, tail number 17976,
is to go to the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
Museums at Beale AFB and SAC headquarters at Offutt AFB, Neb.,
will also receive SR-71s, as will the Edwards AFB, Calif., museum
and a new museum at Palmdale. Nasa Ames Dryden Flight Research
Facility plans to place three aircraft in flyable storage until
researchers can devise appropriate experiments.
The sole SR-71B trainer aircraft, and one other SR-71, are in
major maintenance at Palmdale and probably will not be made
flightworthy again. [...]
[ An accompanying photo shows a YF-12 in production. The caption says : ]
"YF-12 is shown under construction at Burbank in 1963. The YF-12 was
a two seat interceptor version of the A-12 reconnaissance aircraft,
armed with Hughes ASG-18 radar and GAR-9 missile, that evolved into
the AWG-9 radar and Phoenix missile that equips the Navy/Grumman F-14
fighter. [...note on photo...] Three YF-12s were built and after the
Air Force tests the remaining two were loaned to NASA.
--
Dennis O'Connor OCONNORDM@CRD.GE.COM UUNET!CRD.GE.COM!OCONNOR
"Let's take a little off the top ... a bit off the sides ...
trim the back a bit ... Surprise ! You've been bald-ed !"