Where Was The SR-71 Blackbird Built And Who Made It?

It's a bird! It's a plane! You could argue it's both. The SR-71 is an American supersonic Cold-War-era jet that was also called the Blackbird. It earned this name from its special matte-black paint job, one of the incredible technological features of this plane. The paint was designed to absorb radar signals, help it blend in with high-altitude dark skies, and cool the plane while it flew at tremendous speeds. 

The Blackbird was created for long-range, strategic reconnaissance (hence the SR in the name), succeeding the U-2 spy plane. This two-crew, twin-engine plane first flew in 1964, and was one of the highest-flying planes, ever – over 85,000 feet. The extreme altitude helped its pilots to survey around 100,000 square miles in an hour. 

One of its top advantages over the U-2 was its incredible speed that kept it safe. The SR-71 was so quick that it remains the fastest air-fed plane ever built — even today. With a top speed of Mach 3.3, the Blackbird could outrun missiles that might try to shoot it down. In fact, it was never shot out of the sky by another plane or missile in its entire career. It was powered by two, massive Pratt & Whitney J-58 engines that cruised in afterburner mode at over Mach 3, for hours.

Where did this incredible plane come from, and who built it?

Like the U-2, the SR-71 was built by aircraft giant Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. This company later formed Lockheed Martin in 1995 after merging with the Martin Marietta Corporation.

Lockheed has long had a super-secret Advanced Development Projects division, nicknamed "Skunk Works." In the 1960s, the division was headed up by a brilliant designer, Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. Johnson was in charge of Skunk Works when it created the U-2. It was this group that was tasked with building the Blackbird at its manufacturing plant in Burbank, California, a city better known for its TV and movie production companies. Little did the local population know, one heck of a story was brewing right under its nose.  

Lockheed built several variations on this plane called Blackbirds, but the design that became the SR-71 had its maiden flight on December 22, 1964 at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. Test pilot Robert J "Bob" Gilliland became the first to steer the beast, a thrilling job, given its blistering speed. 

The Blackbirds have such a revered place in aviation history that out of 32 SR-71s built, several of the ones not lost to crashes are still proudly displayed in museums around the U.S. You can visit the last SR-71 ever made, at the Hill Aerospace Museum at Hill AFB in Utah, or see one of its siblings up close and personal at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.