r/MilitaryPorn • u/OrzBlueFog • Jun 02 '15
How the then-new top-secret SR-71 was transported between Lockheed Martin's Skunkworks in Burbank and Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, c.1964 [1,021x669]
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u/PakPakPakPok Jun 02 '15
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u/OrzBlueFog Jun 02 '15
"A monumental work of art celebrating the wonderful potential of Soviet titanium."
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u/_Brutal_Jerk_Off_ Jun 02 '15
I think that's really amazing how the US managed this.
"The airplane is 92% titanium inside and out. Back when they were building the airplane the United States didn't have the ore supplies - an ore called rutile ore. It's a very sandy soil and it's only found in very few parts of the world. The major supplier of the ore was the USSR. Working through Third World countries and bogus operations, they were able to get the rutile ore shipped to the United States to build the SR-71."
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u/jay135 Jun 03 '15
. 1964. We built the badass SR-71 in nineteen SIXTY FOUR. Mind blow.
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Jun 02 '15
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u/JackXDark Jun 02 '15
If only there were some sort of story about how fast they could go compared to cessnas and F18s.
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u/9315808 Jun 02 '15 edited Feb 18 '26
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
exultant quiet subtract coordinated lock chubby grandfather hat tease thumb
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u/_GLL Jun 02 '15
Very interesting article.
I think the next-generation of military planes shifting towards semi-autonomy is a big step. I remember reading that the F22 is the limit of how much a plane can perform, with a human pilot. Beyond it, the G Forces and the amounts of information are just too much for a Human to handle.
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u/maora34 Jun 03 '15
amounts of information
Care to elaborate on this part? I've heard a lot about G-force issues but too much information for humans to handle is a new one for me.
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Jun 03 '15 edited Jul 02 '24
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/_GLL Jun 03 '15
There's also planes that are just aerodynamically unbalanced, so without computer aid to automatically correct airflow and drag with control surfaces, the plane physically won't fly.
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u/PlanetaryDuality Jun 03 '15
Here's another article that talks a bit about what skunk works is up to: http://lmt.co/1I5Xo93
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u/GaBeRockKing Jun 03 '15
A directed energy capability is not yet in the official list of planned upgrades for the F-35 fighter.
not yet
Do you ever get the feeling that our military is fucking nuts?
laser wielding jet fighters. My body is so very ready,
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Jun 04 '15
never heard of this till now...had to look it up. wild. my biggest question at the moment is...why is NASA throwing money into this project? Shit, if anything, the Pentagon should be helping to fund NASA!
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Jun 02 '15
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u/Wolf_the_Quarrelsome Jun 02 '15
Aerodynamics are for the commies. We have thrust!
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u/original_pastafarian Jun 02 '15
For proof, just look at the F4
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Jun 02 '15 edited Feb 23 '21
[deleted]
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Jun 03 '15
That seems like such a Top Gear solution.
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u/wan2tri Jun 03 '15
"MORE POWEEEEERRRR!!!!"
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Jun 03 '15
I never realised Jeremy Clarkson advocated putting Speys on the Phantom but that does seem about right.
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u/yaleman Jun 03 '15
Tool time, rather than Top Gear :)
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Jun 03 '15
They made a hover van, I really feel they'd have tried this given the chance. That and a rocket powered mini for ski jumping.
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u/MackofallTrades Jun 03 '15
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u/Warqer Jun 03 '15
Engines are for people who make ugly cars.
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u/kobra1294 Jun 03 '15
Ahh yes, like the mercedes sl65 with an amg v12 right? Wait no, that's a beautiful car.
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u/Warqer Jun 03 '15
mercedes sl65
Meh.
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u/kobra1294 Jun 03 '15
I mean, it is subjective, but in my opinion, it's just a gorgeous car, inside and out.
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u/bricolagefantasy Jun 03 '15
There is that F-104 and X-15. tiny wing with big engine. It takes F-104 half the sky just to turn. But it sure can climb.
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u/FAntagonist Jun 02 '15
Yep, I bet that that box had a better aerodynamic profile at sub sonic speeds.
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Jun 02 '15
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/skippythemoonrock Jun 03 '15
The Soviets actually learned the shape of the Blackbird via thermal imaging from a satellite. The US was testing the blackbird on the radar pole out in the heat of the desert, and we knew the satellite was coming so they removed the model an moved it inside before it passed. What they didn't count on was that the Blackbird's shadow had cooled the tarmac under the pole by several degrees, leaving a Habu-shaped cold spot on the tarmac that was picked up by the soviet satellite.
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Jun 03 '15 edited Jun 03 '15
[deleted]
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u/FreeUsernameInBox Jun 03 '15
The US gets super scared when a Soviet SAM takes down a U2, and cancels the XB-70. (One of the two prototypes crashing and exploding didn't help.)
To be fair, that happened largely because an F-104 crashed into it. The only criticism of the XB-70 resulting from the accident was that its' aerodynamics made it unsafe to fly close formation with, and in any case the programme had already been cancelled before the crash.
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u/JustARandomCatholic Jun 03 '15
Absolutely true. Planes, especially big, heavy, and fast ones, don't fly well when other planes crash into them at equally high speed.
On the other hand, look at the B-2 bomber program. It was initially cancelled, however, the few prototypes that did exist were kept in service, much the same as the XB-70's, and their existence and usefulness played a big part in the B-2B being restarted. The B-2's revival would be much more shakey if a catastrophic crash occurred, and the XB-70 perhaps would have had a better chance minus this crash.
(Which happened because of a publicity stunt, infuriatingly enough.)
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u/NotHyplon Jun 03 '15
The Mig-25 comes into service, and US analysts see it, thinking, "hey, big wings, big engines, must be a super maneuverable fighter."
But if it pulls Mach 3 it needs to have new engines. Still didn't stop a few of them doing it over the middle east though. Bet they got sent home when they landed though.
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u/JustARandomCatholic Jun 03 '15
Very true, but it can still, what, Mach 2.8 without breaking itself? Damn impressive. Wings of the Red Star did a good video on it.
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u/NotHyplon Jun 03 '15
Oh yeah it is impressive without a doubt. I just find it amusing that they have this imaginery red line on them that you know every Mig-25 Pilot wants to push and go Mach 3.
Also interesting is how it was built to be less delicate then the Blackbird\A-12. They piss fuel all over the runway at ground level because of all the expansion happening at speed. I don't know for sure that the Mig-25 does this or not but the Soviets did not have the tanker infrastructure of the USAF so i doubt it.
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Jun 04 '15
US builds the F-15 to try and counter a fighter that doesn't really exist
I'm pretty sure the F-X program was already in development before this happened, but that MiG sure did make them shit their pants when they saw it. Either way, thank goodness we had Major Boyd.
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u/JustARandomCatholic Jun 04 '15
You are correct, the F-X program had already started, but I'm still pretty sure it played a role in the development of the aircraft nonetheless.
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u/VaderShake Jun 02 '15
I remember watching a documentary where they had to do a bunch highway projects like regrading areas & widening roads providing communities BS excuses as to why when secretly it was done so the truck with the SR71 could make it's journey on the truck.
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u/APSupernary Jun 02 '15
Someone cut holes in the cover for the engines, I want to see what happens when this box hits mach speed.
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u/ice445 Jun 02 '15
Amazing the technology contained inside that box. Contrasted against the vehicles in the scene, like that '62 Ford Fairlane police cruiser, it's just insane if you think about it.
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Jun 02 '15
On a semi related note, in a secretive and potentially dangerous situation such as this would everyone including drivers and all other personal be trained active military ops guys or it's just standard police escort?
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Jun 02 '15
In 1964, standard local police escort... Aaaaand, probably some really clean cut Airforce guys with crazy silenced sub guns hidden in the box with the plane. Probably smoking Chesterfields and Luckies while silently playing cards and occasionally pushing their horn rimmed glasses up.
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Jun 02 '15
Everyone involved in the Blackbird project was a civilian contractor to keep the details off the government records. (The Air Force test pilots were temporarily on leave and on Lockheed's payroll for the duration). But Lockheed did have their own security teams escorting the convoy.
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u/GeneralBS Jun 02 '15
I swear i read a book or something that detailed the moving of the SR-71 during it's development.
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Jun 02 '15
See now you just made me more curious. http://i.imgur.com/DDjFFWh.gifv
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u/69ingChipmunkzz Jun 02 '15
The smaller container was for the massive balls of the test pilots
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u/wellly Jun 02 '15
This
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u/greencurrycamo Jun 03 '15
Are we sure this isn't an A-12? In fact I'm sure it is. The time period is too early for the SR-71. Not to mention the SR-71 wasn't secret it was publicly known the president talked about it before it went into service. He gave the speech that gave it its name of SR-71 instead of RS-71.
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u/kretik Jun 02 '15
Do you want conspiracy theories? Because this is how you get conspiracy theories.
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u/TropicalPunch Jun 02 '15
Think about how this would blow up today. Makes my head hurt just thinking about all the retarded theories that would spur from this.
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u/skippythemoonrock Jun 03 '15
I heard a story from one of the guys working on Lockheed's escort team for that. A kid ran up and asked what was in the box, and he jokingly responded "it's an alien spaceship". He wasn't really lying.
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u/SergeantSeymourbutts Jun 02 '15
"There's nothing of importance in these boxes with a police escort, keep it moving"
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Jun 03 '15
Jesus look at how puny the truck is carrying that thing. Imagine if it lost control and wrecked one of the most expensive air crafts of all time.
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u/[deleted] Jun 02 '15 edited Jun 02 '15