Informative Speech On Sr-71 Blackbird

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Operating at altitudes of 85 000 feet, cruising at speeds over Mach 3.2, undetectable to enemy radar and unsusceptible to aerial defences. The Lockheed Martin SR-71 Blackbird. Good Evening Mr Hanley and classmates. In the following presentation I will demonstrate why the monumental Lockheed Martin SR-71 Black Bird was possibly the best advancement in aviation history and why the SR-71 is a testament to the evolution of aviation technology.
The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was the result of more than six decades of advancements in aviation since the first powered flight. Its development began in the May of 1960, following the Soviet downing of a Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft. President Eisenhower requested Lockheed Martin to design an aircraft to replace the U-2, an aircraft “capable of avoiding all enemy defences”. Thus in 1962 Lockheed Martin introduced the first prototype, the Lockheed A-12. The A-12 embodied all operational capabilities required to avoid the enemy defences, however it lacked in strategic reconnaissance capabilities. A variation of the A-12 airframe gave way to the Lockheed YF-12A Airforce Interceptor in 1963, which served as a cover for the development of the SR-71 Blackbird. The monumental Lockheed SR-71 …show more content…

Coupled with the world’s highest speeds and altitudes, its extremely small radar signature rendered the aircraft almost imperceptible to enemy radar. The design incorporated chines and canted vertical stabilizers to create flattened tapering sides in addition to a cylindrical fuselage which reduced the effective radar cross section by deflecting radar energy away from its source. Radar signature was further decreased with the distinct radar absorbent black paint and composite materials. As a result, the SR-71’s effective radar cross section was reduced to a mere ten square

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