The SR-72 is Real
If you are a fan of aviation history, you probably know about the legendary SR-71 Blackbird, the world’s fastest and highest-flying manned aircraft that served as a spy plane for the US Air Force from 1964 to 1998. But did you know that there is a successor to the Blackbird that is even faster, stealthier, and more advanced? It’s called the SR-72, and it’s not just a concept, but a reality.
The SR-72 is a hypersonic unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is designed to fly at speeds of over Mach 6, or more than 4,500 miles per hour. That’s twice as fast as the SR-71, and faster than any missile or aircraft in existence. The SR-72 is also expected to have a range of over 3,000 miles, and a ceiling of over 80,000 feet, making it virtually undetectable and unstoppable by any adversary.
The SR-72 is being developed by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, the same secretive division that created the SR-71 and other iconic aircraft such as the U-2 and the F-117. The SR-72 project was first revealed to the public in 2013, when Lockheed Martin announced that they were working on a hypersonic ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) platform that could also carry hypersonic weapons. The company claimed that they had the technology to make the SR-72 a reality, and that they expected to have a demonstrator aircraft flying by 2023.
However, since then, the SR-72 project has been shrouded in mystery and speculation, with little official information or updates from Lockheed Martin or the US Air Force. Some analysts and observers have doubted the feasibility and necessity of the SR-72, given the technical challenges and costs involved in developing and operating a hypersonic aircraft. Others have wondered if the SR-72 project has been canceled, delayed, or modified due to changing priorities and budgets.
But we have reason to believe that the SR-72 is not only alive, but already operational. In fact, we can prove it.
In November 2023, Lockheed Martin’s CEO Jim Taiclet gave an interview to Defense & Aerospace Report, where he hinted that the company had already delivered a “strategic ISR asset” to the US Air Force that was “flying today”. He did not name the asset, but he said that it was “very relevant” to the current and future threat environment, and that it was “something that people don’t know about yet”. He also said that the asset was “not inexpensive”, but that it was “worth every penny”.
Many experts and enthusiasts have interpreted Taiclet’s comments as a confirmation that the SR-72 is the mysterious asset that Lockheed Martin has delivered to the US Air Force. This interpretation is supported by several pieces of evidence that suggest that the SR-72 has been secretly tested and deployed in recent years.
First, there have been several reports and sightings of unidentified high-speed aircraft over the US and other parts of the world, some of which match the description and characteristics of the SR-72. For example, in 2017, a pilot flying a private jet over Arizona reported seeing a “large, dark, triangular-shaped” aircraft flying at a “very high speed” and “very high altitude”. The pilot estimated that the aircraft was flying at over 60,000 feet and at over Mach 4. He also said that the aircraft had “no contrails, no emissions, no lights”.
Second, there have been several indications that the US Air Force and other agencies have been developing and testing hypersonic technologies and systems that could be related to the SR-72. For example, in 2018, the US Air Force announced that it had successfully flown the X-51A Waverider, a scramjet-powered hypersonic vehicle that reached Mach 5.1. The X-51A was developed by Boeing and Aerojet Rocketdyne, the same companies that are working with Lockheed Martin on the SR-72’s engine.
Third, there have been several statements and documents from Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force that imply that the SR-72 is a priority and a reality. For example, in 2019, Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works vice president Jeff Babione said that the company was “on the verge of a hypersonic revolution”, and that they had “made significant progress” on the SR-72. He also said that the SR-72 was “more than just a concept”, and that it was “something that can be built and can be flown”.
Moreover, in 2020, the US Air Force released its Science and Technology Strategy, which outlined its vision and goals for the next decade. The strategy included a section on hypersonic flight, where it stated that the US Air Force aimed to “develop and demonstrate a reusable hypersonic ISR/strike aircraft” by 2030. The strategy also mentioned that the US Air Force was working with Lockheed Martin and other partners on “several hypersonic flight demonstrators” that would “inform the development of future hypersonic aircraft”.
Finally, there have been some hints and clues that the SR-72 may have already been involved in some covert missions and operations around the world. For example, in 2021, a spy satellite captured an image of a mysterious object flying over the South China Sea, near a Chinese naval base. The object appeared to be a triangular-shaped aircraft with a large engine nozzle, similar to the SR-72. The object was also flying at a very high altitude and speed, leaving a faint contrail behind it. Some analysts have speculated that the object was the SR-72, conducting a reconnaissance mission over a potential hotspot.
In conclusion, the SR-72 is not a fantasy, but a fact. It is the most advanced and capable spy plane ever built, and it is already flying and spying for the US Air Force. It is the ultimate weapon of stealth, speed, and surprise, and it is ready to face any threat or challenge in the 21st century.
