The SR-71 Blackbird: Built to Outrun Every Missile on Earth

Most people assume the Blackbird survived enemy missiles because it was stealthy. It wasn't. It survived because by the time a missile arrived, the airplane was already somewhere else. The Blackbird outran the problem instead of solving it directly — a trick Skunk Works pulled off more than once, and there's another video on this channel about the U-2 program it was built to replace. --- Archival images used in this video: United States Air Force - Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird strategic reconnaissance plane 15.jpg by James St. John (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... RIAN archive 35174 American Spy Pilot Francis Gary Powers.jpg by Chernov / Чернов (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... 050124fic001 Curatorial Collection Image - Pin, Skunk Works (pseudonym for Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs (ADP); Logo of a skunk in black and white enamel, outlined in gold; Lapel pin (53897626391).jpg by San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Kelly-Johnson Electra.jpg by Logawi (original uploader) (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Titanium crystal-bars.jpg by Alchemist-hp (pse-mendelejew.de) (FAL), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Lockheed M-21 midsection- bare titanium skin, heat-rejecting tires, D-21 drone (4331431469).jpg by Bill Abbott (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... United States Air Force - Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird strategic reconnaissance plane 15.jpg by James St. John (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... J58 Engine - SR-71.jpg by Telemaque MySon (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird - DPLA - e82ef3653fa5d71f1960fc8160ed64dd (page 8).jpg by Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson, Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... David Clark SR-71 Flight Suit (3242643121).jpg by Omer Wazir (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Vertical SR-71 Pilots cockpit, instruments, stick, ejection seat (4527969868).jpg by Bill Abbott (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Boeing KC-135Q refueling SR-71.JPEG by Ken Hackman, USAF (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... SR-71 Landing with Drag Chute - GPN-2000-001944.jpg by NASA (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.jpg by USAF / Judson Brohmer (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... #EngineeringHistory #Sr #Documentary