The SR-71 remained the world's fastest and highest-flying operational manned aircraft throughout its career. It was one of the first aircraft to be shaped to reduce radar cross section. However, the aircraft was not stealthy and still had a large enough radar signature to be tracked by contemporary systems. The aircraft's defense was its high speed and operating altitude; if a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, the standard evasive action was to simply accelerate. On 28 July 1976, an SR-71 broke the world record for its class: an absolute speed record of 2,193.1669 mph. The Cosmosphere is home to an actual flown SR-71 Blackbird. |
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