The SR-71 Blackbird spy plane could fly faster than Mach 3, more than 2,000 miles per hour. This allowed it to easily avoid surface-to-air missiles.

The YF-12 was a high-speed interceptor derived from the A-12 spy plane, blending reconnaissance DNA with combat readiness. With Mach 3 capability and internal missile bays, it was engineered to ...

The jet, the YF-12A, was one of several proposed variants in the SR-71 Blackbird family of high speed jets in the 1960s.

Summary: The SR-71 Blackbird is renowned as the fastest aircraft ever, but its lesser-known predecessor, the YF-12, also holds a significant place in aviation history. Developed by Lockheed Martin ...

The Lockheed YF-12, a product of the innovative and secret-laden 1960s, emerged as a high-altitude, Mach 3 interceptor, engineered as an airborne guardian against the threat of supersonic bombers. … ...

As of 2022, the SR-71 holds the fastest air-breathing piloted aircraft, formerly held by the related Lockheed YF-12. This record was set in 1976.

Additional Resources: NASA Facts: The Lockheed YF-12 Mach 3+ NASA/USAF YF-12 Flight Research, 1969-1979 by Peter Merlin NASA Facts: SR-71 Blackbird /Public Release. This material from the originating ...

A host of military aircraft capable of reaching supersonic speeds followed the Bell X-1. In the 1960s, Lockheed’s family of Blackbirds (the original A-12, the YF-12 interceptor, and the SR-71 ...

The infamous stealh jet, the SR-71 Blackbird needed powerful engines to stay off the radar and outrun anything. The J58 fit the bill perfectly.

In the timeline where the U.S. Air Force and the CIA picked the Convair Kingfish over Lockheed's A-12/SR-71 program, they would've had an even crazier jet.

The SR-71 served from 1964 to 1998. A total of 32 aircraft were built; 12 were lost in accidents with none lost to enemy action.The SR-71 has been given several nicknames, including "Blackbird" and ...