Within the secretive halls of the Pentagon and Congress, there was ample discussion about a replacement for the Blackbird. already had an even faster and higher flying replacement in the works. So, when the Air Force opted to retire the immensely successful (and equally expensive) SR-71 in the late 1980s, most people simply assumed it was because the U.S. Its ability to reach and maintain speeds in excess of Mach 3 for hours at a time made it all but impossible to stop using even the most advanced surface-to-air missile systems or highest-flying intercept fighters. Lockheed’s SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet-powered aircraft in history, famously outran more than 4,000 missiles during its service life as a reconnaissance platform. Technology demonstrators, prototypes, and small-batch production of exotic aircraft are not only believed to be commonplace in restricted facilities like Lockheed Martin’s Palmdale plant or the fan-favorite Area 51… it’s a verifiable fact. The actual latest and greatest communications tech would undoubtedly cost exponentially more, may potentially be unreliable, and might even blow your mind.Īircraft programs can progress in a similar fashion: You may be able to build an incredible aircraft for $2 billion… but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can kick start a production line for them the following week.
It’s simply the technology that could be mass-produced for a target price point and consumer. Put simply, the iPhone in your pocket is not the most advanced smartphone technology in the world today, even if it’s the latest phone to hit the market. It’s important to remember that there’s a wide margin between technology that’s sufficiently mature and reliable to mass-produce and put into combat operations, and cutting-edge tech that may be within reach, but just isn’t sustainable from an economic, resource, or even political standpoint. Even some acknowledged SAPs are never fully revealed, even years after completion, and some SAPs are never acknowledged at all.Īfter pouring over historic media reporting, declassified documents, eyewitness accounts, and more forum posts than you could photograph from the U-2, it seems extremely unlikely that the United States ever had an operational fleet of secret hypersonic aircraft… but that doesn’t mean something like it never darkened the massive hangar doors at Area 51. Today, the most secretive efforts fall under Special Access Programs or SAPs, which limit the distribution of information even among those with the highest level of security clearances.
Still commonly referred to as “Black Programs,” the Pentagon has a long history of funding the classified development of advanced technologies.
0 kommentar(er)
