The USA is developing a successor to the legendary SR-71 Blackbird, the new version will be twice as fast and will be able to carry weapons. The new aircraft is being developed under Lockheed Martin's advanced development programs. About 85% of the work done there is classified by the government. It is known that a hypersonic drone will be able to perform both the functions of a reconnaissance aircraft and a combat vehicle. If the speed of the aircraft is as advertised, the SR-72 will be able to take off from the United States and fly over targets in Europe or Asia in 90 minutes. However, the engineers have to solve a difficult problem with the motors: one of them only starts to work at a speed that the second cannot yet develop.
This next-generation aircraft will be the long-awaited successor to Lockheed Martin's SR-71 Blackbird. Recall that the legendary Blackbird, which retired from the US Air Force in 1998, could fly in the outer reaches of space with a ceiling of 85,000 feet. The SR-71 also has an airplane record speed of Mach 3.3, or 2,193.7 miles per hour.
“Merle” was the pinnacle of American aeronautical technology during the Cold War. The drone flew so high and so fast that air-to-air missiles could not reach it. Although they tried to shoot him several times.
Since its retirement in 1998, Lockheed Martin has made several attempts to create a worthy successor to the SR-71, but so far has not been able to do so. Information about the new model began to appear around 2007. However, information about the SR-72 was first officially published in Aviation Week & Space Technology on November 1, 2013, and interest in them was so great that it led to the publication's servers going down.
In July 2017, the prototype was flight tested at the test site. In 2018, Lockheed Vice President Jack O'Banion spoke at an event and said the development of hypersonic technology would soon allow the new aircraft to enter service. . A motor with a special cooling system has been created for this drone.
The SR-72 aircraft will be equipped with two motors. It will receive thrust from a turbine engine until it reaches Mach 3, while a dual-mode ramjet will provide the power needed to fly at hypersonic speeds. The aircraft will use the same nozzle for the turboshaft and ramjet to reduce drag.
The biggest challenge in the development of hypersonic propulsion has always been the gap between the highest speed of a turbojet and the lowest speed of a ramjet. It is not known if this technology is created, turbine engines can usually only reach Mach 2.2, well below the speed required for ignition. Most ramjets cannot ignite below Mach 4.
The demonstration aircraft should be ready for its first flight in 2023. The SR-72 should be in service by 2030.
If the speed of the aircraft corresponds to declared speed, the SR-72 will be able to take off from the United States and fly over targets in Europe or Asia in 90 minutes.
The first Blackbird was an unarmed reconnaissance aircraft, the SR-72 will have a new high speed attack weapon. The Son of Blackbird will fly at Mach 6, or 4,603 miles per hour, twice as fast as the original SR-71.
And this potentially unmanned aerial vehicle will be armed and available for precision airstrikes in harsh conditions. combat conditions, which may be & nbsp; too risky for slower hunters.
Source:
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/02/meet-the-mach-6-sr-72-americas -next-big-spy-plane/
