An SR-71 Blackbird Has Vanished (Updated)
4 hours ago
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman teased plans for a new high-speed X-plane with an SR-71 Blackbird-like silhouette, sparking speculation about a possible return-to-flight program.
- An SR-71 on display at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, tail number 844 (formerly Air Force 61-7980), has been missing since at least May 17, according to Aviation Week satellite imagery.
- Aircraft 844 was the last Blackbird ever produced and the last to fly, making its final flight in 1999 after NASA upgrades including an automated digital flight and inlet control system.
- Aviation Week sources suggest the aircraft may have been moved into a hangar for inspection, fueling speculation about a reactivation after more than 26 years.
- Reviving an SR-71 would be extremely difficult due to decades-gone support infrastructure, rare JP-7 fuel, and historically high operating and maintenance costs.
- Isaacman has made expanding NASA's X-plane fleet a priority and said NASA will fly 'higher, farther, and faster' than it has in decades.
- Another possibility is using the SR-71's design 'DNA' to build a modern high-speed test aircraft, potentially uncrewed or pilot-optional.
- Isaacman's background includes founding Draken International and owning/restoring vintage military jets, giving him firsthand knowledge of reconstituting complex aircraft.
- At EAA AirVenture, Isaacman reiterated NASA's goal of going higher and faster, and when asked about bringing back the SR-71, he replied, 'That's classified.'
- NASA has acknowledged public interest in the missing SR-71 but provided no additional information about its current status.