- Who
- Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird
- What
- 3,500 kilometre(s) per hour
- Where
- Not Applicable ()
- When
The USAF Lockheed SR-71 'Blackbird', a reconnaissance aircraft, is the world's fastest non-experimental jet aeroplane, with a top speed in excess of Mach 3. First flown in its definitive form on 22 December 1964, it is reportedly capable of attaining an altitude of close to 30,000 m (100,000 ft). It has a wing span of 16.94 m (55 ft 7 in) and a length of 32.73 m (107 ft 5 in) and weighs 77.1 tonnes (170,000 lb) at take-off. Its reported range at Mach 3 is 4,800 km (3,000 miles) at 24,000 m (79,000 ft).
The Blackbird was decommissioned by the USAF in 1990, but a few re-entered service for NASA in 1995 for research purposes. However, due to the high cost of maintenance and flight, the future of these aircraft is uncertain.
Mach 3 is equivalent to 3,185 km/h (1,979 mph).
