Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works Reveals Blackbird Successor in Exclusive Interview with Penton's Aviation Week
NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly two decades after the famed Mach 3 SR-71 Blackbird spyplane was retired, its developer, Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works, has revealed exclusively to Penton's Aviation Week that it is ready to begin development of a hypersonic successor, the SR-72.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131101/CL08878)
In a detailed report in the November 4 edition of Aviation Week & Space Technology, Senior Editor Guy Norris, lifts the wraps on the SR-72's cutting-edge design, including a propulsion breakthrough that would allow the aircraft to fly twice as fast as the Blackbird -- six times the speed of sound -- but still take off from and land on a runway like a conventional aircraft. Lockheed Martin and partner Aerojet-Rocketdyne have been working in secret for seven years on the concept, which centers on integrating an off-the-shelf turbine with a scramjet to power the aircraft from standstill to Mach 6.
The hypersonic aircraft is designed for both long-range strike and reconnaissance. Conceived as a solution to the proliferation of mobile weapons platforms, which can be concealed from satellites, the jet would fly so fast that adversaries would not be able to react in time to hide a mobile target.
Norris' article, posted on AviationWeek.com, is accompanied online by a series of graphics showing how the SR-72's propulsion system would work compared with the SR-71's engines. Also posted is Aviation Week's 1981 pilot report on the SR-71, one of many highlights in the magazine's 97-year history.
About Aviation Week
Aviation Week, a division of Penton, is the largest multimedia information and services provider for the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries. Customers include the world's leading aerospace manufacturers, suppliers, airlines, militaries, governments and other organizations that serve this global market. Aviation Week produces industry-leading events around the world, as well as ATW, SpeedNews, ShowNews and Business & Commercial Aviation.
About Penton
For millions of business owners and decision-makers, Penton makes the difference every day. We engage our professional users by providing actionable ideas and insights, data and workflow tools, community and networking, both in person and virtually, all with deep relevance to their specific industries. We then activate this engagement by connecting users with tens of thousands of targeted providers of products and services to help drive business growth. Learn more about our company at www.penton.com.
Penton is a privately held company owned by MidOcean Partners and U.S. Equity Partners II, an investment fund sponsored by Wasserstein & Co., LP.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Guy Norris
Senior Editor
Aviation Week
949 387 7253
[email protected]
Kate Spellman
SVP, Marketing
Penton
212 204 4351
[email protected]
SOURCE Penton
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