SR-72

[tynopik]

http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_11_01_2013_p0-632731.xml&p=1

Ever since Lockheed’s unsurpassed SR-71 Blackbird was retired from U.S. Air Force service almost two decades ago, the perennial question has been: Will it ever be succeeded by a new-generation, higher-speed aircraft and, if so, when?

That is, until now. After years of silence on the subject, Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works has revealed exclusively to AW&ST details of long-running plans for what it describes as an affordable hypersonic intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and strike platform that could enter development in demonstrator form as soon as 2018. Dubbed the SR-72, the twin-engine aircraft is designed for a Mach 6 cruise, around twice the speed of its forebear, and will have the optional capability to strike targets.

 

[DesiPower]

lol @ 2018, we will run out of money way before that...

 

[Pocatello]

Why we must spy on people? We should use the money to feed the hungry and the homeless! Or build new bridges to replaces old ones which are fallen apart.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Make it multi purpose will cripple the primary missions.

Reconnaissance requires stealth or speed. Adding in ordance increases weight, reducing speed and sensor packages

 

[yllus]

what it describes as an affordable hypersonic

Oh, I bet...

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Make it multi purpose will cripple the primary missions.

Reconnaissance requires stealth or speed. Adding in ordance increases weight, reducing speed and sensor packages

So? If you're talking about mach 6 in the most efficient configuration you can add a whole lot of ordnance and still have a faster strike aircraft than anything else ever. WTF cares if adding bombs reduces speed to Mach 4 when the fastest attack plane in the current inventory would be a Mach 2 fighter with a tiny payload.

 

[_Rick_]

Make it multi purpose will cripple the primary missions.

Reconnaissance requires stealth or speed. Adding in ordance increases weight, reducing speed and sensor packages

That depends on the airframe design entirely. I suppose a strike package would use the plane essentially as a first stage of a cruise missile, with recoverable close-in targeting.

If the airframe design is modular from the start, you can easily exchange a hi-def sensor package for a small strike package. I am taking as a given, that the aircraft will not be manned though.

It could be an interesting vehicle to get standard anti radiation missiles into a theater, without risking slower airframes or pilots.

Of course, if a hypersonic cruise missile is more cost effective, then the strike idea is worthless.

This does sound a lot like a working scramjet though, which would be an interesting break-through for 2018. So far the longest burns were measured in seconds to minutes, and had only to be stable enough platforms to not shake itself apart - who knows whether at Mach 6 you have a platform that actually allows high res photography.

And from a strategic point of view, there's the question of who to spy on. I could imagine using it on targets that can not retaliate (NK, Iran), but is the speed really needed? Depending on how much effort is required to launch one of these, it might be faster to get a large number of existing drones in the area, and just get the pictures that way.
On the other hand, there's that drone scare, which was felt after Iran got their hands on one. Who knows how seriously that is being taken in the Pentagon....

 

[MBentz]

As a big fan of the 71, all I have to say is bust out the credit cards. I want to see something dethrone the 71.

 

[who?]

The SR71 was originally called the RS71, RS for reconnaissance service but when commander in chief President Johnson announced it as the SR71 the designation was changed to what the cinc called it. With the new one why don't they call it the RS72?

 

[Genx87]

Seems excessive to build this to spy on americans.

 

[BladeVenom]

The NSA can just hack into phone cameras where ever they want pictures.

 

[ElFenix]

take whatever lockheed says the cost will be, triple it, and then you have a good idea of what you'll actually end up paying.

 

[Albatross]

Amazing engineers to have designed the 71 without computers.

 

[disappoint]

Make it multi purpose will cripple the primary missions.

Reconnaissance requires stealth or speed. Adding in ordance increases weight, reducing speed and sensor packages

lol wut? Not if the primary mission is to swindle the US govt. to hand over more cash. 2008 banker envy.

 

[TerryMathews]

take whatever lockheed says the cost will be, triple it, and then you have a good idea of what you'll actually end up paying.

That's not entirely fair. These companies quote a cost based on our units ordered.

Those fixed develpment expenses are spread out over all the units, which is why the more you buy the cheaper it is and why costs skyrocket when you cut a contract for 100 B-2s down to 12.

 

[uhohs]

As a big fan of the 71, all I have to say is bust out the credit cards. I want to see something dethrone the 71.

^this

I wish to allocate my tax dollars to this project.

 

[davmat787]

The SR71 was originally called the RS71, RS for reconnaissance service but when commander in chief President Johnson announced it as the SR71 the designation was changed to what the cinc called it. With the new one why don't they call it the RS72?

Technically it was the YF-71 first, as that was the name of the prototype interceptor version, which turned into the reconnaissance version IIRC. Don't mean to be nitpicky, but since you brought it up...

And they probably won't call it the RS72 since it appears to have multiple roles, including offensive capabilities.

 

[Aikouka]

That's not entirely fair. These companies quote a cost based on our units ordered.

Those fixed develpment expenses are spread out over all the units, which is why the more you buy the cheaper it is and why costs skyrocket when you cut a contract for 100 B-2s down to 12.

It's also important to keep in mind that the original cost is what was set in the winning proposal, which is for all intents and purposes, a guess. The hope is that all of your educated, intelligent folks are able to try and plan out years in advance what will need to happen. Unfortunately, things never work out that way -- changes almost always occur. That was the whole point of Skunk Works... they were meant to build something in a much faster time frame by avoiding all that red tape and government meddling.

 

[Gibsons]

The SR71 was originally called the RS71, RS for reconnaissance service but when commander in chief President Johnson announced it as the SR71 the designation was changed to what the cinc called it. With the new one why don't they call it the RS72?

Marketing.

 

[Gibsons]

That's not entirely fair. These companies quote a cost based on our units ordered.

Those fixed develpment expenses are spread out over all the units, which is why the more you buy the cheaper it is and why costs skyrocket when you cut a contract for 100 B-2s down to 12.

Would you be surprised if the fixed development costs spiral to infinity and beyond?

 

[skyking]

Technically it was the YF-71 first, as that was the name of the prototype interceptor version, which turned into the reconnaissance version IIRC. Don't mean to be nitpicky, but since you brought it up...

And they probably won't call it the RS72 since it appears to have multiple roles, including offensive capabilities.

Go back a little farther
It began as the A-12.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

I guess I don't completely understand the point of this plane.

The SR 71 was decommissioned due to the obscene complexity in keeping that thing air worthy and the fact that satellites were just as good in getting intel as they were.

Also with the advent of UAV's, you can put a fleet of UAV's in the air for the price of a single plane and not even need the speed.

 

[velillen]

Amazing engineers to have designed the 71 without computers.

its amazing what they designed without computers. nuclear reactors that are still in use for instances. The Space Shuttle. The SR-71. All sorts of things. Now things are so computer heavy that all they seem to do is have more and more problems. just look at the Seawolf class of submarines (only class i can think of that would have been designed with computers available). Those things are great on paper. But they spend more time pier side being worked on than out patrolling.

I guess I don't completely understand the point of this plane.

The SR 71 was decommissioned due to the obscene complexity in keeping that thing air worthy and the fact that satellites were just as good in getting intel as they were.

Also with the advent of UAV's, you can put a fleet of UAV's in the air for the price of a single plane and not even need the speed.

I dont see the real point of it cause as you mentioned satellites and UAV's can do the same thing. But also its a way for new technology to be made. The trickle down could lead to faster commercial air travel or other things. That is one thing about the military funding for stuff like this. Theres always the potential to have it come to the civilian markets in some form.

 

[Gibsons]

I guess I don't completely understand the point of this plane.

The SR 71 was decommissioned due to the obscene complexity in keeping that thing air worthy and the fact that satellites were just as good in getting intel as they were.

Also with the advent of UAV's, you can put a fleet of UAV's in the air for the price of a single plane and not even need the speed.

The point of it is Lockmart wants a fat contract.

If the SR71 used conventional jet fuel, they might still be around. Hard to say.

Agree with the rest.

 

[H54]

I guess I don't completely understand the point of this plane.

The SR 71 was decommissioned due to the obscene complexity in keeping that thing air worthy and the fact that satellites were just as good in getting intel as they were.

Also with the advent of UAV's, you can put a fleet of UAV's in the air for the price of a single plane and not even need the speed.

The satellites and other methods were not anywhere near as good as getting intel as the SR-71. Re-positioning assets in orbit takes a long time and is very expensive. It is also known when most of these satellites are overhead. The SR-71, on the other hand, could get intel into the hands of the brass and elected officials in under 10 hours after the sortie is ordered. The SR-71 was inordinately expensive for an Airforce program but against the context of swarms of drones or satellites, it probably wasn't that expensive. Also, the amount of research that was conducted with the aircraft was invaluable.

Read the book "Skunk Works" By Ben Rich.