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The Need for Speed: Fighting the Missile
Nathaniel Stevenson
Class of 2024
Air superiority has been regarded as one of the most important missions of the modern military as the roles of aircraft in conflicts continue to expand. Modern Russian Surface to Air Missile (SAM) batteries such as the S-400 and even the brand new S-500 have proved to be highly effective against most conventional aggressors because of their cutting edge sensors, even rivaling the far more expensive western systems.
However, an inescapable limit has always plagued the evolution of these high-tech systems. While radars can always be improved and missiles constantly evolved, SAMs are built to be moved as the frontline changes. This means they need to be relatively lightweight, limiting the size and propellant that can be carried by missiles, and consequently its speed. Following the substantiation of SAM systems in the Korean War, ambitious Lockheed engineers were left thinking, “What if we just outrun the missile?”
Image: Popular Mechanics
Under the supervision of the U.S. Air Force and CIA, Lockheed’s Skunk Works division was contracted to develop an aircraft that could fly deep into hostile territory, avoiding interception with its tremendous speed and high altitude. This proved to be an incredibly tall task as even the most advanced jets at that time were able to just break the sound barrier. With espionage taking a priority in the fight against communism, the project was given priority status by the Pentagon.
In under 3 years, the SR-71 Blackbird lifted off of the ground at Edwards Air Force base on its maiden flight. Two Pratt & Whitney J58 turbojet engines could push the SR-71 to speeds exceeding mach 3.3, over 2,200 miles per hour. For over 30 years, the SR-71, and its CIA counterpart, the A-11, served as crucial parts of the United States’ espionage process. While impressive and effective, the SR-71 became obsolete with the fall of the Soviet Union; and in 1998, it was retired from service.
In May of 2022 bringing in historical numbers in the box office, military aviation has garnered much public attention. This is reinforced by the constant publicity arising from the Russo-Ukrainian War as it continues to endure beyond a year and a half of conflict. While some media outlets disagree over the astronomical expenses associated with the war, military strategists agree that it has provided a testing ground and a reference point to experiment with the effectiveness of modern weaponry that hasn’t yet had the opportunity to see combat.
Image: Popular Mechanics
As a result, significant changes in the understanding of modern warfare have been solidified, including new improvements in soldier survivability. This, combined with the new and advanced SAM systems that now occupy the battlefield, have once again led Lockheed Martin engineers to question the possibility of bringing back an aircraft capable of bypassing them with raw power and speed. However, this is now even harder given that modern SAM systems can launch missiles capable of taking out satellites moving at over mach 6.
In 2013, Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works division once again began development on what could become the next milestone in aviation history. 5 years later, the company confirmed that a design that succeeded the SR-71 had been finalized. With this incredibly secretive aircraft in development, many aviation enthusiasts began toying with designs and concepts that might come of the project. Nothing further had been officially made public until Paramount Pictures’ release of Top Gun: Maverick. In the movie, Maverick can be seen piloting a hypersonic aircraft known as ‘Darkstar’. The Darkstar aircraft featured in the film seems to mirror the mission and projected capabilities of Lockheed’s SR-71 successor in development.
This uncanny coincidence between Hollywood and the Department of Defense have erased any doubts in the aviation community that the ‘SR-72’ concept has progressed and is likely not far from its unveiling.
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