The SR-72 is REAL - And we can prove it

Recent hints that Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works division may have already delivered an advanced new spy plane to the United States Air Force have prompted a resurgence in speculation about a secretive aircraft known to many as the SR-72.
This program was once not only publicly disclosed, but being developed under sporadic bouts of media attention and general fanfare, that is, until March of 2018 when the effort suddenly fell silent... At least, almost silent.
Here's the true and untold story of Lockheed Martin's legendary hypersonic spy plane, the SR-72.
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Citations:
defaeroreport.com/2023/11/02/...
www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...
www.sandboxx.us/news/spy-sate...
www.washingtonpost.com/archiv...
www.nbcnews.com/sciencemain/s...
web.archive.org/web/201509010...
news.usni.org/2013/11/05/lock...
web.archive.org/web/201506301...
aviationweek.com/defense/skunk...
www.popularmechanics.com/mili...
www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...
sofrep.com/news/lockheed-mart...
/ @usafprofessionalism
lockheedmartin.com/en-us/news...
LockheedMartin/st...
www.thisdayinaviation.com/29-...
www.airandspaceforces.com/hyp...
www.hermeus.com/blog-abms#:~:....
www.leidos.com/insights/leido...
www.popularmechanics.com/mili...
www.businessinsider.com/sr-72...

[@BravoCheesecake]

Baiting a Chinese spy satellite to irreversibly change it's orbit to above a movie site is next level trolling.

[@kenjifox4264]

What interests me about that is that the US knew that the satellite was turning and in which direction as soon as China started doing it.

[@dewlittle1211]

@@kenjifox4264satellites aren’t hard to track. US adversaries can just as easily track ours as we can track their’s. There are websites dedicated to observing satellites military and non-military alike. Even you could do it yourself. All satellites have to be able to be tracked by all space-faring nations in order to make sure they can be readjusted so that no satellite collisions happen.

[@brimfire]

@@kenjifox4264 Doubling down on @dewlittle1211's comment; tracking satellites in space is basic defense protocol, especially if it has energy-collecting wings. It gets a lot more complex and difficult if they're smaller, radiological powered satellites that don't have giant solar reflectors but AFAIK those give off a bunch of heat so you just need to point an IR-capable telescope at the sky to see those.

[@michaelt1775]

well, I'm sure their are at least a dozen unknown spy satellites mixed in with starlink made to look identical to them. Plus a few more beasts that are not as easily tracked

[@shashankmalik2164]

i think that darkstar is the real sr72 chinese satellite caught the glimpse of it thats why they made a movie around it to prove it was just a movie prop yeah i know this sounds foolish but suddenly dropping a sequel to movie made in 1986 just seems a little weird

[@justandy333]

A former F117 pilot put it very well. "What I'm allowed to talk about today is typically 20 - 30 year old tech" Puts it into perspective!

[@SomewhereInTheSolarSystem]

The SR72 was destroyed when Tom Cruise got faster than 10.1 Mach.

[@johnhullard5188]

Russians beat their chests and spout vodka soaked threats while bloviating every hypersonic threat. Americans just keep silent till the moment of action.

[@freskoclipz2733]

@@SomewhereInTheSolarSystembro ejected at Mach 10 n walked it off 💀💀😭

[@SomewhereInTheSolarSystem]

@@freskoclipz2733 😂

[@andrewbaskett8581]

all of this UFO sightings by US military pilots in military ranges off shore always makes me think, if you showed some pilots at the of the 70s or early 80s the have blue or Northrop Tacit Blue and then the f117, they would think it was a UFO with it giving no radar signature and its looks. So when these pilots say these planes were so wild looking and acted insane, didnt leave normal instrument readings, etc.... thats what I truly think it is....

[@pdexBigTeacher]

Last year I attended the Edwards AFB airshow, where the Darkstar was on static display. I know it was a movie, but damn that movie prop made too much aerodynamic sense. I still got the 'hiding in plain site' vibe from that so-called movie prop.

[@alexanderkareh6832]

I think that same thing. I don’t think Lockheed would just build an entire aircraft just for a movie.

[@vladyvhv9579]

Take into consideration that the Making Of featurettes, they state that they wanted Lockheed to build it as if they were actually going to make a flying version of it...

[@davemccombs]

God fucking damnit, please go on google, it works It's a prop BASED ON SEVERAL REAL-LIFE P.O.C DESIGNS Fucking A guys, come on@@alexanderkareh6832

[@davemccombs]

Means nothing@@vladyvhv9579

[@BionicBurke]

@@vladyvhv9579 It's not just credited to Lockheed. If it was, I'd believe it was just a prop.. It's credited to Skunkworks. You don't get that branch of said company that runs Area-51 to just make you a movie prop when the government is shoving billions their way in black budgets. Also, why did it need engine covers? What were they hiding? I don't believe it was an operational aircraft that they were parading around but very likely a radar demonstrator.

[@onerimeuse]

This entire video is impressive so far, but the bit about the hermes using an entire engine as a blocking body is so sooooo cool. I'm floored by the fact that, one, someone came up with that, and two, that we can make materials that can survive that. Ah man, science and engineering are dooooope.

[@kathrynck]

I dunno. It's not that big of a leap from how an afterburner works. Good idea? yes. Crazy genius idea? nah. ;)

[@mintoc8853]

Suuuuure an afterburner is a glorified propane torch, not nearly as complicated as supersonic airflows that need to be rerouted around a vulnerable engine@@kathrynck

[@kathrynck]

@@mintoc8853 I think you're oversimplifying an afterburner. But I don't mean to imply that it's "simple" to have a supersonic airflow going around an engine into another engine. I'm just saying that the core idea of doing it that way is fairly intuitive. Mullti-cycle engines aren't a new concept. Not that it's easy or simple to pull off what they're attempting.

[@mintoc8853]

@@kathrynck well besides the throat varying, afterburners are essentially gas torches, a crude way of increasing energy output. Imo ideas like this one are often deceptively evident after the fact. Just like the forst iterations of normal jet engines back in the day. But either way I think we can agree it's a pretty cool way of doing it

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

Im just amazed at the thermal properties of whatever they are using. Sounds like that engine would have been melted 30 years ago

[@petergerdes1094]

The problem is that a genuine program is hard to distinguish from an attempt to mislead the enemy.

[@hazonku]

That's what all the UAP nonsense is for.

[@uku4171]

​@@hazonkuI think the reason the government paying attention to the UAP stuff is because the public won't shut up about it. The UFO community is annoying.

[@kathrynck]

@@uku4171 I agree.

[@donaldduck830]

If there is no genuine program to replace Blackbird... then a lot of people need to be tried for a) sedition and b) fraud, theft and corruption.

[@marcd1981]

Not a problem for the military, that's how they want it to be.

[@scottsmith7051]

I always say, if this tech is allowed (maybe encouraged) to be published, imagine what USAF is working on behind closed doors!

[@MrJest2]

As a USAF veteran and decades-long worker in the DOD contracting community, I said when the SR-71 was officially decommissioned, that there was _no way_ they would do that without a replacement aircraft already at least being in the works. Sats can't do it all, and can't be "real-time" in all circumstances at any particular place. At the time, the project was rumored to be called "Aurora" (and even this vehicle may well have been) but regardless of the project moniker, it was absolutely going to have existed.

[@MrDangerUXO]

I talked to a USAF boom operator at an air show a couple of years ago and asked him what are the most amazing planes he has refueled, he mentioned F-22, B-2, and another he couldn't talk about.

[@gunlzone]

Realistically it was probably B-21 lol

[@sartainja]

Typical response.

[@davemccombs]

No, he didn't.

[@wicked1172]

​@@sartainja Correct however, he shouldn't have made any mention of anything secret, even hinting is not allowed. Boom Operator, USAF 22+yrs.

[@ElonMuckX]

It was an A-10 and he couldn’t talk about it, because enemies don’t believe it can fly that fast 😂

[@Trojan0304]

Asked a relative who works at Skunk Works, he just smiled. My dad worked on F-117, after it went public , said it works

[@mattywanders]

My grandma worked for Lockheed Martin for 30 years and was part of the SW team in the 70s and 80s. She was a metal fabricator and while we don't know exactly what she did, she likely had a hand in building the F117s. She passed years ago and we'll never know, but I think it's awesome she was involved with that stuff. She wasn't a clerk or a secretary. She was on the floor building badass jets!

[@sundhaug92]

ofc he smiled, they can't confirm or deny

[@Inyourbox-kr5uf]

Replying with a smile is so badass

[@sneakerset]

Very cool. Lived in Trent tract (years ago), and my neighbor would leave town on JANET airlines - heading over to Groom Lake. He had every single cutting bit I needed for my metal projects. Nowadays, composite lay-up tech is getting done by Antelope Valley College student candidates. P42 is Class D airspace,too. A Cessna requested an emergency landing once ,and went in without clearance - base security hustled the pilot right outta there. A Lancaster vet had pictures of his clients at his office gallery - the fur missiles from Dagger squadron.

[@johnserrano9689]

I am aware what I sound like here, but last year late summer beautiful day without anything more than 1 small fluff of clouds, I was outside raking out gravel....all of a sudden I hear a strange very powerful jet I assumed to be an f15 or f22 so I excitedly look skyward all over as I could hear it directly above but couldn't see anything, then I hear a VERY LOUD SPOOL UP of some sort I honestly don't know how to convey it but it sounded like the biggest turbo spooling ones ever heard...no bullshit less than a couple milliseconds all that very odd jet sounds was gone to silence....no trails in the sky either, and whatever it truely was I've seen all known fighter jets take off and fly first hand and nothing. I've ever heard sounds anything like that, but the strangest thing ever how in the fck does a jet on an almost completely clear summer day go unseen?????? That altitude should be impossible, admittedly I know nothing about fighter jets and their engineering but man I've never heard any fighter or bomber come along with its thunderous sound, THEN SPOOL UP THE ENGINES? Really what in the fck could do that? I short after watching this video, I honestly believe this explains it entirely....you can hear it, and it sounds like nothing else ever before, but you can only dream of seeing the fckn thing lol hats off to all those engineers and guys in charge (obviously idk wth I heard but never saw) if this videos accurate, we're all proud of ya 👍🇺🇸

[@robertandrew880]

Mu Uncle just retired from Lockheed Martin, he has always said, the average person cannot handle what we can actually do.

[@radiofreealbemuth8540]

Is he worried about the Chinese threat?

[@lilman227]

@@radiofreealbemuth8540 Shouldn’t be. They’re just as out of there element as us. Been working USAF rapid experiment projects for years. Super neat stuff, but nothing is really impressive anymore. Lockheed Martin. They’re beyond the USAF for sure though. All internal. Won’t even let us know what they have, so I assume it’s cool.

[@robertandrew880]

@radiofreealbemuth8540 the chineese threat is semi real. Numbers yes, ability no. But having a threat is good for the Defense Industry.

[@peekaboopeekaboo1165]

​@@robertandrew880 Yup ... War is a racket !

[@jarigustafsson7620]

Makes sense as Dump was voted to presidency.

[@thatguyb-rad8201]

I grew up in Lancaster, CA - which is 9 miles from Palmdale. They're basically considered sister cities. My 2nd job was at a Boston Market at the Palmdale Mall in the late 90s. My 3rd was at a Chili's just across the street. Needless to say, I drove back and forth in that area quite often. What's not being said in this video is that there is a fairly major highway that goes right passed this Lockheed facility and Plant 42 is literally right next door. There's a railroad track between the highway and those facilities. Quite often there would be a long train of cars parked on those tracks for days or weeks at a time. But honestly they only obscured so much. For reference they revealed the B2 and the B21 at this location to the public. Possibly the F117 too, but I can't remember for sure. Point being, this location is way too public for Top Secret projects. You do see a fair amount of aircraft most of the public isn't familiar with, but they're not secret. My step-dad was the Crew Chief for NASAs B52 program where they drop a lot of stuff off the wings for testing. As a kid I knew he was working on something called "Project Pegasus". He never really spoke of it, but I'm pretty sure that was the early versions of the ramjet/scramjet.

[@DecrepitBiden]

It's misdirection, like a magician. The secret stuff, only comes out of the hangar at night, guarded by security 24/7 all around the hangar, far away from civilization.

[@actionjksn]

I've seen an SR71 Blackbird in person and it is an incredible sight to behold. It's hard to believe that it is so old. Actually I've seen two different Blackbirds, one in Ohio and also the one in Arizona. I go to a lot of military airplane museums.

[@Thepeanutgallery666]

I saw an SR-71 at an air show in Boise Idaho when I was a kid. It had to have been mid-to-late 80s. Of course, I didn't know what I was looking at at the time, but I remember that signature shape. I remember seeing it fly. I remember people calling it a blackbird. And I remember that nobody could get close or they would get shot, and it leaked fuel all over the ground underneath it. It's my understanding that there is one in Hill Air Force Museum south of Ogden utah, and I keep meaning to get over and look at it. Such a beautiful aircraft. Dark and mysterious, sleek and fast.

[@NightKnight347]

I'm just going to put Hutchinson, KS on the list here

[@richardmeyeroff7397]

@@Thepeanutgallery666 their is one in NYC on the Intepid ACand another at the smithsonian museum at Dulles airport, been to both a # of times. They are incredible!

[@TexanUSMC8089]

I saw a couple landing on Okinawa in the 80's. They landed at Kadena AFB. People used to line up at the fences with their cameras, hoping an SR-71 would land.

[@Mr.T.MBA.]

There is one in Utah at the Roy Air Force Museum, plus a B1 Bomber and a ton of other planes. You should check it out.

[@mburgnon]

Excellent work on this one, Alex! This is a great summary of all the facts up to today. Thanks for all the hard work you put into your reporting.

[@monkeybarmonkeyman]

What impressed me the most in this video was the reference to 3D material printing. Indeed - being able to integrate cooling (and likely heating) passageways into an engine smacks of building engines like a living body. Imagine what might trickle down to consumer level technology. Wow.

[@tomcoon9038]

I have seen firsthand the capabilities of 3D printing of aerospace parts in metals that are difficult to manufacture previously in conventional ways. It is nothing short of astounding. I have seen those aforementioned cooling passageways and other unadvertised critical details myself. So, yes. Not only possible but has been done for over a decade already.

[@jeremyc74]

I've worked with some 3D printed parts in combustion applications, and it really does bring new capabilities to the table. I know they're doing a lot of it for gas turbines used for power generation, and it's allowed for improvements in emissions and efficiency.

[@James-zk1ib]

This reminds me of that "conspiracy theorist" guy that said he worked at Area 51 and came forward about the aliens, i think his name is Bob Lazar. But he said the alien craft wasnt bolted together, it was all one piece of metal, the wires were part of the ship body themselves. Makes perfect sense, he said this before this technology was even around. But could just be a dude who wanted attention lying out his ass. Who knows, id like to believe though.

[@BinauralBae]

"You don't actually think they spend $20,000 on a hammer, $30,000 on a toilet seat, do you?" is a quote that lives rent free in my head constantly

[@ArticWolfv]

the only technology I wish they make is the ability to make ICBM based nukes a mute issue at will.

[@elijahpalmer6323]

You can easily do this you just need to disrupt the compression cycle of the warhead.

[@robertkubrick3738]

@@elijahpalmer6323 Many thousands of times within a few minutes. Very simple. Also several months later when the second strike comes in.

[@joe-gu8ms]

While I was in the USAF, I was in conversation with an engineer concerning the sr71 and the a/f12. The conversation led to the fact that while flying at 80k and mach 3, the performance of the look down shoot down capabilities was 86% kill rate. One item slipped out that the airframe was rated alot higher than the stated one, and the vehicles were heat treated and toughened with each and every flight. Sr 71 was and is one of my top 10 aircraft. The a-10, f-15, p-38, p-51 mustang h model, a-4, f-14, da buf, Messerschmitt me109, all iderations of the sr-71, and the av 8b harrier. Honorable mentions are the mv 22, ah64, ac130, my version of the ac22, and new replacement for the a-10, built in my mind of a p-38/a-10, but with a new 76mm high speed , 25, 20, 40mm cannon and fifties in the wings, hey, it could happen...

[@davemccombs]

ok

[@misterjones7248]

I would be very, very surprised if there aren't several next generation aircraft in operational service that remain unknown to the public. USAF have been good at doing this over the years.

[@fredfredburger5150]

Yep. The F-117 and the B-2 were unveiled to the public at the same time despite the former being designed, built and flown almost several years earlier...

[@rylian21]

The NGAD has already had its first flights. Sounds extremely promising.

[@dester3275]

Its 2023, everyone has a handheld camera that auto focuses. Its a lot harder to hide tech now which is why its super unlikely. Its also why we saw footage of the supposed first b-21 flight.

[@misterjones7248]

It doesn't work like that@@dester3275

[@misplacedstarman5455]

​@@dester3275- There's a lot of technology out there still that the public hasn't seen,some that would thrill you, and then some that would absolutely scare the hell out of you...

[@DAAllan82]

Fantastic reporting, Alex! A possible Mach 10 reconnaissance aircraft with the capability to carry conventional or even nuclear weapons is an absolute game changer!

[@j.f.fisher5318]

It would be one answer to why we are upgrading our nuke gravity bombs

[@johndoh5182]

@@j.f.fisher5318 Interesting issue because if you launched a nuke from a plane traveling this speed you'd already have it moving at a speed necessary for a scramjet to kick in. This would allow the elimination of the motor to get the missile up to speed so the missile would be simpler and you could have a larger payload. Of course you also have the issue of ICBMs which can get a missile up to these speeds too. Huh. The US is upgrading pretty much all of its nuclear arsenal and the picture becomes a little more clear. If they could get a projectile up around mach 10 that would be a bit of a challenge to intercept especially if it could do a couple course corrections even if it would lose some speed. The first Alex mentioned of this plane probably existing and that it would be multi role it sounded like a winning idea right away and having a much better arsenal to go with it takes the US military out another 2 - 4 decades, maybe more, AFTER these platforms get rolled out to the military.

[@DAAllan82]

@@johndoh5182 the only reason I doubt we would launch hypersonic missiles from it is cost. Why spend all that money when you can have the plane drop a cheap gravity bomb, and the bomb itself would already be going Mach 10? Just seems too expensive and complex with too many moving parts, and wouldn’t save much time to impact.

[@actionjksn]

If we make a mach 10 aircraft to carry weapons, they would definitely be nuclear, probably exclusively nuclear. They wouldn't hold enough conventional bombs to be worth using, but you only need 1 nuke.

[@TraditionalAnglican]

It wouldn’t even need to carry weapons…

[@michaelj.beglinjr.2804]

I think the SR-71 is the most beautiful plane ever put into production.

[@tobyw9573]

I saw a video of a large model of Habu flown at a meet and the model appeared to handle extremely well. Worth investigating.

[@vladyvhv9579]

I've had the fortune to see 2 of them in different aerospace museums. I'd advise anyone who hasn't, to do so. Epic experience.

[@TheRenaissanceBuilder]

I find it interesting that the project went dark. Kindof like the railgun project got “cancelled” but now the japanese are making solid progress on it. Any chance you could dig up some recent news on the railgun project?

[@jkull173]

I interpreted the project needing to go through “rescoping” as likely a reduction in the demanded capabilities. Most likely of them being that they had to forego the “Strike” role of the project and focus on producing a functional ISR platform. Another possibility is rescoping the project from a manned platform to an unmanned platform.

[@onetruehitman7623]

Personally I think they want an unmanned platform (I don’t think they would change the speed, which will probably be Mach 10). Considering they likely had the Global Strike capability in mind perhaps since nearly the beginning, I’m not sure if they’d be willing to remove that so late in the game, especially considering an SR-72 with Global Strike capabilities would make it have a far more versatile role in the Pacific than the SR-71 ever could.

[@Soucka74]

You only rescope a project to obtain higher goals than required not lower expectations or goals. Those are already covered under the current program or set of parameters.

[@appa609]

That would require an altitude of at least 150,000 ft and a 2g turn circle the size of the east coast.

[@alexdunphy3716]

​@@Soucka74this is not the case, programs get toned down all the time

[@Soucka74]

@@alexdunphy3716 I worked this stuff as an OSI Special Agent. Yes, things get downgraded but, when done there is no need for reclassification or rescoping. Parameters are set to include everything up to a specific set of goals. Therefore, anything below those goals does not need to rescoped down since the original parameters already included those. Rescoping is done if you need to meet higher goals or thresholds.

[@falkenlaser]

Just imagine if the Darkstar from Top Gun, which was designed by Lockheed and had Lockheed and Shunkworks logos all over it, is a literal mockup of the real SR-72?

[@MichaelSmith-bn2kz]

The movie could have been the actual cover-up... To say "hey it was a movie prop."

[@infinitespace2520]

Lockheed Martin basically stated that the SR-72 Darkstar is a fictional piloted spyplane with the same name and based on the SR-72 design, the movie even mentions a rival drone program, strongly implying that it is the drone SR-72 program. The actual plane in the movie was definitely just a prop but probably the same exact design albeit with a cockpit, remove it and you pretty much have the actual SR-72.

[@Doc_Boots]

Professional level trolling

[@blvck.8197]

I wouldn't be suprised if its literally the exact aircraft or extremely close to it. When we do eventually see it I will laugh my ass off if it ends up being the same thing we saw in Top Gun.

[@louisbabycos106]

@@blvck.8197 Honda ,"just for the record we had our stealth bomber first " que picture of both Honda civic SI and remarkably accurate mock up of the B2 stealth bomber.

[@SgtSkrog]

These aircraft are amazing to witness in person. Glad we have some on our side.

[@DeanIllinger]

Alex, had I not seen dozens of your episodes where you cleanly divide Fact from Speculation and humbly confess when there's insufficient evidence to conclude something, I'd have just smiled to myself and thought 'yes, would be nice if it were true'. Thanks for all your efforts to be an honest broker and laying the SR-72's case out so straightforward (including all of LM's nuanced hints) that we can trust the US isn't bringing up the rear in the superpower hypersonic arms race. Deano

[@AnthonyEvelyn]

I remember hearing about the Aurora high speed spy plane back in the early 90's. I wonder if the SR-72 is an offshoot?

[@AURORAREVEALNOW]

The SR-72 might be the SR-91 Aurora in disguise.

[@mastercc4509]

art bell in the 90s intensifies

[@TheWhiteWolf2077]

didnt a lockheed head say we can travel the stars,but only an act of god can uncover it aka ufos.what we see is artificial progress.@@mastercc4509

[@amazin7006]

Anything moving this fast would be way too high to be visible, plus it would leave a massive trail behind it

[@wbaldwin666]

​@@amazin7006 this same thing happened the last time I took magic mushrooms

[@orbitalrocketmechaniccain3150]

There is a lot to consider, especially if these will be manned aircraft. There are so many dangers for a pilot at that speed and also human reaction may be too slow. But also you don’t want a computer alone to fly some of the most essential missions in the most sensitive areas. I feel like the biggest challenge will be to have an AI system that can give pilots info far enough in advance for them to make decisions at human speed.

[@RANGER73CPT]

The reality, I fear, is that humans are already outdated and no longer relevant. That is scary to think about and to hear that so many of the developers are already warning about the difficulties of keeping AI "in check" AS WELL AS anytime you look at what "humans" do to the planet we are exactly as it was said in the Matrix. We are a PARASITE on this planet and we are NOT moving in the correct direction to fix it any time soon.... I hope that AI doesn't figure out how to take over the world......

[@greenyoshi777]

Especially with all of the different types of jammers being developed to counter UAV's of all sorts. You don't want a $100 billion dollar prototype that you poured decades worth of work into landing on an enemy airfield after it got hacked into oblivion.

[@jerrywatson1958]

@orbitalrocketmechaniccain3150 you forget that the Space Shuttle regularly did MACH 25 during reentry. They had to maneuver to bleed off speed to land. So flying at those speeds is a known factor. The computers of the day could fly it. The Astronauts trained to manually fly it in case of failure of all flight computer systems main, backup, then the astronaut.

[@SonoftheBread]

Controlled manned flight at hypersonic speeds because it's exclusive to extreme high altitude. If you go by the Darkstar as a rough estimate of actual demonstration performance then you need to be at around 100k feet for Mach 10. A skilled and qualified military aviator on par with astronauts, test pilots, etc would be fine. Maneuvering at those altitudes means you just have huge turn circles. You can read about Blackbird pilots describing how many states theyd fly over completing a full turn.

[@sjsomething4936]

@@SonoftheBread one of my favourite stories was of the SR-71 pilot speaking with ATC about where they were… “control we’re over Kansas, ope now Nebraska, no make that now South Dakota…” 😂

[@struanmcgrath1619]

Its tru i fly the SR 73, but only drunk.

[@michaelullman8574]

Outstanding work. Great script and supporting footage. Clearly, you put some time into this. Well produced and very enjoyable!!!!!

[@Iamthelolrus]

There is another top gun interview where they said if they wanted to use the hangar, the air force would have to move something. They originally were told they couldnt use that specific hangar. I think the spy satellite may have been trying to see what was in the hangar before the movie crew moved in. Just a guess.

[@zach11241]

It was the beta version of Half-Life 3

[@killman369547]

So the part where he mentions engine restarts. That implies that the aircraft is stable at those speeds even if an engine were to fail which is quite an accomplishment in aerodynamics on it's own.

[@Hythe01]

I took that to mean the restarting of the jet engines, as the speed came back down from the hypersonic range?

[@peckfamily995]

My ex father in law had worked at the skunk works in Burbank then transfered to Skunks Works in Palmdale. He accidently overheard engineers discussing the Aoura and this was about 25 years ago. Also I liive about an hour west of Edwards AFB, and typically on Sundays I can hear some sort of milititary jet that sounds much lower than it is. I can never see and there's never any contrail.

[@patrickm4566]

Great video. I had never seen the clip at the end, with the U2 and SR71 flying together. Very cool.

[@kingjsolomon]

My aunt lives on acreage in the foothills out by Beale AFB in NorCal, I’ve seen countless U2 and other interestingly shaped craft always flying at night or early morning. Can’t wait to lay outside under the skies the next few summers and witness some cool fly byes. I hope so at lest.

[@danieltaylor8556]

My uncle worked for TI building missiles and he was talking about a Mach 7 plus “Dark Star” in the 90s.

[@WigSplitters]

Cos he's a looney

[@danieltaylor8556]

@@WigSplitters also just as valid 🤷‍♂️

[@charlessaunders6209]

Good work, as always, Alex. Thanks for delivering this premium grade fuel for our hypersonic day-dreams.👍

[@RebelSaturn-ld2oi]

US patent 10144532b2

[@MrSatnavatron]

typical blocked replies , trying to share a patent system for the US , but YT refuses to let me post it

[@darvinclement8404]

If it’s “agile” at hypersonic speeds, I would guess that it rules out being a manned aircraft. That would be some serious g forces. It would be really interesting to know what kind of material they would make an aircraft that can go that fast in the atmosphere reapeatedly.

[@everettstormy]

If it's high enough it may be above the atmophere mostly

[@bradcolby7373]

Alex,this piece was absolutely outstanding! Keep up the magnificent work! 👏🇺🇸

[@Taffeyboy]

Good job Alex! I hope they move up that delivery date of the SR 72 because I’ll be 90 yrs old by 2030.😢

[@TurboHappyCar]

I, a random guy on the internet, hope you get to see it. 👍

[@jeffreyholdeman3042]

How cool is it that Alex as an 83 year old subscriber!

[@lewiskemp5893]

Hope you make it. I'll be in my 60s then

[@AURORAREVEALNOW]

We'll likely see the first flight next year or in 2025.

[@RANGER73CPT]

Man, you do such a great job putting these stories together and getting them out to us, THANK YOU!!!! This is very interesting and probably more than we should honestly know but it is just so damn cool!!! Keep up the better than great work!!!

[@jj4791]

Love the Busemann inlet designs. A lot of people have been trying to make them work at off-design conditions for a long time.

[@mphRagnarok]

It's pretty clear you're misinterpreting the Vago quote about re scoping. He clearly means it had to be scoped down to progress and that was due to challenges encountered. I have no idea why you just assumed that meant up scoping. Why would you describe unexpected out performance as a challenge?

[@Condor1970]

One thing to remember is that since the new B-21 Raider is not a supersonic platform, it is rumored to have a tuned F-135 engine for ultra high altitude operation in excess of 80,000ft. For standard combat operations, it cannot necessarily fly that high, nor would the pilots want to be on board, as pressure suits are needed. Piloted combat ops are rumored to be around 60,000ft. However, you don't need pilots when you remove the combat payload, and install a large fuel pod in the bomb bay, and lighter weight reconn equipment in the side missile bays.

[@uku4171]

Good point. Makes sense they wanted it to be remotely operable.

[@Condor1970]

@@uku4171 ...Yes. My point, is that it turns every B-21 in the fleet into an advanced RQ-180 reconnaissance type aircraft, and can be used anywhere in the world the B-21 may be stationed. So, gathering intelligence on a foreign adversary will be much easier and much more available when time sensitivity is a major factor. The other capability, is the side missile bays will also allow it to be an ultra high altitude on station missile platform/arsenal ship to be networked and assist Air Dominance aircraft in an aerial denial scenario. With exception to super maneuverability and supersonic performance, it will in fact be the technically capable "Jack of all Trades" the Air Force has been wanting for a very long time.

[@onetruehitman7623]

@@Condor1970100%, you get the feeling that the B-21 is basically what old school B-2 engineers always wished the B-2 could have been and mucho more (like the possible addition of the B-21 having air to air missiles)

[@RebelSaturn-ld2oi]

US patent 10144532b2

[@corneliusblackwood9014]

Can you imagine going Mach 9.4? Not that it’s going to be manned, I’m just a casual fan of all this, maybe it’s unnamed. Either way, the thought of being strapped into something like this sounds amazing. I’d do just about anything to go for a ride. (one can dream!)

[@AURORAREVEALNOW]

It's possible to make it manned. You need cockpit force field technology, like the SR-91 Aurora and all the other Aurora aircraft have.

[@dynestis2875]

​@@AURORAREVEALNOWwhat, like intertia dampeners? Isn't that just science fiction?

[@AURORAREVEALNOW]

@@dynestis2875 No it's real.

[@bald_agent_smith]

you can fly manned aircraft at Mach 10,20 or any speed. It is not speed that kills but forces when some object accelerating.

[@AURORAREVEALNOW]

@@bald_agent_smith Aircraft that are capable of mach 10 and over are SR-91 Aurora and the TR series craft(ig. the TR-3B Astra).

[@ChasWG]

Amazing!!!! Great research Alex and Sandbox team!

[@brysonfitzgerald5238]

Excited for this one! Thanks, Alex and team!

[@bjornodin]

Here's hoping this project will be just as impressive as the SR-71 was when it launched! I know it's impressive still today, but it's not around anymore and it wouldn't dominate the skies today like it did 50 years ago 😊

[@kathrynck]

I dunno, the YF-12 would still be just about the most formidable plane to ever fly to date. Mach 3.4, over 3000miles range, very low RCS, with three air to air missiles which have a range of over 100 miles and a warhead with a kill-radius of several miles ;)

[@TesterAnimal1]

Hope it doesn’t leak fuel all over the taxiway!

[@kathrynck]

@@TesterAnimal1 It may. SR-71 is using fuel as coolant... so they didn't want to isolate the fuel from the fuselage skin (which expands/contracts). SR-72 may have to as well. Hard to say.

[@TraditionalAnglican]

@@kathrynck- A SR-71 did Mach 3.5 at least once, and that was in 1987. The A-12 might have flown a bit faster & higher. The SR-72 apparently can do Mach 10 at an altitude of 33+ km.

[@kathrynck]

@@TraditionalAnglican I'm aware of the mach 3.56 quote referencing a flight over Libya. I've had some discussions recently which make me somewhat question it though. I'd be happy to say that the blackbird's top speed is "somewhere from mach 3.3 to mach 3.56". And the YF-12 was about mach 0.1 faster. I do think the archangel 12 series oxcart planes flew higher than is officially reported, but it's hard to say exactly how high. I'd just leave it at "certainly higher than the U-2's 80,000 ft". As for the SR-72, 33km (or 100,000 ft) or possibly higher, sounds very plausible to me. Mach 10, though? Nah. Based on the popular science spread of the plane, it looks like somewhere from mach 6 to mach 7. I mean, in terms of the speed capacity of that shape, as an object moving at supersonic speed... it has features in it's shape which betray it's intended speed, from an aerodynamics standpoint. I'll grant that is assuming those drawings are accurate though. I tend to think they are, because that was a lockheed martin pet project at that time, not a government contract. So they were under no secrecy agreements then. The design may have changed though. Mach 10 would require a very skinny fuselage... I think that would be somewhat impractical. A missile which goes mach 10+ "once" sure. A spacecraft which costs 11 figures and goes mach 10+++ on reentry, and then needs months of turn-around time? Sure. A 9 figures cost plane which goes mach 10 several times a week though? I don't see it. Mach 6 or 7 though, yeah.

[@afro7679]

As always, great content and very informative !!! Thanks

[@warmonger2500]

That image of the SR-71 and U2 is hilarious. One was practically at stall speed and the other in a shallow dive. 😂

[@greg.peepeeface]

I believe it when Sandboxx touts it, and I don’t need receipts… you’re good bruh.

[@nedkelly9688]

He isn't said he tells us about every hypersonic plane programme and not ever mentions Australia scramjet drone and joint USA Australia tests or that Australia has world fastest scramjet at mach 12. I knew 2017 USA and Australia went dead quiet on all their hypersonic tests during AUSMIN meeting. this is higher ups of defence ministers of both countries. they mention going dead quiet and USA not even telling congress about it. Raytheon DARPA HACM hypersonic missile is joint USA Australia programme called SCIFIRE. Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment is an American-Australian military technology partnership that is developing a solid-rocket boosted, air-breathing, hypersonic conventional cruise missile that can be launched by existing fighter or bomber aircraft. He also won't mention a Australian company with world fastest scramjet won a USA HYCAT DUI contract to help USA build hypersonic vehicles.

[@nedkelly9688]

I found this years ago and told Alex about it. he ignores it all as isn't just a USA thing. While the media were understandably distracted by Secretary Esper’s comments on deploying intermediate range conventional weapons in the Pacific region in the lead up to the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (“AUSMIN”) in August, documents produced pursuant to Freedom of Information laws reveal our government’s longer running enthusiasm to ‘deepen our cooperation with the United States on hypersonics.’ The heavily redacted documents produced by the Department of Defence include a document titled ‘AUSMIN AGENDA’ and marked ‘Secret Aus/USA’. It includes statements like ‘We see a range of promising areas for science and technology collaboration including hypersonics - but I’d like to take the opportunity to drill down on hypersonics’ and ‘Bilateral Meeting Opportunity to discuss key Defence items that do not get discussed in detail during the AUSMIN meeting (eg hypersonics).’ In its 4 August media release the US Department of Defence confirmed that ‘Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper met today with Australia’s Minister for Defense Linda Reynolds at Victoria Barracks in Sydney, Australia. Minister Reynolds expressed appreciation for close collaboration on emerging priorities, including critical minerals and development and fielding of hypersonic weapons.’ Only weeks after AUSMIN the Defence Minister, Linda Reynolds, described hypersonics as “that disruptive new technology, missile or aircraft, goes up into the outer atmosphere and down very quickly, hard to detect and very lethal and no warning times.” She’d obviously done a little drilling, but how much? The Federation of American Scientists’ ‘Hypersonic Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress’ report of 17 September 2019 confirmed that ‘Since 2007, the United States has collaborated with Australia on the Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HIFire) program to develop hypersonic technologies. The most recent HIFiRE test, successfully conducted in July 2017, explored the flight dynamics of a Mach 8 hypersonic glide vehicle, while previous tests explored scramjet engine technologies. In addition to the Woomera Test Range facilities - one of the largest weapons test facilities in the world - Australia operates seven hypersonic wind tunnels and is capable of testing speeds of up to Mach 30. …the United States uses the Royal Australian Air Force Woomera Test Range in Australia…for flight testing…’ Richard Speier, a member of the adjunct staff at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation last year pointed out the proliferation risks: ‘Hypersonic missiles travel at a speed of one mile per second or more-at least five times the speed of sound. They are able to evade and conceal their precise targets from defenses until just seconds before impact. This leaves targeted states with almost no time to respond….It could authorise the military rather than the national leadership to conduct retaliatory strikes, but this would raise the risk of an accidental conflict…’ Journalist Jamie Seidel provided a comprehensive look at hypersonic weapons and Australia’s HiFiRE program in December 2018. He reported that ‘On November 15, 2018, the Australian Defence Science and Technology Group (DST) and the University of Queensland signed a $10 million agreement to consolidate their existing hypersonic expertise and test programs. It doesn’t say much else…Australia’s Defence Department has imposed a blanket ban on merely discussing the subject. And the US Department of Defence has made moves to tighten reporting under its generally much more open auditing systems. What we know is DST, UQ, BAE Systems Australia and the US Air-Force Research Labs and Boeing Phantom Works have been putting hypersonic test vehicles through their paces at the Woomera test range, in South Australia’s Outback, for the past decade.’ Of interest is the fact that the Rand Corporation hypersonic video which presents an overview of their key findings on hypersonic missiles contains footage from the Woomera hypersonic tests at 0.14 which also appears in this University of Queensland video.

[@nedkelly9688]

Australia scramjet has been tested 11 times in atmosphere and 1100 times in wind tunnels can turn it on and off during flight and speed up and down and has reached mach 12. 2006 reached Mach 10 in HIFIRE Australia’s Hypersonix chosen for US DIU’s HyCAT1 programme Data from test vehicles will expedite development of future weapon system concepts, technologies and mission sets. Hypersonix’s DART additive engineering vehicle. Credit: © Hypersonix/Business Wire. The US Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has selected Australian aerospace company Hypersonix Launch Systems to deliver hypersonic test vehicles. The new award is part of Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities (HyCAT1) programme. The DIU is executing this programme in collaboration with the US Air Force (USAF) and the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering (USD R&E). Hypersonix has been selected for this programme after a competitive process, in which a total of 63 international aerospace companies participated to offer their solutions for the DIU’s HyCAT project. The first hypersonics solicitation under this programme was issued by DIU and USD R&E’s Director of Hypersonics and the Test Resource Management Center in September last year. In response, Hypersonix proposed its ‘DART Additive Engineering (AE)’ vehicle, which is expected to have a modular payload bay of nearly 20lb. How well do you really know your competitors? Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge. This vehicle will leverage 3D-printing technology and will be powered by a hydrogen-fuelled SPARTAN scramjet engine that will allow the vehicle to fly with non-ballistic flight patterns, with speeds ranging between Mach 5 to 7 for up to 1,000km. The company said that the DIU has specifically requested for a hypersonic vehicle that can operate in a ‘representative environment’ with at least three-minute flight duration and ‘near-constant’ flight conditions. Hypersonix Launch Systems managing director David Waterhouse said: “Our vehicles are capable of non-ballistic flight patterns to at least Mach 7, which exceeds the HyCAT1 specification.” DART AE is anticipated to start operating from early next year. HyCAT programme involves development of a suite of low-cost, high-cadence, modern and dual-use airborne testing platforms (vehicles) that can be used for providing data to expedite the evaluation of various concepts, technologies, systems as well as mission sets. DIU space portfolio programme manager major Ryan Weed said: “Commercial companies are forging ahead towards reusable and low-cost test vehicles. The HyCAT project represents a paradigm shift in viewing the hypersonic realm as a place for aircraft, not just missiles and weapons.”

[@greg.peepeeface]

@@nedkelly9688 ok

[@liamodhomnallain4326]

Awesome content!! Best around. Please keep doing what you are doing. Thanks, Liam.

[@AnthonyWilson247]

Great article Alex! Thanks for your hard work.

[@frederickweinstein452]

Excellent!! Thank you for all the hard work you put into this post. This is an amazing chapter in the history of flight.

[@mtmadigan82]

Internally funded almost 2 decades of cutting edge aviation R&D, including test articles. The bill for that has to just be eyewatering😂

[@lucasokeefe7935]

Worth every cent for reliable intel within an hour or two

[@jeffreyholdeman3042]

And yet was 50-70% less expensive than had the US taxpayer funded the research. Obviously LM will make it up on the backend when sales of this platform happen.

[@Strype13]

Well, the Pentagon did just fail its sixth audit in a row. Once again, trillions are unaccounted for...

[@erikswanson6687]

I promise LM didn’t “internally fund” anything. I worked in partnership with LM 9 years ago. They don’t do ANYTHING without getting paid. I was a test pilot for a new mini sub for the SEALs. LM was eyeballing swallowing our company to provide a replacement for the minehunting drone that was SO BAD that Congress scrapped it. They wouldn’t support training dives b/c the DOD hadn’t paid us to do training dives, even though all it would cost above the overhead we were already burning was the cost of 6 hrs of gas for the support boats. LM builds what the govt pays them to build. Period. If the govt actually wants it to work well, or be improved, they’ve got to pay extra for that.

[@flightscapeaviationphoto]

Usual solid and worthy content Alex. Thanks 🤙

[@greg.peepeeface]

I agree

[@BuergerPT]

Once again, simply excellent research and reporting. Your channel is just fantastic.

[@a.teague4837]

As usual, another wonderful report with excellent detail!

[@angelosasso1653]

Given the current objective to field hypersonic weaponry, it´s almost a guarantee, this program is at least very mature. Lockheed Martin often had a head-start over many competitors. Now remember, even Boeing (which is often considered a poor performing company, a sentiment I do not share btw) had quite the success in a technology demonstrator 20 years ago, reaching almost Mach 10 and set official records with their ramjet-testbeds. Also consider, many reports about very fast and high flying aircraft for decades now, it can be assumed there was and still is a lot of development in this area. Since the SR-71 was always considered as an option shows, that it was still useful at that time. Which shows a clear need for speed. And where there is need there shall be government money. I would love to see some interviews with eye-witnesses or some people who claim to have photographed interesting stuff. Given how open Skunk Works was about the program I would be somewhat surprised if there wasn´t a tech demonstrator or even a few of them already in service. It´s very difficult engineering but so are most high-end programs and the only show stopper is money, which we know is spent on black projects such as this one.

[@MikeOxlong-]

This story (and program if true) also does a lot towards explaining ‘some’ of the reasons why the US DoD has decided to keep gravity bombs of the spicy kind around (believing that delivering them is still going to be viable) and why they’re doing more than just life extension programs on them - like building new variants with super low and high yield effects. Mind you, they’ve not produced any new PU pits for the past 30+ years either (though they’re starting now) which is definitely the primary influencer behind refurbishment, but in developing these recently announced new(ish) types - not so much…

[@greengoblin876]

​@@MikeOxlong-Gravity Bombs?

[@misplacedstarman5455]

​@@greengoblin876- conventionally dropped bombs...i.e..no rocket motor add-ons.

[@greengoblin876]

@@misplacedstarman5455 ahh right , that's what I thought. I saw Some clip where a youtuber had thought " Gravity " bombs were some kind of star trek world ending nuke like one of the grenades in Thor that suck everything into it like a black hole 😂. Was quite amusing tbh .

[@kathrynck]

@@MikeOxlong- I think the "spicy" gravity bombs are mainly being kept for the B-2 and eventually B-21.

[@bmannepalli]

What an incredible video. Great job as always, Alex.

[@user-ij6mf2hp3r]

You are the best, period. Nobody comes close. I appreciate what you do and can only imagine how much hard work you put in to provide us with real info about what's going on in the defence world. Thank you Alex, for what you provided us.

[@bradparker9664]

I just found your channel with this video, and I'm very glad I did. Outstanding job!

[@instintosoldato9019]

When will the world learn that challenging the US to a technology race will never go well for them

[@exmcairgunner]

That’s awesome, I’m so glad that someone was on the ball and pulled that information. I’m gonna go out on a limb a say I hope they doubled down on it also.

[@matthewgrogan4312]

Stellar reporting, Alex, just superb!

[@mattmcc72]

TG: Maverick hilariously may not the first time that China has been fooled by a prop. Back in '94/'95 the short lived TV show Space: Above and Beyond, also had a life sized prop of the shows "SA-43 Hammerhead - Endo/Exo-Atmospheric Attack Jet" This life size prop was shipped to Australia for the filming of the shows pilot, and was (allegedly) spotted by a Chinese spy at the port. The story goes that, as a result China put a lot of time, money and effort to gain access to get photographs and access to this craft.

[@ronjon7942]

Laf. Good story. That was a great series - I have it on my computer somewhere, I need to dig it up and watch it again. Thanks for the reminder!

[@WasabiSniffer]

with the way you've added up the press releases, briefs, sightings, and all manner of information, it seems like Lockheed is just aching to show off the new bird. great work on this one. you indeed brought the receipts for an exciting time for aviation. It’s like the explanation for SIGINT in Midway, no invitations have gone out yet but the caterers are booked, the hottest band has a gig, all the flowers are getting bought up.

[@echo53226]

Your videos are absolutely terrific!!! Keep up the good work!

[@John117-BlueTeam]

Last year, I saw and took pictures of 4 B-2 Spirits flying very high above the city in a line formation in Cheyenne Wyoming. A B-2 is the only flying wing with two engines that I'm aware of, whether it's a drone or manned. The picture is clearly of a B-2 because of the points (Apex nozzles) in the back. It's extremely rare, especially in such large numbers, so it was an amazing sight for sure.

[@njgrplr2007]

It will be interesting to see how they launch weapons from a hypersonic plane without tearing off the doors to the weapons compartment or incinerating the plane.

[@jonathanpfeffer3716]

if they were to do this (love you Alex but the 72 is still just overblown fiction) they would probably take design cues from the a-12 for weapons employment

[@SwordOfApollo]

Yeah, I think it could perhaps be done by putting the bay doors behind a step-back in the fuselage that creates a near-vacuum at hypersonic speeds. This could perhaps shield the doors from the brunt of the ferocious wind.

[@jacobwilbers9852]

It's a giant dick measuring contest. If it had practical use, they would not keep it secret because they would want to make lots of them and deploy them all over its not 1962. Everyone has a camera.

[@Hythe01]

The issue for weapons deployment would probably not be opening the bomb bay - a Canberra/Buccaneer-style rotary door with suitable deflection could be engineered, but rather safe separation of the weapon into the airstream, without it just bouncing back up into the aircraft. Can’t help but think that the linear bomb bay, a la A3J/A-5 Vigilante, would be better. Also solves the challenge of finding space between the engines, if those are mounted beneath the body.

[@appa609]

common misconception. All fadt aircraft are limited to a similar dynamic pressure. Hypersonic planes can only go fast at very hogh altitudes where the aerodynamic forces they experience are similar to just above mach-1 at sea level

[@machdaddy6451]

I think that the technology that keeps this plane from melting is as interesting as the technology that makes it go fast.

[@vladyvhv9579]

Indeed. I have to feel a bit sorry for all of those who can't divulge to much about stuff that gets developed, due to the need for secrecy. I'm sure there's lots of stuff that these people would love to be able to geek out telling us about, and that we'd love to geek out hearing about. But the nature of the world means that some things just need to be left in the dark.

[@SomethingSeemsOff]

Yes thank you! glad you made another video on this

[@CharlieBass5]

Stay in the groove Alex, keep bring that GOOD STUFF!!!

[@Ashes2New]

Your efforts in this video truly shows throughout. Thank you for your continued focus on delivering quality content such as this one on the SR-72. Please keep up the outstanding job!

[@RebelSaturn-ld2oi]

US patent 10144532b2

[@cygmoid]

When you sayed "re-scoped" I assumed it was bacause maybe the aircraft was having issues.Guess I was wrong and Skunks Works is breaking records and limits. Amazing research and video Mr Hollings , really love your work

[@Knights_Oath]

Rescopped means the government is changing what they require from the project. Typically either adding a required capability or changing the whole project.

[@kevinjoiner9847]

Alex, love the reporting. Good Stuff.

[@MarkBarrack]

Fantastic video. Appreciate you tying the timelines together. Now please find the actual videos of the plane flying or did we see it already in TGM? jk. Thanks again

[@fraserconnell21]

Great stuff 👏. Now then, I wonder if the Reaction Engines pre coolers factor in the design? Is that a practical theory? 🤔. Brilliant video mind👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@nobody687]

When they showed the 71, the 72 was flying. That's how it works

[@gr8crash]

Not really no. By that logic the 72 "which it won't be called" would have been flying since the 60s and we know it wasnt

[@whiteshadow_001]

Awesome reporting, love it

[@sergiom9958]

One of your best videos wver, if not the best. Thanks and congratulations!

[@ArmyDoc]

Alex I always get excited when I see notifications from you. I'm 60 now I hope I live long enough to see your predictions prove out. BTW thank you for your service. Doc US Army Combat Medic

[@patgiblinsongs5]

Alex, thank you for this video! Fascinating stuff, and once again shows that truth is stranger than fiction.

[@claytonhall4908]

Astrophysicists Isaac Asimov said (correctly) that "Science fiction becomes science fact"

[@swlak516]

Really great reporting.

[@ritchschut1997]

Some food for thought here. I will be bringing up some points that Ben Rich ( Kelly Johnsons successor at the Skunk Works ) also brought up at different times. #1 Coming up with materials to build the plane out of is incredibly difficult and expensive. Even at the time the SR71 was retired, we had not yet found very many replacement materials that can handle the heat generated by even the speeds the SR71 hit, let alone significantly faster. One also needs to keep weight in mind here. The Skunk works went thru an incredibly rough time getting rid of ounces of weight let alone pounds worth to build the A12 and SR71. #2 Then there is the whole fuel issue. They had a miserable time creating the fuel for the SR71. What is out there to replace that now? It is a neat idea but much harder in practice than people think.

[@castlebravocrypto1615]

I saw a purple dot fly across the Kansas sky about 5 years ago in the middle of the night. At first, I thought it was a meteorite or the like, but it didn't flash out. It crossed the sky, horizon to horizon in about 5 or 6 seconds and it was gone. It went through a few clouds, so it was in our atmosphere and moving REALLY FAST

[@mattt525]

Thats wild

[@MostlyPennyCat]

I would _love_ it if you would cover Reaction Engines, SABRE and their HTX project. I've read everything obvious but it'd be fascinating to see what else you could dig up. No combined cycle, just an engine that's going to run from Mach 0.0 to _checks notes_ Mach 25. Yes really. (It's for a space plane)

[@AURORAREVEALNOW]

The Aurora is one of these aircraft(it's getting upgraded constantly).

[@Hythe01]

Seconded! Alex, please do something on SABRE! As I recall, Boeing invested in the company/project, alongside the British government, in the past few years.

[@MarkGardner66Bonnie]

Great video and content Alex...

[@emodx74]

Very well put together report. ThNK YOU.

[@Abandon_All_Hope]

*SR 72 casts: YEETUS DELETEUS Spell on the chat. Coming to a country near you 🤫*

[@Ilyak1986]

Squeeeeeeeeeee. The SR-72 is just a wonderful idea. Take the Blackbird, make it 2-3x as fast, add stealth. The question being is if it looks like that goofy single-tailed drone, or if it looks like LMT's more recent renderings that look more like Dark Star, which looks absolutely BADASS. Also, I do wonder why Dark Star has the front of its cockpit sealed off instead of clear. But the idea that the SR-71 will finally have a real successor is wonderful. Let's hope that jet is every bit as iconic as the blackbird.

[@AURORAREVEALNOW]

Which to be honest, the SR-72 might be the SR-91 Aurora in disguise.

[@nj1255]

"I do wonder why Dark Star has the front of its cockpit sealed off instead of clear". At 23:25 you can see the front being full of instruments. You still have a good line of sight in front of the plane even if there's no window right in the center of the cockpit. It could also simply be a structural thing. I could only imagine what crazy physics problems you need to solve to design a reusable airframe capable of Mach 10. However, the Dark Star is just a movie prop. If the renders of the real SR-72 prototype shown in the video is anything to go by, it seems like it will have no windows at all.

[@AURORAREVEALNOW]

@@nj1255 There is a design of the SR-91 Aurora in a retro Lockheed Martin black aircraft timeline that is similar to the Darkstar. The design in that retro timeline, might be the manned SR-72.

[@Ilyak1986]

@@nj1255 that might be for the drone variant. How would the pilot *SEE*? Ace Combat like COFFIN type visuals with cameras all over the plane?

[@AURORAREVEALNOW]

​@@Ilyak1986 In the future, yes we will need real life COFFIN(COnnection For Flight INterface) systems. In the 2022 chinese aerospace expo, they showed their spacefighter mock up that has a COFFIN system.

[@denonpmb]

New Subscriber here, thanks for breaking the monotony of so many other aircraft channels with their AI voices and utilization of the same short clips over and over ad infinitum. Great content and video quality!

[@JH_75]

Fascinating to say the least. A very well done video among your many well done videos.

[@changen4125]

I am assuming it's 3d printed titanium engine parts to allow internal cooling of the parts. Pretty cool stuff.

[@crawkn]

The RQ-180 needing to be rescoped doesn't sound to me like bragging, it sounds like the limitations required it to be down-scoped from original intent. It says original intent was beyond current technical capabilities. What that says about the leap represented by the remaining scope is unclear. There have been projects for which rescoping has lead to abandonment.

[@CoolBrittany90210]

Outstanding report

[@user-pw9zm1ig1y]

Oh, Alex! This is soooo tantalizing! Another brilliant story, exquisitely told!

[@thepassman]

Not surprising either that Lockheed Martin succeeded. The book "Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed" by Ben Rich and Leo Janos noted that Kelly Johnson had commented that "they were 25 years ahead of anyone else". That apparently was not a boast. This closing for this true story is worth repeating and is as relevant today as it was 30 years ago. "The Skunk Works has always been perched at the cutting edge". And "That must continue to be our role into the next century, if we are to preserve what we have accomplished and be prepared for the hazards as well as the opportunities for the uncharted, risky future".

[@nhorvath74]

I can't imagine how you would be able to deliver a payload from an aircraft at those speeds.

[@TheWhiteWolf2077]

radar and targeting sensors are advanced enough aswell as the missile having its own navigation system.

[@WilliamCollins-sh6lm]

Doors opening inward instead of outward and out of the airflow....

[@lafeeshmeister]

Directed energy weapons

[@Hythe01]

⁠A linear bomb bay might work well. Eject the weapon rearward, into the slipstream of the aircraft. Genius bit of overkill tech from the 1950s…!

[@bald_agent_smith]

they flight at the high altitude when air pressure is generally speaking the same as Mach 1 at sea level bro

[@Carfeu]

Outstanding work Alex 👏

[@austenpowers]

Excellent video and research. Subbed

[@IndigoSeirra]

Could you please make a video about the new helicopters for the us military.