SR-72: US secret hypersonic jet to allegedly break sound barrier in 2025.

Today’s post comes from Interesting Engineering.com. “Lockheed Martin’s highly anticipated uncrewed hypersonic aircraft, the SR-72 “Son of Blackbird,” is allegedly scheduled to take its first flight in 2025. Believed to be a top-secret project for the United States Air Force (USAF), the SR-72 is touted to reach over 4,000 mph (6,437 kph), making it the fastest plane ever developed. Its role will likely include activities similar to those of its veteran predecessor, the venerable SR-71 “Blackbird.”

A fine pedigree

The SR-72 is widely considered the natural successor of the SR-71 “Blackbird,” which set speed records in 1974 and was retired by the USAF in 1998 as the fastest manned aircraft. The SR-72 is allegedly designed to be unmanned, hypersonic, and reusable. Its primary functions will likely be intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) activities.” Click here to see a mock up of the plane and read the rest of this article.