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The title really says it all. A former SR-71 pilot being interviewed gives some fascinating information, such as where the titanium came from to build it: Russia. They didn't know it was going to the U.S., especially for a super plane that would spy on them for decades. Gets my two thumbs up.
I think you misunderstood, Scrat. The pilot said the titanium came from Russia, but they didn't know the U.S. was who bought it. At least that was my take. No biggie either way. Much more interesting stuff in the video.
I was in Air Force intelligence in the 60s. Of course the Soviets knew secrets, just like we knew theirs.
The title really says it all. A former SR-71 pilot being interviewed gives some fascinating information, such as where the titanium came from to build it: Russia. They didn't know it was going to the U.S., especially for a super plane that would spy on them for decades. Gets my two thumbs up.
another little tidbit is that until the sr71 started to heat up, it had a large fuel leak due to not being able to run a bladder in the fuel tanks, again due to the heat. it also used JP7 fuel that was designed to be stable at high temperatures.
another interesting tidbit, lockheed actually built a fighter version of the sr71. it was shortened up up by several feet. the problem though was that while it had a gun installed, it couldnt use it beyond mach 3 as the aircraft would actually run into the bullets it fired.
another interesting tidbit, lockheed actually built a fighter version of the sr71. it was shortened up up by several feet. the problem though was that while it had a gun installed, it couldnt use it beyond mach 3 as the aircraft would actually run into the bullets it fired.
Erm you wanna explain that to me, given a round fired from that gun would be exiting at muzzle velocity relative to the aircraft? Given any unpowered projectile has a ballistic flight profile.
another interesting tidbit, lockheed actually built a fighter version of the sr71. it was shortened up up by several feet. the problem though was that while it had a gun installed, it couldnt use it beyond mach 3 as the aircraft would actually run into the bullets it fired.
The YF-12 - an interceptor, not a fighter - was armed with missiles, not guns. A gun would be completely pointless for an aircraft meant to intercept bombers above 40000 feet at speeds in excess of 2000 mph. That's what interceptors do. They fire missiles from a considerable distance from the target. It's kinda hard to dogfight when you're doing Mach 3 with a turning radius of 100 or so miles and have the maneuverability of an oil tanker.
A gun COULD have been fitted to an SR-71/YF-12A. The idea that the aircraft would have run into its own bullets isn't totally true; the M61 20mm cannon in the F-16 fired 6000 rounds per minute with a muzzle velocity of 3300 feet per second (M56 ammo) and 3400 fps (newer PGU-27 or -28 ammo). A YF-12 traveling at ~3000 fps would have a projectile combined velocity of over 6000 fps out the muzzle and into the free air stream. The bullets would slow down quickly because of aerodynamic drag and the fact that they're unpowered. So for the first couple of seconds they would run way ahead of the firing aircraft but would slow down to the point that eventually the YF-12 would pass them. However, gravity drop would ensure they'd be on the way down before the YF-12 ever hit the bullets.
Analogy: Bubba's standing up in the back of his buddies' pickup and throws a beer can over the hood at a sign post while the truck's driving at 50 mph. An empty Bud Light beer can will possibly bean Bubba if his aim is off (he drank a lot of Bud Light). Aero drag and insufficient mass/density are the culprits. If it's a full can, although Bubba would never do that unless it was one of those fancy-Dan Noo Yerk Citee hipster craft broo eye-pee-ays, it has enough inertia to fly well ahead of the truck by overcoming drag. If Bubba can throw it really high and far and the truck is driving over a hundred mph, then eventually Bubba may be able to catch the beer can. But knowing Bubba, probably not.
My experience with high-speed dogfights was that the gun was of little utility. We used to practice high-speed gun attacks while driving out to the area, an exercise called roll slides. The target was the other aircraft driving straight and level while the shooter pulled lead, estimated the proper firing point and range, and squeezed the trigger. When we got the Enhanced Envelope Gunsight (EEGS) with a Bullet-at-Target-Range (BATR) indicator in the early 90s, we could instantly assess gun effectiveness if there was a radar lock. A saddled-up gun shot would be difficult in an interceptor traveling at 1500 fps or ~1.5 Mach against a high-subsonic bomber (900 fps) with a closure rate of a mile every 8-9 seconds; I can't imagine anyone being able to pull lead, establish target plane of motion, get the firing solution into that plane of motion, and actually hit anything in the 1-2 seconds it would take to make the planets align and have a successful high-deflection gun shot at supersonic speeds.
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