Lockheed believes the SR-72 will change the “definition of air power by giving the US significant tactical and strategic advantages” and forever change the ability of the US to deter and respond to conflicts.
The reconnaissance fighter is being developed to make it so fast that an adversary will have no time to react or hide from it. Its high speed combined with hypersonic missiles means no enemy missile defense systems will be able to stop the SR-72 in combat. The aircraft can be used for high-speed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), and strike operations. This is supposed to enable the aircraft to accelerate from a standing start to Mach 6, meaning it will be able to reach any destination in an incredibly short amount of time.įurthermore, the platform will be capable of firing hypersonic missiles. The SR-72 will reportedly be powered by a propulsion system centered on a turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC), which merges a modified production fighter turbine engine with a dual-mode ramjet – also called a scramjet. I can’t wait #avgeek #wingfriday /PyAak69qOj This still photo from promotional materials seems to support that thinking. Rumours that ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, in cinemas May 27, features a sneaky peek at what might be the SR-72, successor to super-impressive SR-71 Blackbird. In fact, as EurAsian Times had reported earlier, the Darkstar mock-up plane shares a massive resemblance with the concept images of the SR-72 released by Lockheed Martin in 2013.Īpparently, the Darkstar looks so real that even China felt the need to turn one of its satellites to photograph the fictional model, according to legendary filmmaker and Top Gun producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who claimed to have been informed of this by the US Navy.įurthermore, Lockheed Martin’s Director of Communications for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, John Neilson Tweeted in April that stated that Darkstar could offer a “sneaky peek at what might be the Lockheed Martin SR-72.” The glimpse of the SR-72 Blackstar in the Top Gun: Maverick Trailer It will reportedly make its first flight in 2025 and its top speed is expected to be Mach 6, enough to blow off rooftops, just like how Darkstar does in Top Gun: Maverick. Meanwhile, there is indeed a Blackbird’s successor, the SR-72, also known as the ‘Son of the Blackbird,’ which is being developed in Lockheed’s Skunk Works facility. ‘Tail Up & Nose Down’ – Why World’s Best Selling Fighter Jets Are Crashing In A Very Peculiar Manner? Lockheed Martin’s SR-71 Blackbird was the fastest fighter aircraft ever built, and ever since its retirement in 1998, the US military has longed for its worthy successor. Hypersonic planes have been on the priority list of the US military for quite a while now.
That closing sentence is quite intriguing, as it suggests that the design might not be completely fictional. They could be reality…” A view of Darkstar as it appears in Top Gun: Maverick
With Skunk Works’ expertise in developing the fastest known aircraft combined with a passion and energy for defining the future of aerospace, Darkstar’s capabilities could be more than mere fiction. “When the Top Gun: Maverick team was looking to push the envelope and stand true to Maverick’s Need for Speed, Skunk Works was their first call. “Lockheed Martin Skunk Works thrives on tackling seemingly impossible work, developing technologies for tomorrow’s challenges before the need is even identified,” the website says. While the CEO of Lockheed Martin, James Taiclet, had already disclosed the involvement of its legendary Skunk Works division in a LinkedIn post following the world premiere of the film, the company has now created a webpage dedicated to Top Gun and the mysterious Darkstar. UK Joins The ‘Hypersonic Race’ – Will Develop A New Weapons Demonstrator Under $2.5B Research Funding Nearly a week after the much-anticipated Top Gun: Maverick finally hit theaters, the Skunk Works Division of Lockheed Martin released some details about creating the film’s Darkstar hypersonic aircraft.