The SR-71, the most advanced member of the Blackbird family that included the A-12 and YF-12, was designed by a team of Lockheed personnel led by Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, then vice president of ...
Here’s What You Need To Remember: In 1990, the SR-71 was retired for the first time. Although turbulent events during the 1990s helped to bring it out of retirement for a short period of time, the ...
Key Points - The official retirement of the SR-71 Blackbird in 1990 was driven more by internal US Air Force politics and budget priorities than by high operational costs or obsolescence, according to ...