Message posted by Magoo on December 04, 2001 at 20:02:43 PST:
Whereas the XB-70 and the MiG-25/31 relied pretty much solely on brute engine thrust to get to those heights and speeds (which they could only maintain fo period of a few minutes), the A-12/SR-71 used a combination of lifting-body forward fuselage and (for it's time) advanced turbo-ramjet technology. At top speed (M3.5+), the actual engines were producing less than 30% of the forward thrust. The aircraft had a 4 degree nose up attitude to maintain lift, and the intakes, bypasses and shock cones in the engine nacelles actually sucked the aircraft through the sky much like a ramjet does. Very fuel efficient, and because the jet was almost all titanium and able to resist the intense heat, it was able to maintain these speeds and altitudes as long as it had fuel. Magoo
In Reply to: SR-71/A-12 Blackbird Quiz posted by wolfbane on December 04, 2001 at 18:16:23 PST:
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