The USAF SR-71 Blackbirds Thermal Management: Engineering for Extreme Speeds

26 years after its retirement from the US Air Force and 25 years after its retirement from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (unofficially nicknamed the “Habu” for a species of venomous pit viper endemic to the Ryukyu Islands of Japan) is still the fastest air-breathing aircraft ever made, with a top recorded speed of Mach 3.56 (2,731.478 mph; 4,395.887 km/h; 2373.59 kn).