The SR-71 was developed as a black project from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft during the 1960s by Lockheed’s Skunk Works division.
![](https://us2.stdaily.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sr-71-blackbird-worlds-fastest-plane-ever-built-8.jpg)
American aerospace engineer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson was responsible for many of the aircraft’s innovative concepts.
![](https://us2.stdaily.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sr-71-blackbird-worlds-fastest-plane-ever-built-9.jpg)
The shape of the SR-71 was based on that of the A-12, which was one of the first aircraft to be designed with a reduced radar cross-section.
![](https://us2.stdaily.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sr-71-blackbird-worlds-fastest-plane-ever-built-10.jpg)
At one point, a ЬomЬeг variant of the aircraft was under consideration, before the program was foсᴜѕed solely on reconnaissance. SR-71 Blackbird: America’s Old Super Spyplane Is Still the World’s Fastest Jet
![](https://us2.stdaily.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sr-71-blackbird-worlds-fastest-plane-ever-built-11.jpg)
Video: