Lockheed Martin’s SR-72 “Son of Blackbird” Expected to Take to the Skies in 2025

Lockheed Martin’s highly anticipated SR-72 “Son of Blackbird” is scheduled to take its first flight sometime in 2025. This cutting-edge aircraft is beyond anything that Lockheed Martin has created and leaps and bounds beyond the original SR-71. It’s being touted as a strategic asset that will redefine the domain of hypersonic flight.

The SR-72 just like its predecessor the SR-71 is a top-secret U.S. Airforce project that will push the boundaries of hypersonic flight. It’s expected to exceed speeds of 4,000 mph which would make it the fastest plane to ever traverse the skies.

In keeping with the legacy of its predecessor, the SR-72 primary role will be intelligence gathering, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) with the only exception being greatly improved capabilities. It’s designed to be completely uncrewed and unmanned unlike the crewed SR-71.

The designation for the SR-72 as “Son of Blackbird” is part of the Air Force ambitious goal to advance aviation technology and maintain the United States dominance of the skies. Besides being the fastest aircraft flying at hypersonic speeds and conducting high-altitude surveillance, the SR-72 will be able deploy and launch hypersonic weapons.

The SR-72 will be able to maintain sustained hypersonic speeds for extended duration, a requirement that is critical in today’s sophisticated aerial environments where hypersonic weapons and aircrafts by adversaries are becoming mainstream.

The SR-72 is part of Lockheed’s Advanced Development Programs known as “Skunk Works” and is a demonstrator aircraft that eliminates the human pilot element which promises to revolutionize how aircrafts can be built and operated under conditions where a human pilot is not practical.

The new aircraft will be similar in size to its predecessor, approximately 100 feet long, and will fly at an altitude of 80,000 to 85,000 feet.