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SR-71 spy plane vanishes from California base as NASA offers clues
New York Post • • business
Key Points:
- The SR-71 Blackbird, tail No. 844, a legendary spy plane displayed at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, has disappeared since at least May 17, according to satellite imagery and reports from Aviation Week.
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman recently teased a silhouette resembling the SR-71 while discussing NASA’s efforts to rebuild its experimental X-plane fleet and advance extreme-speed and high-altitude flight research.
- The missing SR-71, the last one produced and flown in 1999, was reportedly moved into a hangar earlier this year for inspection, fueling speculation about a possible return-to-flight program after 26 years.
- NASA has not confirmed any plans to reactivate the SR-71 but emphasizes its broader initiative to develop new experimental aircraft capable of supersonic and high-altitude performance.
- NASA’s current X-59 supersonic test aircraft is actively flying over the Mojave Desert, aiming to reduce the sonic boom to a quieter “thump” and pave the way for future commercial supersonic travel.
