The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" remains one of the most remarkable feats of aerospace engineering, designed during the Cold War to fly faster and higher than any other manned aircraft. Developed by the secretive Lockheed Skunk Works division, it served as a strategic reconnaissance platform for the USAF and NASA from 1964 until its final retirement in 1999. Key Performance Specifications

: Roughly 85% of the airframe was titanium, which could withstand the 600°F (315°C) surface temperatures.

To survive the extreme heat generated by friction at Mach 3+, the aircraft required radical design solutions: