MD-21
The world's only surviving M-21 variant of the A-12 / SR-71 Blackbird, with a D-21 drone attached. This is at the Museum of Flight in Seattle -- www.museumofflight.org. The Blackbird family of aircraft cruised at speeds of more than Mach 3 and altitudes of over 85,000 feet (25,500 m). Conceived in the 1950's and retired from active service since the late 1990s, Blackbirds remain the fastest piloted jets ever built (that anybody will admit to, anyway).
The M-21 is a variant of the A-12, the earliest Blackbird type. Built for a CIA program, the M-21 carried unpiloted drones for intelligence gathering. These D-21 drones were intended for launch from the M-21 "mother ship" for flights over especially hostile territory considered too dangerous for piloted Blackbird overflights. Unique design features of the M-21 compared to other Blackbird variants include the second seat for the launch control officer and the launch pylon on which the drone is mounted.
This M-21 was built in 1963, and is the sole survivor of two M-21s constructed. The other one was lost in a drone-launching accident that led to the cancellation of the program.
MD-21
The world's only surviving M-21 variant of the A-12 / SR-71 Blackbird, with a D-21 drone attached. This is at the Museum of Flight in Seattle -- www.museumofflight.org. The Blackbird family of aircraft cruised at speeds of more than Mach 3 and altitudes of over 85,000 feet (25,500 m). Conceived in the 1950's and retired from active service since the late 1990s, Blackbirds remain the fastest piloted jets ever built (that anybody will admit to, anyway).
The M-21 is a variant of the A-12, the earliest Blackbird type. Built for a CIA program, the M-21 carried unpiloted drones for intelligence gathering. These D-21 drones were intended for launch from the M-21 "mother ship" for flights over especially hostile territory considered too dangerous for piloted Blackbird overflights. Unique design features of the M-21 compared to other Blackbird variants include the second seat for the launch control officer and the launch pylon on which the drone is mounted.
This M-21 was built in 1963, and is the sole survivor of two M-21s constructed. The other one was lost in a drone-launching accident that led to the cancellation of the program.