Key Points and Summary – Lockheed’s SR-72 “Darkstar” is a dazzling but unnecessary luxury.
-Despite promises of Mach-6 speed, TBCC propulsion, high-altitude survivability, stealth, and strike roles, the author says U.S. funds should prioritize B-21, NGAD/F-47, loitering drones, and missiles.
-One must question the feasibility (hypersonic heat/stealth coatings, engine maturity), unknown logistics and sustainment burdens, and whether enough airframes could be built to matter.
-Unless it delivers decisive Day-One electronic-warfare effects, SR-72 risks siphoning resources from higher-impact programs and aging on arrival.
-In an era defined by satellites and unmanned swarms, a new hypersonic spy plane is framed as a costly vanity project.
The SR-72 Darkstar Is a Vanity Project That Isn’t Needed
Spy planes that can travel at ultra-supersonic speeds are wonderfully entertaining.
The MACH 3 SR-71 Blackbird has enchanted aviation enthusiasts for decades.
Now there is the possibility for the unmanned “Son of Blackbird.”
The hypersonic and stealthy SR-72 Darkstar concept is in development, and it looks exciting with twice the speed of the SR-71.
Not only could it collect intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data, but it could also engage in ground strike mode.
Spy Planes Are an Outdated and an Extravagance
But does the U.S. military even need a new spy plane?
The drone feature and ability to launch munitions, maybe even hypersonic missiles, make the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works aircraft irresistibly compelling.
The Darkstar is brilliant in its versatility and high speed. It should be survivable during missions and able to outrun even the best air defenses and surface-to-air missiles.
Just Use Existing Spy Satellites
But this might be a “luxury aircraft” for a bygone era. Why not just use intelligence gathered from spy satellites to keep the spooks in the U.S. military happy?
This makes sense technically and fiscally.
The Department of Defense has its own Space Force; surely those egg heads in that branch can conjure up enough satellite power to keep the intelligence community happy with information on adversarial movements and other military developments.
This Thing Is a Rocket With Intelligence Gathering and Ground Strike Functionality
The SR-72 brings much to the table, though, at least on paper.
This is still a secretive proposed aircraft with many features in conceptual mode. The Darkstar would be one of the fastest airplanes of all time – knifing through the air at MACH 6.
The drone aspect would keep the Air Force from worrying about a manned pilot being killed or taken prisoner by adversaries.
Also, the need for humans to fly long missions would be eliminated, and would lessen the risk of a fatigued aviator who could make a fatal mistake in the air.
Revolutionary Engine Is Intriguing
The other interesting aspect is the turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) engine.
The TBCC uses high-speed airflow and scramjet technology to ramp up the blistering speed and high-G maneuvers. The engine allows for mission versatility at different speeds, enabling the ground strike function. Existing enemy radar and sensors would also have trouble detecting and tracking it at MACH 6.
TBCC propulsion also creates the ability to cruise at 80,000 feet, making it difficult to destroy by SAMs.
SR-72 Darkstar. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Then there is the high level of stealthiness. This radar evasion keeps it alive when conducting its reconnaissance or ground strike duties.
Radar cross-section is minimized even more than the SR-72’s daddy – the Blackbird.
This all sounds great, but I’m going to play the skunk at the garden party. The Son of Blackbird could be an amenity that the Air Force doesn’t need and shouldn’t have to pay for. Time, money, and resources need to be invested in the B-21 Raider and F-47 NGAD programs.
These are more important for U.S. strategy, operational art, and tactics. These sixth-generation fighters and bombers need to be built in numbers, and the SR-72 would suck up resources.
How many SR-72s could realistically be manufactured to make a difference in warfare? There would need to be a fleet of at least 20. I don’t see that Lockheed Martin could build that many without a huge investment by Congress and the Air Force.
If the SR-72 had an electronic warfare aspect that could fly on Day One of warfare and jam, spoof, and confuse enemy air defenses, then that would be enough for the Air Force to get behind the production of the Darkstar.
Do We Know If It Can Actually Be Built?
Moreover, is the proposed technology even feasible? Remember, we are talking about innovations like MACH 6 flight – a top velocity not possible now. The stealth coatings may not be effective at such high speeds with all the heat generated. The engine is ambitious, and the Air Force may be optimistic that it could be built in numbers.
The other problem is cost. We just don’t know how much this “black” program is going to set the Air Force back. It could cost over a billion dollars to develop.
SR-72 Darkstar Plane. Image Credit: Lockheed Martin Handout.
The money could be used to build smaller loitering drones and more ballistic missiles. Modern warfare will consist of missile and drone fighting. A spy plane is not going to win wars in and of itself.
We also don’t know about the SR-72’s need for logistics, supply chains, and maintenance.
It could become a complex and finicky bird that would need the utmost from ground technicians, and it would be challenging to produce spare parts. The amount of money to keep it in the air could increase over time. And the new technology could be out of date when it reaches active duty status.
Thus, there are many downsides to the SR-72 project despite the “wow” factor of the aircraft. Ultra-stealth, speed, multi-role missions, and the unmanned aspect are big selling points. But this may be a vanity aircraft that is just another fever dream coming from Skunk Works. Don’t be surprised if the SR-72 is cancelled someday.
New spy planes are not what the U.S. military needs to be more lethal and destructive. Let’s concentrate on the B-21 and F-47, as well as smaller kamikaze drones and ballistic missiles. These assets are the future of warfare, and while the Darkstar is compelling, it is not really needed.
About the Author: Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
More Military
The U.S. Navy’s Ohio-Class Missile Submarine Nightmare
America Has Mini-Aircraft Carriers
Russia’s Su-57 Felon Stealth Fighter: Made in India?
F-22 Raptor vs. J-20 Stealth Fighter: Hope This Never Happens
