Key Points and Summary – Lockheed Martin’s SR-72 “Son of Blackbird” is designed to replace the iconic SR-71 with a hypersonic, largely unmanned ISR and strike platform capable of speeds above Mach 6.
-Powered by a turbine-based combined-cycle engine that shifts from turbofan to dual-mode scramjet, the SR-72 would sprint into contested airspace, outrun defenses, and potentially launch hypersonic weapons.
SR-72 from Lockheed Martin Image
SR-72 Darkstar Lockheed Martin Image.
-Its airframe will rely on advanced composites and heat-management features to survive brutal skin temperatures, while AI-assisted navigation enables autonomous, split-second decisions at extreme speeds.
-If it flies as advertised, the SR-72 could redefine strategic reconnaissance and first-strike options for decades to come.
What Makes The SR-72 A True Game Changer
The SR-72 Son of a Blackbird (SOB) is supposedly close to flying soon if it hasn’t already. This is just another incredible aircraft in Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works’ portfolio. The much-anticipated aircraft, which is expected to travel at speeds up to Mach 5+ (nearly 4,000 mph), will rewrite the book on stealth and speed.
Designed to replace the SR-71 Blackbird, the unmanned SR-72 will focus on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. The jet will feature a turbine-based cycle propulsion system that combines a turbofan and a scramjet for efficient hypersonic travel.
And despite going over budget by just a smidgen ($335 million), the SR-72 seems ever closer to reality.
Kelly Johnson, the man behind Skunk Works, is a legend in the aircraft industry. He is akin to what John M. Browning was to arms designers. They have been working on a Mach 6+ intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike aircraft, the SR-72. This aircraft utilizes advanced turbine-based combined-cycle engines, enabling unprecedented speed and global reach within minutes.
But what are the features of the SR-72 that will make it a game-changer? The SR-72 will feature hypersonic speed (over Mach 6), a turbine-based combined-cycle (TBCC) propulsion system, advanced stealth features, AI-assisted navigation, and the potential to carry hypersonic weapons.
These features would allow it to outrun missiles, penetrate contested airspace, and provide a fast, real-time reconnaissance and strike capability.
The SR-72’s Hypersonic Propulsion Engine
In June 2017, Lockheed Martin’s executive vice president and general manager for Skunk Works, Rob Weiss, told the media that testing was complete on the turbine-based combined cycle hypersonic propulsion system for the SR-72 and that they were “getting close” to beginning work on what he described as an SR-72 Flight Research Vehicle (FRV).
This single-engine technology demonstrator was said to be “about the size of an F-22 Raptor” and was meant to demonstrate the platform’s ability to take off under conventional turbofan power, accelerate up to supersonic speeds, and then transition from turbofan power to a much more exotic dual-mode scramjet that would allow the aircraft to achieve maximum speeds well above Mach 6.
SR-72 artist image. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
“Hypersonic aircraft, coupled with hypersonic missiles, could penetrate denied airspace and strike at nearly any location across a continent in less than an hour,” Brad Leland, Lockheed Martin’s hypersonics manager, said in a Lockheed Martin press release that has since been taken down.
“Speed is the next aviation advancement to counter emerging threats in the next several decades. The technology would be a game-changer in theater, similar to how stealth is changing the battlespace today.”
Stealth Features of the SR-72
The SR-72’s airframe will be exposed to Space Shuttle-like temperatures at Mach 6+, and it will need to withstand them. Traveling at Mach 6 (4,603.61 mph) will generate tremendous heat for the airframe.
Maya Carlin wrote recently, “At speeds greater than Mach 5.0, the resulting high temperatures can melt conventional metallic airframes. To rectify this, engineers are researching alternate composites including high-performance ceramic, carbon, and metal mixes.” The heat would reach more than 500 degrees Fahrenheit on the aircraft’s external surfaces.
The SR-72’s stealth features are based on its speed and specialized design, including a low radar cross-section, the use of advanced radar-absorbing materials, and a heat-dissipating design to counter its own heat signature.
Other features include a triangular shape, embedded engine inlets/exhausts, and a lack of vertical stabilizers to maximize stealth. Its extreme speed (Mach 6) is considered a key stealth element, making it difficult to target and intercept.
AI-Assisted Navigation
The SR-72 will likely include advanced avionics and AI-assisted systems for autonomous operations, features that earlier hypersonic aircraft lacked.
The SR-72 could become an unmanned aircraft to overcome the physical limitations of a human pilot at Mach 6+ speeds and high altitudes.
SR-72 by Lockheed Martin. Image Credit by Lockheed Martin.
The aircraft’s mission profile involves penetrating contested airspace at over 4,000 mph, requiring rapid, autonomous decision-making to evade threats and gather intelligence in real time.
AI guidance enhances the ability to execute complex ISR and potential strike missions with precision and speed that is nearly impossible for adversaries to counter.
The SR-72 Will Rewrite Speed Records
The speed generated by conventional turbofan power can reach supersonic speeds. Then the aircraft transitions from turbofan power to a much more exotic dual-mode scramjet, enabling it to exceed Mach 5 or Mach 6. This would protect the plane without any stealth features.
During its unparalleled run as the world’s best spy aircraft, the SR-71 was fired at by more than 4,000 missiles, none of which hit it. The Blackbird could fly at Mach 3.56 (2,731.478 mph).
The original SR-71 was powered by the Pratt & Whitney J58 turbojet engine, which aviation experts often call a “turboramjet.” The engine used by the Darkstar will have to be even more powerful to meet the airframe’s expectations.
The SR-72 As A Launch Platform Is A Possibility
The SR-72 is slated to take flight sometime in 2025.
The SR-72 could be a launch platform for hypersonic strike weapons, integrating the High-Speed Strike Weapon (HSSW), currently under development. This groundbreaking project draws upon the operational legacy of the SR-71, enhancing speed and survivability with a fundamentally different propulsion system.
The program’s potential in-service date is supposed to be by 2030, when the Air Force plans to have its hypersonics online. However, this timeline hinges on overcoming the propulsion, thermal management, and materials challenges inherent to sustained hypersonic flight.
The SR-72’s high speed is designed to counter modern air defense systems by reducing time-on-target and exposure windows, marking a transformative milestone in aerial reconnaissance and strike capability.
Lockheed Hinted At This
In 2023, Lockheed posted on Twitter or “X,” which set tongues to wagging.
SR-72 Darkstar. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The first, with an image of the SR-71, reads, “The SR-71 Blackbird is still the fastest acknowledged crewed air-breathing jet aircraft,” implying that there is an even faster aircraft out there.
Another tweet, posted to celebrate the success the latest Top Gun film enjoyed, featured an image of the high-speed aircraft that featured in that film. Interestingly, Lockheed Martin said, “To celebrate, we are sharing some Maverick-worthy images of real aircraft.”
Hollywood Fooled China Into Thinking They Saw The SR-72
Alex Hollings wrote a great story about Top Gun: Maverick that was so good that it even had China fooled. The experimental aircraft that Tom Cruise was flying at the beginning of the film looks incredibly realistic. This left some questioning whether the film producers actually had an SR-72 in the film.
“The reason it looks so real is that it was the engineers from Skunk Works who helped us design it,” the film’s director, Joseph Kosinski, told Sandboxx News before the movie’s opening. “So those are the same people who are working on real aircraft who helped us design Darkstar for this film.”
But the story gets better. According to Jerry Bruckheimer, the resultant mockup was so good (hey, it was designed by Skunk Works) that it fooled the Chinese. “The Navy told us that a Chinese satellite turned and headed on a different route to photograph that plane. They thought it was real. That’s how real it looks,” Bruckheimer first told Sandboxx News.
The real SR-72 may not look anything like the mockup in Top Gun: Maverick. But it just makes the wait for its first appearance even more enticing. We aviation lovers can’t wait. The aircraft is supposed to make its first flight sometime this year. Or has it already flown?
But the SR-72 is going to be a game-changer.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
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