Message posted by Peter Merlin (Member since 11/13/2003) on October 14, 2023 at 16:35:16 PST:
Propulsion for the Blackbirds consisted of two Pratt & Whitney J58 afterburning turbojet engines, each providing about 34,000 pounds of thrust. A variable geometry inlet diffuser and a complex bleed bypass system allowed for high engine efficiency in the Mach 2.0 to Mach 3.2 flight regime by controlling the location of the shock wave inside the inlet and allowing air to bypass the turbine section and go directly to the afterburner, thus acting as a turbo-ramjet. During high-speed flight, the inlet and exhaust ejector generated more than 80 percent of the total motive force while the engine itself provided less than 20 percent.
In Reply to: SR-71 turbojet and ramjet engines posted by Altner on October 14, 2023 at 15:54:03 PST:
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