Message posted by Vahe Demirjian (Member since 04/28/2022) on October 14, 2023 at 9:35:10 PST:
>Why would it? The "SR-72" was a direct evolution of the DARPA FALCON HTV-3X. etc. It was a paper concept, not hardware. The concept was later used for NASA propulsion programs. The "SR-72" was never a funded program - it was a press release. I agree that the SR-72 was just a design study only, with a nil chance of ever receiving funding from the USAF, but the point I wanted to make is that the SR-72 project was touted by many netizens as the final nail in the coffin of Bill Sweetman's speculation in the early 1990s that the USAF was deploying a hypersonic spyplane. But yes, you're right about the SR-72 concept being derived from the HTV-3X Blackswift, which was to test technologies for the proposed Hypersonic Cruise Vehicle (HCV), and I should mention that the hypersonic aircraft informally dubbed "SR-72" in the media was first reported in the Air Force Times back in 2007. >There was also a classified airborne reconnaissance program that was linked to the SR-71 and was (at least attempted) cancelled at the same time in 1989/1990. AARS was cancelled in 1992/1993. The "classified airborne reconnaissance program" was the Advanced Aerospace Vehicle (AAV), which the Air Force saw as having the potential for not just high-altitude reconnaissance but also rescue missions, long-range strike missions, et cetera.
In Reply to: Re: B-21 details posted by quellish on October 13, 2023 at 12:42:19 PST:
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