On July 28 1976 it broke the world record for absolute altitude – reaching 85,069 feet
If a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, the standard evasive action was simply to accelerate and outfly the missile.
The plane flew so high above the Earth’s surface that Joersz said there was no real sense of speed at all with the clouds so far below.
A total of 32 of the aircraft were built which flew from 1964 to 1999; 12 were lost in accidents, but none were shot down by enemies.
Lockheed’s previous reconnaissance aircraft was the relatively slow U-2, designed for the CIA.
The plane’s titanium skin was capable of surviving temperatures up to 482C
In late 1957, the CIA approached the defense contractor Lockheed to build an undetectable spy plane and within ten months they had come up with the design for the Blackbird.
Flying at 80,000 ft meant that crews could not use standard masks, which would not provide enough oxygen above 43,000 ft, so specialist protective pressurised suits were made.
The plane’s titanium skin was capable of surviving temperatures up to 482C.