The SR-71 Blackbird was a Cold War reconnaissance aircraft unlike anything before or since. Developed by Lockheed’s Skunk Works in the 1960s, it could fly at speeds over Mach 3.3 (2,200 mph) and altitudes above 85,000 feet, making it virtually untouchable by enemy missiles. Its titanium body, radar-evading shape, and dual Pratt & Whitney J58 engines made it the fastest and highest-flying air-breathing manned aircraft ever built. It was so fast that its only defense was outrunning threats—and it