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kleinbl00 · 2282 days ago · link · · parent · post: America’s Fastest Spy Plane May Be Back—and Hypersonic
I'm unconvinced that a compelling use case exists for the SR-72. The turn radius at Mach 6 is non-negligible and anywhere you wanna get that thing you'll be in the airspace of somebody who doesn't want it there. Besides which, the SR-71 stopped flying because it was vulnerable to the R-33. The R-33 is still in service and the R-37 is faster. Russia could keep any potential SR-72 on the ground simply by threatening to sell R-37s/MiG-31s to anyone we might want to spy on. Or, simply leak the plans. Missiles are much easier, cheaper and faster to develop than aircraft.