The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was without question one of the most enigmatic aircraft of the Cold War and probably the most respresentative of Lockheed's legendary Skunk Works secret programs led by Kelly Johnson. It was designed to replace the legendary U-2 for CIA operations over enemy airpace without being detected or engaged. As such, it ended up being the fastest aircraft ever built, flying at the still-unmatched speed of over Mach 3 which made it virtually immune to enemy missiles. It's all-black design was also revolutionary, incorporating a titanium airframe, advanced life-support systems for high-altitude operations, as well as a reduced radar cross-section although it is highly debatable how effective this was in practice. Flying from bases in the UK and Okinawa, SR-71s became widely used for reconnaissance missions over North Vietnam and other enemy territories and served well into the 1990s until finally being retired, ironically while the U-2 remained (and remains today) in active service.

Much of the SR-71's development remains in secrecy. It is known that first of over a dozen A-12 aircraft, its immediate predecessor, were delivered to the CIA in 1962 while the actual SR-71A became active two years later. The main difference between the two are the SR-71's more efficient airframe, greater fuel capacity and and supeiror reconnaissance system but lacking the A-12's missile bay. A two-seater trainer variant was designated SR-71B while a one-off conversion (also a trainer and known as 'The Bastard') became the SR-71C. Finally, a number of interceptors were built as research prototypes and known as the YF-12A, a similar designation (YF-12C) was used for one unit sent to NASA for research purposes.