Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are heading towards the end of the reconnaissance aircraft with the Big Kahuna, the SR-71 Blackbird. The SR-71 was designed by Kelly Johnson and introduced in 1966. The plane was retired in 1998 by the Air Force and in 1999 by NASA “that we know of”. The Blackbird could reach Mach 3 and was designed for overt-reconnaissance missions, and set a record as the fastest air-breathing aircraft in 1976. Featuring titanium construction, specially designed fuel, and a unique refueling process, the successor to the Blackbird is speculated to be the SR-72.