"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
06/09/2016 at 16:10 • Filed to: None
2
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"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
06/09/2016 at 16:10 • Filed to: None | 2
| 9 |
Narrated by Kelly Johnson himself no less. Fair warning - One person was killed in this incident.
The D21 was a high speed drone version of the SR-71 (labeled MD21 in drone configuration). The D21 wasn’t complicated in theory - a single J58 engine and nacelle (with simplified inlet systems) with wings and an optical celestial nav system (star tracking and inertial guidance). The idea being that a drone, being unoccupied by definition, could penetrate airspace no longer permissible during peacetime due to moratoriums on manned overflights. The mission profile was to get high and fast near the border in question, then release and allow the drone to complete its programmed loop where it would ditch in the sea (or even more ambitiously be recovered mid air) to later be recovered and its images analysed. It was an interesting idea, and one who’s time has obvious to come to fruition albeit without the insane speeds and altitudes. The trouble was that it didn’t really work.
Outside of this deadly accident with the loss of 1 aircraft and 1 skilled aviator (LCO Ray Torrick became entangled in his chute and drown) was the fact that it wasn’t very accurate, or reliable. In fact 3 even made their way into enemy hands (one crashed in the Soviet Union when it failed to turn around, one crashed in China and was on display for years, one self destructed over Serbia and its wreckage was used to reverse engineer a soviet drone that was never built). After this accident the idea of using the SR-71 as a mother ship was abandoned altogether, though the program continued on for a few years being launched from under-wing stations on B-52's. in 1971 the Program was canned due to poor mission success rate.
Its a reminder that even though the SR-71 enjoyed a remarkable service career with few incidents and no enemy losses just how on the edge of science and engineering these programs really were.
NotUnlessRoundIsFunny
> HammerheadFistpunch
06/09/2016 at 16:19 |
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Great writeup, thanks for posting.
Last I was there, the air museum outside of Seattle had a pair of mothership and drone on display. Amazing.
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HammerheadFistpunch
> NotUnlessRoundIsFunny
06/09/2016 at 16:20 |
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In concept the D21 was amazing. The fact that it was high enough up that it could literally just point a camera up at the stars and compare it against onboard charts to steer it still blows my mind a little (clever bunch, that lot).
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NotUnlessRoundIsFunny
> HammerheadFistpunch
06/09/2016 at 16:24 |
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Yeah, no kidding!
And the whole, “let’s launch a drone at that altitude and speed ” idea seems ambitious even today.
EL_ULY
> HammerheadFistpunch
06/09/2016 at 16:29 |
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I saw this exact vid yesterday out of the blue for some reason...
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HammerheadFistpunch
> EL_ULY
06/09/2016 at 16:30 |
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yeah it was in my youtube home page today.
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EL_ULY
> HammerheadFistpunch
06/09/2016 at 16:33 |
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me too. Interesting.....
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HammerheadFistpunch
> EL_ULY
06/09/2016 at 16:36 |
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What else you go in there, lets see if we’re best friends.
how about this one?
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EL_ULY
> HammerheadFistpunch
06/09/2016 at 16:44 |
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Just some recommended old school MadTV, Fifth Gear, Jaboody Dubs, and Hydraulic Press videos.
Lol “I need some help!” “It’s here because it slipped off a rock, nothing wrong with the vehicle”
They all dropped down to their underwear to help pull him out
Mark Longoria
> HammerheadFistpunch
06/09/2016 at 19:19 |
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Reminds me of this toy from GI Joe in the 80's. I thought it was based on the Mig 31 Firefox from the Clint Eastwood movie, until I got a scale model kit for the M21-D21.
