Overview
- Multiple pieces highlight claims from Paul Crickmore’s research and pilot Brian Shul that wartime authorization to raise the engine inlet limit to 450°C during 1986 Libya bomb‑damage assessment runs let crews touch roughly Mach 3.5, which remains documented as pilot testimony rather than verified telemetry.
- The coverage recounts a separate test anecdote of a one‑time burst to Mach 3.56 that lasted about 15 seconds, described by a retired pilot as a freak event during a dive that was never repeated.
- Reporters explain that the SR‑71’s usual top speed was set by a 427°C compressor‑inlet cap to protect Pratt & Whitney J58 engines, since hotter air risks flameouts and unstarts as airflow shock patterns break down near Mach 3.4.
- A 1968 account from RSO Richard “Butch” Sheffield describes a right‑engine failure at Mach 2.88 over Oklahoma, a tense landing at Carswell Air Force Base, and months of repairs, underscoring how close to the edge routine flights could run.
- Technical explainers detail how JP‑7 fuel needed triethylborane for ignition, with each engine carrying about 20 ounces for roughly 16 metered shots that produced a brief green flash during starts and afterburner lights.