With the retirement of the SR-71 several years ago, and growing speculation regarding what has come to be known as Aurora soaring high over the American southwest, it was perhaps just a matter of time before the USAF finally lifted the veil of secrecy concerning their hugh-hush secret projects. Back In November, the Air Force confirmed that they were developing a new fleet of stealthy, high-speed reconnaissance aircraft that could fly at Mach 6 using Scramjet technology. Dubbed simply as the SR-72, the new midnight black aircraft may even field strike capabilities, utilizing Lockheed Martin’s High Speed Strike Weapon (HSSW), which is essentially a hypersonic missile concept.

From a collector’s standpoint, it seems logical that the SR-72 will become one of the next highly coveted replicas enthusiasts will be yearning for, perhaps one day supplanting the SR-71 as their centerpiece reconnaissance plane. For now, proof-of-concept images will have to be revealed first beyond the handful of artist’s renderings now being distributed.

For more information on the SR-72, please visit this site: http://www.airforce-technology.com/features/feature-lockheed-martin-unveils-sr-72-successor-sr-71-spy-plane/