Flying Back to Fly Forward: Reinventing the SR-71 Blackbird

Lockheed Martin's SR-71 Blackbird is a long-range high altitude strategic reconnaissance aircraft from the Cold War era, which remains the fastest air-breathing crewed aircraft to this day. We will improve the top speed (as well as specific thrust and inlet performance) of the original SR-71 by replacing the vehicle's original Pratt & Whitney J58 turbojet/ramjet hybrid engine with a turbojet/dual mode ramjet (DMRJ) engine. After conceptually designing this new engine, we will compare the aforementioned performance characteristics and will finally break the SR-71's 64-year-old record!

Interns: Sydney Campbell, Chidi Onwuanibe

Mentor: Annie Price (AMDS/A1H)