SR-71 Kadena AB, Okinawa USAF Operations
WEBDec 31, 2000 · This vantage point is dedicated to the magnificent SR-71 Blackbird, known worldwide as the Habu-an Okinawan Cobra of black sinister appearance, great stealth and lightning fast strike. The first SR-71 arrived at Kadena Air Base on 9 March 1968 and the last aircraft departed on 21 January 1990.
Blackbird Down | Smithsonian
WEBThe wreckage of “Rapid Rabbit,” the SR‑71 that pilot Dennis Bush crash-landed in 1972 at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. In 1972, more than 50,000 troops were stationed throughout 32 U.S. military...
Kadena Air Base - Wikipedia
WEBKadena Air Base (嘉手納飛行場, Kadena Hikōjō) (IATA: DNA, ICAO: RODN) is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird - Wikipedia
WEBDuring its career, this aircraft (976) accumulated 2,981 flying hours and flew 942 total sorties (more than any other SR-71), including 257 operational missions, from Beale AFB; Palmdale, California; Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan; and RAF Mildenhall, UK.
SR-71 Blackbird: The first stealth aircraft - Military Times
WEBJan 24, 2018 · The SR-71 began to replace the CIA’s A-12s at Kadena Air Force Base on Okinawa in March 1968 and flew its first mission over North Vietnam on March 21. During the next seven years,...
The story of the first SR-71 crew to deploy a Blackbird in Japan …
WEBNov 21, 2021 · On Mar. 8 1968 Lieutenant Colonel Buddy Brown and RSO Major Dave Jensen flew the very first SR-71 Blackbird (#978) out of the US to Kadena Air Base, Japan also known as the OL (operational location). Buddy came from the U-2 program to the SR-71 and he had many risky adventures.
Airframe: The SR-71 Blackbird > > Display - AF
WEBJul 10, 2017 · Five years into the Vietnam War, on March 21, 1968, the Blackbird flew its first operational sortie out of Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa, Japan. The role of the SR-71 was to gather photographic and electronic intelligence of the enemy.
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird | National Air and Space Museum
WEBAir Force pilots flew the SR-71 from Kadena AB, Japan, throughout its operational career but other bases hosted Blackbird operations, too. The 9th SRW occasionally deployed from Beale AFB, California, to other locations to carryout operational missions. Cuban missions were flown directly from Beale.
Keeper of the Blackbirds | Smithsonian
WEBThe SR-71 was one hot aircraft to work on—literally. An expert on maintenance of the Lockheed SR-71 Mach 3 reconnaissance aircraft, Don Campbell was the SR-71 Superintendent at both Kadena...
Setting Records with the SR-71 Blackbird - National Air and Space Museum
WEBJul 28, 2016 · In 1976, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird broke the world’s record for sustained altitude in horizontal flight at 25,929 meters (85,069 feet). The same day another SR-71 set an absolute speed record of 3,529.6 kilometers per hour (2,193.2 miles per hour), approximately Mach 3.3.