Real Night Raven

[VideoViper]

For fun I have been reading up on the SR-71 Blackbird (aka Cobra Night Raven)
http://www.yojoe.com/vehicles/86/nightraven/nightraven_title.jpg


I found a few interesting things, like most Joe vehicles it is based on a real vehicle, but modified for playablity.

I always thought the extra ship on the Night raven was a gimick to add said play feature. Turns out it is a real thing.

The real Blackbird (standard version, there were at least 3 different types)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Lockheed_SR-71_Blackbird.jpg/300px-Lockheed_SR-71_Blackbird.jpg

The tag along ship is called the Lockheed D-21
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/M21Ship2-cropped.jpg/300px-M21Ship2-cropped.jpg

One of the D-21 crashed in the Soviet Union, It was thought lost but later it was discovered that The Tupolev design bureau reverse-engineered the wreck and came up with plans for a Soviet copy, named the Voron (Raven)



Now you know...

SR-71
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SR71_Blackbird

D-21
Lockheed D-21 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_D-21/M-21#Operational_history)

[generic trooper]

Metal Gear Solid 3 taught me about the drone

[orezona]

Wow, I too thought the drone (or whatever) on the Night Raven was just something that couldn't have been done in real life. That's pretty cool.

I had a little matchbox Blackbird as a kid and loved that thing. Sadly, I never had a Cobra Night Raven and still don't. Maybe some day...

[a1veedubber]

Dont forget the YF-12 interceptor version with a pilot, RIO and internally mounted missiles. Pure awesome!

[Scoop]

Here's another good pic of the drone this time in flight as a D21 takes a ride on an M21...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/LockheedM21-D21.jpg

[Laser Viper]

Whoa! didnt know this bird had a drone on its back or Lockheed even made one for it. I know this Blackbird was the first jet to work with stealth materials, was retired and then reactivated and then retired again. and I thought the BB made a world trip at record speed well over MACH 3.

[VideoViper]

Only 32 were built, so they shot down more Cobra Ravens in the cartoon, than actually existed.

[Cdt Weasel]

Only 32 were built, so they shot down more Cobra Ravens in the cartoon, than actually existed.

plus 13 A-12 and 2 M-21 before the SR-71. (the M-21 being the drone mother ship). My understanding is Kelly Johnson hated the drone idea.

[Cdt Weasel]

Question, the missle pods on the wings. Do you point the missles forward or aft. The missles forward with the pod aft, missles and pod both aft and missles and pod both forward. I put both facing aft. The pod looks aerodynamic that way and the plane is so fast it would be shooting at things behind it anyways.

[VideoViper]

I was just reading about the A12s. turns out the SR71 I saw at the intrepid was a A12.

Sounds like the drones didn't work to well, & after an acident were reconfigured to launch off of C130s Most were never used.

[a1veedubber]

They had an SR-71 at the Oshkosh airshow back in 1989 or 90 and I have to say that seeing it take off in full burner is an experience that i remember to this day! The ground shook.

[Cdt Weasel]

Never got to see one fly, really wish I had, just saw them on static display and then in museums.

[MightyMegs]

When I was on Kadena Air Base , in Okinawa, from 1980-1984, there were (I think) at least 3 SR-71's stationed there. And man, when those things took off, the whole base could hear it (and out housing was miles away from the airstrip).
The Okinawans called them Habu based on a local, VERY venomous, snake. The name stuck, and you would hear the military calling them Habu as well.