Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!att!cbnews!military
From: brookste@ingr.com (Tracy E. Brooks)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: New USAF Spy plane?
Message-ID: <1990Jun4.193240.3093@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 4 Jun 90 19:32:40 GMT
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Distribution: na
Organization: Intergraph Corporation, Knoxville, TN
Lines: 37
Approved: military@att.att.com




From: brookste@ingr.com (Tracy E. Brooks)

In article <1990May29.145207.21418@cbnews.att.com>, tmarshall01@cc.cut.oz.au writes:
> 
> 
> From: tmarshall01@cc.cut.oz.au
> I was wondering if someone could tell me what SR stands for
> (as in SR-71. )
> 	Also , if the SR-71 has been put out of service, what
> aircraft is replacing it. The F-117? I don't think so. Does
> this mean the U.S. has a new Secret Spy plane, or do they feel
> it is unnesecary to have one.(I don't think so).
> Please answer.
> Scott Marshall.


The SR stands for strike/recon.  Originally, it was supposed to be
RS (recon/strike), but when LBJ announced it as the SR-71A in 1964,
no one bothered to correct him.  "Officially", the US does not plan
to replace the SR-71.  Among the reasons are:  that it is very 
expensive to maintain and modern spy satellites can do the job.

The US still has a long-range, high altitude recon bird in the TR-1.
It is similar to the U-2, but more advanced.  The US also has various
fighter planes that are equiped for reconnaissance.




Tracy E. Brooks
Senior Field Support Engineer
Intergraph Corporation
Knoxville, Tenneessee
ingr!b10!cis5!brookste