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From: fcrary@lightning.Berkeley.EDU (Frank Crary)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: D-21 drone
Message-ID: <1991May7.062719.13256@amd.com>
Date: 4 May 91 01:40:21 GMT
References: <1991May3.063259.5277@amd.com>
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From: fcrary@lightning.Berkeley.EDU (Frank Crary)


In article <1991May3.063259.5277@amd.com> scottl@convergent.com (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>Tuesday (4/30) episode of Wings on Discovery Channel was devoted 
>to the SR-71 Blackbird.   It was a very good episode.  At one 
>point, quick mention was made of a drone version of the Blackbird, 
>known as the D-21.  It was indicated that this program/project is
>still black and no further details were given.   

The rumors I have heard are as follows:

The D-21 was not a unmanned version of the SR-71. It was a high speed
recon. drone launched from a SR-71. The second crewman on the SR-71
was changed from a co-pilot/navigator to a drone operartor.

The D-21 flew at speads of ~5 Ma. It was internded to go places that a
SR-71 could not safely go. (This was a flop, since the SR-71 can go
almost ANYWHERE safely.)

The launching of the drone was done from the TOP rather than under the
SR-71 (most cruise missiles and air-launched aircraft are droped from
under the carrier aircraft.) This over-launching was not a success.
I have heard that one SR-71 was damaged, and another lost as a result
of launch failures.

The D-21/SR-71 program was eliminated during the Viet Nam war. The 
remaining D-21 were launched from B-52's (two D-21 to the B-52).

Frank Crary
UC Berkeley