A hyper-sonic spy plane that can reach top speed of 3,800mph has been unveiled by Boeing to replace the legendary Blackbird SR-71 spy plane.
Boeing has finally unveiled the potential successor to the legendary Blackbird SR-71 spy plane (pictured)- and it is set to travel at more than five times the speed of sound
Boeing has finally unveiled a concept for the potential successor to the legendary Blackbird SR-71 spy plane - and it is set to travel at more than five times the speed of sound,
Dailymail has reported.
Hitting Mach 5 would mean the new craft has to travel at an astonishing 3,836mph (6,174kmh).
The hypersonic spy plane dubbed 'Son of Blackbird' could become a high-speed strike and reconnaissance aircraft in warfare of the future, travelling at such speeds that adversaries would have no time to react or hide.
It is designed to carry out spy missions in the same way as the Blackbird SR-71, which was the world's fastest and highest-flying operational manned aircraft throughout its career.
Lockheed Martin posted an artist's impression of the craft to its website, with the caption 'The Skunk Works hypersonic design – an aircraft developed to execute Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance and strike missions at speeds up to Mach 6.'
In 1976 it set an absolute speed record of 2,193.2mph (3,529kmh) - a record it still holds today.
The concept was unveiled at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics SciTech forum and is the direct competitor to Lockheed Martin's design which could be in the skies late in the 2020s.