Perhaps no other aircraft in aviation history has been such a well-kept secret as the United States' Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. This cutting edge aircraft took the art of aerial spying to an unprecedented level and did it all from highly clandestine high-speed spy missions over Communist nations during the late 1960s and 1970s for the United States Air Force (USAF) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to advanced sonic boom and hypersonic flight research studies for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This book tells the fascinating story of this truly unique aircraft's design and development as well as its famous and ingenious designer Mr. Clarence “Kelly” Johnson. AUTHOR: Mark A. Chambers works as a contractor for the NASA Langley Research Center. He has previously written From Research to Relevance: Achievements in Aeronautics Research, Engineering Test Pilot: The Exceptional Career of John P. ''Jack'' Reeder, and Flight Research at NASA Langley Research Center, as well as articles for Aviation Magazine. He lives in Virginia USA. SELLING POINTS: . Packed with facts, figures and little-known details as well as a multituide of colourful illustrations . Includes a brief personal history of Clarence “Kelly” Johnson as well as a brief corporate history of Lockheed . With details on the design, development, and operational history of the SR-71 as well as of its predecessors, the A-12 and YF-12 . The last portion of the book will cover the service lives of NASA Blackbirds and conclude with a listing of surviving SR-71s