Lockheed Martin maintains that an SR-72 concept demonstrator will take to the skies by the mid-2020s, possibly entering service as soon as 2030. However, unanswered questions—and serious design ...

The SR-72 program was proposed in 2013 out of concerns that the satellite and UAVs that had been enlisted to fulfill the SR-71’s reconnaissance mission were leaving a coverage gap.

Indeed, new techniques, such as 3D printing complex engine components, computer modeling, and a bevy of other advances should show you how committed to the SR-72 program the Air Force is.

So with the next model being almost twice as fast, the SR-72 could be almost invincible. The new plane will be a similar size to its predecessor coming in at 100ft long.

The SR-72 program has been under the hood for years, and details are still tantalizingly lacking. In the 2020s, however, we could finally see what Skunk Works has been up to for the past two decades.

An artist's concept of the SR-72 Darkstar hypersonic jet. (Image credit: Lockheed Martin) This super-cool Mach 6 wonder is still in the testing phases but should be rolled out for initial flight ...

Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works has confirmed that it is developing the SR-72 spy plane. The successor to the SR-71 Blackbird, which was capable of Mach 3.5, the SR-72 will be a hypersonic unmanned ...

Lockheed announced it was developing the SR-72 in 2013, and that the "Son of Blackbird" would hit Mach 6 — over 4,500 mph — and possibly be operational by 2030.