Boeing Unveils Hypersonic Jet Design to Replace the SR-71 Blackbird

By Daniel Brown, Business Insider

• Boeing unveiled a conceptual model for a hypersonic jet that would replace the SR-71 Blackbird. 
• The jet would hit speeds of more than Mach 5
• No one has committed to building it yet. 

Boeing recently unveiled a conceptual model for a new hypersonic jet that would replace the SR-71 Blackbird, according to Aviation Week Aerospace Daily. 

The conceptual model was displayed at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics SciTech forum in Orlando.

The “airplane concept and associated technology are targeted for a hypersonic ISR (reconnaissance)/strike aircraft that would have the same type of mission as the SR-71,” Boeing spokeswoman Sandra Angers told Business Insider in an emailed statement. “In that sense it could be a future replacement for the SR-71.”

“It’s a conceptual model for an eventual demonstrator, but no one has committed to building a reusable hypersonic demonstrator yet,” Angers added. “We’re constantly looking to advance concept in technology areas that could someday be asked for by the customer.”

Boeing is one of the largest defense contractors and political donors in the US. 

Angers also told Business Insider over the phone that the future generation concept would be able to hit speeds of more than Mach 5. 

Boeing’s chief scientist for hypersonics, Kevin Bowcutt, told Aviation Week that the twin-tailed, waverider configuration is an evolving yet feasible hypersonic design.