SA-5 Gammon

Blackbird Pilot recalls when his RSO ‘gave the birdie’ to a French Air Force Mirage III pilot (Then They lit their SR-71’s Afterburners and Outran him)

Blackbird Pilot recalls when his RSO ‘gave the birdie’ to a French Air Force Mirage III pilot (Then They lit their SR-71’s Afterburners and Outran him)

‘My RSO had given him “the bird” with his middle finger: I lit the afterburners and left that Mirage standing… Read More

4 months ago

When an SR-71 Blackbird crew made an emergency landing in a small air base in South Korea, a letter signed by a VIP granted them extra help

‘When we went on a combat mission, we carried a sealed letter in our pocket. We were told the letters… Read More

1 year ago

Here’s how two little Dents placed on the Nose of the SR-71 prevented Surface-to-air Missiles from Scoring any Hit on the Blackbird

What are those two little dents on the nose of the SR-71 Blackbird? My Dad Richard “Butch” Sheffield (Butch was… Read More

2 years ago

Former F-14 pilot tells the story of when he and his wingman pushed their Tomcats to Mach 1.2 at 1,000 feet at night to outrun Libyan SA-5 Gammon SAMs

‘We did a quick 180 and got really low (for night time) and really fast. Dropping to ~1,000 feet we… Read More

2 years ago

The story of the letter signed by a VIP that granted extra help to an SR-71 Blackbird crew after an emergency landing in a small air base in South Korea

“I gave an envelope to the base commander.... I was instructed to give this envelope out if we were ever… Read More

2 years ago

SR-71 RSO tells the story of when his Blackbird made an emergency landing in South Korea after an engine failure experienced while spying over Vladivostok

As the target was approached, the left engine oil pressure began to drop (at Mach 3.2). As the SR-71 Blackbird… Read More

2 years ago

Read the Silver Star Recommendation for the SR-71 crew who flew their Blackbird at her fastest speed, at night, carrying an NSA ELINT recorder to collect SA-5 SAM radar signal

The SR-71 night time flight performance restrictions were lifted so the flight could be flown at max Mach (3.2) and… Read More

2 years ago

IAF INVESTIGATION FINDS THAT THE F-16I WAS SHOT DOWN BECAUSE ITS CREW “FAILED TO DEFEND THEMSELVES SUFFICIENTLY”

Seven other F-16I Sufas were able to complete their missions by deploying countermeasures The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has completed… Read More

6 years ago