The SR-71 was so far ahead of its time, it's a little ridiculous. Look down/shoot down capability in the mid 1960s. Synthetic aperture radar mapping. An IMU/astronavigation system almost as capable as the early GPS units of a few decades later. An airframe that actually becomes stronger the more you fly it as designed. Thermal management system techniques that weren't used elsewhere for decades. I can keep going. But basically, for almost every single system in the aircraft, the next comparable system you can find was developed at least 1 to 2 decades later.
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The SR-71 was so far ahead of its time, it's a little ridiculous. Look down/shoot down capability in the mid 1960s. Synthetic aperture radar mapping. An IMU/astronavigation system almost as capable as the early GPS units of a few decades later. An airframe that actually becomes stronger the more you fly it as designed. Thermal management system techniques that weren't used elsewhere for decades. I can keep going. But basically, for almost every single system in the aircraft, the next comparable system you can find was developed at least 1 to 2 decades later.
Agreed. One of the finest pieces of engineering ever.