Did you know that the Lockheed SR71 Blackbird was three times faster than the speed of sound? Debuted in 1966, the aircraft could reach speeds of 2,200 mph (3,540 km/h), impressing people worldwide.

Its development all began in 1957 when the CIA approached Lockheed’s Skunk Works Division with the goal of producing an ultrafast spy plane.

Lockheed put Clarence Leonard “Kelly” Johnson in charge of creating a prototype. This is how the A12 was first developed but that craft was just a glimpse of what was yet to come.

The A12 featured one major difference from other aircraft: it had a chassis built almost completely from titanium. This allowed the A12 to maintain a Mach 3 cruising speed without melting midflight.

Out of this innovation came the SR71. The aircraft featured a unique design, sporting a chime running from the tip of its nose to the base of its wings, to make it more aerodynamic.

But that wasn’t all, Johnson incorporated many more aerodynamic considerations when designing the aircraft. The final plane had such a unique design that it was dubbed “Habu” — a deadly Japanese pit viper — during one deployment in Okinawa.

What was this unique design? What were the many aerodynamic considerations that Johnson implemented? How did they manage to make the plane so fast? What safety measures were taken for the plane? When was the plane finally ready for use? What was it used for?

We answer all these questions and more in our video.

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