The SR-71 Blackbird was a high-altitude, long-range Lockheed reconnaissance black' jet that emerged during the 1960s. It was produced under tremendous secrecy and initially flown from areas away from public gaze. It was stationed in the USA but plied its trade from a handful of selected sites worldwide. SR-71 missions were flown by the USAF, but often on behalf of other agencies, with it frequently gathering intelligence for the Navy against maritime targets in the Soviet Arctic. Unfortunately, the Blackbird was unpopular with the fighter' and bomber' generals, who were not privy to its outstanding intelligence gathering capability, and the staggering operating costs were such that eventually it lost support within the USAF and succumbed to budgetary constraints. Illustrated with over 160 illustrations, this book will detail the operations, select missions and the colour schemes/markings of this amazing aircraft.