Great video man. Someone asked about the SR-71 in the end. Even the A-12 had RAM, especially the leading and trailing edges, which were primarily meant for heat mitigation of aerodynamic thermal loading. I was surprised to learn that none of the leading or trailing edges were metallic. They were polycarbonate with an asbestos honeycomb substructure for heat-sinking. Turns out it also had extensive use of RAM and shaping, with the vertical tailplanes canted inwards as well. Not only that, but they used Cesium additive to the fuel because the shock cones within the exhaust plumes were creating a return, thereby making the aircraft’s RCS in dynamic flight larger. This is one of the reasons why the Blackbird program required its own fleet of aerial refuelers. The amount of signature reduction measures on the A-12, YF-12A, and SR-71A are really mind-blowing. The propulsion system and the airframe itself are also engineering marvels to this day.
@@timrogers9191Have you seen the first HAVE BLUE tailplanes? They were canted inwards. Lockheed reversed the cant outwards due to stability/flight control for the F-117, just like on the F/A-18, F-22, and F-35.
