1 min readBy Christian P. Martin
Why F-15 Radars Deleted The SR-71 Blackbird As Invalid Clutter During 'Eagle Bait' Sorties
The SR-71flew so fast and so high that even USAF F-15s struggled to intercept the Blackbird during Eagle Bait training exercises.
The Lockheed Martin SR-71 Blackbird was a legendary Cold War aircraft designed to soar at incredible altitudes in order to produce high-quality images of sensitive sites within nations hostile to the United States (US). The spy plane was highly active over Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and swaths of Asia. Additionally, it could operate at heights and speeds that made it extremely difficult to target, much less hit, with surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) or interceptors launched by the countries it was flying over.
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About this article
- Length
- 83 words · 1 min read
- Published
- September 19, 2026
- Byline
- Christian P. Martin
- Source
- Simple Flying