https://theaviationgeekclub.com/in-the-early-1960s-soviet-union-sold-titanium-to-the-us-believing-they-needed-it-for-pizza-ovens-but-instead-they-used-it-to-build-the-iconic-sr-71-blackbird-mach-3-spy-plane/ [INS::INS] Log In Sign Up The Aviation Geek ClubThe Aviation Geek Club The Aviation Geek Club * Categories + Aircraft Carriers + Airshows + Aviation History + Aviation Humor + Books + Civil Aviation + Cold War Era + Drones + F-14 Tomcat + Helicopters + Losses/Aviation Safety + MiG Killers + Military Aviation + Space + SR-71 Blackbird + SR-71 Top Speed + Naval Warfare + U.S. Navy + Warbirds + Weapons + Yearly Summary * About us * Partners Perks * Advertise With Us * Log In Sign Up The Aviation Geek ClubThe Aviation Geek Club The Aviation Geek Club * Categories Aircraft CarriersAirshowsAviation HistoryAviation HumorBooksCivil AviationCold War EraDronesF-14 TomcatHelicoptersLosses/Aviation SafetyMiG KillersMilitary AviationSpaceSR-71 BlackbirdSR-71 Top SpeedNaval WarfareU.S. NavyWarbirdsWeaponsYearly Summary * About us * Partners Perks * Advertise With Us * Homepage Cold War EraIn the early 1960s Soviet Union sold titanium to the US believing they needed it for Pizza Ovens but instead they used it to build the iconic SR-71 Blackbird Mach 3+ spy plane [INS::INS] In the early 1960s Soviet Union sold titanium to the US believing they needed it for Pizza Ovens but instead they used it to build the iconic SR-71 Blackbird Mach 3+ spy plane * Cold War Era * Military Aviation * SR-71 Blackbird In the early 1960s Soviet Union sold titanium to the US believing they needed it for Pizza Ovens but instead they used it to build the iconic SR-71 Blackbird Mach 3+ spy plane [svg][gif] By Linda Sheffield Miller Jun 18 2023 [INS::INS] Share this article After all, they fraudulently possibly told their comrades that the United States was a lazy country that probably couldn't even cook for itself. SR-71 T-ShirtsSR-71 T-ShirtsCLICK HERE to buy unique SR-71 Blackbird T-Shirts! The SR-71, unofficially known as the "Blackbird," was a long-range, Mach 3+, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft. The first flight of an SR-71 took place on Dec. 22, 1964, and the first SR-71 to enter service was delivered to the 4200th (later 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., in January 1966. The Blackbird was in a different category from anything that had come before. "Everything had to be invented. Everything," Skunk Works legendary aircraft designer Kelly Johnson recalled in an interesting article appeared on Lockheed Martin website. The speed of the SR-71 exceeded 2,000 mph. Other planes of the era could, in theory, approximate that speed but only in short, after-burner-driven bursts. The Blackbird maintained a record-setting speed for hours at a time. At such velocity, friction with the atmosphere generates temperatures that would melt the conventional airframe. [INS::INS] With temperatures on the aircraft's leading edges exceeding 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, dealing with the heat raised a host of seemingly insurmountable design and material challenges. Titanium alloy was the only option for the airframe --providing the strength of stainless steel, a relatively light weight, and durability at the excessive temperatures. Here are the materials you should use instead of titanium to build a Blackbird Mach 3 spy plane todayHere are the materials you should use instead of titanium to build a Blackbird Mach 3 spy plane today Titanium, however, proved to be a particularly sensitive material from which to build an airplane. The brittle alloy shattered if mishandled, which meant great frustration on the Skunk Works assembly line, and new training classes for Lockheed's machinists. Conventional cadmium-plated steel tools, it was soon learned, embrittled the titanium on contact; so new tools were designed and fabricated--out of titanium. But most important the US did not have the necessary ore. The world's largest supplier of it was the Soviet Union, America's enemy during the Cold War. Titanium procurement during the Cold War was so vital to the US' goal of defeating the Soviet Union that it had to secretly buy the metal from the very country it sought to vanquish. It was 1960 and Washington needed spy planes that could avoid detection in Soviet airspace by flying to the heavens. To make what would become the vaunted SR-71 Blackbird, Lockheed knew it had to build a light plane, but one that was strong enough to hold extra fuel to give it expansive range. The only metal that would do the job was titanium. The only place to get titanium in the needed quantities was the Soviet Union. The US worked through Third World countries and fake companies and finally was able to ship the ore to the US to build the SR-71. "The airplane is 92% titanium inside and out. Back when they were building the airplane the United States didn't have the ore supplies - an ore called rutile ore. It's a very sandy soil and it's only found in very few parts of the world. The major supplier of the ore was the USSR. Working through Third World countries and bogus operations, they were able to get the rutile ore shipped to the United States to build the SR-71," famous former SR-71 pilot Colonel Rich Graham said in an interesting article appeared on BBC. SR-71 printSR-71 printThis print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com - CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. SR-71A Blackbird 61-7972 "Skunkworks" According to the following video, one of the bogus operations mentioned by Graham saw the US asking Soviets for titanium because they needed it for pizza ovens. And Russians easily believed that the US needed titanium for thousands of pizza ovens. After all, they fraudulently possibly told their comrades that the United States was a lazy country that probably couldn't even cook for itself. They need it to go out to buy pizza... This was a pivotal moment between two great powers that desperately wanted to defeat the other. Ultimately, through third parties and fake companies, the US, "managed to unobtrusively purchase the base metal from one of the world's leading exporters - the Soviet Union," according to the book Skunk Works by Ben Rich, a Lockheed Martin engineer who worked on the SR-71. "The Russians never had an inkling of how they were actually contributing to the creation of the airplane being rushed into construction to spy on their homeland." Andriy Brodskyy contributed to this article. Be sure to check out Linda Sheffield Miller (Col Richard (Butch) Sheffield's daughter, Col. Sheffield was an SR-71 Reconnaissance Systems Officer) Facebook Pages Habubrats SR-71 and Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder for awesome Blackbird's photos and stories. Photo credit: U.S. Air Force and CIA Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird modelLockheed SR-71 Blackbird modelThis model is available in multiple sizes from AirModels - CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. Share this article [INS::INS] [svg][gif] [svg][gif] Linda Sheffield Miller Linda Sheffield Miller Grew up at Beale Air Force Base, California. I am a Habubrat. Graduated from North Dakota State University. Former Public School Substitute Teacher, (all subjects all grades). Member of the DAR (Daughters of the Revolutionary War). I am interested in History, especially the history of SR-71. Married, Mother of three wonderful daughters and four extremely handsome grandsons. I live near Washington, DC. You may also like SR-71 Military Aviation / SR-71 Blackbird WATCH THIS CLIP AND LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT THE SR-71 BLACKBIRD, THE WORLD's FASTEST PLANE Jul 15 2017 By Gabriele Barison Blackbird down the street: flashback photo show how Beale AFB static SR-71 was moved to its current location Military Aviation / SR-71 Blackbird BLACKBIRD DOWN THE STREET: FLASHBACK PHOTO SHOWS HOW BEALE AFB STATIC SR-71 WAS MOVED TO ITS CURRENT LOCATION Nov 20 2017 By Dario Leone Did you know that titanium used to build the iconic SR-71 Blackbird Mach 3+ spy plane came from Soviet Union? Cold War Era / Military Aviation / SR-71 Blackbird Did you know that titanium used to build the iconic SR-71 Blackbird Mach 3+ spy plane came from Soviet Union? Jun 9 2021 By Dario Leone Leave a comment Cancel reply You must be logged in to post a comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. [INS::INS] Share this article Share this article [INS::INS] [INS::INS] Share this article [] Always up to date! News and offers delivered directly to you! Get the best aviation news, stories and features from The Aviation Geek Club in our newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. Name*[ ] Email*[ ] [INS::INS] [ ]I confirm that I have read, consent and agree to The Aviation Geek Club Privacy Policy. [ ]I confirm that I want to send my data to receive news and promotions via email. [Subscribe now!] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] D[ ] Share this article [INS::INS] The Aviation Geek ClubThe Aviation Geek Club The Aviation Geek Club What are you waiting for? Set your Throttles to Full AB and Join The Aviation Geek Club! * Follow us: Categories * Aircraft Carriers * Airshows * Aviation History * Aviation Humor * Books * Civil Aviation * Cold War Era * Drones * F-14 Tomcat * Helicopters * Losses and Aviation Safety * MiG Killers * Military Aviation * Space * SR-71 Blackbird * SR-71 Top Speed * U.S. Navy * Warbirds * Weapons * Yearly Summary * Naval Warfare Utilities * About us * Contacts * Advertise With Us * Partners Perks * Cookie policy * Privacy policy Sign up to our newsletter Name*[ ] Email[ ] [ ]I confirm that I have read, consent and agree to The Aviation Geek Club Privacy Policy. [ ]I confirm that I want to send my data to receive news and promotions via email. [Subscribe now!] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] D[ ] (c) Dario Leone and The Aviation Geek Club, 2016. Unauthorized use and/ or duplication of this blog contents without express and written permission from this site's author/owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved. (r)The Aviation Geek Club and The Aviation Geek Club logo are Dario Leone's registered marks. All rights reserved. Leone Dario SRL, Via Filippo Mellana 7, Casale Monferrato (AL), VAT IT 02716740069 (c)Dario Leone and The Aviation Geek Club Made with at Monkey Theatre Studio Close Enter keyword [ ] Back to top [INS::INS] My Agile Privacy This website uses technical and profiling cookies. Clicking on "Accept" authorises all profiling cookies. Clicking on "Refuse" or the X will refuse all profiling cookies. By clicking on "Customise" you can select which profiling cookies to activate. AcceptRefuseCustomize Manage consent Warning: some page functionalities could not work due to your privacy choices Close Privacy Setting This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. View the Cookie Policy Google Analytics (Google Inc.) - GA4 [ ] Google Analytics (Google Inc.) - GA4 Google Analytics (GA4) is a web analytics service provided by Google Ireland Limited ("Google"). Google uses the Personal Data collected to track and examine the use of this Application, compile reports on its activities and share them with other services developed by Google. Google may use your Personal Data to contextualize and personalize ads in its advertising network. This Google Analytics integration anonymizes your IP address. The anonymization works by shortening the IP address of the Users within the borders of the member states of the European Union or other countries that are members of the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases, the IP address will be sent to Google's servers and shortened within the United States. Personal Data collected: Tracker; Usage Data. Place of processing: Ireland - Privacy Policy - Opt Out. [