My son
is stationed at Beale AFB (where the SR-71s were originally based) and 7963 is on static
display there. I've been up to it (you can actually *touch* it!) They are wicked
cool looking and *big*. They also have a static display of the drone which could be
launched from the back of an SR-71. After some initial testing (can't remember if
they lost an aircraft in the process), they decided it wasn't a particularly good
idea. The clearance between the drone and the vertical stabilizers/rudders is not large.
TTFN - Guy
I worked on the cameras on the SR-71 at Beale in the late 1980s. Still gives me
goosebumps thinking about it. The drone was the D-21 which flew on the back of the M-21
(which was modified A-12 (which itself was the SR-71s predecessor)). You can see a video
of that fateful test here.
https://youtu.be/GMyC2urCl_4
