Ferrari Mailing List: NFC SR-71 Story. True?

[Hunter Schultz (hunter.schultz]

During the Cold War, no other USAF aircraft proved more of an irritant to US adversaries than the fast-flying Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. Many tried but all failed to touch the untouchable, until June 3, 1986. On that day, six MiG-31 “Foxhounds” performed a coordinated intercept against a high-flying SR-71 over the Barents Sea.

The MiGs subjected the SR-71 to an all-angle AAM attack that even a combination of high-altitude manoeuvrability and ECM could not have defeated. Fortunately, for the US spy plane, the intercept took place over international waters, and no actual weapons were released, but the Soviets nonetheless proved their point. It is claimed that this incident was a factor in USAF’s decision to retire the SR-71 a few years later.