One of the most entertaining stories about flying the SR-71 Blackbird comes from Lt. Col. Jim Wilson, who shares a particular mission he flew with RSO Bruce Douglas over Lebanon in 1982.
No reconnaissance plane in history has flown worldwide in such dangerous airspace or with such total freedom as the SR-71, the fastest jet-powered aircraft in the world. The Blackbird’s capabilities and operational successes positioned it at the forefront of aviation technological advancements during the Cold War.
Throughout its active service, the SR-71 collected intelligence during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the Israeli incursion into Lebanon in 1982, the American strike on Libya in 1986, and the discovery of Iranian Silkworm missile launchers in 1987. The USAF discontinued SR-71 operations in January 1990.
A highly amusing tale regarding the SR-71 involves Lt. Colonel William Burk Jr., who tells a specific mission he undertook [as noted by SR-71 pilot Stormy Boudreaux, Tom Henichek served as Burk’s RSO during that mission] over Lebanon in 1982.
The story is told in the book Skunk Works by Ben Rich.
‘In the fall of ’82, I flew from Mildenhall on a mission over Lebanon in response to the Marine barracks bombing. President Reagan ordered photo coverage of all the terrorist bases in the region. The French refused to allow us overfly, so our mission profile was to refuel off the south coast of England, a Mach 3 cruise leg down the coast of Portugal and Spain, a left turn through the Straits of Gibraltar, refueling in the Western Mediterranean, a right turn into Lebanon, flying right down Main Street in Beirut, exiting along the southern Mediterranean with another refueling over Malta, a supersonic back out the straits, and returning to England. Because Syria had a Soviet SA-5 missile system just west of Damascus that we would be penetrating (we were unsure of Syria’s intentions in this conflict), we programmed to fly above 80,000 feet and at Mach 3 plus to be on the safe side, knowing that this advanced missile had the range and speed to nail us.
‘As we entered Lebanon’s airspace, my Recon Systems Officer in the rear cockpit informed me that our defensive systems display showed we were being tracked by that SA-5. About 15 seconds later we got a warning of active guidance signals from the SA-5 site. We couldn’t tell whether there was an actual launch or the missile was still on the rails, but they were actively tracking us. We didn’t waste any time wondering but climbed and pushed that throttle and said a couple of “Hail Kellys.”
‘We completed our pass over Beirut and turned toward Malta when I got a warning low-oil-pressure light on my right engine. Even though the engine was running fine, I slowed down and lowered our altitude, and made a direct line for England. We decided to cross France without clearance instead of going the roundabout way.
‘We made it almost across when I looked out the left window and saw a French Mirage III sitting ten feet off my left wing. He came up on our frequency and asked us for our Diplomatic Clearance Number. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I told him to stand by. I ask my backseater, who said, “Don’t worry about it. I just gave it to him.” What he had given him was “the bird” with his middle finger: I lit the afterburners and left that Mirage standing still. Two minutes later, we were crossing the Channel.’
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Photo by U.S. Air Force and French Air Force via FAST Museum Twitter Account
