Habu 972 at Mach 3.0 by Philip West

Rich Graham cruises his SR-71 Blackbird in afterburner at 80,000 feet, gathering intelligence over the Soviet nuclear facility on the Kamchatka Peninsula, December 1976. Some 7 miles below at 45,000 feet, three MiGs make a vain attempt to intercept the SR-71 as it rockets along on the edge of the stratosphere.

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is a Mach-3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft and is the world’s fastest and highest flying jet. For over 23 years, the SR-71s gathered highly classified intelligence around the world for the President of the United States, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Pentagon and other governmental agencies, allowing them to make crucial political and military decisions during the Cold War.