Former SR-71 engineer talks NASA's Blackbird revival program

Tim Conners, who led propulsion for NASA’s SR-71 program in the 1990s, explains why NASA appears to be reviving tail number 844 and what it would take to fly it again. He describes his hands-on role integrating experimental packages - such as the heavy Lockheed Linear Aerospike LASRE payload - ensuring propulsion and performance could meet transonic and Mach‑3 conditions. Conners recounts the recent discovery that 844 was absent from NASA’s ramp after agency hints about a new high‑speed X‑plane, and confirms discussions with retired SR‑71 personnel; he says he has not yet been formally asked to rejoin the effort but would accept.

Conners states that the primary rationale for bringing 844 back into service is to serve as a large, man‑rated high‑speed engine testbed - an installation and long‑duration propulsion environment that computational fluid dynamics, rockets, or small drones cannot fully reproduce for J58‑size or similar engines. He reports teams have completed visual inspections and begun putting external electricity on the airframe and that full systems power‑on is planned, though engine starts are not yet underway. Conners emphasizes the SR‑71’s unique capability to cruise at Mach 3 and deliver extended thermal and high‑altitude test conditions, making it a practical platform for integrated high‑speed propulsion experiments.