Which interceptor can stop SR-71?

Blackbird has retired in 1986...But the question remains;
Which aircraft has been or is capable of intercepting SR-71?
The defected Soviet pilot Victor Belenko (1976) said that Mig-25 has failed because blackbird was flying too high and too fast ..M 3,2 at 88.000 feet..

None

Its cousin, the YF-12A

Thats strange, an interview with a SR-71 jockey in a UK mag had him quoted as saying that on numerous occasions the Mig-25 would close from behind to 1 or 2 miles range. Lock them up on radar then after a few minutes break off. He said it gave them a good understanding of what the weapon system on the '25 was capable of at those speeds.

Also another russian pilot interviewed said he knew of pilots that had done this but personally he always would be running out of fuel as he closed of the '71 and one time he got close enough that he was able to make out the aircrafts shape but not within weapons range.

Interesting

Yup, not counting the YF-12, none. It was tried many, many times. MiG-25s could make zoom run to just over Mach 3, but it would destroy the engines. The SR-71 airframe was still capable of going faster than its nominal Mach 3.2 cruise speed. And on many occasions it did go faster. What limited top speed was CIT, compressor inlet temperature. The SR-71 had a max CIT of 427C. Any further and the engine could suffer damage. This was the same for the MiG-25. It also had a max oprating temperature, which was much lower than the Blackbird's and this while trying to keep up, or zooming to speeds around Mach 3, would exceed that max temp. Engine damage would ensue.

It actually retired first in 1990, and then for good in 2001.

What interceptor could stop the SR-71, you ask?

Congress

Beers and MiGs were made to be pounded!

TC wrote:What interceptor could stop the SR-71, you ask?

Congress

You're not just whistling dixie....

Actually as I recall, Congress actually revived the SR's in the early/mid-90's despite the Air Force's loud protests. I understand that the aircraft that were brought back were not given a single operational mission (a 'political' decision with the AF 'pouting' after being told that they had to fly an aircraft that they did not want.)

Mike

BUt that was after the initial retirement. The original retirement was orchesrtated by Gen. Welch.

Unfortunatly still a budget, rather than a capability driven, Air Force decision.

Sure would have been nice for finding SCUDs in the Gulf. Rather than watching them inflight from Qatar...

Mike

That's the real tragedy of the whole thing. Sat updates were tested and planned that would give it near real-time capability. So the fact remains, the mission it flew has not been replicated...by anything that we know of publically, anyway.

MiG-31B?
Or a F-16 w/AIM120?
I remind that F-15 armed with AMRAMMs shot down MiG-25RB over Iraq.
So...

kubam4a1 wrote:I remind that F-15 armed with AMRAMMs shot down MiG-25RB over Iraq.
So...

soooo....what?
MiG-25s don't cruise at Mach 3.2

Must've been in ONW or OSW that the Eagle got a Foxbat kill with an AMRAAM. While I was in, I knew Rick "Clouseu" Tollini, who got a Foxbat kill in ODS. Larry Pitts got his Foxbat kill the same day, and they both killed the Foxbats with AIM-7s.

The Foxbat can only reach Mach 3 in a short dash, and its RCS is much larger than the Habu.

No interceptor could touch the SR. If it were still flying, the same would be true today.

Beers and MiGs were made to be pounded!