Top Gun DARKSTAR in Real Life!

This aircraft was absolutely incredible to see up close! What questions do you have about Darkstar or hypersonics?

If this is what Skunkworks is putting out there as a Hollywood prop, I wonder what the real deal looks like and what it can do. So cool thanks Sam.

My Dad retired from Skunk Works and spent 40 years between them and Northrop. He did work on SR71 with F22 and F35 prototypes being his final projects before retirement. He worked 2nd shift with 1 other person on very classified material towards the end. He also worked on the B2 at Northrop. He would drop subtle hints as to the capabilities of the planes but was incredibly secretive never letting on to anything classified. He would just say the materials he was working with would be public knowledge in approx a couple decades. I really miss talking about planes with him. It was very easy to be proud of him and his service as a Marine and Engineer.

The shape is the SR 71 carried to the extreme. I love the Skunk Works for their innovative ideas. He talks with such enthusiasm and authority you actually believe that if they haven't yet they can and will build a hypersonic aircraft though whether anyone will be able to afford it for their air force is another matter.

The SR-71 remains an absolute masterpiece in aircraft design and performance. Some years ago I had the amazing experience of interviewing a SR-71 pilot who ended up making an emergency landing in Milwaukee and spending a week at my unit the 440th Airlift Wing (USAFR). He had made a demonstration flight over the Experimental Aviation Association's (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) AirVenture week when the plane developed a fuel-flow problem which eventually led our wing to send a C-130 Hercules to California to pickup a replacement engine. The Blackbird that we hosted was actually then assigned to NASA as a trainer (2-seater). I believe at the time, I was told that only two still exited and were actively still flying. The ironic thing about this whole experience was that I happened to be at the EAA and saw the Blackbird fly by only to get home and be contacted by our security forces informing me and our public affairs office that the plane had landed and was being parked in our fuel cell hangar. "The Batmobile in the Bat Cave" - that was my initial impression when I first laid eyes on the aircraft through hangar door - totally badass. Engine runup - Milwaukee's airport had to close one of its runways to allow the pilot to test the new engine. Typically the plane is strapped down during an engine test but instead the pilot deferred to using full-brakes ;) Chance of a lifetime.

The fact that they actually contracted with Skunk Works to design and build the thing just makes it so much cooler. No wonder it looked so legitimately possible in the film. And they clearly consulted for the CG work as well as to what its flight characteristics would be and what it would look like to sit in it at that speed. The folks at SW build phenomenally amazing hardware. Can't wait to see what they've been dreaming up and building for the past 10, 20 years in the dark.

Looks like a modern SR71 Being in the air force in the 80s, I got to meet and briefly speak to a sr71 pilot when they had to land where I was stationed and he said something to me about the actual speed they had reached. I was like that's so cool. Loved getting to see it in person

This is a frickin commercial for LM!

The Skunkworks guest answered these questions in the best way possible without revealing any of the important details for a Chinese or Russian spy that happens to be watching 😂

I had the fortune of seeing the SR71 take off and land when I was stationed on Okinawa. It really was a sight to see watching this beast take off and it was surprising how much runway it took to get off the ground given how much power those engines produce. It literally took the entire runway at Kadena to get off the ground but once air born it would turn vertical and went almost straight up and was out of sight in less than 20 seconds once it did!

The SR-71 and Concorde are undoubtedly two of the few greatest achievements of aviation, not as one-time record breaking experiments but as long lasting, reliable high performance aircraft of a unique kind. Given that they were designed over 60 years ago, remained operational for 30+ years, and nothing even close existed since, it is really outstanding. Aerospace engineering has made many improvements since then, but those only highlight their greatness. And most importantly, the incredible boldness and talent of those who designed them with the tools and methods then available. Really unbelievable.

Just listening to Brian talking about Darkstar is already so cool. He can't even contain his excitement when he said "Guess what scramjet does" and "Can u imagine lighting a match in a hurricane & keeping it lit? Thats what this does." He's really passionate and really loves his job, and by his reaction is more than happy to share his work with others. Also love the fact that they place the Blackbird & Darkstar next to each other, both are such beautiful planes. Great video Sam!

These aircraft are such a testament to engineers and it's mind-boggling how much attention to detail goes into them. I never get bored of watching videos about the SR71 it's such an epic machine and to know that it was developed in the 50s is even more astonishing.

Great video Sam. I spent two years as a Blackbird cadet in the 70’s. I’ve always been intrigued with Skunkworks. There’s probably numerous prototypes that the public has never seen. I spent six years refueling the SR-71 and it was an awesome mission and team. It’s hard to believe the technology designed into this aircraft was from the 60’s. With all things GPS today, this aircraft had a navigation astral tracker to maintain tight navigation standards. Essentially it was a computer using star positions to accurately track position. Doubt there are many aircraft using that technology today in lieu of the ubiquitous GPS.

The Dark star looks amazing but I'm still blown away every time by the SR-71

Fun fact: China thought the darkstar was a real plane, so they positioned a satellite to take pictures of it

"A scram jet works like lighting a match stick in a hurricane" That's an excellent way to simply describe it

Something tells me that Darkstar might be USAF's way of showing off, since its clearly closer to reality than what these guys would like to say on record. What struck me the most was their iterative design sketchpad had a lot of designs which look pretty close to what Aurora believers have been saying. Obviously at the end of the day if they built the SR 71 back in 60s, technology just couldnt have take a back seat without any progress. Its a pitty such marvels of science and engineering stay shrouded in the darkness of secrecy in National interest but these are also things which inpire and motivate the next generation of innovators and engineers. The SR 71 is still any aviation enthusiasts drool aircraft.

I absolutely love how excited Brian was to present this aircraft.

The F117 nighthawk was designed in the late 70’s/80’s. The F22 Raptor was designed in the 90’s. The freakin F22 is almost 30 years old. This plane already exists, we just don’t know it.