Lockheed Martin SR-72 Lockheed Martin SR-72 The Lockheed Martin SR-72 is an American hypersonic UAV concept intended for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Lockheed Martin privately proposed it to succeed the retired Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. The SR-71 Blackbird retired in 1998, leaving what was considered a coverage gap between surveillance satellites, manned aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and strike missions. With the growth of anti-satellite weapons, anti-access/area denial tactics, and counter-stealth technologies, a high-speed aircraft could penetrate protected airspace and observe or strike a target before enemies could detect or intercept it. The proposed reliance on extremely high
Lockheed Martin Space Systems in 1995 it became part of the newly named Lockheed Martin following the Martin Marietta merger with the Lockheed. Soon after the merger, Lockheed Martin announced that the New Jersey facility would be closed. The New Jersey facility completed work on the in-process projects over the next few years, transferring the majority of work to other Lockheed Martin facilities, including the heritage-Lockheed facility in Sunnyvale, California, and a newly built facility in Newtown, PA. The facility that began as RCA Astro Electronics closed for good in 1998. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is now headquartered in Denver, but still does considerable