Supersonic stories: SR-71 Blackbird veterans visit RAF Mildenhall

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. (ret.) Thomas Veltri, former SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance systems officer, shares some of his memories of flying the supersonic aircraft with the audience at RAF Mildenhall, England, July 27, 2026. During a flight, the aircraft suffered a catastrophic engine failure over the Baltic. While losing altitude, Soviet fighters launched an attempted intercept and possible shoot-down; however, Swedish fighter jets escorted the SR-71, along with Veltri and his pilot, into allied airspace before safely landing in Germany. (U.S. Air Force photo by Karen Abeyasekere)

PHOTO BY: Karen Abeyasekere
VIRIN: 260727-F-EJ686-1099.JPG
FULL SIZE: 1.31 MB
Additional Details

CAMERA

NIKON Z 7_2

LENS

NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S

APERTURE

280/100

SHUTTERSPEED

10/1250

ISO

7200

IMAGE IS PUBLIC DOMAIN

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This photograph is considered public domain and has been cleared for release. If you would like to republish please give the photographer appropriate credit. Further, any commercial or non-commercial use of this photograph or any other DoD image must be made in compliance with guidance found at https://www.dma.mil/Services/Visual-Information/References/Limitations/, which pertains to intellectual property restrictions (e.g., copyright and trademark, including the use of official emblems, insignia, names and slogans), warnings regarding use of images of identifiable personnel, appearance of endorsement, and related matters.

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