> On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:25:36 +1000, David Findlay
> davsoft.com.au> wrote:
>

>> Can anyone tell me what the highest absolute ceiling of production aircraft
>> is? I know the Lockheed U-2 could go to 70000ft, but I'm pretty sure I've
>> seen somewhere that some Russian fighters can go to 60000ft. The service
>> ceiling I've seen quoted online is 50000ft though. Anyone have better
>> figures? I'm taking it that the fighters can do climbs to extremely high
>> altitudes but only in an arc where they climb up and fall back down.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> David

>
> For sustained flight, the SR-71 Blackbird could cruise at 85,000+
> feet.
>
> That record was set many years ago (1976 AFAIK) and may have been
> eclipsed by now.
>
> Likewise the SR-71 Blackbird also held the absolute speed record of
> 1906 knots (2,193 mph, 3,530 km/h) at that time.

>
> It was suspected that the SR-71 could go considerably higher and maybe
> faster but due to "security issues" its true performance was
> concealed.
>
> There were many stories, mostly anecdotal, that the SR-71 was capable
> of out running most SAMs in use at the time the SR-71 was operational.

>
> Regards
> Stephen
>