NASA Chief Teases Return Of The SR-71 Blackbird Under X-Plane Program

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman wants to revive the agency's X-plane program, and NASA has shown teaser images of an aircraft resembling the SR-71. Historic SR-71 tail number 844 has disappeared from a California museum, and Aviation Week reports NASA has contacted former Blackbird engineers.

• The SR-71 has not flown since 1999; only 32 Blackbirds were ever built
• Tail number 844, the last SR-71 built and last to fly, was removed from display at Armstrong Flight Research Center
• NASA has reached out to former SR-71 engineers, per Aviation Week
• In May 2026 Congress passed the Maverick Act to restore the F-14 Tomcat