NASA's SR-71 Blackbird vanishes from display as revival talk grows

Satellite imagery shows SR-71 tail number 844 disappeared from its outdoor pole at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center by mid-May 2026, possibly as early as April. NASA offered retired engineers Mike Relja and Tim Conners work on returning the aircraft to flight, but both declined, and the agency has not confirmed any plan.

• Aircraft left its display pole by mid-May 2026, possibly April
• SR-71 last flew on October 9, 1999 — nearly 27 years ago
• JP-7 fuel stocks ran out in 2002; spares destroyed in 2007
• Inflation-adjusted reactivation estimate: $75–85 million