US retired SR-71 Blackbird fleet on January 26, 1990
By The BriefBrief
The Air Force officially retired its SR-71 Blackbird fleet on January 26, 1990, after the Cold War wind-down. The program had logged 53,490 flight hours over 17,300 sorties, and by the late 1980s the remaining 12 aircraft cost about $260 million per year to operate.
WHO:United States Air Force
WHAT:Officially retired the SR-71 Blackbird fleet
WHEN:Jan 26, 1990
WHERE:USA
WHY:The Air Force retired the fleet after arguing the operating costs could sustain two tactical fighter wings instead.
