Russians are known for cutting corners on their shit. This is yet another example.

@dave
This thread reminds me of conversations with modern communist sympathizers and defenders that somehow thought Soviet Russia was technologically innovating...

Which reminds me, do you know the story of the Mig-25? Peak example of Soviet bullshittery. Here’s a well-produced and reasonably short YouTube video on it if you’re curious.

@dave @alyx meanwhile the US developed recon jets that could outspeed any SAM missile system the soviets had and flew at an altitude none of their fighters could reach

@Nudhul @dave @alyx wrong
the SR-71 never flew above the USSR because it would have been in real danger of being shot down by SA-5, MiG-31 or SA-10/12. It only overflew shitholes with SA-2's at best.

The SR-71 did end up being shortlived because SAMs that could catch it were developed only a few years after we started flying it along Soviet borders, but when it was new there wasn't anything that could catch it as I recall, but I could be wrong about that, and also maybe they were being cautious since the whole reason the U-2 was shot down was because we (falsely) believed they didn't have radar capabilities that could detect it when it first started flying.

Mig-31 at least definitely didn't appear until much later, and the Mig-25 could only catch it on paper, since while it had been observed going over Mach 3, we would later find out it wasn't capable of sustaining that speed, whereas the SR-71 was. It's mentioned in the video I think.

@dave @alyx @RacistReimu @Nudhul
SR-71 was the ultimate fuck you in technology.
It is 50 years old, and still the fastest plane on record.

Also, 26 km high... That is ridiculous.

@dave @alyx @RacistReimu @Nudhul
Learning about cold war Russia Jets is something ridiculous.

It goes like this:
Russia develops a wunderwaffle jet.
The west is doomed.
A russian pilot just lands it on American airbase
Offers the technology in exchange for asylum.
US copies the shit.
.
.
repeat