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Aviation Week reports that NASA approached former SR-71A test staffers about helping with work on Tail No. 844, an aircraft removed from display at Edwards. NASA has not confirmed that it plans to return the Blackbird to flight, and former staffers cite major technical and supply challenges.
NASA approached former SR-71A test staff about work on Tail No. 844, a retired Blackbird that the agency removed from display at California’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, Aviation Week reported. The aircraft has not flown since 1999, and NASA has not confirmed a plan to return it to flight.
Mike Relja, a retired former Air Force and NASA test engineer who worked on the SR-71A, told Aviation Week that NASA special projects director David Ash asked him to lend his expertise to a secret effort involving the aircraft. Aviation Week said it independently confirmed that NASA offered jobs to Relja, former NASA test engineer Tim Conners and other former staffers over the summer. Relja said that by the time Ash contacted him in August, crews were working on the aircraft inside a hangar at Edwards Air Force Base.
Commercial satellite imagery reviewed by Aviation Week indicates that Tail No. 844 was taken down from its display pole early this year, before May 17 and possibly before April. Relja said NASA employees moved it into a hangar that had housed the Space Shuttle, where the aircraft was inspected. Tail No. 844 had been on display since October 1999, the date associated with its final flight and the last flight of a Blackbird.
The effort drew wider attention after NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman showed an image of a new X-plane at the All-In Summit in Los Angeles, held Sept. 12–14. The image’s outline resembled the SR-71. Isaacman spoke of rebuilding NASA’s X-plane fleet, but the agency spokesperson declined to connect those remarks to Tail No. 844 or explain why it had been removed. NASA told Aviation Week it had no additional information about the aircraft.
The Scale of an SR-71 Restart
A return to flight would involve more than repairing an old aircraft. Relja described an airframe that spent nearly 27 years outdoors and raised concerns about water and sand inside its cavities, as well as engines that may not have been lubricated or rotated since the final flight. He said the aircraft’s spare engine had also been sitting for decades. These are concerns raised by a former engineer, not findings NASA has publicly released.
Relja also described missing equipment and supplies that once supported the Blackbird fleet. He said specialized carts were needed to raise the wing, remove engines and handle other maintenance tasks. The aircraft also relied on JP-7 fuel, triethylborane ignition chemical, and specific oils and hydraulic fluids. If NASA is seeking to fly Tail No. 844, restoring the necessary equipment, materials and expertise could shape the cost and feasibility of the work.
The reported project would sit within a broader push by NASA leadership to renew aeronautics research and develop experimental aircraft. Isaacman said NASA was rebuilding its X-plane fleet. Whether Tail No. 844 is part of that effort, a separate project or simply undergoing inspection remains unconfirmed.
Tail No. 844 at Edwards
The SR-71 was designed for high-speed, high-altitude flight, and NASA operated Blackbirds for research after their military service. Tail No. 844 was displayed at the Armstrong Flight Research Center, located at Edwards Air Force Base in California, for nearly 27 years after its last flight. Aviation Week reported that the aircraft was taken down early this year and moved into a hangar.
The source report also points to a 2007 decision by the Air Force and NASA to destroy a reported $600 million supply of spare parts for the Blackbird fleet. That stockpile is no longer available to support a restart, according to the report. The aircraft’s age, long period out of service and the loss of dedicated parts and ground equipment provide context for Relja’s concerns about what a return to flight could require.
““I do know they’ve got people working on it.””
— Mike Relja, speaking to Aviation Week
NASA Has Not Confirmed a Flight Plan
NASA has not publicly confirmed that it is trying to return Tail No. 844 to flight. The job offers and work inside the hangar are reported by Aviation Week, including accounts from former staff; the agency has not described the project’s purpose, scope or status. Isaacman’s X-plane remarks did not identify the SR-71A as the aircraft in the image.
It is also unclear what work crews have completed, what equipment or replacement parts NASA has secured, and whether the aircraft’s engines and airframe can be made airworthy. Relja cited possible contamination, long-idle engines and unavailable support equipment, but NASA has not released an inspection report or technical assessment. No schedule, cost estimate or intended flight date has been made public.
Awaiting NASA’s Project Details
The next concrete information would need to come from NASA: whether Tail No. 844 is being prepared to fly, what research purpose the work would serve, and what technical and logistical steps remain. The agency has not announced a milestone or timeline. For now, the removal of the aircraft and reported outreach to former staff point to activity around the Blackbird, while its intended destination remains unknown.
Key Questions
Has NASA confirmed that it will fly the SR-71A again?
No. NASA has not confirmed a return-to-flight plan for Tail No. 844 and told Aviation Week it had no additional information about the aircraft.
What happened to Tail No. 844?
Aviation Week reported that NASA removed the aircraft from its display pole at Armstrong Flight Research Center early this year and moved it into a hangar at Edwards Air Force Base.
Why could returning the aircraft to flight be difficult?
Former test engineer Mike Relja cited the aircraft’s long time out of service, possible water and sand inside the airframe, engines idle for decades, and missing specialized equipment and supplies. NASA has not published its own technical assessment.
Did NASA identify the SR-71 as its new X-plane?
No. Administrator Jared Isaacman discussed rebuilding NASA’s X-plane fleet and showed an image that prompted speculation, but NASA has not said the image or remarks concerned Tail No. 844.
Source: hn
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