Why was the sr-71 retired?

Answer 1

The SR-71 Blackbird was retired in 1989 due to the cost, as the planes would have to be refueled in flight and was costlier in upkeep compared to reconnaissance satellites. There was also a lot of secrecy surrounding the project allowed people to discredit the airplane. In 1994 congress set up $100 million for reactivation. The Air Force went against this as they wanted the money to go to different programs and in 1997 Bill Clinton did a single line veto to remove the money set up for the SR-71. This was later deemed unconstitutional but in 1998 the Air Force redistributed the funds to other programs and retired the SR-71 blackbird permanently except for the two that NASA retained. Improved technology resulted in great improvements in photos taken by Satellites. There is no risk to a crew when a satellite is used.