The Revell 1/48 Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird from our 1/48 scale aircraft model kits range accurately recreates a real-life US supersonic stealth reconnaissance aircraft. This plastic model kit requires paint and glue to complete.The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporation. It was operated by both the United States Air Force and NASA.After a Soviet surface-to-air missile battery showdown with a USAF U-2 spy plane near the closed city of Sverdlovsk in 1960, the US government realised they needed a reconnaissance plane that could fly even higher and outrun any missile and fighter launched against it.The answer was the SR-71 Blackbird. It was closer to a spaceship than an aircraft, made of titanium to withstand the enormous temperatures from flying at 2,200mph (3,540kph). Its futuristic profile made it difficult to detect on radar even the black paint used, full of radar-absorbing iron, helped hide it.Manufacturer: Revell Model: 04967 Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird Scale: 1/48