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The Blackbird airplane was designed to achieve cruising speeds above Mach 3, the highest and fastest humans have ever flown without rocket propulsion. To accomplish this, the plane had to run with afterburners on all the time, requiring a tremendous amount of fuel and producing intense heat. The entire plane was built out of titanium, a material never before used in aircraft construction, which had to be sourced from mines in the Soviet Union. Machining titanium required specially made tools, as regular tools would be damaged. The plane had panel gaps to accommodate for expansion due to high temperatures, and the skin of the aircraft also served as the fuel tank, causing fuel leakage while on the ground. This issue was resolved by creating a custom fuel that was not flammable on the ground. Despite its groundbreaking design, the Air Force had difficulties operating the Blackbird.
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