The SR-71 Blackbird (ブラックバード,, Burakkubādo) is a long-range, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. Developed by Lockheed Martin, it can reach speeds of up to Mach 3.3 (2,550 Mph) and an altitude of 25km (85,000 Ft). The SR-71 Blackbird appears in Hellsing: Volume 5 and Hellsing: Ultimate IV respectively.

Profile

The SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance vehicle is a now retired high-speed and high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. Developed by Lockheed Martin, its first flight was in 1964. It was retired by NASA in 1999. The Blackbird is still the fastest plane with air-breathing engines that has ever flown and served an important role in history as a spy plane.

The one used by Alucard was one of the two SR-71 reconnaissance jets retired from service by the U.S. military and sold to the RAF'S R&D Department. The plane itself, though of American origin, was extensively modified by the RAF after they acquired it. Stripped of virtually all of its sensory equipment and reduced to a single-seated aircraft, the RAF's SR-71's modifications were intended specifically to turn the former spy plane into an aircraft designed to, as one RAF officer put it, "rewrite speed records", and an airplane designed for "personal use". ^[1]

Shortly after its acquisition by Hellsing, the SR-71's main tail fin was painted with an image of a cartoon bat, bearing the words "Hellsing. We are on a mission from God."^[2]

Usage

Following the hijacking of the HMS Eagle aircraft carrier by Millennium operative Rip van Winkle and her unit, Alucard used a SR-71 Blackbird that Integra Hellsing borrowed from Imperial War Museum Duxford (a real-life plane with AF serial number 61-7962) as a means to get him aboard the Eagle. Due to its speed and high-flying capabilities, Alucard was able to approach the Eagle at a height far outside the range of any anti-aircraft ordinance that the vessel possessed. After positioning the aircraft directly above the ship, Alucard sent it into a nosedive, intending to ram straight into the Eagle.

During its descent, the SR-71 took several hits from the Eagle's anti-air defenses once it finally got into range, including Rip van Winkle's magic bullets. However, Alucard used his powers to hold the plane together long enough for it to crash into the deck of the ship. The impact set both the deck and the SR-71 itself alight, and killed many of the Millennium soldiers. Miraculously, the SR-71 somehow managed to remain structurally intact instead of disintegrating upon impact with the Eagle. The former's shape and vertical orientation, coupled with the fact that the nose had buried itself in the Eagle's flight deck, made it appear as a fiery cross.

Due to the damage it had suffered, Alucard was unable to use the SR-71 to return to England, effectively trapping him on the Eagle - instead, he then used his powers to slowly pilot the ship back to London. During the trip, the charred remains of the SR-71 remained sticking out of the deck like a cross. When Alucard unleashed his full power, the SR-71 fell apart to expose the vampire's coffin within its fuselage.^[3]

References