The US Military Destroyed $600,000,000 in SR-71 Blackbird Parts After Retirement, the Jet Needs 300 Hours of Maintenance per Flight Hour, and NASA Still Wants to Fly One

NASA still wants to fly an SR-71 again, but major hurdles remain. Mike Relja, who helped keep an SR-71A flying for NASA, told Aviation Week that he doubted the effort could “get there from here,” pointing to the lack of equipment and the condition of aircraft after years outdoors. In the report, a NASA spokesperson declined to share additional details. The article also lays out a separate path for the F-14: legislation known as the “Maverick Act,” introduced by Sen. Tim Sheehy and co-sponsored by Sen. Mark Kelly, passed by unanimous consent on April 28, 2026, and would transfer three F-14Ds to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, with one potentially made flyable.