Why F-15 Radars Deleted The SR-71 Blackbird As Invalid Clutter During 'Eagle Bait' Sorties

F-15 radars were part of the reason the SR-71 Blackbird was treated as “invalid clutter” during U.S. Air Force “Eagle Bait” training sorties. The SR-71, which first flew on December 22, 1964 and entered service in January 1966 with the 4200th (later 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, flew at 80,000–85,000 feet to gather intelligence. It surveyed about 100,000 square miles per hour, cruised at Mach 3 continuously, and reached Mach 3.32 on July 17, 1976. Despite being fired at more than 4,000 times, it recorded no hits, while consuming around 12,000 gallons of JP-7 in a typical 90-minute flight.