Photographing Soviet Nukes.

In 1981, an SR-71 Blackbird crew flew one of the most dangerous missions of the Cold War: the "Baltic Express." Their goal was to deliberately provoke Soviet air defenses and capture detailed photographs of the top-secret Northern Fleet naval base at Severomorsk on the Kola Peninsula.

Flying at Mach 3.3 and 85,000 feet, the Blackbird was tracked by radar and even engaged by SA-5 Gammon surface-to-air missiles. But thanks to its incredible speed and altitude, it completed the mission without a scratch, bringing back intelligence that proved vital to NATO.

This is the story of how the world's fastest spy plane helped keep the Cold War from turning hot.

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Видео Photographing Soviet Nukes. канала Combat Airpower