SR-71 MAYDAY ?- The Swedish Fighters That Saved Them

SR-71 in Trouble: When Sweden Came to the Rescue

On June 29, 1987, at the height of the Cold War, an SR-71 Blackbird flying a reconnaissance mission over the Baltic experienced an inflight emergency that suddenly transformed one of the world's fastest and most elusive aircraft into something almost unimaginable:

A vulnerable Blackbird.

In this special Old Fly Guy interview from Duxford, former SR-71 Reconnaissance Systems Officer Tom Veltri takes us inside that extraordinary mission—and we're joined by Swedish Air Force Colonel Per-Olof Eldh, providing a Swedish perspective on a remarkable Cold War aviation story.

Tom and pilot Duane Noll were flying a regular Baltic Express reconnaissance mission when the SR-71 suffered an engine failure. The Blackbird descended rapidly to approximately 25,000 feet, losing the altitude and speed that normally helped keep it beyond the reach of potential threats.

Suddenly, the crew was confronting the possibility that their highly sensitive reconnaissance aircraft could become vulnerable to interception.

Tom recalls that if hostile fighters attacked, their plan was essentially to point the aircraft down and eject rather than allow the Blackbird to fall into Soviet hands.

Then Tom spotted aircraft approaching from the east.

At first, the SR-71 crew didn't know who they were.

They turned out to be Swedish Air Force Saab JA 37 Viggens.

Two pairs of Swedish Viggens intercepted the crippled SR-71. After assessing that the Blackbird was experiencing an emergency, the Swedish pilots provided protection against potential threats and helped escort the aircraft beyond Swedish territorial boundaries so that it could safely recover. More than three decades later, the U.S. Air Force formally recognized the Swedish pilots' actions with Air Medals.