
mustang65 wrote:why was mach 3.17 the max scheduled cruise speed for the Blackbird?
MAX is beyond which things become damaged or begin to break.
CRUISE is where you get the best speed versus fuel consumption, versus altitude, versus range.
Max is what you COULD do, Cruise is what you SHOULD do for the best mission profile.
Give up on the 'what if' thing concerning the periscope. If it had needed one, it would have had one.
TEG