Time and again, the airplane and its counter-measure equipment proved their worth over North Vietnam, Cuba, and northern Russia. But mostly we could just outspeed any homing missile that would have to be led at least thirty miles ahead of its target to reach the Blackbird’s altitude of sixteen miles high and at 2,000 mph–plus speeds. Most missiles exploded harmlessly two to five miles behind the streaking SR-71. Often the crew was not even aware they had been fired upon.
