I wonder if they could use it as a testbed for launching hypersonic ramjet-driven weapons. Wasn’t designed for that, but it’d be an application where survivability in enemy space wouldn’t matter, they wouldn’t need many, and speed would be important. searches It sounds like there were plans for a plane that filled something along the lines of that role: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_SR-72 The Lockheed Martin SR-72, commonly referred to as “Son of Blackbird”,[1] is an American hypersonic concept intended for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). It was proposed privately in 2013 by Lockheed Martin as a successor to the retired Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. In November 2018, Lockheed Martin reported that a prototype of the SR-72 was scheduled to fly by 2025 and would be equipped to launch hypersonic missiles.[26] As of 2026 no such prototype has been launched.[27] The SR-72 could enter service in the 2030s.[28] In September 2026, Jared Isaacman, Administrator of NASA, during his presentation, “A New Era for NASA and American Space Exploration” at the All-In Summit he mentioned rebuilding NASA’s X-Plane portfolio. On the slideshow, it shows a image of a unknown plane similar to the SR-71 Blackbird.[29][30]