Print, "Poking the Northern Bear at 85,000 Feet"

SR-71A Print 11 x 14, 
“Poking the Northern Bear at 85,000 Feet”
Original is Oil on Canvas, 24” x 36”, Completed 2/22/2022
Awarded First place, ASAA 2022 Savanna Conference, currently on display in their gallery. 
Science and Technology Division
Artist Rod Lees
Heading northeast over “The Wash” in Norfolk, UK on an early morning sortie in late 1984, Strategic Air Command Detachment 4’s SR-71A reconnaissance aircraft provided NATO and US Command authorities vial information on the Soviet North Fleet and other operations during the height of the Cold War.  Cruising out to an assigned track over the Baltic Sea, the SR-71 was able to capture data far inland from an international-neutral off-shore position.  The launch and departure of the “Sled” was never truly a secret; due to its rocket-like noise signature, no chicken or human could remain asleep in East Anglia during execution of these high-profile missions.  
 
Image copyright Rodzart July 2022