I understand the SR-71 had to deal with a lot of issues in order to keep its speed (special fuel which leaked on the runway, titanium fuselage and probably other stuff). But wouldn’t the same type of engine be able to power a relatively slower fighter jet capable of easily cruise at match 2-2.5, so it doesn’t have to deal with so much friction as the SR-71 at match 3.
But while the engines exist since the 1960s, relatively few fighters go faster than match 2 and it took all the way to the 21st century to have fighters capable of supercruise (and still below match 2). So I guess there has to be a reason for that.
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Nothing needs to go that fast anymore
The SR71 worked really hard to do ~2000 mph to go spy on specific stuff for a couple minutes.
But it turns out to be way easier to get a bunch of spy satellites to orbit the Earth at ~17,200 mph and spy on everything, all the time, for years and years at a time, without refueling or risking the life of an airman.
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