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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The US military did a study of the Vietnam War, and looked at real combat data from fights with peer level aircraft, as the viet cong got a ton of gear from Russia, including pilots sometimes. They found that after 13000 engagements, only 20 exceeded Mach 1.6. The rest took place way slower, so the military doesn’t need to have the higher speed. Its just added cost and omplexity, and we can use that money for things like better tech integration or stealth. Thus, no more turboramjets. They’re expensive, a pain in the ass to maintain, and they scratch an itch that’s not applicable.
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