A-12 Oxcart

Skunk Works Director Ben Rich recalls when CIA financed the A-12 Oxcart with secret funds and back-door payments to Lockheed with personal checks to Kelly Johnson for more than $1 million

Skunk Works Director Ben Rich recalls when CIA financed the A-12 Oxcart with secret funds and back-door payments to Lockheed with personal checks to Kelly Johnson for more than $1 million

‘Everything about the A-12 Oxcart program was dark alley, cloak and dagger. Even the way they financed the operation was… Read More

2 months ago

Two Blackbird Mach 3 Spy Planes were Hit by North Vietnamese Air Defenses: one A-12 was hit with shrapnel, another Oxcart was damaged by SAM debris

How close did a Blackbird Mach 3 spy plane ever come to being shot down? The iconic SR-71 Blackbird spy… Read More

2 months ago

CIA engineer recalls when specks of insects hoisted from atomic tests in Russia and China were found on an A-12 windshield after an Oxcart mission

‘We had the specks lab tested, and they turned out to be organic material—insects that had been injected into the… Read More

2 months ago

Before the D-21 the A-12 had to be used as carrier for the Starfighter. The story of the M-21/QF-104 that never was.

By 1962 Kelly Johnson had done at least a few studies on using the A-12 as a carrier for a… Read More

3 months ago

The story of the A-12CB, the Oxcart Carrier Based Mach 3 Spy Plane that never was

The A-12CB (Carrier Based) was a minor study for a major change in operations for the Oxcart: flight to and… Read More

4 months ago

Former USAF Master Sergeant reveals the Fastest Speed ever Recorded by a Lockheed Blackbird

A-12 pilot Jim Eastham dropped the nose down a bit to see if he could at least reach Mach 3.0.… Read More

6 months ago

Last of only six pilots to fly the A-12 for the CIA legendary Oxcart program passed away

Frank Murray, the last of only six pilots to fly the A-12 for the CIA legendary Oxcart program, passed away… Read More

6 months ago

Here’s why SR-71 Blackbird Tires were Silver and why were Changed after 10 Takeoffs

Even though the tires could last for approximately 15 full-stop landings SR-71 Blackbird tires were changed after 10 takeoffs. CLICK… Read More

6 months ago

Ghosts of Groom Lake: the story of the F-101 Voodoo aircraft tasked to support the then top-secret A-12 program test flights at Area 51

In addition to their A-12 chase and training duties, these F-101 Voodoos were tasked with the interception of any unauthorized… Read More

7 months ago

Did you know? To keep the A-12 project secret CIA stored in boxes Oxcart spy planes and moved them from Skunk Works production site to Area 51

Since the CIA wanted to keep the A-12 project secret, it determined that the Oxcart could not be tested at… Read More

7 months ago

Here’s What’s Probably the Slowest Speed Ever Recorded by a Lockheed Blackbird

The backseater later indicated slow speed of 155 knots, pilot saw 152 knots or 175 mph. The SR-71 at that… Read More

7 months ago

SR-71 Vs A-12: project Nice Girl, the recon fly off between the Blackbird and the Oxcart and why the SR-71 was chosen over the A-12

From Oct. 20 to Nov. 3, 1967 the A-12 and the SR-71 were pitted against each other in a recon… Read More

8 months ago

Sec. of Defense McNamara canceled the YF-12 Blackbird program to fund the F-106X Mach 5 Interceptor. Then he canceled the F-106X program too.

Even though the USAF ordered 93 YF-12 aircraft and had an initial budget of $90 million to further testing, this… Read More

10 months ago

After an A-12 flight specks of insects hoisted from the atomic test explosions in Russia and China were found on the Oxcart windshield

‘A weird thing was that after a (A-12) flight the windshields often were pitted with tiny black dots, like burn… Read More

1 year ago

Here’s why the Lockheed A-12 Oxcart was the first stealth aircraft

The A-12 represented Lockheed’s initial efforts at developing a spy plane capable of evading enemy detection and anti-aircraft fire. It… Read More

1 year ago

Did you know SR-71 Blackbird Mach 3 spy plane’s titanium parts made in summer corroded while those made in winter didn’t? Here’s why.

SR-71 Blackbird engineers had a perplexing problem: why some of the aircraft’s titanium corroded? The SR-71, the most advanced member… Read More

2 years ago

The Fastest known Speed ever Recorded by a Lockheed Blackbird

When talking about the Lockheed Blackbird family probably the most frequently asked Blackbird question is-how how fast does it really… Read More

2 years ago
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