MontImageMedia - In Memoriam
An artist's impression of the SR-71/A-12 Oxcart. The numbers show that the A-12 was a little faster and could climb a little higher than the SR-71.
Most people, when shown a picture of an A-12 identify it as an SR-71", if there was any recognition at all on their part. But they would be wrong. Few are able to note the differences between the two craft at any distance, but the differences are significant.
The A-12 was born in absolute secrecy at the end of the 1950s to replace the U-2 which had become vulnerable to Soviet SAM defenses. Fifteen Lockheed A-12s were built.
Officially, the program was known as Oxcart, a misnomer if ever there was one. Since no self-respecting pilot wanted to fly something as un-sexy as an "Oxcart", Lockheed unofficially dubbed them "Cygnus", named after the constellation of Cygnus the swan.
The choice of venue in which to test fly this state-of-the-art plane was simple. The CIA was already in place at Groom Lake, Nevada where it test flew the U-2. The first A-12 lifted off from Groom on April 26, 1962. This is absolutely amazing technology at the time that even today is still the fastest plane ever deployed for combat. Of the 15 A-12s that were built, 9 remain, scattered in museums across the country.
An SR-71 was nothing to sneeze at. It flew close to the same speed and height as the A-12, and seated two instead of the A-12's single, overworked occupant. But it just didn't have the same charisma as its sneaky black older brother. The SR-71 was publicly announced in late 1964, prior to its first flight. The A-12s had already been zipping around for two years! And although much remained classified about the SR-71, it was still very much in the public eye.
The A-12 program was just the opposite, hiding out at Groom Lake (with occasional overseas postings) until the program was finally closed down in June of 1968. The burdens of running both the A-12 and SR-71 programs were just proving too costly. Besides, the Air Force wasn't too pleased that the CIA was in the spy plane business and wanted to keep all that Mach 3 stuff to themselves. But even though the project was shut down in 1968, the surviving A-12s were put in secret storage, and the project remained classified until 1981!
The numbers show that the A-12 was a little faster and could climb a little higher than the SR-71. It was, after all, a significantly lighter aircraft. Of course, the A-12 couldn't carry as much fuel, and its sensor payload was less, but an A-12 was spared the need for a 2-man crew. Overall, the two craft are more alike than they are different.
An artist's impression of the SR-71/A-12 Oxcart. The numbers show that the A-12 was a little faster and could climb a little higher than the SR-71.
Most people, when shown a picture of an A-12 identify it as an SR-71", if there was any recognition at all on their part. But they would be wrong. Few are able to note the differences between the two craft at any distance, but the differences are significant.
The A-12 was born in absolute secrecy at the end of the 1950s to replace the U-2 which had become vulnerable to Soviet SAM defenses. Fifteen Lockheed A-12s were built.
Officially, the program was known as Oxcart, a misnomer if ever there was one. Since no self-respecting pilot wanted to fly something as un-sexy as an "Oxcart", Lockheed unofficially dubbed them "Cygnus", named after the constellation of Cygnus the swan.
The choice of venue in which to test fly this state-of-the-art plane was simple. The CIA was already in place at Groom Lake, Nevada where it test flew the U-2. The first A-12 lifted off from Groom on April 26, 1962. This is absolutely amazing technology at the time that even today is still the fastest plane ever deployed for combat. Of the 15 A-12s that were built, 9 remain, scattered in museums across the country.
An SR-71 was nothing to sneeze at. It flew close to the same speed and height as the A-12, and seated two instead of the A-12's single, overworked occupant. But it just didn't have the same charisma as its sneaky black older brother. The SR-71 was publicly announced in late 1964, prior to its first flight. The A-12s had already been zipping around for two years! And although much remained classified about the SR-71, it was still very much in the public eye.
The A-12 program was just the opposite, hiding out at Groom Lake (with occasional overseas postings) until the program was finally closed down in June of 1968. The burdens of running both the A-12 and SR-71 programs were just proving too costly. Besides, the Air Force wasn't too pleased that the CIA was in the spy plane business and wanted to keep all that Mach 3 stuff to themselves. But even though the project was shut down in 1968, the surviving A-12s were put in secret storage, and the project remained classified until 1981!
The numbers show that the A-12 was a little faster and could climb a little higher than the SR-71. It was, after all, a significantly lighter aircraft. Of course, the A-12 couldn't carry as much fuel, and its sensor payload was less, but an A-12 was spared the need for a 2-man crew. Overall, the two craft are more alike than they are different.