The Lockheed A-12 is a retired high-altitude, Mach 3+ reconnaissance aircraft built for the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) by Lockheed 's Skunk Works, based on the designs of Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. CIA developed the highly secret A-12 OXCART as the U-2's successor, intended to meet the nation's need for a very fast, very high-flying reconnaissance aircraft that could avoid Soviet air defenses. CIA awarded the OXCART contract to Lockheed (builder of the U-2) in 1959.
A12 Oxcart Artist Rendition
CIA developed the highly secret A-12 OXCART (above right) as the U-2 spy plane's successor, intended to meet the nation's need for a very fast, very high-flying reconnaissance aircraft that could avoid Soviet air defenses. It became operational on November 12, 1965. About the A-12 OXCART CIA developed the highly secret A-12 OXCART as the U-2 spy plane's successor, intended to meet the nation's need for a very fast, very high-flying reconnaissance aircraft that could avoid Soviet air defenses. CIA awarded the OXCART contract to Lockheed (builder of the U-2) in 1959. Unlike the later USAF YF-12A and SR-71, the A-12 Oxcart was a single seat aircraft, with the exception of one two-seat trainer version of the A-12, aircraft #60-6927, named the "Titanium. The story of the A-12 pilot that bailed out safely from his Oxcart after it went into a flat inverted spin By Dario Leone Aug 4 2018 "In a matter of seconds, all hell broke out. Without any warning the A-12 pitched up and went into a flat inverted spin," Ken Collins, A-12 test pilot
Lockheed A12 Oxcart
The best known version of the A-12 (right) is the SR‑71 Blackbird (left), whose nickname has become eponymous with the entire set of OXCART variants. In December 1962, the Air Force ordered six "reconnaissance/strike" aircraft for high-speed, high-altitude flights over hostile territory after a nuclear attack—hence its original designator RS. The beginning design of the CIA's A-12 was in 1959 so this was truly the genesis of stealth. This was carried on with the SR-71. On Apr. 26, 1962, the top secret A-12 "Oxcart" made its first flight at a non-existent airfield in Nevada. The aircraft, codenamed "Article 121", began oscillating badly in the air and disappeared into a. The A-12 is a high-speed, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft created by the Lockheed Skunk Works division for the CIA under the Oxcart program in the earl. Step onto the CIA campus and learn about the A-12 Oxcart.Learn more about how the A-12 outran the enemy: https://youtu.be/p2RmWP0yynILearn more about the dif.
A12 Oxcart The CIA's Mach 3.3 Spy Plane Was a Speed Demon 19FortyFive
The A-12 Oxcart at Area 51. Since 1955, America's most secret aircraft projects have been tested at Area 51, a top-secret military installation hidden in the desert northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada.The location is Groom Lake, known among crews and workers of the time as "The Ranch." CIA awarded the OXCART contract for the creation of the A-12 to Lockheed Martin in 1959, and the aircraft achieved full operational readiness in November 1965. During testing, the A-12 reached a speed of Mach 3.29 (over 2,200 mph) and an altitude of 90,000 feet, [iii] and in doing so, set an unbroken record for piloted jet aircraft. [iv]
The A-12 is the clandestine forerunner of the famous SR-71 Blackbird. The aircraft were nearly the same shape and dimensions. Both are over 100 feet long with a 55-foot wingspan, and weighed in between 120,000 (54,431kg) and 140,000 pounds (63,503kg) when fully fueled. The A-12 Oxcart was the predecessor to the SR-71 Blackbird. For a brief period of time, the CIA flew the A-12, which Lockheed's Skunk Works developed in secret. We often hear tales of people.
A12 Oxcart UltimateJets
Codenamed OXCART, the A-12 was a true feat of aviation engineering. Watch to learn more about the groundbreaking aircraft. The newly declassified material will provide researchers on aviation and intelligence with significant additional detail about the design and development of the A-12 -- still the fastest and highest flying piloted operational jet aircraft ever built -- and its use as an intelligence collection platform in East Asia. Printer-friendly version
