An air-to-air left front view of an A-12 (60-6932) with spurious US Air Force markings. This aircraft was lost over South China Sea on 6 Jume 1968. Photo: Defense Visual Information Center (DVIC).
The A-12 is the pride of the CIA and everyone associated with it, as it should be. You should be proud that the A-12 can be installed in Langley. We risked our lives and careers daily for the success of the A-12. It was an amazing success due greatly to the CIA management.” — Colonel Ken Collins, USAF, Ret. (A-12 Test Pilot, “Dutch 21”; SR-71 Test Pilot and Instructor Pilot).
The A-12, codenamed OXCART, was a top-secret spy plane that was designed to fly faster and higher than any other aircraft in the world. It was developed in the late 1950s as a successor to the U-2. A U-2 piloted by Francis Gary Power was shot down by the Soviet Air Defense Force while conducting photographic aerial reconnaissance over the Soviet Union in 1960. The A-12 could reach speeds of over Mach 3 and altitudes of over 90,000 feet, making it virtually invulnerable to enemy defenses. It was equipped with a sophisticated camera system that could capture high-resolution images of targets on the ground.
The A-12 had its origins in the CIA’s Project GUSTO. Project GUSTO was a secret program that aimed to develop a new reconnaissance aircraft to replace the U-2 spy plane. The project started in 1957 and involved several competing designs from aircraft manufacturers Lockheed and Convair. The project was led by Edwin H. Land, the inventor of the Polaroid camera. The main criteria for the new aircraft were high speed, high altitude, and low radar visibility.
One of the most advanced designs from Project GUSTO was the Convair Kingfish, a supersonic lifting body aircraft that could fly at over 90,000 feet and Mach 3. The Kingfish competed with the Lockheed A-12 for the final contract. However, the CIA chose the A-12 over the Kingfish in 1959, mainly because of its lower radar cross-section and higher performance. The A-12 became operational in 1965. It was the precursor of the SR-71 Blackbird, a similar aircraft that was used by the US Air Force until 1998.
The A-12 was developed at the Lockheed Skunk Works, the official pseudonym for Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Programs (ADP), formerly called Lockheed Advanced Development Projects. It was developed under the direction of engineer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, who had also designed the U-2. It was designated the A-12, since the aircraft was the 12th in a series of design efforts for “Archangel”, the aircraft series internal codename. The A-12 was given the codename OXCART, which was a random name selected by the project manager. He looked at a list of names and said why don’t we assign one of the slowest means of transportation, an oxcart, to one of the fastest.
The project faced many technical challenges, such as finding suitable materials, engines, fuel, navigation, and stealth technologies for the extreme conditions of the flight. The A-12 was made mostly of titanium, a rare and expensive metal that was resistant to high temperatures and pressures. It also had a special black paint that absorbed radar waves and reduced its visibility.
The A-12 was tested by a team of CIA and Lockheed pilots at a highly classified US Air Force facility, commonly referred to as Area 51, in Nevada. The first flight took place on 26 April 1962, and the plane was declared operational in 1965. The testing process involved many trials and errors, as well as some accidents and fatalities. The pilots had to wear special pressure suits and helmets to prevent the water in the body from boiling at the high altitude and protect the pilots from low temperatures and high G-forces. The testing also required constant modifications and improvements to the plane’s design and performance.
Some of the design improvements that were made to the A-12 included adding chines (sharp edges along the fuselage) to improve aerodynamics and reduce radar cross-section; installing two inlet cones (spike-shaped devices at the front of each engine) to control airflow and prevent engine unstarts (loss of thrust due to shock waves); replacing some titanium parts with lighter composite materials to reduce weight and increase speed; adding a liquid nitrogen cooling system to reduce the infrared signature of the exhaust plumes; installing an electronic warfare system to jam enemy radars and missiles; and adding a horizon sensor to help with navigation at high altitudes.
However, by the time the A-12 was ready for operation, its mission had changed. The original plan was to use it for overflights of the Soviet Union and other hostile countries, but after the U-2 incident, such flights were too risky and politically sensitive. Instead, the A-12 was deployed to Asia, where it flew reconnaissance missions over Vietnam, China, and North Korea from 1967 to 1968. These missions were codenamed BLACK SHIELD and provided valuable intelligence for the US military.
The A-12’s career was short-lived, however. It faced competition from satellites, which could take images from space without violating any airspace or risking any pilots. It also faced competition from the US Air Force, which had developed its own version of the plane, called the SR-71 Blackbird, also built by Lockheed. The SR-71 was similar to the A-12 but had some modifications, such as a longer fuselage and a second seat for a navigator. The SR-71 was also more public and less secretive than the A-12 which remained classified until 1981. In 1968, President Johnson ordered the retirement of the A-12 OXCART program, ending its remarkable history. The CIA lost two pilots flying the A-12, both of whom are on the Memorial Wall at CIA Headquarters.
A total of 18 aircraft were built during the program’s run, including 15 A-12s. Three pre-production prototype YF-12A interceptors and two remotely piloted D-21 supersonic reconnaissance drones were also built for the US Air Force, but they were not funded under the OXCART program.
The A-12 was one of the most advanced and innovative aircraft ever built. It set records for speed and altitude that have never been broken by any piloted jet aircraft. It also contributed to the development of stealth technology and aerospace engineering. Today, nine of the 15 A-12s that were built are on display at various museums across the US. One of them is located at the CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, where it serves as a symbol of the agency’s achievements and challenges during the Cold War. Its official unveiling took place on 19 September 2007, as part of the CIA’s 60th anniversary celebration.,
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