A 12 Declassified The Lockheed A 12 Blackbird

Author : Joseph Ventolo, Jr,Jeannette Remak
Publisher : Independently Published
Page : 126 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2021-12
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 9798777267061

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A-12 Declassified The Lockheed A-12 Blackbird by Joseph Ventolo, Jr,Jeannette Remak Pdf

This is a REVISED 60th Anniversary edition of the A-12 Classified -The Lockheed A-12 Blackbird. It is updated with new photos and text. The A-12 Blackbird was the first of the high-speed reconnaissance aircraft to enter the Cold War. It was kept a deep, dark secret until the aircraft started to appear in the early 1990s at a few aviation museums, No one knew anything about the birds, except that they looked like the SR-71, but they were far from that. The A-12 Blackbird was the fastest of the Blackbirds and flew clandestine missions over North Korea, and Vietnam. this is the first book ever on the secret aircraft with information gotten from 10 years of FOIAs and research never before covered.

Author : James Goodall,Jay Miller
Publisher : Midland
Page : 136 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : SR-71 (Jet reconnaissance plane)
ISBN : 1857801385

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Lockheed's SR-71 'Blackbird' Family by James Goodall,Jay Miller Pdf

The Lockheed 'Blackbird' aircraft family is arguably the most famous in the world. Developed for the USAF as reconnaissance aircraft nearly 40 years ago, SR-71s remained the world's fastest and highest-flying production aircraft throughout their operational existence. For the first time, the stories of the development program, the General Dynamics "Kingfish" competition, the M-21 and D-21 effort, the F-12 saga, and the operational history of the A-12 and SR-71 under the auspices of the CIA and the Air Force are all covered in detail.

Author : Paul F. Crickmore
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 530 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2023-11-23
Category : History
ISBN : 9781472851406

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Lockheed Blackbird by Paul F. Crickmore Pdf

The SR-71 Blackbird is an iconic aircraft that has come to symbolize America's technological superiority during the Cold War. Using recently declassified information, globally renowned expert Paul Crickmore updates his definitive account of the aircraft. The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird ranks as one of the most elegant, sleek and powerful aeroplanes ever designed. But it was not built to be admired – it was built not to be seen at all. The high-altitude aerial reconnaissance sorties it was to perform were top secret and carefully concealed from public knowledge. However, as the aircraft have become museum pieces and details of their work declassified, the whole story of their design and operation can finally be told. This updated edition of Paul Crickmore's classic Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond the Secret Missions is based on 850 pages of documentation and images declassified by the CIA covering the A-12 Oxcart programme. These highly significant documents range from discussions at the highest levels of the US government concerning the rationale for Oxcart's development and eventual deployment, to extremely detailed intelligence data gleaned from each of the 29 operational missions flown by Oxcart during Operation Black Shield. The Blackbird family of aircraft continue to fascinate a wide age group and, since the aircraft will never fly again, its history has become timeless. This new edition will provide the last word on the SR-71 Blackbird and its operational history.

Author : Paul F. Crickmore
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 894 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2016-11-17
Category : History
ISBN : 9781472815255

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Lockheed Blackbird by Paul F. Crickmore Pdf

Using previously unpublished information, globally renowned expert Paul Crickmore builds upon his definitive account of the SR-71 Blackbird, In 1986 Paul Crickmore's first groundbreaking book about the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was published. At that time, the Cold War was at its height and the SR-71 was an integral element in securing crucial intelligence from all parts of the globe. The highly sensitive nature of its missions couldn't be compromised, and it wasn't until the end of the Cold War that the operational exploits of this incredible aeronautical masterpiece could be openly written about. As time passed has more and more information has come to light, with a vast number of official documents declassified and key military figures able to talk openly about the Blackbird programme. Paul Crickmore has used these updated facts to revise his previous history of one of the world's most iconic aircraft of all time, creating what will surely be considered the definitive, timeless volume about the SR-71 Blackbird.

Author : Jeannette Remak,Joseph Ventolo
Publisher : Zenith Press
Page : 127 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2001
Category : History
ISBN : 0760310009

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A-12 Blackbird Declassified by Jeannette Remak,Joseph Ventolo Pdf

At Mach 3.2, the A-12 Blackbird was the fastest aircraft in the world when it first flew in 1962. Four decades later, it still is. The A-12 was designed from the beginning to be a pure surveillance plane for the CIA, capable of shooting nothing but high-resolution film. It excelled in that role, although some details of its performance and missions remain classified. Now, using CIA connections and a lot of persistence, the authors used the Freedom of Information Act to unveil and declassify much of the information found in this book. Find out why the SR-71 was chosen as the successor to the A-12, and learn about the previously top-secret capabilities and missions these aircraft accomplished.

Author : Paul F. Crickmore
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 142 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2014-01-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781472801159

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Lockheed A-12 by Paul F. Crickmore Pdf

During the early years of the Cold War, the most effective way to gather strategic intelligence about the Soviet Union and its allies was manned overflight. Lockheed's U-2 was spectacularly successful in this role, however, much to the concern of US President Eisenhower, its shape meant that it could be tracked on Russian radars. Given the highly sensitive nature of such flights, the President insisted that every effort should be made to reduce to zero the U-2's radar cross section (RCS), thereby making the aircraft invisible. When this was proven to be impossible, the stage was set for a U-2 replacement. Following a competition between Lockheed and Convair, the former was declared the winner and the result was the A-12. Designed to incorporate 'stealth' features before the term was even coined, the A-12 has to date proven to be the fastest, highest flying jet aircraft ever built. This book will also cover a two-seat variation of the design built as an advanced interceptor – the YF-12.

Author : David Scott Robarge
Publisher : Government Printing Office
Page : 68 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Reconnaissance aircraft
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Archangel by David Scott Robarge Pdf

Table of Contents: From Drawing Board to Factory Floor; Lockheed's Aviation Genius; Breaking Through Technological Barriers; Full Stress Testing; Hiding OXCART in Plain Sight; Finding a Mission; A Futile Fight for Survival; References; A-12 Schematic; Timeline of OXCART Milestones; Inventory of A-12s; BLACK SHIELD Missions; The OXCART Family; Bibliography.

Author : Paul A. Suhler
Publisher : Library of Flight
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : History
ISBN : 160086712X

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From Rainbow to Gusto by Paul A. Suhler Pdf

Based on recently declassified CIA documents; Lockheed and Convair photographs, reports and technical drawings; and oral histories, memories, and interviews with the scientists and engineers involved, this is a technical history of the evolution of the Lockheed A-12 Blackbird.

Author : Jeannette Remak
Publisher : Speaking Volumes
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2024-07-03
Category : History
ISBN : 9781628157321

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Black Lightning: The Legacy of the Lockheed Blackbirds by Jeannette Remak Pdf

Black Lightning—The Legacy of the Lockheed Blackbirds Revised edition of The Archangel and the Oxcart Black Lightning—The Legacy of the Lockheed Blackbirds—brings to life the unique and mesmerizing story of Kelly Johnson’s Lockheed Blackbirds; The A-12 Cygnus, M-21/D-21 mother daughter reconnaissance drone, the YF-12 Interceptor and of course, the magnificent SR-71. As the Cold War became more deadly, the United States needed to find answers to the Soviet Union and their dangerous games. As the USSR progressed in technology, the United States had a need to know what was happening on the other side of the Iron Curtain. The "spy on the ground" was not viable anymore. The CIA had to find an answer to replace that spy. Aerial Reconnaissance in the U.S. was in trouble. The USAF was recycling its WWII methods of aerial reconnaissance. The "Silent Warriors", those who took those reconnaissance missions unbeknowest to family and many in the military itself, were crews that were becoming casualties of the USSR MiGs faster than anyone thought possible. A new answer was needed and that answer was speed. Lockheed and the CIA came up with the speed, Mach 3 speed for the first time in aerial reconnaissance and aviation history. Black Lightning—The Legacy of the Lockheed Blackbirds tells the story of the men and aircraft that covered enemy territory, alone, and unarmed. These CIA pilots and their speed hungry aircraft returned the "photographic material" for the U.S. faster than ever before. Black Lightning—The Legacy of the Lockheed Blackbirds documents the history of the fastest aircraft ever known and the men that flew them.

Author : Paul F. Crickmore
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 96 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2013-01-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781846038082

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Lockheed SR-71 Operations in the Far East by Paul F. Crickmore Pdf

Even before the first operational flight of the U-2 spy plane, aircraft designers began work on the type's replacement. The result was the SR-71. First deployed on March 9, 1968, this tri-sonic 'hotrod' flew its first operational sortie over North Vietnam just 12 days later. Thereafter, the SR-71 roamed freely, capturing photographic, radar and electronic intelligence. This book examines the impact this aircraft had, not only on North Vietnam but during the Cold War as a whole, gathering information about the Soviet nuclear submarine fleet based in Vladivostok as well as the port's defenses, monitoring the actions of North Korea and flying four 11-hour, non-stop sorties into the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq War in the late 1980s.

Author : Paul F. Crickmore
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 176 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2016-05-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9781472813176

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SR-71 Blackbird by Paul F. Crickmore Pdf

Lockheed's SR-71 Blackbird is one of the most iconic and famous jets ever built. Assembled in secret at Lockheed's Skunkworks, the Blackbird's vital statistics remain phenomenal decades later. It holds the airspeed record for a manned jet aircraft, operated at an altitude other aircraft could barely touch and was a marvel of technical engineering. Drawing on declassified material, leading SR-71 expert Paul Crickmore reveals the history of the most fascinating of aircraft, accompanied by a range of fantastic illustrations, photographs and facts about the world's most secret spy plane.

Author : David Scott Robarge
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 68 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Reconnaissance aircraft
ISBN : IND:30000124256227

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Archangel by David Scott Robarge Pdf

Author : Paul F. Crickmore
Publisher : Osprey Publishing
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2014-01-21
Category : History
ISBN : 147280113X

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Lockheed A-12 by Paul F. Crickmore Pdf

During the early years of the Cold War, the most effective way to gather strategic intelligence about the Soviet Union and its allies was manned overflight. Lockheed's U-2 was spectacularly successful in this role. Much to the concern of President Eisenhower, its shape meant that it could be tracked on Russian radars. Given the highly sensitive nature of such flights, the President insisted that every effort should be made to reduce to zero the U-2's radar cross section (RCS), thereby making the aircraft "invisible." When this was proven to be impossible, the stage was set for a U-2 replacement. Following a competition between Lockheed and Convair, the former was declared the winner and the result was the A-12. Designed to incorporate 'stealth' features before the term was even coined, the A-12 has to date proven to be the fastest, highest flying jet aircraft ever built, and is operated exclusively by the Central Intelligence Agency. This book will also cover a two-seat variation of the design built as an advanced interceptor - the YF-12. In addition, the D-21 drone programme, known as Tagboard will also be covered.

Author : Paul F. Crickmore
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 65 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2015-06-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781472804938

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Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird by Paul F. Crickmore Pdf

The SR-71 represents the very pinnacle of Cold War aircraft design and it has become an aviation icon. Together with its predecessor, the A-12, the Blackbird was a giant leap into the technical unknown and the design employed many forms of new technology made necessary by the excesses of speed, altitude and temperature to which the aircraft was subjected. Throughout its 34-year Air Force career, the SR-71 proved itself to be the world's fastest and highest flying operational manned aircraft. It set a number of world records for altitude and speed, including an absolute altitude record of 85,069ft on 28 July 1974, and an absolute speed record of 2,193.2mph the same day. This truly was a unique and ground-breaking aircraft, whose fascinating design history is explored here in full and illuminated with photographs and detailed technical illustrations.

Author : Tony R. Landis
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2012-03
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1580072054

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Lockheed Blackbird Family by Tony R. Landis Pdf

The photos in this edition are black and white. Still the world's most popular and most exciting aircraft, the Lockheed family of A-12, YF-12, D-21/M-21, and SR-71 Blackbirds are to this day the highest-performance jet-powered airplanes ever flown. They have set numerous world speed and altitude records for manned aircraft powered by air-breathing engines that theoretically may never be broken. Although no longer operational, A-12s and SR-71s flew for nearly three decades at speeds in excess of Mach 3 and altitudes of up to 90,000 feet. Expanding on the successful sales of all Specialty Press Blackbird publications is this natural extension of our product line created by compiling many never-before-published photos coupled with new de-classified information recently released by the CIA, including black-and-white of A-12 cockpits, early camera installations, and never-before-seen special camouflage schemes. The photos in this edition are black and white.