The USAF ordered 93 F-12B Blackbird Mach 3+ Interceptors, each of which was equipped with three Hughes AIM-47A Falcon air-to-air missiles in secure compartments at the fuselage’s bottom
On February 29, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson made the top-secret Lockheed YF-12A, a Mach 3+ interceptor created by Clarence L. “Kelly” Johnson’s “Skunk Works,” publicly known. The interceptor was referred to as the “A-11” by President Johnson.
The YF-12A interceptor shares a lot of similarities with the A-12 Oxcart and SR-71A Blackbird. It is a large delta-wing aircraft with twin engines, piloted by a weapons system operator. The crew of the F-12 wears S901F full-pressure suits made by the David Clark Company due to the altitudes at which it travels.
A YF 12 was sought after by the media following Johnson’s statement. To witness it, they went to Edwards Air Force Base. Since he had just arrived from Groom Lake, Area 51, the airplane was still hot. Johnson announced the YF-12 in part to conceal the CIA’s A-12.
The US Air Force (USAF) ordered 93 F-12B production aircraft, which would have been outfitted with three Hughes AIM-47A Falcon air-to-air missiles in secure bays at the bottom of the fuselage, according to This Day in Aviation. But for three years in a row, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara refused to release the funds for the acquisition, leading to the eventual cancellation of the project. Even though the F-12 interceptor program was terminated in early 1968, the aircraft functioned admirably. The cancellation was a result of several factors, including high expenditures, the ongoing war in Southeast Asia, and a lesser priority given by the US to air defense.
Variants:
- YF-12A Pre-production version. Three were built.
- F-12B* Production version of the YF-12A with various improvements such as an increased combat radius from 1,200 to 1,350 nautical miles and an improved fire control system with increased bomber detection range from 100 to 125 miles, was canceled before production could begin.
- YF-12C Fictitious designation for an SR-71 provided to NASA for flight testing. The YF-12 designation was used to keep SR-71 information out of the public domain from 1971 to 1978, 61-7951 was temporarily loaned to NASA from the Air Force as “YF-12C #06937.”
August 1963 saw the first of three YF-12 flights. The first and third YF-12s broke numerous records in May 1965, setting marks for speed (2,070.101 mph) and height (80,257.65 feet), respectively. Col. Robert L. “Fox” Stephens, the pilot, and Lt. Col. Daniel Andre, the fire control officer, were awarded the 1965 Thompson Trophy for their speed record flight. The Museum of the Air Force, which is close to Dayton, Ohio, is home to the sole YF-12.
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Photo by: U.S. Air Force