The A-12 was an early attempt by Lockheed to create a spy plane that could avoid enemy detection and anti-aircraft fire. It was the first “attempt” at a stealth aircraft
The Genesis of Stealth
Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, the top engineer at Lockheed, faced an almost insurmountable challenge. On paper, the specifications for the spy plane that could capture incredibly clear pictures from 70,000 feet seemed like pure fantasy: A Mach-3 aircraft that could outrun missiles by actually flying nonstop for hours on end. An attack plane that could hide from the radar surveillance of its adversaries.
Johnson, however, simply handled all inquiries and informed his hand-selected group of Skunk Works staff members of what needed to be done. He developed the A-12, a high-speed, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft that was the result of Project Oxcart, a covert military program.
The A-12 was an early attempt by Lockheed to create a spy plane that could avoid enemy detection and anti-aircraft fire. It was the first effort at an airplane that would be “stealthy” due to the outer design that reduced its radar cross-section (RCS). The employment of black paint and little iron balls to further amplify the beginnings of stealth aided to boost the emission of internal heat.
When the A-12 was being designed, titanium was the best option available before the discovery of building materials based on carbon fiber. Titanium was employed in only around 85% of the manufactured A-12, and it was mostly on parts that were subjected to the highest temperatures. Polymer composite materials made up the remaining 15% of the aircraft. In reality, the new composite materials that absorb radar were an enhancement to RCS. They took the place of the fillets and were constructed from iron ferrite and silicon laminate mixed with asbestos to block radar signals and increase the stealthiness of the aircraft.
The “titanium goose,” the A-12 in the image, is the trainer. Looking at the composite materials employed in the airplane, this is the best example I could find. It was essential to fool the radar. This was the true birth of stealth because the CIA’s A-12 had its initial design in 1959. The SR-71 continued in this vein.
The top-secret A-12 “Oxcart” flew for the first time on April 26, 1962, at a Nevada airfield that never existed. The “Article 121” aircraft started to oscillate badly in the air before dissipating into a cloud of dust, which Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, the plane’s designer, called “horrible to watch.”
It was determined that some of the A-12’s equipment was mounted backward after returning to the runway. The mistake was fixed, and the remaining flights were performed without a hitch. The replacement for the U-2, a top-secret CIA aircraft, was capable of Mach 3 flight at altitudes above 80,000 feet (more than 2,000 miles per hour).
Unlike the SR-71, the A-12 Oxcart was a single-seat, super-secret spy plane. It was also considerably more rare. In fact, the SR-71 was created from the A-12.
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Photo by: U.S. Air Force, CIA, Chris Hunkeler from Carlsbad, California, USA, and Mys 721tx Own work via Wikipedia