A-12 Oxcart: The CIA’s Very Own Mach 3 Spy Plane
Story by Christian Orr • Yesterday 7:56 AM
Back when my very first 19FortyFive article was published, discussing the legendary SR-71 Blackbird, several of our readers requested that I follow up by writing a piece on the Blackbird's predecessor, the Lockheed A-12 Oxcart.
Well, dear readers, just like with my karaoke singing, I'm always open to requests, so here goes, better late than never, and please don't say I never did anything for y'all, heh heh heh…
The CIA Goes Shopping
As was the case with its more famous and record-holding descendant, the A-12 Oxcart was developed by one of the greatest masterminds in aviation history, Mr. Clarence "Kelly" Johnson and his ever-innovative Lockheed "Skunk Works" program. Even before the Jet Age, Mr. Johnson and his Skunk Works team were already producing impressive aircraft, such as the P-38 Lightning, which ravaged Axis aircraft during WWII and was flown by America's "ace of aces," Maj. Richard Ira "Dick" Bong.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-12-oxcart-the-cia-s-very-own-mach-3-spy-plane/ar-AA15V1EO?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=012bede33b5946648cd85ebf5d04cf32
