File:Lockheed M-21 Blackbird and D-21 Drone (4332169072).jpg
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| Description |
This is said to be the only surviving M-21 variant of the A-12, the original CIA designation for the aircraft produced by Lockheed for Project Oxcart. Where the A-12 had a single seat and one occupant, the M-21 mothership carried a second cockpit for the drone's Launch Control Officer. The theory here was that the M-21 (already operating quite high and fast) could launch a D-21 to fly over and gather intelligence from hostile territory, where loss of a normal A-12 would endanger the pilot, the expensive airplane and potentially embarrass the USA. Once launched and on its way, the D-21 flew autonomously, its autopilot recieving course and speed inputs from a sequencer. At the end of its flight it would put out a parachute. I believe they wanted to use the air-capture system developed for picking up reconnaissance satellite film cassettes in mid air to grab the whole drone. That would have been VERY exciting! Besides A-12s for the CIA and the M-21, Lockheed also built at least one YF-12, a prototype interceptor armed with a very long range missile system, and the SR-71 for the Air Force. SR-71s are the most numerous and long-lived of the Blackbird family. The USAF didn't pursue the YF-12, but the missile evolved into the AGM-54 Phoenix that was exclusively carried the Navy's F-14 Tomcat, for fleet defense.
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| Date | |
| Source | Lockheed M-21 Blackbird and D-21 Drone |
| Author | Bill Abbott |
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This image, originally posted to Flickr, was reviewed on 23 September 2013 by the administrator or reviewer File Upload Bot (Magnus Manske), who confirmed that it was available on Flickr under the stated license on that date. |
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| Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
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| current | 02:52, 23 September 2013 | | 1,024 × 768 (360 KB) | File Upload Bot (Magnus Manske) (talk | contribs) | Transferred from Flickr by User:russavia |
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