#yf 12

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Lockheed YF-12A

@Ilwheels via X

[dronescapesvideos]

While flying at Mach 3.2 and over 74,000 feet, a YF-12 fired a missile at a JQB-47E target drone that was only 500 feet off the ground. Credit: Romain Hugault 🎥 SR-71, A-12, Area 51 Video: https://youtu.be/vwv6BiaUtDU 📷 HD IMAGE: https://dronescapes.video/YF12

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The SR-71 had a pilot trainer; originally, there were two. One crashed near Beale Air Force Base in 1968. The tooling had been destroyed by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara so they couldn’t make another one.

The geniuses at the Skunk Works took an SR-71 on static display and an old YF-12 that had crashed, and merged them making the..

.SR-71C

This is SR-71B it is on display at Kalamazoo, Michigan

Linda Sheffield

@Habubrats71 via X

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1 May 1965. Lockheed YF-12A 60-6936 taking off from Edwards Air Force Base during speed record trials. The white cross on the aircraft’s underside assisted timers and observers.

@ron_eisele via X

[usafphantom2]

~Blackbird YF-12

The Cold War game plan was constantly upgraded. This is why reconnaissance airplanes were so important.

🌟We had to know what our enemies were planning. 🌟

Throughout the Cold War and into the late 1980s, the SR-71 provided the United States with all the necessary reconnaissance.

In the United States during the late 1950s -1960s, what the Generals in the Air Force were concerned about was protecting our country from the invasion of the Soviet Union bombers. We soon discovered that we had more than bombers to worry about because the Russians had intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)

The Soviet Union had a bomber called “Bison”. Initially, we were unsure how many of these bombers the Soviet Union had. We weren’t sure because the Russians were trying to deceive us and it worked temporarily.

Then, after a few successful U2 missions..we discovered they did not have as many bombers as we thought they did.

Before we knew how many bombers they had. As a defensive plan, against the Bison, the Air Force decided to use the fastest airplane in the world, the CIA’s A-12, and add some air-to-air missiles ( Hughes AIM-47 Falcon (GAR-9) missiles. To make the YF 12.

There was even a proposed option of placing a nuclear bomb in the YF-12.

Also, during this time, the XB-70 was being tested as our option for a new Bomber.

It was thought that the speed of the XB-70 would resist the Soviet Union's interceptors. The XB-70 was a fascinating and beautiful airplane, but it was canceled. The discovery of Soviet surface-to-air missiles meant the XB-70 lost its high-altitude advantage. And at a low level, the XB-70 had only a slight performance advantage over the cheaper and simpler Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. A tragic accident while the aircraft was used as a research plane would ultimately end the program. Our B-52 went on to be a great success.

YF-12 Wind tunnel test found that there was a directional stability problem in the interceptor. Because of the reversed nose profile and cockpit configurations , a large folding fin was placed under the back part of the fuselage. They also added two shorter fins beneath each Nacelle. After these modifications, the YF-12 was ready to fly. (how you can identify a YF 12 is look under the air frame for the fins)

Its role of being an interceptor was cut short due to an accident and other realizations. The anticipation threat, of hundreds of bombers flying over the United States, had lessened. With the advent of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) crewed nuclear bombers were increasingly seen as obsolete, and they discovered that the Soviet Union did have service-to-air missiles.

The War plans on both sides of the Cold War had changed. NASA benefited from using the YF-12 as a test bird.

Written by Linda Sheffield

@Habubrats71 via X

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At speeds of 1 mile every two seconds, the reconnaissance systems officer also known as the navigator, needs to be able to think fast as he is flying. Split-second decisions are made by the pilot and the RSO. The RSO is literally backing him up in the seat behind him with a titanium wall that separates the two. ~Linda Sheffield Miller.

@Habubrats71 via X

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Can you tell the difference between these two Blackbirds?

It’s easy, the A-12 had one cockpit. The chine is more narrow on the A-12.

Now you are a Blackbird Pro..

Follow me for more instructions .

Habubrat ~Linda Sheffield

@Habubrats71 via X

[usafphantom2]

A-12 was TOP SECRET so announcing the YF-12 was partly to cover up the A-12.

It’s hard for people to understand just how secret this sleek black airplane that looked like a science fiction dream was. For one thing, it was a CIA airplane. It was built for spying. The CIA would not admit that this was their airplane until forced, which is of course understandable.

Airline pilots had seen the A-12 in flight a few people had gone to the press. The A-12 had finally found a purpose in the Vietnam War they were getting ready to leave the security of Area 51.

After test flights of the A-12 at Area 51, which was way above sea level in Nevada, it was decided that the Blackbird should be taken to Orlando, Florida for further testing. They wanted to see how she flew at sea level.

They wanted to know if there would be any problems before they flew the A-12 over to Kadena, Okinawa, for its first deployment,

There were problems, but that’s another story.

Paul Crickmore‘s book “ Lockheed Blackbird Beyond the Secret Missions.” Paul talks about the reaction to the public's first look at this “science fiction-looking jet.” Passenger planes at the Airport in Orlando, Florida, could see the A-12 take off.

Can you guess what happened next?

All of the passengers rushed to the other side of the airplane, causing a noticeable dip on one side of that passenger airplane.😳

The A-12 remained top-secret until around 1992 when there was a Freedom of Information Act ongoing to uncover Area 51. The YF 12 and the SR 71 were both announced by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964 but they were rarely seen at a public airport, and it was hard for anyone to decipher one Blackbird from another. It’s still hard to do that today.

President Johnson announced an A11, which technically did not exist. He mentioned that several A1 1 aircraft were being flight tested at Edwards Air Force Base in California. This announcement was made on February 29, 1964. To back up a Presidental announcement, two of the three YF-12 aircraft, 934 and 935, were quickly positioned at Edwards Air Force Base by Lou Schalk and Bob Gilliland

Lou remembers taxing into the assigned hangar as eyes bulged and head shook and utter disbelief at the site of two sleek aircraft that had never been seen before by anyone outside the program, except possible desert dwellers and incredulous airline crews. Lou continues to explain our supposed low-key, rather laid-back positioning flight lost a touch of elegance when to aid in push-back into the hangar. We turn the aircraft 180° at the entrance. This turnaround maneuver sent hot engine exhaust gases into the hangar, which caused the overhead fire extinguisher valves to open. These valves were like a big flood on the hangar decks of airline carriers. The desert hadn’t seen so much water since Noah’s embarkation!

The SR 71 had not flown Its first flight, yet, it would not occur until December 22,1964.

President Johnson made another announcement on July 25, 1964 in reaction to Senator Berry Goldwater, saying that Johnson had neglected the defense needs of America, this was during a Presidential election,. He retaliated with the announcement of an airplane that had not even flown yet. The SR-71.

In case you didn’t know President Johnson became President when John Kennedy was assassinated on Nov 22, 1963. He was elected on his own accord in 1964. He refused to accept the nomination in 1968 for the Presidency.

SR 71 pilot and author Rich Graham investigated the rumor that President Johnson had misspoken when he said SR 71. The rumor… It’s simply not true. The President said SR 71 just as written. General Curtis LeMay had decided that he liked the sound of SR 71 better. The four-star General changed the name from RS to SR! Now you know the rest of the story.

Written by Linda Sheffield

@Habubrats71 via X