Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (Crowood Aviation Series)

95 Pages·2004·94.254 MB·English

by  Steve Pace

".
.
.
Steve Pace
r
el
tI
It
m
LOCKHEED SR-71
ot
m
)n
fe
)vi
ss
L21
rh« BLACKBIRD
licl
>,0
ua
lur,
:en,
en
eat
'crE
illio
(cre
I fal
Ime
e til
ost
rfra
mic
mpE
ght;
aki
ldic,
assi
ealtl
This
.the
ackt
ateri
Jrtair
lcret
C~OWOOl)
-AV-IAT----"IO~N-~""oalSIl--ER-1
E-S
"
Other titles in the Crowood Aviation Series
Aichi D3Al/2 Val PeterC. mith
Airco- The Aircraft ManufacturingCompany Mick Davi
Avro Lancaster Ken Delve
Avro hackleton BarryJone
BACOne-Eleven Malcolm L. Hill
-
Boeing 7 7 Malcolm L. Hill
Boeing 747 Martin W. Bowman
Bo ing B-17 Flying Fortr ss Martin W. Bowman
Boeing B-29 Superfortress Steve Pace
Bristol Beaufighter Jerry cutts
Bristol Britannia harle Woodley
British Experimental Turbojet Aircraft BarryJone
oncorde Kev Darling
Consolidated B-24 Liberator Martin W. Bowman
Curtiss B2C Helldiver PeterC. Smith
Douglas A-26 and B-26 Invader cottThompson
Douglas Havoc and Boston ScottThompson
English Electric Canberra BarryJones
English Electric Lightning Martin W. Bowman
Fairchild R public A-10 Thunderbolt II Peter C. mith
Fairey Swordfish and Albacore Bill Harri on
Hawker Hunter BarryJones Steve Pace
HawkerTyphoon, Tempest and Sea Fury Kev Darling
Heinkel He III Ron Mackay
Ilyushin 11-2 and 11-10Shturmovik Yefim Gordon and ergey Kommissarov
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter Martin W. Bowman
McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk Brad Elward
Messerschmitt Bf110 Ron Mackay
Messerschmitt Me 262 David'Baker
ieuport Aircraft ofWorld WarOne Ray anger
orth American B-25 Mitchell Jerry Scutts
orth American F- 6 Sabre Duncan Curtis
orth American F-100SuperSabre Peter E. Davie
North American T-6 Peter C. Smith
PanaviaTornado Andy Evans
Petlyakov Pe-2 Peshka Peter C. Smith
V-Bombers BarryJones
Vickers Ve10 Lance Cole
Vickers Vi count and Vanguard Malcolm L. Hill
Vought F4 orsair Martin W. Bowman
I~~cl
CROWOOD
Fir;,tpublishedin 2004by Dedication
TheCrowoodPressLtd
Ramsbury, Marlborough Contents
WiltshireSN82HR
This reference isdevoted to my wifeand children, motherand father, ister and broth
ersand to allofmy relatives- past, presentand future.
www.crowood.com
©StevePace2004 Acknowledgements Foreword 6
Preface 7
All rightsreserved. 0 parrofthispublicationmay
o referenceofthis magnitudecould be presented without th manyappreciated c ntri
bereproducedortransmmed inanyformorbyany butions of those with the vital resource that made thi di ertati n po ible. Thi 1 FABULOUS TO FANTA TIC
means,electronicormechanical,including
writer respectfully thanks these individual a follow: Kent Burn, Executive Vic Pr i
pharocopy,recording,oranyinformation rorage
dent, Lockheed Martin Leadership Association; Paul R. Kucher IV, R-71 nline; An 2 BLACK MAGIC 25
and retrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwriting
Onlin Aircraft Museum, sr-71.0rg; Tony R. Landis; Denny Lombard, Promotional
from thepublishers.
Photography, Lo kheed Martin Aeronautics ompany - Palmdale; Mike Machat,
3 AIR DEFEN EFIGHTER 45
publisher, Republic Press; Peter W. Merlin, archivist and historian, NASA Dryd n
BritishLibraryCataloguing-in-PublicationData
FlightResearchCenter;JayN. Miller, Aerofax, Inc; DrRaymondL. Puffer, archivistand
A cataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefrom
hi torian, USAF Flight Test Center History Office; Terry Panopalis; Major Brian hul, 4 PIGGYBACK PEEPER: M-21 'MOTHER' A 0
theBritishLibrary.
U AF (Ret.), GalleryOne; andJohn tone, Blackbirds.net. 0-21 'DAUGHTER' 55
I BN I 61266979
5 SR-7l: LEADER OFTHE PACK 65
6 KEY PER ONALlTIE IN THE BLACKBIRD PROGRAMME 83
7 STRUCTURES AND SYSTEMS 89
8 THEJ58 ENGINE 99
9 BIRDS OF A FEATHER 106
10 NASA BLACKBIRD 111
11 BLACKBIRD URVIVOR 115
12 SUMMARIES 123
Appendix I A-12, YF-12, M-21, SR-71 and 0-21 Production 126
Appendix II ignificant Facts and Figures 129
Appendix III ChronologicalOrd rofFirst Flight 131
Appendix IV The Oxcart Story 133
Appendix V World Records: SR-71 and YF-12 159
Appendix VI Blackbird Flight Hours 160
Typefacesused:Goudy(rex!), Appendix VII Blackbird erial Number and Production ummari 161
Cheltenham(headings).
Appendix VIll Blackbird Timeline, 1950s to the Early 2000 163
Typeetandde ignedby
Abbreviations, Acronyms and Codenames 171
0& Publishing
LambournWoodlands,Hungerford, Berkshire. Bibliography 172
Index 173
PrintedandboundinGreat BritainbyCPI Bath.
Foreword Preface
In the first 100 years since the Wright to accomplish this seemingly impos ible In the late 1950sfourhighlyadvancedair prefix 'AF' meaning air-defence fighter) WarTwo nded on 2 eptember 1945, all
Brothers first tamed manned flight, the task. The result was the most successful craft were being designed in the U A, ultimatelybecametheYF-L2A; the RB-l2 the major powers involved, on both sides
crown jewel ofaircraft design and perfor and impressive reconnaissance aircraft of optimized for extreme flight envelopes (the B-70 ub titute) was not proceeded ofthe conflict, had a numberofdedicated
mancewastheSR-71.Thisopinion isheld the century. where very high altitude and very high with; and the R-12 eventually evolved reconnaissanceaircraft.
not only by those lucky enough to have Ineveronce felt like Iwasflying an 'old' speed would be the norm. 'Very high alti into the aeroplane that is the subject of An untold numberofthese observation
flown thismagnificentaircraft, butbyany airplanewhen in the R-7I. Builtwithsuch tude' meant 70,000ft (21,OOOm) or even this book, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. balloonsandreconnaissanceaircraft(most
one that has studied this plane's distin loving care and integrity, it always felt like higher; 'veryhigh speed' meant 2,000mph The USAFSR-71 Blackbird became the of which were unarmed) were lost to
guished history. thethoroughbred itwas. Builtforspeed,the (3,200km/h) ormore.Theseadvancedair definitive devel pm nt ofthe A-12. From enemy fire in World War Two, however.
Longcloaked in ecrecy, the plane, now aircraft eemed to relish the higher Mach craft were: a strategic bomber, the orth when itachiev d InitialOperationalCapa Among the first post-warsolutions to this
declassified, i a popular topicfor aviation numbersandactuallywasmoreefficientat American B-70 Valkyrie; an all-missile bility(I0C) inlate1966until it retirement problem was the development of aircraft
enthusiasts everywhere. In this highly its higher speeds. Once I had flown the and-rocket-armed interceptor, the Repub in early 1990, it was the best photogt:aphic that could fly so high that they would be
researched volume, teve Pace takes the Blackbird for a year or two, all the other lic F-I03 'Thunderwarrior'; an all-missile aerialreconnaissanceplatformandthewon out of range of exi ting and up oming
reader deep behind the scenes of the fighter jets I had flown eemed like mere armed interceptor, the orth American derofallspyplaneseverbuilt. Itremainsthe anti-aircraftdefence.
development of the world's most famous, 'mortal' planes. The plane continually F-lO Rapier; and a reconnaissance aero fa test and highest-flying aeroplane ever At thi very minute some air or space
and mo t my terious aircraft. impre ed u with itsperformanceand rou plane, the Lockheed A-l2. At the time, produced fordailyoperations. v hicle is performing its very important
Le than LOO US Air Force pilot ever tinely humbled u . She truly se m d to however, only the B-70, F-I03 and F-I0 Aerial I' connaissance has been ongo work of photographic reconnai ance.
flew actual mis ions in the R-71, and I have her own per onality. programmes were known to the world. ing in Americasince the Civil Warof Whether they are surveyingfore t fire, or
am proud to ay that Iwasoneofthe lucky Itwasnotan airplane thatwasmastered The A-12 project, code-named OXCQrt, 1861-65 during which manned lighter battlefieldactionsintheMiddleEa t,the e
few. While it wasa very tableand honest so much as under tood. Flying this plane was classified 'super-secret' and did not than-airobservation balloon wereused to 'eyes in the sky' are vitally important.
airplane to fly, it routinely would let us meant having an intimate relationship come to light until many years later- and survey troop position and movements. Thereare pacevehiclescapableofreading
know that it wa not like other airplanes. with the aircraft, and you could not do then only in bitsand pieces. Both the Union and onfederate armies and digitally photographing the brand of
Training wa very intense, la ting nearly that for long without coming to love it. Unbeknownst to the world in the late used balloons for reconnaissance during cigarett lying on somebody's outdoor
oneyearwithmanyhoursspentin the im he would crui e with ease at 2,000mph 1950s and early 1960s, using U govern the conflict, and it was here that aerial patiotable, in nearand/or real time. Much
ulator. Thi training wa vital to learning and alway eemedable togive you a little ment funds from the Central Intelligence reconnaissance was born. closer to the ground there are growing
to fly this airplane well however, as there morespeed ifyouwanted it.Sometimeswe Agency (CIA), the Advanced Develop Aerialreconnaissancedid notbecomeof fleets ofunmanned aerial vehiclescapable
were no minor emergencies at Mach 3. did, when people wereshootingat us, and ment Projects (ADP) group of the Lock critical necessity until World War One, ofdoing the very ame thing, butata rela
As phenomenal as the pelformance of she neveronce hesitated tostep it up. heed company in Burbank, California, had when thecombatant had to know exactly tively low co t. It i for these systems that
theSR-71 wa ,thestoryofitsdevelopment The SR-71 has become a legend, mo t be n ecretlydesigningthetriplesonicA-12 what their enemie w re up to, as soon as the USAF worked hard to retire thesmall
and con truction is every bit as amazing. It ly due to it incredible performance. But asareplacementforthesubsonicU-2recon possible. While it i tru that observation butoncev ryproductivefleetofLockheed
isalmostincomprehensibletoenvisionthat the story of how it all came to be is one naissanceaircraft; the U-2 had becomevul balloonsand a limited numberofobserva SR-71 Blackbirdaircraft.
Havingspenttheearlierpartofhiscareerflying
anaircraftsuchas thiscould be built in the that needs to be told, and Steve Pacedoes nerable toSovietairdefences, as provedon tionaircrafthadperformedthisdutybefore onetheless,fornearlyaquarterofacen
NorthAmericanAT-28DTrojans.theLing-Temco
early 1960s, prior to the advanced techno VoughtA-7D CorsairIIandtheFairchildRepublic a remarkable job in this book oftaking us 1 May 1960 when Francis Gary Powers' 1914, there had never before been uch a tury the R-71s performed their photo
logical age of computers and composite A-10ThunderboltII,MajorBrianShulwasassigned behind thescenes, into thesecretworldof U-2Cwasshotdown overtheUS R. frantic need for observation, photographic graphic reconnais ance, mapping and
materials. So well was the plane conceived totheSR-71 Blackbirdin1984.HeflewtheSR-71 'black projects', revealing piece by piece, As the CLA Oxcart programme pro reconnaissance and mapping from the air. electronic intelligence-gathering duties
and built by Kelly Johnson and hi expert forfouryears,accumulating478flyinghours.and the amazing Blackbird story. This aircraft gressed into the early 1960 , under the But now, unlike th U Civil War, when withremarkabl ucces. Butth ycouldn t
teamofengine I' ,it basicdesign I' mained heflewsixty-eight'hot'missions.Hisbook Sled helped shap our nation's foreign policy directionofADPgroup leaderClarenceL. observation balloon could not easily be havehadsu hasplendidcareerwith utthe
unchangedforthelifeoftheaircraft. 0 on DriverisaCentennialofFlightcommemorative and affected world history. It represents 'Kelly'Johnson, several versionsofthe A shot down due to the limited range of capablepilot thatflew them, thededicated
appreciated more the expertise with which celebratingtheSR-71.ItisaLimitedEditionand the very best ofwhat this nation can pro 12 were offered to the U Air Force black-powd I' rifles, observation aircraft officers who operated their I' connais ance
availableonlythroughwww.sleddriver.com.
thisaircraftwasconstructedthan thosewho duce. Iam proud to say Iflew the R-7I, (U AF) a potential ub titutes for the B and balloons could be hot down by anti systemsand the hard-working ground rew
flew it.Therewa nogreaterfeelingoftech and now after reading thi book, know a 70and the by-nowcancelled F-103 and F aircraftgunsand fighter aircraft. that kept them flying.
nological uperiority than to be flying with great deal more about it development. lO aircraft; these included the AF-l2air AfterWorldWarOne,thevalueofhav Thi ,th n, is thestoryofthe Lockh ed
impunityoverho tileterritory,beingchased The remaining R-71 today it proudly defence fighter and the RB-l2 ing dedicated observation, photographic R-71 Blackbird and the amazingfl ckof
bythe latestMiGfighters,designeddecade him agreatdebt ofgratitude. His towering in twenty museumsand airparks, its prede reconnaissance bomber. A third offering reconnaissance and mapping aircraft hav highly advanced triplesonic aircraft that
after the R-71, and leaving them in the geniusspannedthreewarsandhisBlackbird ce SOl'S in numerous others. Though silent was the R-12, similar in a numb I'ofways ingbeen proven, manyairforces setabout preceded it.
dust, withseveralinchesofthrottletospare. helped win theColdWar. Heoftensaidthe now, their pre ence speaks volumes about to the LA A-l2, butoptimized for U AF thecreationofmod rn, high-performance
The R-71 representedallthatwasunde R-71 washis proudestachievement. allthatmakesthisnationproudand trong. reconnai ance missions. The AF-12 (the aircraftforsuchduties. By the time World TEVE PA E
feated about our superior manufacturing Puttingan aircraft together with titani
capabilities. There was no greateraeronau um was no easy task. It had never been BRIAN SHUL
tical engineer in the twentieth Century done before, or since. Kelly and his team SR-71 Pilot
than Kelly Johnson and our nation owe literallyhad to inventtechnology inorder 9SRW/LSRS
6 7
FABULOUSTO FANTASTIC
killers,and licence-builtBoeingB-17FFly Air Corps (U AA ) its fir t jet-powered preliminaryworkonthecompany-financed
CHAPTER ONE ing Fomes es at its Burbank, California, aeroplane, the Model L-U3. This was a jet fight r had been started, which pro
production facilities. Simultaneously, its twin-engined, single-seat turbojet-powered gressed to everal different ver ion on the
advancedaeronauticalengineeringdepart fighterdesign, and wasextremelyadvanced drawing board. In the meantime, Lockheed
ment was proceedingwith the preliminary for it day. It featured two Lockheed was also working on the aforementioned
Fabulous to Fantastic
design and eventhe manufactureofsever de igned axial-flow J37 turbojet engines, axial-flow turbojetengineofit owndesign,
al new and intere ting aircraft. The e deliveringsome 5,0001b (2,300kg) thrust, a the Model L-lOOO (laterdesignated XJ37),
includedtwoderivative ofthe P-38Light canardforeplane, 625mph (1,OOOkm!h) top which wa intended to power the L-U3.
ing, the XP-49 and XP-58 Chain Light peedand tainles teelcon trLlction. Lock The design was acknowl dg d by the
The formal nameofthe infonnallynamedSkunkWorks was AdvancedDevelopment Projects. ning, neitherofwhichentered production, heed wa the fir t airframe contractor in U AAC, but at the time they showed no
but which showed the tremendous growth the U A tostart work on aga turbine- or gr atinterestinthe ideaofaturbojet-pow
BEN RI H
potentialofthe basicP-38airframe. turbojet-powered aircraft: the L-U3 had ered fighter and missed the opportunityof
But one ofthe most interesting ofthese originated in 1939 as a 'paper project' by giving th U A an early start in this new
pre-Skunk Works designs came about in chiefengineerHallL. Hibbardandhisassis technology. Without financial upport
1940when Lockheedoffered the US Army tant, Clarence L. 'Kelly'Johnson. By 1940 from the USAAC, work on the L-U3
All good airframe contractors continually (ADP)group- isthequick,qui tandcost op rationaljetfighter; theF-I04Starfight
strive to generate business in the military, effective development and production of er, the world's fir t Mach 2 jet fighter; the
civilian and space markets. To accomplish limited numbers of specialized aircraft to U-2, thebestmanned high-altitud r con
this, theysetupspecialdivision toaddre s meet any national need, using all the naissance aeroplane in the world; th F
thediverseneed oftheirdifferentpotential tr ngth of Lockheed Martin orpora 117 Nighthawk, the world'sfirst dedicated
customers. Generally speaking, these divi tion.TheSkunkWork i h adquarteredin stealth warplane; the F/A-22 Raptor, soon
sions include commercial, military and the vastU AF Plant42 compl xat Palm to becom operational as the world's first
aerospace. But some of the larger airframe dale, alifornia,and itisaprimepartofthe multi-r Ie tealth fighter; the F-35 ' had
contractors also deal in highly classified Lockheed Martin Aeronauti s ompany ow', a stealthy joint- ervice, multi-role
programme forwhichtheutmo t ecrecyi divi ionofthe Lockheed MartinCorpora strike fighter for the near future; and the
paramount. Thi u ually require a pecial tion. In mid-1943 it began working on subject ofthis book, the Lockheed R-71
Anartist'simpressionofthe
group to be formed within acompany, and ecretProjectMX-409, whichbecamethe Blackbird trategicreconnaissanceaircraft.
proposedL-133fighterinitsfinal
in the Lockheed Martin Corporation this XP- 0, and ince th n it has produced The company that would become the
configuration.Itfeaturedacanard
special group is the world-famous, yet top- advanced aircraft, spacecraft and even Lockheed orporation was founded in foreplaneandstainless-steel
ecret, ' kunk Work " which has been a marinecraftwithoutequalforaerialrecon 1913 bythe Loughead brothers- Malcolm construction. LockheedMartin
bona fide ucce for more thansixtyyears. naissance, combat and re earch. These (1887-195 ) and Allan (1889-1969).
Themi ionofthe kunkWork - prop include such extraordinary aircraft as: Malcolm and Allan's surname is pro BELOW:TheL-1000axial-flowturbojet
1
erly, the Advanced Development Proj ct the F-80 hooting Star, America's first nounced'Lock-heed',andsince itwaspro engine.whichwassupposed
nounced that way they changed the togenerateawhopping5.5001b
thrusttogivetheL-133itsprojected
spelling to Lockheed to avoid confu i n.
600mphspeed.Laterruntests.though
The young company grew with up and
promising.neverproducedsucha
downs throughout th early to mid-tw n
thrustrating. LockheedMartin
tieth century to produce a number of
extremelysuccessfulaircraft,includingthe
Lode tar, Electra, uper Electra, Constel
lation, P-2 ptune, P-3 Orion, -130
Hercules, C-l41 Starlifter, C-5 Galaxy,
1
3 Viking, P-38 Lightning, T-33 T-Bird, F
94 StaIfire and F-I04 tarfighter. It con
tinued successes into the late twentieth
century spawned such notable ventures as
the F/A-22 Raptor and F-35 'Shadow'. In
the early 1990 the Lockheed Aircraft
Corporation wa one of the large t aero
space firm in the world, but after it
merged with the Martin Marietta Corpo
ration in 1995, to create the Lockheed 1
MartinCorporation, itbecamethe world'
large taero paceconglomerate.
In mid-1942 Lockheed was heavily
involved in the productionofmilitaryair
craft, rolling out thousands ofP-38 Light
ning fighters, FA and F-5 Lightning pho
TheLougheadbrothers.Malcolm(left)andAllan.seatedintheirF-1(Flying-boat1I. tographic reconnaissance aircraft, Hudson
whichmadeitsfirstflighton28March1918. LockheedMartin bomber, Venturaand Harpoonsubmarine
8 9
a
fighter came to a halt. However, work on Works- toomany, infact, todiscus inthis planningfor what it thought woulJ be the repairable, so another engine would have 3,750lb (l,700kg), but it would require a in particular, ifthe XP- design could be
the then-unique axial-flow XJ3? turbojet onebook. Buttherefollowsabri fde crip first jetfighter in America. to be delivered from England before Lulu larger airframe to accommodate it. The modified withoutagreatdeal ofdifficulty.
engine went forward for a time. That is, tion ofsome of the mo t intere ting and But180dayswasaverydemandingtime Belle wouId fly. USAAF ask d Lockheed, Kelly Johnson 'Cando,'Johnson replied.
until more advanced axial-flow de igns successful ones. limit. Gross, Hibbard and John n knew Thistooktime,enoughtimetostrength
surpassed it. (The USAAC had been that it wa unheard ofto design and build enand fully repair the air-inletductingon
established on 2July 1926, becoming the a prototype aeroplane in less than one the XP-80. A new Goblin engine was
U Army Air Force, or USAAF, on 20 F-80 Shooting Star year, I t alone in only six months. More in tailed and tested, and the XP-80 was
June 1941. The U Air Force was not over, a jet-powered aircraft was a radical now scheduled to fly on the morning of8
established as aseparateserviceofthe US On 17June 1943,whiletheywerewatching departurefrom contemporarypi ton-pow January 1944,fifty-fourdayslaterthanhad
Armed Forces until 1 September 1947.) the new dive flaps on a P-3 J Lightning ered and propell r-driven machine. been originally planned. A successful first
However, when the U AAF uddenly being evaluated at Eglin Army Air Field One week after talking with olonel flightensued,duringwhich Lulu-Belleeas
began to how intere t in the idea of an (AAF) in Florida, Kelly Johnson was Roth in Florida, on 24June, Johnson was ily exceeded 500mph (800km/h) and the
improvedturboj t-poweredfighteraircraft approached by Colonel M.S. Roth of the at Wright AAFshowing the Air Materiel handful of AAFofficer in attendance
in 1942,spurredon by intelligence report USAAF Air Materiel Command based at Commandasketchofthepropo ed ingle were both delighted and surprised. They
of the advances in jet propulsion by the Wright Field, Dayton,Ohio.Colonel Roth engined, jet-powered pursuit interceptor let it be known that they badly wanted
Germans and British, and the lacklustre told Johnson of the disappointing XP/yP and pages ofdetailed pecification.John production P-80s- and verysoon.
performanceofthe Bell P-59 Airacomet 59 Airacomet flight-test programme at son, withhisbosses' bl sing, promised the The 2,4501b (l,100kg) thrust de Havil
America's fir t turbojet-powered aero Muroc AAF in alifornia. Roth aid that, USAAF'We'll build it in 180days" land H.1 Goblin engines, to be manufac
plane- itturned toLockheedforwhatwas withitsGeneralElectricModel I-Aengine, 'Just when would those 180days start?' tured in America byAllis-Chalmersas the
to become the first operational turbojet the Airacomet was slower than the P-3 asked General Henry H. 'Hap' Arnold. J36, would not be available in quantity
poweredfighter in America, theLockheed theywerewatching: Bell'saeroplane would 'Whenever you say. Just a oon a we anytime oon, however. This, of course,
ThesoleXP-80,nicknamedLulu-Belle,wastheforerunnerofthefamedF-80Shooting
F- 0 hooting tar. be no match at all for German jet aircraft. geta letterofintent,'John on repli d. posed a serious problem for the U AAF
Starseries,andthefirstaeroplanebuiltinthe'SkonkWorks'(laterSkunkWorksl.
Thedesign,developmentand manufac Rothasked'Kelly,you wanted tobuilda 'Well you'd betterget a move on then,' and Lockheed. An answer was at hand,
LockheedMartin
ture of the F-80 began in close-guarded jet for us once. Why don't you try your said Arnold. Thi is day number one. though. General Electric had speeded
secrecy in mid-1943. Project head Kelly hand at putting a fighter airframe around We'll have your letterofintent ready this up production on its Model 1-40 or J33 BELOW:ThefirstoftwoXP-80Aaircraft(44-83021I,named'GrayGhost'becauseofits
Johnson, assisted by Bill Ralston and Don the new de Havilland engine the English afternoon.' turbojet engin . This was a larger engine paintscheme,isshownonitsfirstflightwithTonyleVieratthecontrols.Thesecond
Palmer, grabbed twenty-five other top have promised us?' Thus, the letter of intent wa dated 24 than the Goblin and had more thrust - XP-80A(44-830221,innaturalmetal,wasknownasthe'SilverGhost'. LockheedMartin
notch engineers and 105 assembly work The engine Roth was referring to was June 1943. The programme wa classified
ers, and put them to work in a mak shift th Model H.l Goblin, which had been and called Secret Project MX-409 (the
experimental aeroplane shop constructed designed by Major F.B. Halford. Johnson, prefix MX meaning'Materiel, Experimen
out of mpty aircraft engine crates and filled with enthusiasm, replied 'Ju t give tal'). Thatfact in particularaddeddifficul
canvas. me thespecification on the engin .' tytothe 180-daytime limit,aseveryphase
Oneday, justafterthepermanentsecret Johnson boarded an airlin rand ofthe aeroplane's creation would have to
shop had been constructed, enaineer Irv returned to Burbank. En route, h worked becloselyguarded.Withtheletterofintent,
ing H. 'Irv' Culver wa working near the out some figures and preliminary de ign the Air Materiel ommand ordered three
ph ne desk. The phone rang. ulver was drawings on whatever paper he found Lockheed Model L-140 aircraft, now offi
alone at the time and had not yet been available. Aftergetting offthe airliner on ciallydesignated XP-80.
briefed as to how to answer the phone. 18June, he immediatelyreported to Lock ThefirstXP-80(theXinthedesignation
Being an avid fan ofthe Lit' Abner comic heed president Robert E. Gross and chief denoting an experimental aircraft) was
strips, familiar with HairlessJoe's Dogpacch engineer Hall L. Hibbard. designed, engin ered, built and readied for
KickaJ)oOJoyJuicebrewerycalled theSkonk 'Wright Field want us to submit a pro flight not in 180days, but in 1391On day
Works, whereJoe made his brewoutofold posal for building an airplane around a 1 9,havingbeen.secretlytrucked toMuroc
shoe, kunkandotherfoul-smellinggood British jet engine', Johnson told them. AAF, the British Goblin engine roared to
ies, ulver answered' konk Works, Cul 'I've worked out ome figures. I think we life. On day 143, 15 November 1943, the
ver'. And, a it turned out, Lockheed' can promise them a 1 O-day delivery. aircraft, nicknamed Lulu-Belle, wa accept
famed kunk Work wa born. ( 0 a not Whatdo you think?' ed by the U AAFa readyforflight. Lock
tostealanypart ftheLil'Abnerfranchise, 'OK, Kelly, it'syourbaby. We'llgiveyou heed's chief engineering te t pil t, Milo
whichhad be ncreated byfamed cartoon all the help we can,' Gros said matter-of Burcham, would fly it the next m rning.
i t AI Capp, the name Skonk Works was factly. Everythinghad gone well-too well.
changed toSkunkWorks.) KellyJohnson, And with thi action, thesaga fthe P Late in the eveningonthe fifteenth, de
who had set up the Lockheed Advanced 80 (later F-80) hooting tar began. Havilland jet-engine expert Guy Bristow
Development Projects (ADP) group, did Drawing board and slide rule were gave the H.1 Goblinengineafinal run-up
notatfirst lik the unofficial nickname of attacked with vigour; top engineer sud prior to the scheduled first flight in the
kunk Work ~ r hi ADP group, though denly found them elve up to theirelbow morning; as the engine roared at full
a the years went by he grew to become injetfighter-planede ign.Therewasmore power, both engine air-inlet ducts col
quite fond ofit. to it than just a chance to build a new lap d. Before Bri tow could shut down
oformorethansixtyyear now, alarge fighter, using a new type of engine for the engine, pieces ofducting metal were
number of air and pace vehicles have propulsion. It was more a matter of pride ucked intotheGoblin'smouth. A terrible
emerged from the Lockheed Advanced and the culmination of efforts dating grinding noise preceded engine stop. The
Development Projects group, or Skunk back to 1939 when Lockheed had begun damage to the rare engine wa not
10 71
FABULOU TOFANTASTIC FABULOU TO FANTASTIC
Thu the econd and third XP-80s were wellasthe variou v r ion ofthe hooting cation. The e were at fir t d ignat d
builttoaccommodateJ33-GE-11 engine. Star, it led to: the U AF'sfirst jet-powered ETF-80C and, aft r 11 Jun 194, ET
Due to their airframe redesign and their train r, the T-33 T-Bird; the U Marine 33A. But unofficially th ywere known as
new power plant they were given a new orps' first jet-powered trainer, the TV-I; YF-94s.
Lockheed model number, L-141, and re the U Navy'sfirstjet-powered trainer, the On 16 April 1949 this relativ ly mall
de ignatedXP-80A; theywerebuiltonthe T-l SeaStar;and tothedevelopmentofthe service-testaircraftd partedth L ckh d
ILS.AIRFllllGE
am contract, amended. F-94 tarfire eriesoffighters. PlantB-9ProductionFlightTe t nt rat 8356
Incredibly, Johnson's engineering and San Fernando Vall y Airport (now Van
shop group fini hed the first XP-80A in a uys Airport) on its maiden flight. It was
mere 132 days! And it was flown on day F-94 Starfire piloted by Tony LeVier with Glenn Fulk
139- 10March 1944. BothXP- OAaero erson serving as flight-test engin r. It
plan performed even better than Lulu Inearly194 thenewlyestablished U AF handled well but there were flame-out
Belle and on 4 April 1944, in addition to wa in dire ne d of a two-seat night/all problems with the new afterburner
anorderfor thirt n rvice-testYP-80As, weather fighter-interceptor to d al with installed on the thrust Allison J33-A-33
the U AAF rder d 1,000 production P hostile aircraft arriving from v r the turbojet engine. These difficulties were
80A aircraft. northern horizons of the U - and it corrected and theJ33-A-33 wassoon pro
Th P-80A wasofficiallynamed hoot wanted thi aircraftin monthsratherthan ducing 6,0001b (2,700kg) thrust in after
ing Star and subsequentorders for P-80Bs years. 0 it a ked Lockheed, the ADP burner, against 4,4001b (2,000kg) dry.
andP-80Cscamethrough. Lockheed went group in particular, if it could adapt the The type went into production a the F
ontobuild 1,731 hooting tar, ofwhich new Hughes E-1 radar and fire-control 94A Starfire and 109 F-94As were built.
79 were produced a F- OC . (The P- 0 system to the airframe ofthe TF- OC (a extcamethe improved F-94Bmodel, fol
became the F- 0 after 10June 1948 when the two-seat trainer version of th F-80, lowedbytheultimate tarfire,theF-94C.In ABOVE:ThefirstYF-94Starfireprototypefliesforthefirsttime,withTony BElOW:ThefirstYF-94C(formerlydesignatedYF-97A)Starfire(50-955)headsskyward
LeVieratthecontrolsandflight-testengineerGlennFulkersonintheback duringitsfirstflightatEdwardsAFBon19January1950.TheF-94Cbecamethe
the prefix 'P' for 'Pursuit' was changed to later to win fame as the T-33 T-Bird, was all, Lockheed produced some 850 tmires
seat. LockheedMartin ultimateStarfire. LockheedMartin
'F' for 'Fighter'.) then known). Lockheed said 'yes', then in the three vel' ion. The F-94C was very
When Lockheed completed it riginal 'y 'again when asked ifit could provide different from the artier models, being all
XP-80 airframe in late 1943, it wa totally the fir t production aeroplane by the end rocket-armed with forty-eight 2.75in
unawarejusthowprolificthatdesignw uld of1949.TwoTF-80Cs(USAFserialnum Mighty Mouse air-to-air unguided rockets,
become. In all, more than 9,290 aircraft bers 48-356 and 48-373) were taken from as a re ult ofwhich the prototype was tem
were m ulded from the XP-80 matrix. As the back ofthe a sembly line for modifi- porarilydesignated YF-97A.
XF-90 six 20mm cannon, with provision for two The specific operational requirements
1,000lb bomb or eight 5in rockets; it was for the Penetration Fighterwerevagueand
JustafterWorld WarTwo,asjetpropul ion also to have provision for external fuel flexible. Confu ingly, the U AAF oon
became more and more feasible for day-to tanks. It was to have a climb rate of changed the combat range requirement to
day use incombataircraft, the U AAFput 3,00Oft/min (900m/min), a time-to-c1imb 1,500 miles (2,400km); it th n reduced it
fortharequirementforwhatitcalledaPen of ten minute to 35,000ft (l1,OOOm), a to600miles(970km). Itth ncutthetime
Theworld'sfirstdedicatedjet-poweredpilottrainerandtransitionaeroplanewastheT-33.Thefifty-sixth etration Fighter.This was tobe powered by ceilingof50,00Oft(IS,OOOm)andacombat to-climb requirement in half, wanting a
productionT-33A(formerlyTF-BOC)T-Birdishere. LockheedMartin two turbojetenginesand to be armed with range of900 mile (l,500km). 7,000ft/min (2,000m/min) climbrate. The
12 13
ever-changingrequirement causedannoy his fellow Lockhe d test pilot Herman R. 153 operational F-104A tarfighter air Project engineer Art Flock, working with
ance among the airframe and engine con Salmonflew number two. craft for service with both U AF Aero theassistanceofKellyJohnson,decided to
tractors:somuch 0 thatonlytwoailframe On25March 1955,poweredbytheinter space DefenseCommand and Tactical Air useasinglenose-mounted5, 50eshpAlli
contractors- Lockheed and McDonnell im J65 Sapphire engine, XF-104 number ommand, and ultimately to the manu son XT40-A-6 turbojet with two contra
chosetostayinthefray. Inhopeofobtain two reached a top speed of Mach 1.79 facture in the U A and abroad of more rotating propellers.
ing 10,0001b (4,500kg) total thrust from (l,327mph or 2,U5km/h) in level flight. than 2,575 tarfighters for the U AFand The first Lockheed XFV-I, a the XFO
two turbojetengines, bothfirms elected to This was a remarkable accomplishment a numberofforeign u ers. I had by now been re-designated, was
propel their cont nder with a pair of since it was powered by an engine giving completed in early 1953 at Lockheed's
Model 24C Westinghouse J34 axial-flow some4,6001b (2,100kg) less thru tthan the Burbank facility. Herm Salmon had been
turbojetengine. At the time, theJ34 was airframewasde igned for. XFV-l appointed chief test pilot on the pro
projected to provide 5,0001b (2,300kg) Seventeen service-te t YF-104A tar gramme, and during a high-speed taxi test
thru t indeveloped form. fighterswereorderedon30March 1955,to In the late 1940s the US avy initiated a atEdwardsAFBon23 December 1953 the
Lockheed offered it Model 090 design be powered by General ElectricJ79s. The convoy-fighter programme to find a turbo XFV-1 became airborne briefly. It wa not
while McDonnell presented its Model firstofthese,pilotedbyLeVi r,madeasuc j t-poweredship-borneinterceptorforfleet until 16 June 1954, though, that almon
36 ;both featured swept-back flying sur cessful first flight on 17 February 1956. defence. Thi was to be a vertical take-off officially flew the XFV-1 in conventional
faces. These designs would be developed And on 27 April, now powered by aJ79 and landing (VT L) point-defence inter mode- in oth rwords, using a temporary
under U AAF Air Materiel ommand GE-3engine,thesameYF-104Ahitamax ceptor, which would take up far less deck V-strut main landing-gear assembly, it
pr j ct number MX-811 (McDonnell) imum speed of Mach 2.13 (l,5 amph or paceand would not need to use acatapult took off and landed in the horizontal
and MX-812 (Lockheed). They were des 2,540kmfh) in level flight. The tarfighter for launch and an atTestor cable for recov plane. In this onventional take-off and
ignated XP-88 and XP-90, respectively, had arrived! ery. It wasal 0 intended to perform longer landing mode the XFV-I mad another
and both types wereordered in mid-1946. I asked Tony LeVier in 1990 what he rangearea-d fence asconvoy-e cortfighter twenty-one flights ending in March 1955
BythetimethefirstXF-90hadbeencom thought about the F-104. He answered: if necessary. A competition wa held in after IIYz hour ' flying time. It wa during
pleted and trucked to Muroc AAF in early early 1951 to find two airframecontractor this ten-month test phase that Herm
May 1949, both ofMcDonnell's XF- air The original XF-I04 was a remarkable linle toproduce two prototypeseach for afly-off almon took th aeroplane to vertical
craft- named Voodoo- wereflying. Infact, plane. Ir was rhe firsr jer-powered plane ro ompetition. This boiled down to Lock (no estraightup) flight in whichtheaero
the first XF-8 had been flying for some exceed I,OOOmph [1,610km(h] and Idid ir! I heed and Convair, and on 19 April 1951 plane hovered for a time on everal occa
ThefirstXF-90(46-6871isshownhereduringitsfirstflight.on3June1949.
sevenmonthsalready. (Rememberthat the had misgivings abour rhe F-104 ar firsr, bur Lockheed was given the go-ahead to build sions; mid-air returns to horizontal flight
AfterthetwoXF-90sreceivedtheirJ34afterburningturbojetenginestheywere
prefix'P'for'Pursuit'hadbeenchangedear redesignatedXF-90A.Evenwiththeseenginesittookdangerousnear-straight-down when Igaracquaintedwirhir, irwassuper! We its Model 81 prototype entry, which was wereea ily accomplished.
lier to'F' for'Fighter' inJune 194 .) divestoexceedthespeedofsoundinthisveryheavyandwoefullyunderpowered had lorsofdevelopmentproblemsasonemighr designated XFO-l. Convairwasauthorized In the end neither the Lockheed XFV-I
Aftertheu ual ground te tsand valua aeroplane. LockheedMartin expecr, especially wirh rhe GE ]79 series to build two ModelS prototypes with the nor the Convair XFY-1 met the require
tions, including low-, m dium- and high engines. Once all rhose rhings gor fixed, rhe de ignationXFY-1. ments put forth by the S Navy and the
speed taxi run to check nosewheel steer plane was very well accepred byall rhe pilors. The XFO-1 wa the kunk Works' first convoy fighter programme wa cancelled
ing, brakingandsoon, XF-90 numberone U avy fighter programme, and since on 16 June 1955. Moreover, n ither firm
\Va ready for flight. On the morning of3 1950andon II eptemberthatyear itwas alightweightair-superiorityfighter hadfew The success of the two XF-104s and sev there might be a need for a many as 500 fully completed nor flew theirsecond pro
June 1949,TonyLeVierfl wth XF-90 up announced that the McDonnell XF-88A supporters. However,afterJohnson howed enteen YF-104As led to the productionof such aircraft, it attacked it vigorously. totypes. The empty airframes instead
and away from the dry lake bed runway at Voodoo had won. But by this time the hi design to the powers that be, a special
Muroc. However, it was powered at thi Penetration Fighter requir ment no priority Weapon ytem programme, WS
time by two interim J34-WE-I1 engines, longer existed, having been replaced by 303A, was establi h d by the USAF and
generating only 3,0001b (l,400kg) thrust the trat gicFighterprogrammeforwhich U Defen e D partment, und rwhich two
each, instead f the afterburning 4,2001b the F-88's follow-on, the McDonnell F prototypeswereorderedon12March 1953.
(l,900kg) thru t J34-WE-15 engine that 101 Voodoo, went into production. TheyweredesignatedXF-104andwouldbe
had been intended tobe u ed. Pr dictably, powered by interim Buick-built Wright
performance was I than pectacular. YJ65-W-6 afterburning turbojet engine lockheedbuilttwoXF-104Starfighters.
The XF-90 did eventually get its -IS F-I04 Starfighter that gave 10,200lb (4,600kg) thru t, until eachexamplepoweredbyasingleJ65
engine, with which the two XF-90 were the 14,8001b (6,700kg) General Electric afterburningturbojetengine.which
re-d ignat d XF-90A. In a serie ofdive When theswept-wingNorth American F J79-GE-3 became available. (The J65 wa eventuallypropelledXF-104number
tests th XF-90A hit a top pe d ofMach 86 abrebegantosurpasstheperformance actually the British Annstrong- iddeley onetoatopspeedofMach1.79.After
1.12, but could only manage 66 mph ofthe Lockheed F- aShooting tar in the apphire, produced in America by Buick theGeneralElectricJ79wasmade
availabletothesucceedingYF-104A
(1,075km/h) in I vel flight. late 1940s,and even the new Lockheed F under licence.)
service-testaeroplanes.Mach2.3
In the meantime North American 94 Starfire later in the Korean War, Kelly The first XF-104, now named tarfight
wascommonplace.Infact.theF-104
jump d into the fray with its late-coming Johnson initiated an in-house programme er, was trucked from Burbank to Edwards
wastheworld'sfirstMach2fighter.
YF-93A, first flown on 25 January 1950. to design and develop an air-superiority AFB (formerly Muroc AFB) in February
XF-104Starfighterprototypenumber
This wa powered by a ingle ,000lb fighter with no equal. 1953 where it was readied for flight-test. two(53-7787)isshownhere.
(3,600kg) thrust Pratt & Whitney]4 -P-1 Hecame up with a radicalsingle-engine Immediately after its fir t take-off on 2 LockheedMartin
aft rburning turbojet, which ultimately design with stubby wings and a Ttail February 1954, with Tony LeVier at the
prop II d it to a top speed of 708mph known in-house as the Model a 3, which controls, its landing gear would not
(l,140kmfh). But it was not what the promisedspeedsinexcessofMach2.Atthe retract, so LeVier quickly returned to the
U AFwanted,andwasquicklypassedover. timethe SAFwasinterestedinverylarge, dry lake-bed. Itsfull first flight test wason
The Penetration Fighter fly-offcompe veryheavyall-purposefighter-bombers and 4 March, again flown by LeVier. LeVier
titi nwasheld between29Juneand 7July fighter-interceptor,and theidea ffielding continued toflyXF-104 numberonewhile
14 15
FAB LO STO FANTASTIC
became gate guards at naval installations; Aquatone took precedence ver the Bald U prefix standingfor 'Utility'). The pub The Groom Lake site later became
the two flying prototypes w re sent to Eagle programme.To help keep the former lic was told ithad be n builtfor high-alti known as 'Area 51' in a land grab inJune
mu ums. secretitwa decided touse the latterpure tude research by the ational Advisory 1958, which encompassed a rectangle of
The propo ed600mph (1,000km/h) pro lya acoverand,asfara anyoneknew,Bell Committee for Aeronautics ( ACA, landaround thesoutherntwo-thirdsofthe
duction v r ion ofthe Lockh ed entry was was going to build it Mod 167, now de later to become A A). dry lake bed that was then added to the
it Modell 1,tobedesignated FV-2,which ignated X-16, for high-altitude research. ince Aquatone wa such a highly clas evada uclearTest iteo II'isnowknown
was tobepowered byaprojected 7,500e hp The Lockheed ADP group had not sified programme, the aircraft could not a Restricted Area R-4808.
AllisonT40enginethatwas never builtfor stood till and on 5 March 1954 itoffered be flight-te ted at any well-known flight In earlyJanuary 1955, while the gener
theprogramme.Itwastobearmedwithfour its high-altitude aeroplane design, known test facility like the Air Force Flight Test alpublicwaited to eethe Bell X-16 mate
20mmcannonorforry-eight2.75infolding in-house as Temporary De ign umber enter at Edwards Air Force Ba e, Cali rialize, U-2 number one, al 0 known as
fin aerial rocketprojectiles. CL-282. Itwa gr eted with much interest fornia. Therefore, in late March 1955 IA Article 341, began to take shape in
at ARDCand Lockheed wasasked to pro Kelly Johnson, after telling him of the Lockheed's super-secret kunk Works
vide a detailed proposal. In early April top-secretprogramme, told hi chiefengi building B-6 at Burbank, California. In
U-2 1954th comprehensive L-282 propo al neering test pilot, Anthony W. 'Tony' house, it was referred to as 'Kelly's Angel'
was presented. As presented by John on, LeVier, to hop into the company-owned and it wa scheduled to fly beforeSeptem
On 1July 1953 thre ailframecontractor the proposal envisaged th manufacture Bee lteraft Bonanza and 'find us a place ber. It was completed at Burbank on 15
Bell, Fairchild and Martin - were given of an initial batch of thirty aeroplanes out on the desert somewhere wh re we Julyand on 23July it wasdisassembled for
studyc ntractsfor ecretProjectMX-2147 wher by Lockheed, according toJohnson, cantestthi thingin cret.Anddon'ttell aerial transport on board a Douglas C
under the classified code-name of Bald 'would be responsible for the whole pro anyone what you're up to.' I24D to Groom Lake. Then, safely at the
Eagle. By 31 December of that year the e gram, including ervicing ofthe airplanes HealsotoldLeVierthathewouldbethe 'Ranch', he wa moved into a partially
firm were to present their respective pro in the field'. primary Aquatone test pilot. Afterward, completed hangarfor reassembly.
posal to the U AF Air Research and AsproposedtheCL-282designwould be LeVierand Dorsey Kamererset out in the Ground checks of its systems ensued
DevelopmentCommand (ARD ),thefor clo ly a ociated with the XF-104 Bonanza on what was to be a two-week and then on 1August 1955 LeVier began
merAir Materiel ommand. As projected, Stalfighter, which had first taken flight a scoutingtrip. Afterafew daysofsearching what were to be preliminary low- and
thesubsonicBaldEagleairvehiclewastobe yearearlier. WhilekeepingtheTtailedXF at first around Death Valley, alifornia medium-speed taxi te t. However
capable of unrefuelled flights at very high 104airframe for the mo I' part, the CL-282 and then eastward into Nevada, LeVier 'Angel',withherverylong,high-lift,high
altitudes for very long distances. In part, would have new, high-a p ct-ratio long and Kamererfound whattheycalleda'ten a pect-ratio wing wa in reality a high
the pecification called for a single- eat spanwings.Asfir I'offered,itwouldbepow plus' site, calling it Site I. LeVierdrew up thru 1', turbojet-powered glider, and was
subsonic aircraft able to fly at 70,000ft ered by a single 9,3001b (4,200kg) thrust plans for a flight-test facility and deter eagertobecomeairborne. 0,accordingto
(21,OOOm) or higher with a maximum .. General Electric J73-GE-3 non-afterburn mined con truction costs. However, LeVier:
range of at least 1,740 miles (2,800km) ing engine and have a fuel capacity of925 U AF Colonel Ozzie Ritland and CIA
LOCKHIID
while carrying a reconnaissance payload ::XF¥-' USgallons(3,5001tr).Tosaveweight, it F Oxcart programme manager Dick Bissell ...at 70ktwe were in thegoddamair.111clakc
z ..
weighing betv,reen 100-7001b (45-320kg). .... -:: XFV-I 104-srylelandinggearwould bereplaced by rejected thesitebecauseitwas toocloseto bed wa"o smooth I couldn't feel when the
When Lockheed- i Advanced Devel a ajettisonablewheeled tak -offdollyand an populated areas. wheels were no longer touching. I almost
opment Projects group in particular ". extendable kid for landing. olone! Ritland then remembered an crappcd. Holy Christ, I jammed thc goodam
found outabout this project in early 1954 Eventually, at Kelly Johnson' own old U AAF airfield on the shore of powerin.Igotintostallbuffetandhadnoidea
it immediately went into action to come behest, the F-104 airframe andJ73 engine GroomLake,adry lakebedabout3Yzmiles where the goddam ground was. I just had to
up with a de ign of its own. However, it weredropped from the BaldEagle/Aquatone (5.6km) in diameter located at a desolate keepthegoddamairplaneundercontrol. Ikept
wasan uninvited guestand would have to plans. Instead, an entirely new singl part ofNellis Air Force Base in southern itstraightand level and Ihit theground hard.
come up with omething spectacular to TheXFV-1(formerlyXFO-1)madeitsfirstflighton16June1954withHermSalmonat engin airframe with conventional tail ur Nevada, just north of Las Vega. (Groom Wham! I heard thump! thump! and thump! I
unseat the other manufacturers with their thecontrols;hewoundupbeingtheonlypersontoflythetype.ThefirstoftwoXFV-1s f'aceswascreated,sothatthefuselagecould Lakeand the nearby mountain range were blew both tyres and the damned brakes burst
mounting head-start. (BuNo138657)isshown. LockheedMartin accommodatealargercamerabayand more named for a pro pector who di covered into flame right below the fuel lines. The fire
Inthe meantim Bellhadcomeupwith fuel. The rather odd take-offdolly/landing lead and ilver there around 1850, giving crew ame roaring up with extinguisher fol
its Model 67, a twin-engine de ign; skid arrangement wasabandoned in favour rise to the Groom Mining District that lowedbyKellyinajecpandboilingmad.'Goo
Fairchild itsModelM-195,asingle-engine of a ingle main landing gear with two first saw precise metal production around dam it, LeVier, what in hell happened!' Isaid.
design; and Martin its Model M-272D, a The Bell and Martin designs were both of the US entral Intelligence Agency wheels and a single tailwheel on the cen 1871.) Ritland thought Groom Lake 'Kelly, the son ofa bitch took offand Ididn't
twin-engine design based upon it B-57 favoured but Fairchild's was rejected. Th (CIA).With thegrowingthreatofnuclear treline.Tokeeptheaircraftuprightwhileit would be much more secur due to its evenknowiLl
(which was itself based on the English Belloffering,which would havetobebuilt armed oviet long-range jet bombers and wason theground,eitherouterwingwould proximity to the evada uclear Test
Electric anberra). Flightin thethinairat from scratch, I oked good for future oper intercontinental ballisticmissile, theCIA have small two-wheeled outrigger support ite. Kelly John on di liked the idea Without a full load of fuel and with no
70,000-100,000ft (21,000-30,000m) ations whil the Martin de ign, already wa anxiou to know what was on the gear. The J73 engine was replaced by the becau eitwassocloseto thenuclearfacil reconnai ance gear onboard, the U-2
thehigh trato phereand low troposphere 'flying'a the B-57,could provideanoper ground throughout the S R. For this, a Pratt & Whitney J57-P-37, as u ed in the ity and because it would nearly double wa very light indeed. And since she was
- would require a special power plant. ational aircraft in the interim. Therefore, high-flying reconnai ance platform wa other Bald Eagledesigns. constructioncosts.Nevertheless,Johnson, optimized for high-lift and more than
Sinceth Pratt&WhitneyJ57Turbowasp Martin was awarded a limited production essential so in mid-1954 the IA estab Whileworkproceededat Belland Mar LeVier, Bissell and Ritland flew to Groom adequately powered, she had leaped off
enginewa consid red tobethe bestatthe contractforsixaeroplanes, tobeknown as lished a project code-named Aquatone, tin on their respective X-16 and RB-57D Lakeon 12 April 1955. Upon theirarrival the ground at what was a relatively low
time, with the more advanced ]75 up and the RB-57D, and Bell was awarded acon whereby it would field asecret fleet ofair- BaldEagleaeroplanesfor the USAF, Lock theyfound the old airfield overgrown, but speed.
coming, each firm chose to power it tracttobuild itsModel67,which forsecu raft to overfly the U R with, it hoped, heed was awarded a contract to build an the dry lake bed itselfwas in perfect con Article 341 made her offi ial first flight
design with a specially developed high rity reasons was given the fictitious near impunity. At the time the U R did initial fleetoftwentyAquatoneaeroplanes dition. They had found their site! Tony on 4 Augu I' with Tony LeVierat the con
altitude derivative of the J57, de ignated research aircraftdesignation X-16. not havesurface-to-air mi sile capable of for the IA. To hide its true nature as a LeVier, withtheapprovalofKellyJohn on trol . LeVier flew another nineteen test
J57-P-37 (formerlyJ57-P-19) and rated at BegunsolelyasaUSAFproject,theBald reachingaircraftflyingatthe 70,00.Oftalti dedicated spyplane, the Lockheed Aqua and CIA director Richard M. Bissell, Jr, flights, during which he reached thedesign
1O,5001b (4,800kg) thrust. Eagle programme had excited the interest tudesplanned for BaldEagle. Induecourse tone aeroplane was designated U-2A (the named it'Paradise Ranch'. speedofMach0.85andamaximumaltitude
76 77