The Central Intelligence Agency and Overhead Reconnaissance; The U-2 and OXCART Programs, 1954-1974

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270
Secret NOfiOftN
Chapter 6
designs and continued the competition. Lockheed continued to work
on developing a design that would be less vulnerable to detection, and
Convair received a new C[A contract to design an air-breathing
twin-engine aircraft that would meet the general specifications being
d 11
followed by Lockhee .
Following recommendations by the Land committee, both
Lockheed and Convair incorporated the Pratt & Whitney 158 power
plant into their designs. This engine had originally been developed
for the Navy's large, jet-powered flying boat, the Glenn L. Martin
Company's P6M Seamaster, and was the most powerful engine
available. [n 1958 the Navy had canceled the Seamaster program,
which had left Pratt & Whitney without a buyer for the powerful 158
•
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engine.
Although the Land committee had not yet found an acceptable
design, it informed President Eisenhower on 20 July 1959 that the
search was making good progress. Concerned about the U-2's vulner­
ability to detection and possible interception and aware that the
photosatellite project was encountering significant problems, the
President gave his final approval to the high-speed reconnaissance
aircraft project. 13
THE SELECTION OF THE LOCKHEED DESIGN
By the late summer of 1959, both Convair and Lockheed had com­
pleted new designs for a follow-on to the U-2. Convair's entry, known
as the KINGFISH, used much of the technology developed for the
F-102, F-106, and B-58, including stainless steel honeycomb skin,
planiform wing design, and a crew capsule escape system, which
eliminated the need for the pilot to wear a pressurized suit. The
KfNGFISH had two side-by-side 158 engines inside the fuselage,
which significantly reduced the radar cross section. Two additional
" OSA History, chap. 20, p. I 5 (TS Codeword).
"Cunningham interview, 4 October 1983 (TS Codeword); Joseph V. Charyk. interview
by Donald E. We[zenbach. tape recording. Washington. DC, 5 December 1984 (TS
Codeword).
"Andrew J. Goodpaster. "Memorandum of Conference with the President," 20 July [ 959.
WHOSS. ALPHA. DDEL (TS).
Secret