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

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Geeret NOFORN
Chapter 6
storage capacity, and runway lelllgth were insufficient for the
OXCART program. the site's remot,e location would greatly ease the
task of maintaining the program's security, and a moderate construc­
tion program could provide adequate facilities. Construction began in
September 1960; a C-47 shuttle s,ervice ferried work crews from
Burbank to Las Vegas and from Las Vegas to the site.
The new 8,500-foot runway was completed by 15 November
1960. Kelly Johnson had been reluctant to have a standard Air Force
runway with expansion joints every 25 feet because he feared the
joints wou ld set up undesirable vibirations in the speedy aircraft At
his suggestion a 150-foot wide runway was therefore constructed of
six 25-foot-wide longitudinal sections, each 150 feet long but stag­
gered. This layout put most of the expansion joints parallel to the di­
rection of airer-aft roll and reduced the frequency of the joints.
Additional improvements included the resurfacing of 18 miles of
highway leading to the base so that heavy fuel trucks could bring in
the necessary fuel. The need for additional buildings on the base was
met by the Navy. Three surplus Navy hangars were dismantled.
mo\'ed, and reassembled on the north side of the:: base. and more than
100 surplus Navy housing buildings were also transported to Area 51.
All essential facilities were ready in time for the forecast delivery
date of the first A- I 2 on I August 1961.~"
Unfortunately. this delivery date began to slip further and further
into the future. Delays in obtaining the titanium, and lacer the J58 en­
gines. caused the postponement of the final assembly of the first plane.
Eventually, Kelly Johnson and Agency project officials decided to be­
gin testing without waiting for the J58 engines by using Pratt &
Whitney J75/l 9W engines. designed for the Convair F- 1.06. to test the
A-12 at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and at speeds up to Mach 1.6. Such
a change, however, meant that the engine compartment of the first air­
craft had to be reconfigured to accommodate the J75 engine. Lockheed
hoped that this substitution would petrmit the delivery of the first A-12
by 22 December l 961 and its initial test flight by 27 February 1962.
Lockheed ran into so many technological problems with the
OXCART effort that by October 196 I its costs had swollen to $ 136
million and were still climbing. Something obviously had to be done
"· OSA History. chap. :!O. pp. 39-10. 4). 51 1TS CoJcword): Minnich. ··oxCART Story:·
pp. ,.9 (SJ.
Seeret