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

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Seeret NOFOAN
Chapter 6
DELIVERY OF THE FIRST OXCART
The first A- l 2, known as article 121, was assembled and tested at
Burbank during January and February 1962. Since it could not be
flown to the Nevada site, the aircraft had to be partially disassembled
and put on a specially designed trailer that cost nearly S 100,000. The
entire fuselage, without the wings, was crated and covered, creating a
load 35 feet wide and 105 feet long. To transport this huge load safely
over the hundreds of miles to the site. obstructing road signs were re­
moved, trees were trimmed, and some roadbanks had to be leveled.
The plane left Burbank on 26 February 1962 and arrived at Area 51
two days later.
After the fuselage arrived in Nevada, its wings were attached and
the 175 engines were installed. but the aircraft was still not ready to be
tested. This new delay was caused by leaking fuel tanks, a problem
that would never be solved completely. Because the A- I 2's high
speeds heat the titanium airframe to more than 500°F. Lockheed
designers had to make allowances for expansion. When the metal was
cold, the expansion joints were at their widest. In the fuel tanks. these
gaps were filled by pliable sealants. but the fuel for the A-12's engines
acted as a strong reducing agent that softened the sealants. causing
leaks. Thus. when fuel was first poured into the aircraft, 68 leaks
developed. Lockheed technicians then stripped and replaced all the
sealant, a tedious and time consuming procedure because the sealant
required four curing cycles, each at a different temperature over a
period of 30 to 54 hours. The engineers were never able to discover a
sealant compound that was completely impervious to the jet fuel while
remaining elastic enough to expand and contract sufficiently. The
A- I 2's tanks continued to leak, so when it was fueled, it only received
enough fuel to get airborne. The plane would then rendezvous with a
tanker, top off its tanks, and immediately climb to operating altitude.
causing the metal to expand and the leaks to stop. 10
CHANGES IN THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Richard Bissell, whose concern for the viability of the U-2 in 1956
had led to the establishment of Project OXCART and who had di­
rected its growth all along, was no longer in charge when the first
"' OSA fiistorv. chap. 20. p. 62 (TS C0<.!t:worJJ: \linnich...OXCART Story." p. 11 (S).
Secret