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

Text

This text came with the file. It may have mistakes. When the text and the image disagree, the image is right.

291
SeeFet NOFOfU'il
Chapter 6
that ultimately required a complete redesign of the air-inlet system
that controlled the amount of air admitted to the engine. In the new,
adjustable inlet the cone-shaped projection at the front-known as a
spike-was designed to move in or out as much as three feet in order
to capture and contain the shock wave produced by the aircraft at high
speeds, thus preventing the shock wave from blowing out the fire in­
.
.de the engine.·1s
s1
Another 158 engine problem in early 1963 was foreign object
damage. Small objects such as pens, pencils, screws, bolts, nuts, and
metal shavings that fell into the engine nacelles during assembly at
Burbank were sucked into the power plant during initial engine testing
at Area 5 1 and damaged impeller and compressor vanes. To control the
problem Lockheed instituted a program that included X-rays, shaking
of the nacelles, installing screens over various air inlets to the engine,
and even having workers wear coveralls without breast pockets.
Another source of foreign object damage was trash on the runways.
The giant 158 engines acted like immense vacuum cleaners, sucking in
anything lying loose on the paving as they propelled the A-12 down
the runway for takeoff. To prevent engine damage, Area 51 personnel
h~~ to sweep and vacuum the runway before aircraft takeoff. 10
NEW VERSIONS OF THE OXCART
In 1962 the Agency and the Air Force ordered two more versions of
the OXCART (in addition to the A-12 and the YF-12A). One was a
modification of the A-12 to carry and launch ramjet-powered,
43-feet-long drones capable of reaching Mach 3.3 The two-seater
mothership received the designation M-12; the drone was called the
0-21. This project was known as TAGBOARD. The original develop­
ment of the drones and mothership was sponsored by the CIA, but in
June 1963 the project was turned over to the Air Force, which had
overall responsibility
for
unmanned
reconnaissance
aircraft.
Development of the M-12/0-21 combination continued until 1966,
when an unsuccessful D-21 launch caused the loss of its mothership
and the death of one of the crew members. Afterward the Air Force
turned to B-52 bombers to carry the drones.·11
" OSA History, chap. 20. p. 67 (TS Codeword).
'• Johnson. '"Development of Lockheed SR-71,'" p. 12.
"OSA History, chap. 20. p. 71; Jay Miller, Lockheed SR-71 (A/2/YF/2/D-2//, Aerofax.
Minigraph I (Arlington. Texas: Aerofax. Inc.. 1985), p. 3.
-Secre~