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Archangel: CIA's Supersonic A-12 Reconnaissance Aircraft
By David Robarge
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Table of Contents:
From Drawing Board to Factory Floor
Breaking Through Technological Barriers
Full Stress Testing
Hiding OXCART in Plain Sight
Finding a Mission
A Futile Fight for Survival
References
Bibliography
All statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed in this study
are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect official
positions or views of the Central Intelligence Agency or any other US
Government entity, past or present. Nothing in the contents should be
construed as asserting or implying US Government endorsement of the
study's factual statements and interpretations.
Foreword
This history of the A-12 reconnaissance
aircraft is occasioned by CIA’s acquisition on loan from the Air Force of the
eighth A-12 in the production series of 15. Known as Article 128, the aircraft
will be on display at the Agency’s Headquarters compound in Langley, Virginia.
This history is intended to provide an accessible overview of the A‑12’s
development and use as an intelligence collector.
Writing this story was a fascinating
challenge because I am not an aviation historian and have never flown any kind
of aircraft. Accordingly, I have tried to make the narrative informative to lay
readers like myself, while retaining enough technical detail to satisfy those
more knowledgeable about aeronautics and engineering. I have drawn on the
sources listed in the bibliography and the extensive files on the A-12 program
in CIA Archives. Hundreds of those documents will be declassified and released
to the public in conjunction with the dedication of Article 128 in September
2007 as part of the Agency’s 60th anniversary commemoration. I have limited
citations to specific documentary references and direct quotes from published
works. When discrepancies arose among the sources regarding dates and other
details, I have relied on the official records.
For their contributions to the substance and production of
this work and to the documentary release, I would like to thank my colleagues
on the CIA History Staff and at the Center for the Study of Intelligence, the
information review officers in the Directorate of Science and Technology,
designers and cartographers in the Directorate of Intelligence, and publication
personnel at Imaging and Publishing Support. I also am grateful for historical
material provided by the Lockheed Martin Corporation and the A-12 program
veterans, the Roadrunners.
David Robarge
CIA Chief Historian
September 2007
Historical Document
Posted: Sep 28, 2007 12:46 PM
Last Updated: Jun 27, 2008 09:52 AM
Last Reviewed: Sep 28, 2007 12:46 PM