Before the Mach 3 SR-71 Blackbird, the CIA Had a Secret Spy Plane That Flew Even Faster

Before the Mach 3 SR-71 Blackbird, the CIA Had a Secret Spy Plane That Flew Even Faster

Summary and Key Points: Years before the famous SR-71 Blackbird, the CIA built the A-12 Oxcart — a top-secret Mach 3 spy plane designed by Kelly Johnson’s Skunk Works to replace the vulnerable U-2. First flown from Area 51 in 1962, the A-12 was America’s first stealth aircraft and hit a sustained Mach 3.2 at 90,000 feet, a piloted-jet record still unbroken. The Air Force’s SR-71 followed, carrying more sensors but flying a touch slower. The prog…