SR-71 designstion?
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One was CIA. Lockheed A-12 - Wikipedia
And one was USAF. Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird - Wikipedia
And one was USAF. Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird - Wikipedia
How the SR-71 Blackbird Got It's Name
During the 1964 campaign, Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater repeatedly criticized President Lyndon B. Johnson and his administration for falling behind the Soviet Union in developing new weapons. President Johnson decided to reveal the existence of the Lockheed YF-12A Air Force...
www.thesr71blackbird.com
MIflyer
1st Lieutenant
A-12 was the Lockheed company designation. Most aircraft have both manufacturer and military designations. The KC-135 was the Boeing 717 (a designation since reused for the DC-9). The P-51D-5-NA was the NA-109. Reportedly, the designation of the SR-71 was supposed to be RS-71 but Johnson flubbed the announcement. An SR-71 should be an antisubmarine modification of a recon aircraft, or something.
The weirdest designation ever is another Lockheed aircraft, the F-117. Despite assertions to the contrary, the Air Force did not secretly keep using the Century Series designations and employ it for the F-117. When the F-117 was still classified it was known as Program 117, and when they started printing manuals they had to call it something. While it is not really a Fighter but more of an Attack airplane, and they even flew A-7D's to train for F-117 missions, the head of TAC said, "The best Air Force fighter pilots will be flying this airplane and no fighter pilot would ever want to fly anything designed "A.""
The weirdest designation ever is another Lockheed aircraft, the F-117. Despite assertions to the contrary, the Air Force did not secretly keep using the Century Series designations and employ it for the F-117. When the F-117 was still classified it was known as Program 117, and when they started printing manuals they had to call it something. While it is not really a Fighter but more of an Attack airplane, and they even flew A-7D's to train for F-117 missions, the head of TAC said, "The best Air Force fighter pilots will be flying this airplane and no fighter pilot would ever want to fly anything designed "A.""
FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
The Boeing 717 designation was attached to the MD-95 (from the DC-9) family. When McDonnel Douglas got swallowed up by Boeing, they decided to continue the program. I briefly worked on the program, BAE Flight systems in Palmdale CA built the wings in a facility next to USAF Plant 42 which were trucked down to Long Beach where the 717 was built.
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FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
A-12 -> the "A" was for "Archangel"
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
There was also the M-21 version, so named because of the D-21 drone it was to carry.
The Archangel program was top-secret at the time, so the YF-12 was named as such, in order to provide an "official" cover for the CIA's A-12's existence.
The Archangel program was top-secret at the time, so the YF-12 was named as such, in order to provide an "official" cover for the CIA's A-12's existence.
MIflyer
1st Lieutenant
Here is a location to download previously classified report about all that.
The U-2 and Oxcart 1954-1974.pdf
The U-2 and Oxcart 1954-1974.pdf
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