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| Science & Technology |
| The Blackbird Had a Drone Sidekick |
| 2015-02-09 |
| "Enter the D-21. The drone looked like a wing carved off the body of an A-12 and was supposed to work as a more or less a stripped-down, unmanned version of its manned cousin. Lockheed converted two A-12 aircraft, renamed M-21, into motherships, adding a second seat for a launch control officer and modifying the aircraft to carry the drone on its back up to a launch point." |
| Posted by:Hupineger Glomomp1540 |
| #10 One of the wilder exploits: |
| Posted by: 3dc 2015-02-09 21:32 |
| #9 Boeing Museum of Flight has a M-21 and D-21 display, drone mated to the Blackbird. |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2015-02-09 15:32 |
| #8 A total of 20 Lockheed Blackbirds have been lost due to a variety of accidents; however, not one was shot down by unfriendly forces! Broken down by type: Model...............#Built..............#Lost A-12....................13......................5 M-21....................2.......................1 YF-12...................3.......................2* SR-71A................29.....................11 SR-71B.................2.......................1 SR-71C.................1.......................0 * SR-71C (64-17981) was built using the rear half of YF-12A (60-6934) and functional engineering mockup of the SR-71A forward fuselage. Last updated 18-Jun-96 . |
| Posted by: 3dc 2015-02-09 14:01 |
#7 Whoops! Read it wrong - make that 2 A-12's and 1 F-11760-6929 (A-12) This aircraft was lost on 28 December 1967 seven seconds into an FCF (Functional Check Flight) from Groom Lake performed by CIA pilot Mel Vojvodich. The SAS (Stability Augmentation System) had been incorrectly wired up, and the pilot was unable to control the aircraft 100 feet above the runway. The pilot ejected safely. A similar accident occurred when the first production Lockheed F-117 was flown on 20 April 1982 by Bill Park. It's control system had been hooked up incorrectly. Bill Park survived the accident but had injuries serious enough to remove him from flight status. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2015-02-09 13:56 |
| #6 Wow! Bill Park was in 3 A-12 and a SR-71A losses (crashes). Ouch! |
| Posted by: 3dc 2015-02-09 13:53 |
| #5 60-6941 (M-21) This was the second A-12 to be converted to an M-21 for launching the D-21 reconnaissance drone. During a flight test on 30 July 1966 for launching the drone, the drone pitched down and struck the M-21, breaking it in half. Pilot Bill Park and LCO (Launch Control Officer) Ray Torick stayed with the plane a short time before ejecting over the Pacific Ocean. Both made safe ejections, but Ray Torick opened his helmet visor by mistake and his suit filled up with water which caused him to drown. This terrible personal and professional loss drove "Kelly" Johnson to cancel the M-21/D-21 program. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2015-02-09 13:46 |
| #4 |
| Posted by: 3dc 2015-02-09 13:43 |
| #3 Ship, they used the D21 four times. Mission #1 evidently hooked right and landed not too far from the Trans-Siberian Railway (they were all aimed at the Chinese missile fields). The Russians gave a frame section to Ben Rich of Lockheed in the 90's. He had it IDed by serial number. It was in reality launched by a B52; the toss launch from a Blackbird was found to be too dangerous, and unnecessary besides. |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2015-02-09 08:16 |
| #2 Pieces of one were found by the Chineese and returned to a visiting US big shot. Kissinger? Baker? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2015-02-09 06:07 |
| #1 I wonder what the level of classification might have been on that project? Very, very cool. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2015-02-09 04:23 |