Originally posted by ShatteredSkies
hmm ok my so the 71 was armed at the A-12 and no it was not canceled during the XB-70 was cause it was shot down by mig-23's in 1966 and it was never
reopened cause of the threat of the mig interceptors and the black bird retired about for 10 years now not 40 it only came out in the late 70's when
the technology was being explored.
The first SR-71 to enter service was delivered in 1966 and due to politics, it was retired in 1990. However, the USAF still kept a few SR-71s in
operation up until 1998, after a few were brought back to service in 1995.
The A-12 is the first of all Blackbird Variants. First flown in 1962, it had a very short career, and was retired in 1968. The A-12s sat in storage
for over twenty years in Palmdale before being transported to museums around the country.
The YF-12A is a prototype for a proposed Mach 3+ interceptor/bomber. Only three were originally built and only one remains today. The YF-12A program
was cancelled in the mid-1960s for budgetary reasons. However, the aircraft went on to serve NASA before its eventual retirement in 1979.
Fixed Armament: 3 Hughes GAR-9/AIM-47A air-to-air radar-guided missile (max speed Mach 4)
The YF-12A used a combination of long range radar and infrared search sensors along with a precision radar coupled to the infrared tracking system.
Range of the radar and infrared trackers was estimated at 200 to 300 miles when it was first shown, giving the YF-12 unparalleled ability to detect
and destroy enemy aircraft. The YF-12 used Hughes ASG-18 radar and the GAR-9 missiles that had been developed for the F-108 Rapier.
Following the development of the A-12 came the SR-71, an improved platform for reconnaissance. The capabilities of the SR-71 versus the A-12 have been
debated many times. Each of these aircraft served different purposes and regardless which is better, the SR-71 is still a magnificent aircraft.
Although the M-21 looks like an A-12, it was not modified from one. After A-12 #60-6939 was built, two M-21s were built. These aircraft had two
cockpits: one for a Pilot and one for a Launch Control Officer. Due to the fatal accident with aircraft #60-6941, the M-21/D-21 program was
cancelled.
Due to the agreement between the Soviet Union and the United States restricting the use of manned vehicles over the Soviet landmass, this unmanned
aircraft was developed. The drone was carried and launched by two A-12-like modified aircraft and a number of B-52Hs.
Link