my thoughts

My understanding is that the YF-12 was the original aircraft that eventually became the SR-71 and that it was short lived, but I could be wrong, just too lazy to look it up

The only evidence suggesting that the Aurora is the SR-71 replacement is that is was under it in the line budget item. That is the ONLY evidence. I'm not saying that it didn't do recon, but the puzzle I put together says that the objective of the project was much grander and that the payoff of the project would be everything that it has been rumored to be.

Also there was controversy(not here) that the Aurora was to be a strike bomber, total bs.

hey thats from c&c generals.

also the first black bird was the A-12 oxcart recon, yf-12 intercep, and lastly the sr-71 recon. The a-12 eneterd service but was cancelled cause the 71 did the same job, and a shift in strategies axed the yf-12, but i have seen 1

Originally posted by intelgurl[/

What is certain is that before the SR-71 was recomm'ed there were sightings, witnesses to sounds of pulsating jet sounds never before heard around certain AFB's, sonic phenomena dubbed "skyquakes" by the USGS, rumbling across the skies of the southwestern states - (these skyquakes were unlike any known sonic footprint including the SR-71's), etc.

It was after the USGS stated that there were high-flying, extremely high speed aircraft generating this effect that the SR-71's were recomm'ed.
Skyquakes continue to this day to be reported over Nevada, Utah and California... But now when the USAF is called about it they just shrug their shoulders and say, "huh, musta been an SR-71"...

Recommissioning a retired bird like the SR-71 is a small financial burden to pay to keep a top secret recon platform from becoming common knowledge.

[Edited on 11-2-2004 by intelgurl]

I can not remember the source for it was a few years back that I first became aware of