Key Points - The A-12 Oxcart, developed by Lockheed's Skunk Works for the CIA in the early 1960s, was the single-seat, Mach 3.29 (at 90,000 feet) precursor to the USAF's more famous SR-71 Blackbird.
Article Summary - Years before the SR-71 Blackbird made headlines, its CIA predecessor—the A-12 Oxcart—was already flying Mach 3 reconnaissance over North Vietnam. -In October 1967, pilot Denny ...