Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond The Secret Missions

Paul Crickmore

Osprey Publishing, Oct 15, 2004 - History - 400 pages

In this book, expert author Paul Crickmore leads the reader deeper than ever before into the 'Black World' of the A-12 and SR-71 top-secret reconnaissance mission. For the first time, detailed first-hand accounts from CIA and USAF pilots bring to life the experience of flying highly classified missions in the Blackbird, whilst Allied and former Warsaw Pact fighter pilots describe their efforts to intercept the spy-plane. Travelling more than a mile every 2 seconds and flying fifteen miles above the earth's surface, the SR-71's performance capacities were truly awesome. This book draws on hundreds of newly declassified Top Secret documents and the experiences of the author's key military contacts to provide the most detailed information available on the SR-71.

What people are saying

Review: Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond the Secret Missions

User Review  - Paul - Goodreads

If there was ever anything you wanted to know about the SR-71, A-12, and YF-12 program, THIS is the book to get. The author starts with the basics; design, development, and specs and performance of ...

Review: Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond the Secret Missions (General Aviation)

User Review  - Ken - Goodreads

I bought this book for my little brother and ended up reading it myself. This book is heavy on acronyms and random names. One of the the things that I would have enjoyed is either a glossary or an ...

Contents

• Acknowledgments: 6
• Preface: 7
• Foreword: 9
• Introduction: 12
• Oxcart: 21
• Tagboard and Senior Bowl: 77
• TheYF12: 86
• SR71 technical briefing: 102
• From RS to SR and beyond: 144
• Beale operations: 170
• Chapters OL8toDet1: 191
• Det 4 operations: 257
• Shutdown: 322
• OL8 OLRK OLKA and Det 1 mission log: 328
• A12 YF12 and SR71 Check Flights: 351
• Disposition of A12 YF12A and SR71 airframes: 360
• Commanders and awards: 364
• Air Force Logistics Command SR71 crew history: 366
• Chronology of significant events: 367
• Record breaking: 369
• A12 YF12 and SR71 losses: 373
• NASA flight activity: 374
• MIG31SR71A intercepts by Military 1st Class Pilot Mikhail Myagkiy Guards Major ret: 383
• Technical and cutaway drawings: 384
• Bibliography: 390
• Index: 391

Bibliographic information

• Title: Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond The Secret Missions; General Aviation Series
• Author: Paul Crickmore
• Edition: illustrated, reprint, revised
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing, 2004
• ISBN: 1841766941, 9781841766942
• Length: 400 pages
• Subjects: History / Military / Aviation