oconnor@disney.crd.ge.com (Dennis O'Connor) (02/25/90)
From: oconnor@disney.crd.ge.com (Dennis O'Connor)
Summarized from Aviation Week, Jan 22 1990, pp. 42-43
The Lockheed D-21 was powered by a Marquardt RJ43-MA-11 ramjet,
was operated by the CIA and still considered sensitive [i.e.
embarrassing ? ;-) ]. It carried an ejectable film camera
system, and flew at about Mach 3.6 burning JP-7 fuel
( which also powered the SR-71 ). Drones were destroyed
once the film was ejected.
An A-12 ( SR-71 forerunner ) was modified to carry one between
the two tails, and a second "drone operator" station added
by removing the recon stuff behind the pilot. The resulting
craft was called an M-12 [ M for Mother ? ].
On July 30, 1966, the D-21A collided with and destroyed the
M-12 while detaching during supersonic cruise. Both men
ejected safely, but the drone operator drowned. The M-12
program was cancelled immediately.
The remaining 20-or-so D-21A drones were modified for launch
from B-52s, and renamed D-21B. AvWeek estimates only five were
ever used, possibly to overfly "red" China. The D-21 was only
"marginally" succesful and was retired in 1973.
17 D-21 drones remain in storage at Davis-Monthan AFB Ariz.
[ The article has some great pictures ]
--
Dennis O'Connor OCONNORDM@CRD.GE.COM UUNET!CRD.GE.COM!OCONNOR
"Let's take a little off the top ... a bit off the sides ...
trim the back a bit ... Surprise ! You've been bald-ed !"