YF-12: the look-alike SR-71 that could have changed aviation history

Resume: The SR-71 Blackbird is known as the fastest aircraft ever, but its lesser-known predecessor, the YF-12, also has an important place in aviation history. Developed by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, the YF-12 was an experimental interceptor derived from the A-12 reconnaissance aircraft.

– Featuring dual cockpits, advanced navigation and firing computers and equipped with air-to-air missiles, the YF-12 was designed during the Cold War to replace the F-106 Delta Dart.

-Despite its impressive capabilities, the program was discontinued in the late 1960s due to budget constraints and shifting military priorities. Today, one of the YF-12 prototypes is preserved at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, serving as a testament to its historical significance and technological innovations.

The YF-12 Interceptor: Lockheed’s legendary high-speed aircraft

The SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft remains one of the most respected platforms in aviation history. This Cold War American aircraft still holds the record as the world’s fastest aircraft, beating much more modern aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II. Although the name Blackbird is easily recognizable, its predecessor is less well known.

Meet the YF-12 fighter

After World War II, the US Air Force wanted a replacement for the F-106 Delta Dart interceptor. The resulting North American XF-108 Rapier was conceptualized, but quickly ignored. Around this time, Lockheed Martin’s famed Skunk Works division was developing the A-12 reconnaissance aircraft for the Central Intelligence Agency.

The A-12 was developed under the Oxcart program as a successor to the U-2 spy plane. The A-12 could reach a top speed of Mach 3.29 and an altitude of 30,000 feet and was extremely valuable in gathering critical information for the CIA. Lockheed built three prototypes of the A-12 for testing. The unique airframe made its maiden flight in 1963 and the first tests took place in secret the following year.

The head of Skunk Works offered to build a modified variant of the A-12 for the Air Force.

Key differences between the Blackbird and YF-12

Perhaps the biggest difference between the YF-12 variant and its A-12 sibling was at the front of the aircraft, where a second cockpit was installed for a Hughes AN/ASG-18 fire control officer tasked with management of the platform’s air-to-air traffic control. air arsenal. A digital computer for navigation and firing was supplemented by a second computer installed for control, which was considered quite advanced at the time.

Three of the four bays in the YF-12 initially designed for reconnaissance equipment were modified to house an internal payload of three Hughes AIM-147 Falcon air-to-air missiles. Two Pratt & Whitney J58 engines with 32,000 pounds of thrust each powered the YF-12, giving the aircraft a range of more than 3,000 miles.

Where are the YF-12 prototypes today?

Despite the YF-12’s capabilities, the program was ultimately aborted in the late 1960s due to budget constraints and the ongoing war in Southeast Asia. However, the prototypes lived on at NASA facilities, where they were used for flight research on aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, noise testing, and control.

While the SR-71 Blackbird would eventually surpass its predecessor’s altitude and speed records, the YF-12 would retain its status as the heaviest, largest, and fastest manned interceptor to ever fly the skies.

Today, only one YF-12 prototype remains open for public viewing in the Research and Development Gallery of the National Museum of the US Air Force.

About the Author: Maya Carlin

Maya Carlin, National Security Writer at The National Interest, is an analyst at the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has had bylines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.