Oxcart program
E790540
The Oxcart program was a highly classified CIA initiative in the 1960s to develop and operate the A-12 high-speed, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft as a successor to the U-2 spy plane.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
CIA reconnaissance aircraft development program
ⓘ
United States intelligence program ⓘ black project ⓘ |
| aircraftAssociated | D-21 reconnaissance drone NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| aircraftDeveloped |
Lockheed A-12
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
M-21 variant of A-12 ⓘ |
| chiefDesigner | Clarence "Kelly" Johnson NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| classifiedAs | Top Secret ⓘ |
| codeName | OXCART NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| decade | 1960s ⓘ |
| designFeature |
J58 afterburning turbojet engines (on related SR-71 family)
ⓘ
chine configuration for lift and stability ⓘ delta-like wing planform ⓘ titanium airframe ⓘ |
| designRequirement |
Mach 3+ cruise speed
ⓘ
high-altitude flight above 80,000 feet ⓘ radar cross-section reduction ⓘ |
| era | Cold War ⓘ |
| fundingAgency | Central Intelligence Agency NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| legacy |
advanced U.S. capabilities in high-speed reconnaissance
ⓘ
contributed to development of SR-71 Blackbird ⓘ |
| managedBy | CIA Directorate of Science and Technology NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| missionType | strategic reconnaissance ⓘ |
| notableRisk | overflight of hostile airspace ⓘ |
| operator | Central Intelligence Agency NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| oversight | United States government NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| predecessor | U-2 reconnaissance aircraft program NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| primaryBase |
Area 51
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Groom Lake test facility NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| primaryContractor | Lockheed Skunk Works NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| purpose |
development of high-speed high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft
ⓘ
strategic aerial reconnaissance over denied territory ⓘ |
| reasonForInitiation | vulnerability of U-2 to Soviet air defenses ⓘ |
| relatedAircraftFamily | Lockheed Blackbird family GENERATED ⓘ |
| relatedProgram | SR-71 Blackbird program NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| securityMeasure |
compartmented access
ⓘ
cover stories for flight testing ⓘ |
| startDate | 1959 ⓘ |
| status | terminated ⓘ |
| successorAircraft | Lockheed A-12 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| technologyArea |
aerodynamics
ⓘ
high-temperature propulsion ⓘ materials science ⓘ stealth technology precursors ⓘ |
| testLocation | Nevada Test and Training Range NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| theater | global strategic reconnaissance ⓘ |
| threatEnvironment | Soviet Union air defense network NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.