M-21
E790544
The M-21 was a specialized variant of the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft, modified to carry and launch the D-21 unmanned reconnaissance drone from its back at high altitude and speed.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Lockheed aircraft
ⓘ
reconnaissance aircraft variant ⓘ |
| accidentConsequence |
death of launch control officer Ray Torick
ⓘ
loss of one M-21 airframe ⓘ |
| airframeModification |
dorsal mounting pylon for D-21
ⓘ
modified chines and fairings for drone carriage ⓘ strengthened upper fuselage ⓘ |
| basedOn | Lockheed A-12 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| carried | D-21 reconnaissance drone NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| configuration | two-seat tandem cockpit ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| crew | 2 ⓘ |
| crewPositions |
launch control officer
ⓘ
pilot ⓘ |
| designedTo |
carry D-21 reconnaissance drone
ⓘ
launch D-21 reconnaissance drone ⓘ |
| designer | Clarence "Kelly" Johnson NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| developedFrom | A-12 reconnaissance aircraft NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| droneMountLocation | upper rear fuselage ⓘ |
| era | Cold War ⓘ |
| firstFlightYear | 1960s ⓘ |
| launchControlSystem | rear cockpit drone control instrumentation ⓘ |
| launchEnvironment |
high altitude
ⓘ
high speed ⓘ |
| launchMethod | air launch from dorsal pylon ⓘ |
| manufacturer | Lockheed NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| material | titanium structure ⓘ |
| maximumSpeedClass | Mach 3+ at altitude ⓘ |
| museumDisplay | one surviving airframe on display at Museum of Flight, Seattle ⓘ |
| notableAccident | mid-air collision with D-21 during launch ⓘ |
| numberBuilt | 2 ⓘ |
| operatedFrom | Groom Lake (Area 51) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| operationalCeilingClass | above 80,000 feet ⓘ |
| operatorType | highly classified reconnaissance operations ⓘ |
| partOfProgram | Oxcart program NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| powerplant | Pratt & Whitney J58 turbojet NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| primaryFunction | air-launched reconnaissance drone carrier ⓘ |
| programName | Tagboard NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| programOutcome | manned carrier concept cancelled after accident ⓘ |
| programType | black project ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Lockheed A-12
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| role | mothership for D-21 drone ⓘ |
| status | retired ⓘ |
| successorConcept | B-52H carrier for D-21B NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| usedBy |
Central Intelligence Agency
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
United States Air Force ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.