Editing Lockheed A-12 (section)

{{Short description|High-altitude, supersonic reconnaissance aircraft}}
{{Distinguish|McDonnell Douglas A-12 Avenger II|Curtiss A-12 Shrike}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2019}}
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{{Infobox aircraft
 |name= A-12
 |image= File:A12-flying.jpg
 |caption= A-12 aircraft, serial number 60-6932
 |type= High-altitude [[military strategy|strategic]] [[reconnaissance aircraft]]
 |manufacturer= [[Lockheed Corporation]]
 |designer= <!-- For single designers, not project leaders -->
 |first_flight= 26 April 1962
 |introduction= 1967<!-- This field is for date aircraft entered service or was fielded. -->
 |retired= 1968
 |number_built= A-12: 13; M-21: 2
 |primary_user= [[Central Intelligence Agency]]
 |more_users=
 |status= Retired
 |unit cost =
 |variants= [[Lockheed YF-12]]
 |developed_into= [[Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird]]
}}

The '''Lockheed A-12''' is a retired high-altitude, [[Mach number|Mach]]&nbsp;3+ [[reconnaissance aircraft]] built for the United States [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) by [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]]'s [[Skunk Works]], based on the designs of [[Kelly Johnson (engineer)|Clarence "Kelly" Johnson]]. The aircraft was designated A-12, the twelfth in a series of internal design efforts for "Archangel", the aircraft's internal code name. In 1959, it was selected over [[Convair]]'s FISH and [[Convair Kingfish|Kingfish]] designs as the winner of [[Convair Kingfish#Project Gusto|Project GUSTO]], and was developed and operated under Project Oxcart.

The CIA's representatives initially favored Convair's design for its smaller [[radar cross-section]], but the A-12's specifications were slightly better and its projected cost was much lower. The companies' respective track records proved decisive. Convair's work on the [[Convair B-58 Hustler|B-58]] had been plagued with delays and cost overruns, whereas Lockheed had produced the [[Lockheed U-2|U-2]] on time and under budget. In addition, Lockheed had experience running a [[Black project|"black" project]].<ref>{{harvnb|Robarge|2012|pp=1–8}}</ref>

The A-12 was produced from 1962 to 1964 and flew from 1963 to 1968. It was the precursor to the twin-seat [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] [[Lockheed YF-12|YF-12]] prototype [[Interceptor aircraft|interceptor]], M-21 launcher for the [[Lockheed D-21|D-21 drone]], and the [[Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird|SR-71 Blackbird]], a slightly longer variant able to carry a heavier fuel and camera load. The A-12 began flying missions in 1967 and its final mission was in May 1968; the program and aircraft were retired in June. The program was officially revealed in the mid-1990s.{{sfn|McIninch|1996}}

A CIA officer later wrote, "Oxcart was selected from a random list of codenames to designate this [[Research and development|R&D]] and all later work on the A-12. The aircraft itself came to be called that as well."<ref>{{harvnb|Robarge|2012|p=15}}</ref> The crews named the A-12 the ''Cygnus'',<ref>{{harvnb|Frank Murray - Pilot}}</ref> suggested by pilot Jack Weeks to follow the Lockheed practice of naming aircraft after celestial bodies.<ref>Crickmore 2000, p. 16.</ref>