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| The A-12 is believed to perform a sensitive intelligence-gathering flight when airborne at speeds in excess of Mach 3 |
The fastest manned aerial vehicle in the world is still held by the North America X-15 which is capable of sprinting at the hypersonic level of Mach 6.72 (7,274 km per hour). However, the X-15 is a prototype, while the fastest operational air vehicle in the world is the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft which is capable of reaching speeds of Mach 3.4 (4,023 km per hour).
And speaking of the debut of the SR-71, many forget about the twin figure of this aircraft, namely the Lockheed A-12. The Lockheed A-12 is identical to the SR-71, and both were built in the raging Cold War era. In general, the A-12 has similar specifications to the SR-71.
However, prior to the SR-71, the A-12 had already aired the A-12, and this high-altitude (26,000 meter) reconnaissance aircraft had a unique feature, which was made specifically for the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Similar to the SR-71, the A-12 was also delivered by Lockheed Skunk Works under the Project Oxcart program, it was based on the design of aviation pioneer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson. The Lockheed design was chosen over the FISH and Kingfish Convair designs, and was the precursor to the United States Air Force's YF-12 prototype interceptor and SR-71 Blackbird.
After several prototypes were made, several models were lost, and the crew died during its testing, the A-12 finally entered service in 1967. A total of 18 aircraft were built, of which only 13 were mass-produced as the A-12, while the others were pre-production in the prototype category.
As part of Operation Black Shield, dozens of many A-12s were flown in the later stages of the Vietnam War. The A-12 is believed to perform a sensitive intelligence-gathering flight when airborne at speeds in excess of Mach 3.
Though faster than any aircraft hoping to intercept it, the A-12 is actually nowhere to be seen. However, efforts were made to make it much harder to see on radar. It used a number of advanced features of the time to reduce the radar cross-section, including the shape and structure of the radar evader and the use of composite materials in its construction, including the inclusion of a radar-absorbing material in the outer shell.
As TheDrive reported in 2019, “a key component of Skunk Works' plans to make the A-12 harder to spot on radar involves a cesium-laced fuel additive to dramatically reduce radar signatures from engine exhaust and afterburner clumps by aircraft.
The additive fuel creates an ionizing cloud behind the aircraft to help hide all aspects of the rear of the aircraft from detection by radar waves.
The cesium additive enables what has been described as "plasma stealth," which essentially involves creating a cloud of plasma, or ionized gas, around some or all objects. In this case, it helps hide the plane while it is flying at Mach 3.
Lockheed is reported to have tested mixtures that included sodium and potassium, but in the end cesium – a soft silvery-golden alkali metal that is one of only five elemental metals that are liquid at room temperature – had the best results.
Cesium, which was first discovered in 1860 by the newly developed flame spectroscopic method, was originally used as a "getter" in vacuum tubes and photoelectric cells. The final additive mixture, dubbed A-50, is 30 percent cesium metal and 60 percent dialkyl phosphate.
The issue of fuel toxicity has been questioned, but all jet fuels are considered moderately toxic. Additionally, it remains unclear how much of the A-50 additive was actually used, but given the aircraft's success rate, it's likely the A-12 was refueled with it in some assignments. The Lockheed A-12 made its maiden flight on April 26, 1962, and was retired in 1968.
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