Last updated on: 19 November 2006
A-12, YF-12, and SR-71 Specifications
A-12 Specifications
- Construction: Titanium (Beta-120/Ti-13V-11Cr-3A1) Monococque with some super-high-temperature plastics.
- Length: 102 feet, 3 inches
- Wingspan: 55 feet, 7 inches
- Wing Area: 1,795 square feet
- Height: 18 feet, 6 inches
- Landing Weight: 52,000 pounds
- Maximum Gross Take-off Weight: 117,000 pounds
- Maximum Speed: 3.2 Mach above 75,000 feet
- Operational Ceiling: above 80,000 feet
- Maximum Unrefueled Range: Classified
- Armament: none
- Powerplant Data: 2 Pratt & Whitney J75 with 17,000 pounds thrust on first 5 aircraft during flight testing
- updated to: In production, 2 P & W J58 (JT11D-20A) high-bypass ratio turbojets with 20,500 pounds thrust (dry), with afterburner: 31,500 pounds thrust, some later engines generated 34,500 pounds thrust in afterburner.
- A-12 production: 15 aircraft; Only 9 A-12s are still in existance today.
- Serial Numbers assigned to A-12 production was 60-6924 through 60-6948
- Serial numbers 60-6942 through 60-6948 were not used
D-21A/B
- Construction: Titanium (Beta-120/Ti-13V-11Cr-3A1) Monococque with some super-high- temperature palstics
- Length: 42 feet, 10 inches
- Wingspan: 19 feet, 1/4 inch
- Wing Area: ?
- Height: 7 feet, 1/4 inch
- Empty Weight: ?
- Maximum Gross Take-off Weight: 11,000 pounds
- Maximum Speed: 3.35 Mach/ Maximum 3.25 at 80,000 to 95,000 feet
- Operational Ceiling: 95,000 feet
- Maximum Unrefueled Range: 3,000 nautical miles
- Armament: None
- Powerplant Data: Marquardt RJ43-MA-11 Ramjet with 1,500 pounds thrust
D-21 production: 38 drones
D-21A: M-21 launched, 4 launches
D-21B: B-52H launched, 17 Launches, with 4 operational missions
YF-12A
- Construction: Titanium (Beta-120/Ti-13V-11Cr-3A1) monococque w/some super-high- temperature plastics.
- Length: 101 feet, 8 inches
- Wingspan: 55 feet, 7 inches
- Wing Area: 1,795 square feet
- Height: 18 feet, 6 inches
- Landing Weight: 68,000 pounds
- Maximum Gross Take-off Weight: 124,000 pounds
- Maximum Speed: 3.2 Mach above 75,000 feet
- Operational Ceiling: Classified, but probably over 80,000 feet
- Maximum Unrefueled Range: Classified
- Armament: 3 Hughes GAR-9/ AIM-47A air to air radar guided missiles (maximum speed 4 Mach)
- Powerplant Data: 2 Pratt & Whitney J58 (JT11D-20A) High-bypass-ratio turbojets
YF-12A production: 3 aircraft
Out of the 3 YF-12As built only one is in existance today. Though the rear half of #934 was mated with the front half of the SR static test model to build the SR-71C trainer.
Summary of YF-12A Missile Firings
| Date |
YF-12 Alt. |
YF-12 Mach |
Target Alt. |
Results |
| Mar 1965 |
65,000ft |
2.19 |
40,000ft |
Target destroyed |
| May 1965 |
64,800ft |
2.18 |
20,000ft |
Missile Gyro failure |
| Sep 1965 |
75,200ft |
3.22 |
20,000ft. |
Target destroyed |
| Mar 1966 |
74,000ft |
3.16 |
1,700ft |
Target destroyed |
| Apr 1966 |
75,200ft |
3.20 |
1,100ft |
Target destroyed |
| May 1966 |
76,000ft |
3.20 |
20,000ft |
Target destroyed |
| Sep 1966 |
74,400ft |
3.20 |
500ft |
Target destroyed |
SR-71A/B/C
- Construction: Titanium (Beta-120/Ti-13V-11Cr-3A1) Monococque with some super-high- temperature palstics.
- Length: 107 feet, 5 inches
- Wingspan: 55 feet, 7 inches
- Wing Area: 1,795 square feet
- Height: 16 feet, 6 inches
- Landing Weight: 68,000 pounds
- Maximum Gross Take-off Weight: 140,000 pounds
- Maximum Speed: 3.2 Mach above 75,000 feet
- Operational Ceiling: over 85,000 feet
- Maximum Unrefueled Range: 3,200 nautical miles
- Armament: None
- Powerplant Data: 2 Pratt & Whitney J58 (JT11D-20A) High-bypass-turbojets with 34,000 pounds thrust
SR-71 production:
- A...29
- B... 2
- C... 1
- Out of the total of 32 SR-71's built, 21 are still in existance.
- Total SR-71s lost in accidents: 12 (no USAF Pilot or RSO lost their lives in any SR accident, nor were any shot down by hostile fire)
AF Serial Numbers assigned for the SR-71: 61-17950 through 61-17985
- Serial numbers 61-17982 through 61-17985 were not used
Program Info:(as of Jan 1990)
- Total Flight Hours:...........53,490
- Total Mach 3+ Time:........11,675
- Total Sorties:.....................17,300
- Total Operational Sorties:....3,551
- Total Operational Hours:...11,008
- Total Air Refeulings..........25,862
- Total Crew Members:............284 (includes NASA and USAF Crews checked out in AC)
- Cumulative Hours by Crews:
- 300 Hours.....163
- 600 Hours.......69
- 900 Hours.......18
- 1000 Hours.......8
- 1392.7 Hours.....1
Sources:
- Buddy Brown
- "Lockheed Skunk Works, The First 50 Years" by Jay Miller
Back to SR-71 page
Location of A-12s, YF-12As, & SR-71s page
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