The CIA’s A-12 was Almost Obsolete Before it Ever Flew
The U-2 was meant to be America’s greatest espionage asset against the Soviet Union, invisible to radar and out of reach of missiles. But its first flights in July of 1956 revealed it was neither invisible nor, likely, invincible. To maintain a technological edge over the Soviets, the CIA and Air Force began defining a new American reconnaissance program to take its place. That program was OXCART, the program that gave us both the A-12 and the SR-71. This is the story of how that U-2 follow-up aircraft was doomed before it even left the ground.
This is part 5 in a series about Cold War aerial espionage. Part 1 about the U-2 genesis is here. Part 2 about the political challenge of deciding to fly the U-2 is here. Part 3 about Gary Powers’ downing is here. Part 4 about the Corona Spy Satellites is here.
A Little U-2 Background
In the early 1950s, as the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union intensified, traditional forms of espionage with human operatives became impossible. The Iron Curtain shut off communication with Eastern Europe. What WWII-era photography the Americans had was nearly a decade-old and only covered the area west of the Urals; there was a tremendous amount of space in the Soviet Union that was largely unknown. The United States needed insight into the…
