In God we trust - all others we monitor Preserving the history of the aviation pioneers and programs that developed the U-2, A-12 and YF-12 during the Cold War. The high water marks of aeronautical development videmus omnia "we see all"

Music On/Off                           This site is dedicated to the memories of our band of brothers, especially those we lost in the CIA U-2 and A-12 Projects Aquatone and OXCART at Area 51, and during Operation Black Shield at Kadena, Okinawa. BULLETIN BOARD 8-1-08 - We are performing maintenance on this web site. Please excuse any broken links. We hope to conclude this interruption to public viewing by tomorrow. 7-19-2008 - U-2 Dragonlady reunion 24-17 September 2008 cancelled

The entire civilized world knew about the SR-71 Blackbird from 1968 until its retirement in the early 1990s. It wasn't, however, until the last few years that declassification of information about various cold war projects revealed the existence of the Roadrunners and their highly classified U-2, A-12, and YF-12 CIA projects. From these black projects, AQUATONE (CIA), IDEALIST (Air Force) and OXCART (CIA) at Groom Lake and Operation BLACKSHIELD (CIA) at Kadena, Okinawa, emerged the SR-71 Blackbird (Air Force), the most technologically advanced reconnaissance aircraft ever operated by the United States.

For 35 years, the U-2 and A-12 CIA pilots, code-named "Drivers," looked down on U.S. enemies from 15 miles above the earth, charting the movements of adversaries around the globe. These were planes built and test flown by Lockheed and its test pilots before being turned over to select CIA civilian contractors for RCS and other testing. Project OXCART became operational at Groom Lake, supported by the Air Force 1129th SAS, and Air Force pilots who switched to the Central Intelligence Agency, then back to the Air Force in careers spanning 30 years or more.

In 1958, well aware that the U-2 could not continue to overfly the Soviet Union with impunity, and in the absence of any guarantee that satellite reconnaissance programs would be successful, President Eisenhower approved CIA plans to build a successor to the U-2 - one that would fly higher and several times faster than the U-2. The OXCART program at Groom Lake would yield a exotic-looking aircraft capable of flying at 90,000+ feet at a speed of about Mach 3.1 (2,170) mph. For a variety of reasons, the plane would not make its first operational flights until Operation BLACKSHIELD in 1967. After years of bureaucratic battles involving the CIA, Air Force, National Reconnaissance Office, and Bureau of the Budget, the program was terminated in 1968 in favor of an Air Force modification - the SR-71. The A-12 never flew over Soviet territory due to the success of satellite reconnaissance programs as well as the unwillingness of U.S. leaders to take the risks involved in any overflights.

At the OXCART link above you will find the official story of the OXCART and BLACKSHIELD Programs. The photo links take you to photos of the OXCART A-12, YF-12 planes code-named "Articles" by the CIA. These photos will take you through the planning and production stages, into test flying by Lockheed test pilots, Radar Cross Section tests at Groom Lake by CIA contractors, its Cold War Operations by CIA pilots, into retirement of the planes, and finally, to their present locations at various museums and air parks. Follow the links below to learn about both the projects and the personnel deeply hidden in the Black World of Area 51 during the Cold War.
WEBMASTER NOTE: The content herein relating to Project Oxcart and Operation BLACK SHIELD was formerly classified TOP SECRET-OXCART, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C., 15 January 1968. Depicted on this web site are activities of Project OXCART and Operation BLACK SHIELD declassified starting 14 December 1998 through September 2007. Regarding the U-2 spy plane, this web site as factually as possible covers the declassified activities of the CIA phase of the U-2 era.

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