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, IDEALIST and OXCART at Groom Lake and Operation BLACKSHIELD at Kadena, Okinawa, emerged the SR-71 Blackbird, 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. Below the OXCART Story link are links 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.