Comparison: SR-71 vs A-12

[Dawes]

An interesting declassified document on these two aircraft. The A-12 seems to have slightly better speed and altitude performance:

https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/DOC_0001471952.pdf

[Dawes]

Looks like the OXCART aircraft didn't escape completely unscathed during the Vietnam War. One evidently picked up a missile fragment during a BLACK SHIELD mission:

https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/DOC_0001473841.pdf

[Stuart Galbraith]

I still find it incredible they parked up ALL the surviving A12s and put them in a Hangar at Groom lake, and sat on them for the rest of the cold war. Never thought to convert them, never thought to use them in other roles. What an utter waste. At least the F117's are getting a use in the OPFOR role.

[RETAC21]

1 hour ago, Stuart Galbraith said:

I still find it incredible they parked up ALL the surviving A12s and put them in a Hangar at Groom lake, and sat on them for the rest of the cold war. Never thought to convert them, never thought to use them in other roles. What an utter waste. At least the F117's are getting a use in the OPFOR role.

They were CIA property after all... and there wasn't much that they could do with them anyway, as satellites did their job much better and SR-71s covered the remaining gaps

[Special-K]

Like the F-117, I could see them being an interesting OPFOR aircraft. 

[wendist]

Using the SR-71 as OPFOR could be the main reason why the Swedish AF kept trying to intercept the Baltic Express. In a wartime scenario Swedish fighters might have to intercept Soviet Mig-25's and we had nothing that could mimic the Mig's performance and so the SR-71 had to act as a, more or less willing, substitute. The fact that the US never complained about this rude* behaviour would indicate that they realised what was going on and approved of it.  

* I presume that having fighters repeatedly come up in international air space and try to achieve radar-lock on a foreign aircraft is seen as rude by most countries

[Ssnake]

Radar lock is usually regarded as legal grounds for self defense (=weapons free). Of course, the SR-71 wasn't armed, and yes, it sounds as if it was a previously announced maneuver.

[DougRichards]

d

1 hour ago, Ssnake said:

Radar lock is usually regarded as legal grounds for self defense (=weapons free). Of course, the SR-71 wasn't armed, and yes, it sounds as if it was a previously announced maneuver.

Throw the occasional YF-12 into the mix and that could be interesting. There were some plans to produce a 'strike' version of the Blackbird as well.

 

[Dawes]

11 hours ago, wendist said:

Using the SR-71 as OPFOR could be the main reason why the Swedish AF kept trying to intercept the Baltic Express. In a wartime scenario Swedish fighters might have to intercept Soviet Mig-25's and we had nothing that could mimic the Mig's performance and so the SR-71 had to act as a, more or less willing, substitute. The fact that the US never complained about this rude* behaviour would indicate that they realised what was going on and approved of it.  

* I presume that having fighters repeatedly come up in international air space and try to achieve radar-lock on a foreign aircraft is seen as rude by most countries

Some Swedish pilots were decorated by the USAF for helping to save a crippled SR-71:

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/12/30/finally-declassified-swedish-pilots-awarded-us-air-medals-for-saving-sr-71-spy-plane/