Lockheed A-12: The CIA's Blackbird and Other Variants
By Matt Bittner
Author: Paul F. Crickmore
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 978-14-72801-13-5
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 64
As a child of the Cold War (born in the early sixties, on active duty during the late eighties and early nineties) I'm always looking for reference material that not only strengthens things I already know, but also tells me things I didn't know. This excellent book by Paul Crickmore accomplishes both of those things.
I knew about the A-12 and how it was developed primarily for the CIA and how it was a single-seater. However, I didn't know what led to its development (aside from the fact it was to be a U-2 replacement) especially the fact that originally the call was to make the U-2 more "stealthy" (not a term in use back then, though). When the science for what is now known as stealth was still in its infancy, it was decided to not only make the A-12 difficult to spot on radar, but also extremely fast to be in and out of an area by the time any radar picked up its signature.
The book is broken down thusly:
- Introduction
- Design and Development
- Technical Specifications
- A-12 Projects and Variants
- Operational History
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
While some might consider Mr. Crickmore's use of actual science behind the design a little boring, it's important to understand just what the A-12 accomplished using that science. Fascinating!
I really, really enjoyed this book. The writing style lends itself to wanting to finish this book in one sitting. While there have – and will be – reference material that one has to force themselves to finish, this book is not one of them. While it's not meant primarily for modelers, I feel that as modelers we should completely understand how the "things we build" operated in the "real" world. That is definitely where this book shines. The photographs accompanying the text are first rate and help to tell the history of the aircraft.
I am really looking forward to Paul Crickmore continuing his research into this aircraft. While the YF-12 was also covered in this publication, the SR-71 was not. Picking up his book, if he produces one, on the SR-71 is a must.
My sincere thanks to Osprey Publishing for sending this to review.