How CIA's Covert Financing Soared Lockheed Martin's A-12 Oxcart to New Heights

In a groundbreaking era of aviation, the A-12 Oxcart emerged as a seismic shift, challenging conventions and redefining what was possible.

The development of the A-12 Oxcart, a high-flying, supersonic reconnaissance aircraft, epitomized the Cold War era’s thirst for technological supremacy. Behind its sleek and enigmatic exterior lies a story of secret funds coming from America’s revered intelligence agency, as well as personal checks and a brilliant team of engineers who defied the odds to create an aviation legend.

A Successor to the U-2 Spy Plane: The Birth of the A-12 Oxcart

The A-12 Oxcart was conceived as the successor to the famed U-2 spy plane, designed to meet the United States’ urgent need for a reconnaissance aircraft capable of flying at unprecedented speeds and altitudes to evade Soviet air defenses.

In 1959, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) entrusted the development of this top-secret project to Lockheed Martin, the same company that had built the U-2.

Under the guidance of legendary engineer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, Lockheed embarked on a journey that would push the boundaries of aviation technology.

archangel-1 — Archangel 1 design (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

The A-12’s mission was clear: it had to reach extreme speeds and altitudes while staying hidden from enemy radar—effectively evading the clutches of Soviet air defenses.

Innovation in the Shadows: The A-12 Oxcart’s Technical Triumphs

Lockheed, fueled by Kelly Johnson’s genius and a dedicated team of engineers, embarked on a relentless quest to overcome a series of daunting technical challenges. These challenges encompassed every facet of the aircraft’s design and performance:

Titanium Fabrication: The A-12 incorporated cutting-edge innovations in titanium fabrication, allowing it to withstand the intense heat generated at high speeds.
Jet Engines and Fuel: The development of powerful jet engines and specialized fuels was crucial for achieving the desired Mach 3.2 speed.
Navigation and Flight Control: The A-12 needed advanced navigation and flight control systems to ensure precise and stable flight at staggering altitudes.
Electronic Countermeasures: Sophisticated electronic countermeasures were integrated to outsmart enemy radar and defenses.
Radar Stealthiness: Pioneering efforts in radar-absorbing materials and design ensured the A-12’s stealthiness.
Pilot Life-Support Systems: At such extreme altitudes and speeds, the A-12 demanded state-of-the-art life-support systems to protect its courageous pilots.

A-12 prototype mounted for radar testing at Area 51, 1959 (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

Financing in the Shadows: A Million-Dollar Secret

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the A-12 Oxcart program was its financing. The cloak-and-dagger nature of the operation extended to how it was funded by the CIA through a covert channel, unfolding like a script from a spy novel. Ben Rich, who later became the Director of Lockheed’s Skunk Works, revealed this in his book “Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed.”

“Everything about this project was dark alley, cloak and dagger,” Rich wrote. “Even the way they financed the operation was highly unconventional: using secret contingency funds, they back-doored payment to Lockheed by writing personal checks to Kelly for more than a million bucks as start-up costs.”

These personal checks arrived at Kelly Johnson’s Encino home, a scenario that could easily have lent itself to intrigue and misdirection. Instead, Johnson banked the funds through a fictitious company called “C & J Engineering,” with “C & J” standing for Clarence Johnson. Astonishingly, the word “Lockheed” never appeared, even on the project’s drawings.

To further obscure the operation, a mail drop in the remote San Fernando Valley location of Sunland was used for suppliers to send parts. When the local postmaster became suspicious of crates and boxes piling up in his bins, he attempted to trace “C & J Engineering” in the phone book, only to find nothing. This prompted him to follow an unmarked van back to Burbank, where security personnel apprehended him, subjecting him to stringent national security secrecy forms.

As Rich humorously remarked,

“Our security people nabbed him just outside the plant and had him signing national security secrecy forms until he pleaded writer’s cramp.”

Pioneering Aviation Advancements

The A-12 Oxcart, shrouded in secrecy and funded in the most unconventional ways, proved to be an astounding success. After hundreds of hours of high-risk test flights conducted by elite CIA and Lockheed test pilots, the A-12 was declared fully operational in 1965, meeting its design specifications of sustaining Mach 3.2 at an altitude of 90,000 feet.

This remarkable aircraft laid the foundation for the twin-seat United States Air Force YF-12 prototype interceptor, the M-21 launcher for the D-21 drone, and ultimately, the legendary SR-71 Blackbird—a more extended variant capable of carrying heavier fuel and camera loads.

Today, the A-12 Oxcart remains an emblem of innovation, courage, and the unyielding spirit of those who dared to reach new heights, both in the skies and in the annals of history. Its tale serves as a testament to the remarkable achievements that can emerge from the shadowy world of classified projects and the unwavering dedication of those who engineer them, all in the pursuit of national security and technological supremacy.