The Lockheed YF-12 is an American Mach 3+ capable, high-altitude interceptor prototype, developed and manufactured by American aerospace company Lockheed Corporation. The interceptor was developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s as a potential replacement for the F-106 Delta Dart interceptor for the United States Air Force (USAF).

Based on the A-12 reconnaissance aircraft, the YF-12A became the forerunner of the highly-sophisticated SR-71 strategic reconnaissance, The YF-12 was developed in the 1960s as a high-altitude, Mach 3 interceptor to defend against supersonic bombers.

The A-12’s unique design and characteristics became the foundation for three other versions of supersonic aircraft that Lockheed built for CIA and the Air Force: the YF-12A, the M-21, and the SR-71.

Fueled by JP-7, the Blackbirds were capable of cruising at Mach 3.2 and attaining altitudes above 80,000 feet. The first version, a CIA reconnaissance aircraft that first flew in April 1962 was called the A-12. An interceptor version developed in 1963 under the designation YF-12A.

The YF-12A was a progression of the A-12 program, created by legendary Lockheed Corporation design leader Kelly Johnson, Vice President and first Director of the Lockheed Advanced Development Company in Burbank, California.

2024年8月19日 · Summary and 3 Points You Need to Know: The YF-12A, developed by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works in the early 1960s, was a pioneering aircraft that combined early stealth features with unmatched...

Two YF-12s were flown in a joint Air Force-NASA research the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center) between 1969 Force, was lost to an in-flight fire in 1971. The YF-12 allowed NASA researchers at all four of the Ames as well as the Flight Research Center) to study altitude, Mach 3 …

2013年11月30日 · The YF-12 "Blackbird" was an experimental fighter-interceptor version of the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft. In Air Force flight tests on May 1, 1965, the YF-12 set a speed record of 2,070.101 mph and an altitude record of 80,257.65 feet.

2024年1月19日 · brief description of the YF-12 and its role as a research aircraft. In this monograph, I briefly describe the origins of the Blackbird family of aircraft and how NASA became involved with them.

2025年1月28日 · The YF-12A is a concept aircraft for a mach 3+ bomber/interceptor that provided a strong deterrent against world aggressors. In order to protect North America, 93 production F-12Bs needed to be built.