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From: root@grumbly.UUCP (Super user)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: A-12
Keywords: SR-71, A-12, etc
Message-ID: <14198@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 21 Feb 90 02:31:14 GMT
References: <13881@cbnews.ATT.COM> <13925@cbnews.ATT.COM> <14130@cbnews.ATT.COM>
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From: root@grumbly.UUCP (Super user)

In article <14130@cbnews.ATT.COM> munnari!goanna.oz.au!twb@goanna.oz.au (Tony Basaranowicz) is writing:
->I have seen photos of the YF-12A carrying one of the drone look-alikes between
->its canted-in verticals, and it definitely had a bare-metal/black paint scheme
->Has anyone else seen these photos ...

Yes, its the GTD-21 drone. According to my source they were used for "proof of
concept" vehicles for the A-11s.  The engine is rumored to be more of a pure
ramjet. They were stored at Davis-Monthan - where they were first spotted in
late 1976.

One of the A-12 losses was rumored to have occured during a 'launch' of one of 
these D-21s.  The Blackbird pitched up into the D-21 during a ballistic
release [read explosive bolts or something similar].

Most of the A-12s were left bare metal except on the leading edges and other
areas which got the hottest during flight.  These areas were painted 'dark
blue'

This info comes from "SR-71 Blackbird in action" by Lou Drendel, Squadron/Signalpublications

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