I read an article a while back which claimed the CIA set up at least one shell company to order the required titanium. I'll post the link if I can find it. Meanwhile, check out this story about transporting the earliest A-12/SR-71 aircraft. https://roadrunnersinternationale.com/transporting_the_a-12.html
Mister T, you are correct on all points of your post. As for the travel of the Blackbirds, what a monumental task that was. Thank you for posting this article. I'am sure a lot of folks on this forum will be very interested and appreciate this information. I love history and especially technology. It's amazing what smart people we have in America and how they are able to keep all of us safe from being ruled by evil forces. Vet (Navy)
Don't think this video was posted.. At about 5:00 in it mentions the ways they got Titanium supplys.. Yup dummy companys and such.
Super good video of the development of the Blackbird and how CIA managed to obtain Titanium it needed to build these Spy planes. I read just yesterday that more than 30 Blackbirds were built. PGSS, thank you for the video, I know I lot of forum members will enjoy this history review. Vet
Thanks Vet, I just happened to see it as a bye product of the other video posted here. It turned out that he gave some good insight and info..
I forgot to mention that the C-130 Hercules, which has been in production since 1958 or perhaps even a bit earlier, is the longest-serving US Military aircraft, and one of the few that can be successfully landed off-airport. The other aircraft that I forgot to mention is the Lockheed Electra on which the P-3 Orion is based. The Orion is primarily used as a submarine chaser and a hurricane hunter. All are turboprops - turboprops are more economical then turbofans and especially jets. Since none are used where really high speed is necessary, it makes sense to use the turboprops. Turboprops are also less sensitive to Foreign Object Damage (FOD) then turbofans or jets. I am not sure that either was a product of the "Skunkworks" however. BTW - Skunkworks is the division's real name and is trademarked.
I am a big fan having read the Lockheed / Skunkwork books by Kelly Johnson and Ben Rich, and SR-71 Pilot Brian Shul's book. If you can catch any of Brian's YouTube videos, he's a great story teller regarding some truly remarkable experiences.
Theory has largely been usurped by eye opening facts as time unfolds. Ideas once labeled as crazy are often validated in the end, and seemingly accepted by all, given the right narrative.
Thanks John. Hey, I thought the B-52 Bomber which took flight in 1952 is the longest serving military aircraft? My first ship in my naval service was an Aircraft Carrier (USS Essex CVS-9, Sub hunter. We had a ton of Turboprops. We also had the P-3 Orion. I also thought the ray dome looked like a UFO lol. One of my favorite Aircraft is the AC-130 Hercules, puff the magic dragon and the AC-130J Ghostrider. I understand this aircraft is being upgraded with laser fire power. Can't imagine this aircraft being unmanned. Vet
Canada also uses the C-130 Hercules. It's one of the few, or perhaps the only, aircraft which can back up under its own power. Watched one land, reverse, then take off again within a few hundred meter stretch of runway at a local airshow some 20 years ago. Very cool to see.
If anybody is really interested in the Blackbird, you have to see this video. Warning, this is a very long video. Its story is from a very famous Blackbird pilot (Major Brian Shul) that is telling his experiences as a Blackbird Pilot, and how be crashed landed near the Cambodian border, was badly burned and rescued by Army Special Forces during the Vietnan war. Vet (Navy)
If you are very interested in the history of the Blackbird, you HAVE to see this Video I posted in another post. Warning, it is very long but super interesting. The story is told by Major Brian Shul, the most famous pilot in the Air Force. Vet
You win. The B-52 entered service in 1955, the C-130 in 1956. The original Puff the Magic Dragon was a modified C-47 (DC-3) used in Viet Nam. I think some C-130s were later fitted with the same super-high-speed machine guns. BTW: In poking around (as you may have guessed, I'm interested in aircraft) I found that B-52 has two Mig kills. No '52 has ever been lost to enemy action. I have seen Boeing 727s back up. They do so by running only the center engine in reverse thrust. I would assume that a DC-10 or a Lockheed L-1011 could do the same. I also have seen a video of a B-17 backing up (it's a very ungainly waddle with the tail swinging side to side) It is accomplished by locking the brake on one of the main gear then powering up the outboard engine on the same side as the locked wheel. the rear will swing toward the side with the powered up engine, causing the opposite main gear to move backwards in an arc with the locked main gear as the center of the radius. The process is repeated on the opposite side. It is a slow and tedious exercise, and really is not very useful except to show that the '17 can, in fact, be backed up.
"I think some C-130s were later fitted with the same super-high-speed machine guns." AC-130's were fitted with cannons - many variants (M102 howitzer with a breech-loading variant of the M120 mortar, 25 mm GAU-12/U and 40 mm Bofors cannon, two 30 mm Mk 44 Bushmaster II cannons., etc) with the guns mounted at an open door and operated by personnel. Still in operation after 56 years they are used by special forces. Later planes have special radars and sensors. They can circle a target and maintain constant fire. Scary! One of my favorite combat planes, along with the Warthog.
Seems John provided today's lesson in learning something new each day. Never knew the 727 had reversing capability until now.
The first AC-130 (A models) had four 7.62 M134 miniguns just under the wing root near the top of the fuselage and four 20mm M61 rotary cannons (like used on many fighters). Later the E/H models had two 20mm, a 40mm Bofors canon, the 105mm canon and deleted the miniguns as they were non-effective at the 8-10 thousand feet operating altitude. There were continual upgrades from the first A models, through E/H (H was actually upgraded E models), the U, W and then J models. (The image above is reversed)
Titanium. Super light, and super strong from bending. But super weak in pulling apart. Had a custom made set of connecting rods made of titanium for our NHRA snowmobile. Blew apart in the final. Had a.004 lite with a for sure win only to loose not crossing the stripe under my own power Costing us 5K for the win. Didn’t know that about titanium till after that.
