Image: Wikimedia Commons

Lockheed A-12

Reconnaissance aircraft by Lockheed

Productaircraft modelQ959030

Also known as Project Oxcart · Oxcart

Manufacturer: Lockheed Corporation
Subclass of: reconnaissance aircraft

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

The Lockheed A-12 is a retired high-altitude, Mach 3+ reconnaissance aircraft built for the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) by Lockheed's Skunk Works, based on the designs of Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. The aircraft was designated A-12, the twelfth in a series of internal design efforts for "Archangel", the aircraft's internal code name. In 1959, it was selected over Convair's FISH and Kingfish designs as the winner of Project GUSTO, and was developed and operated under Project Oxcart.

Overview

All data

25 statements · 8% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Total produced: 18
First flight: April 26, 1962
Developer: Kelly Johnson
skunkworks project
Skunk Works
Operator: Central Intelligence Agency
Service entry: 1963
Service retirement: 1968
Wingspan: 16.95 m
Length: 30.97 m
Height: 5.62 m
Commissioned by: Central Intelligence Agency
Made from material: titanium
Native label: Lockheed A-12
Wing area: 170 m²
Designed by: Kelly Johnson

On other databases

6 identifiers linking Lockheed A-12 across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

externally sourced

Source last edited October 23, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

Suggest a fact or correction

Links

Use this data

curl https://aidb.si/api/v1/entities/Q959030

API docs, limits & keys

Cite this page

AIDB. (2026). Lockheed A-12 (Q959030). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/lockheed-a-12-Q959030