Lockheed D-21 Mach 3.3 Recon Drone

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Winston

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Lockheed D-21

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_D-21

The Lockheed D-21 was an American reconnaissance drone with maximum speed in excess of Mach 3.3 (2,215 mph; 3,564 km/h). The D-21 was initially designed to be launched from the back of a M-21 carrier aircraft, a variant of the Lockheed A-12 aircraft. Development began in October 1962. Originally known by the Lockheed designation Q-12, the drone was intended for reconnaissance deep in enemy airspace.

The D-21 was designed to carry a single high-resolution photographic camera over a preprogrammed path, then release the camera module into the air for retrieval, after which the drone would self-destruct.[1] Following a fatal accident when launched from an M-21, the D-21 was modified to be launched from a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. Several test flights were made, followed by four unsuccessful operational D-21 flights over the People's Republic of China, and the program was canceled in 1971.

Manufacturer: Lockheed
First flight: 22 December 1964
Introduction: 1969
Retired: 1971
Primary users: Central Intelligence Agency, United States Air Force
Number built: 38


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Lockheed D-21 #527 SR-71 Drone on Display at the China Aviation Museum Datangshan

"Deployed against China, the United States used these to study nuclear testing in China. We were flying it over Lop Nor, the atomic testing site, and it crashed. The US agreed to stop overfilights after Kissinger's first visit to the PRC."

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