<hi style=afpcap>The A-12 was designed by the fabled Kelly Johnson at the Lockheed Advanced Development 'Skunk Works' as a single seat, unarmed reconnaissance platform capable of operating at extremeley high altitude and at speeds in excess of Mach 3. The first aircraft performed its maiden flight at Groom Dry Lake, Nevada in April 1962, with all production A-12s being shipped to the remote location for training and operations. The project was funded by the CIA with reconnaissance operations conducted from bases in the Far East including Kadena, Okinawa. Operations remained shrouded in secrecy through until the A-12s were withdrawn from service and placed in storage at Palmdale, California. It was not until the nine survivors were removed from their internal store during the mid seventies and placed in the open that their existence became public knowledge. </hi>
