The Mysterious A-12 Archangel: What You Don't Know!

The A-12 Archangel flew high and fast, so it needed massive amounts of titanium. There was one problem, the biggest supplier of titanium was the Soviet Union, the very country this aircraft was built to spy on. Find out how the CIA was able to source titanium from the Soviets, and how this amazing airplane came to be.
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Photography and Video Credits/Attributions:
"The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement."
Department of Defense
Boeing
Lockheed Martin
Northrop Grumman

[@FloridaManMatty]

That’s a VERY, VERY big YES on Kingfish, good buddy. That thing still looks like it’s from the future!!!

[@PilotPhotog]

Copy and work in progress!

[@southernsmoke8391]

Only a 5 year operational lifespan is a tragedy & travesty of such an innovative concept that is still unmatched. The SR-71 is a son any father could be proud of.

[@Vforfreedom]

Whi cares man!! Its all a waste of money!!! All of these stupid countries on this planet pissing billions doen the toilet for what!!?? Making weapons to kill other humans because you can about what another man has?? Just stupid

[@scottnj2503]

Perkins Elmer built cameras for the A-12, U-2, SR-71and Corona recon satellites. They were amazing feats of engineering in and of themsleves with tremendeous look aside capabilites able to photograph amazing amounts of territory inside otherwise denied airspace.

[@southernsmoke8391]

Someone needs to use a Perkins Elmer camera to photograph Bigfoot.

[@RUNIFLAVOR76]

You should talk about the Mysterious Aurora spy plane that was thought to be the successor to the SR-71.

[@earldavidson]

Only been detected once the Aurora traveling across the Atlantic at high speed only thing it left in its wake were donut shaped rings in a line.

[@RUNIFLAVOR76]

@@earldavidson Donuts on a Rope contrail.

[@M3PH11]

I've seen it 5 times. last time was boxing day 2016 while i was having xmas dinner with the family (reasons). Clear doughnuts on a rope contrail at angels 20 right over my parents house. Everyone saw it. Dad disappeared for a bit, which is against the rules, no one could find him. Now, i can't tell you why i asked him the following question later that day but... i asked him "which one of your CIA buddies hooked up that aurora fly past"? He replied, "i can't tell you. even with your clearance". Fun fact, it makes this really low, quiet rolling hum, a little like a doodlebug (v1 rocket) and as i said i have seen it 5 times since 1995. Mostly because my parents live 10 minutes flight time from RAF Fairford, 1 hour west of RAF brize norton and is just about 30 minutes off to the east of the north\south atlantic transition lane just to the west of the UK. You look up on a cold air day or an evening after a hot summers day, you stand the chance of getting lucky. oh and you will never find this but BBC news had a shot of one in flight on the 1pm news back in either summer of 97, 98 or 99. I saw it live with my mother who was shocked i knew what it was and she didn't care about how cool it is. It never made it to the website and it was never replayed but i know for a fact the BBC still has the footage.

[@FloridaManMatty]

“Aurora” was never an airplane. “Aurora” was a part of the B-2 Sprit line item budgeting that came after it was decided that it should also be a low level penetrator (the B-21 is heavily based on the original Senior Ice/B-2 high altitude penetrator design. The USAF and another entity (not CIA) have fielded at least three high speed/high altitude ISR aircraft since the SR-71 was finally shut down, but none of them were ever called “Aurora”.

[@aussiefan354]

Great doco as usual mate. Keep up the good work.

[@DarnizzleMan]

This was very well made and very informative I subbed

[@PilotPhotog]

Thank you and more content on the way!

[@alexandrec9372]

Yes for the vídeo about Kingfish

[@PilotPhotog]

Will do thank you!

[@stephenfritz7493]

Oh good video. Better not touch the windows hot!

[@juanarce6900]

Juan thank you for another great piece of work.

[@teddy.d174]

Another remarkable video, Tog. I learned things that I didn’t know about, I’d love to see a video on the Kingfish.

[@CharlieBass5]

I remember the news report on Gary Powers, I was 5 at the time. I don't remember the downing of the U2 over Cuba, or it was not reported. My grandparents always watched the 6pm evening news and so did I.

[@rockguitarist931]

They need to restore one of the SR71's or A12's for air shows at the very least, or maybe just build a replica because we're dying out here, it'd be like following your favorite band around for years and never hearing their best song.

[@chrisdjernaes9658]

Great Review … Masterpiece of Engineering especially for the 1950-60s. Imagine what we have now 🤔

[@ernestomejia110]

"We"???

[@KernowekTim]

"Pizza ovens" set new speed and altitude records. Pizza Hut still " 'flies high 'n hot', just not in/over Russia anymore.

[@lexion2772]

Nothing against this content. Very well done. This is for the commentors. There is no such thing as the "Aurora", or any "TR-3". We do have odd things flying, I admit that. Are they "Secret Squirrel" type stuff ? Well, filmed over Guam, Amarillo, Tx. and another state; not sure if those sightings weren't on purpose. China was flexing the J-20, Russia; the TU-57. I fully believe the B-21 has flown, out of Groom, or a base in Eastern Cali. She is supposed to fly publicly, this year. When she does, hold on to your panties.

[@robertprice7791]

Read a book about black projects at Area 51. Engineers and techs were amazed that pilots came into the Blackbird program knowing how to fly the Blackbird. Unbeknownst to them, these pilots had flown the Oxcart years prior. That’s how compartmentalized things were/are in these programs.

[@jdgerbs]

Hello, I am pretty interested in how they obtained the titanium and would love to learn and read more. Can you share your source for the pizza oven cover story that you mention around 7:20? I have seen many descriptions about how they got the titanium such as "Working through Third World countries and bogus operations, they were able to get the rutile ore shipped to the United States to build the SR-71." But I have not been able to find any specific pizza oven references. Any other sources you would be willing to share on the operations they took to get the titanium would be great too, I would love to see more detail about it all. Thanks!

[@subhashanasandaruwan8732]

Nice content. 👍❤️

[@PilotPhotog]

Thank you, nice work!

[@Flyrman4414]

Make more videos on the A12 program successors!

[@zeusjj]

Quality content and quality video subscribed 💓🙂

[@PilotPhotog]

Thank you!

[@zeusjj]

@@PilotPhotog Do you post one video a week?

[@PilotPhotog]

@@zeusjj Yes that is the goal, a video every Monday

[@zeusjj]

@@PilotPhotog good

[@XLA-zg1nn]

Plus the J-58 engine is a hydraulic mechanical engine, they made specific oils n such to help it.

[@evrydayamerican]

Yes please do a King Fish video

[@wormyboot]

What is the difference in height, length, and wingspan when it's all heated up versus when it's on the ground? I bet it's a lot

[@dirtysilver2841]

The reason it had such a short mission life is because it had a very high maintenance cost. In order for this plane to work, it had to have loose skin that would tighten under high speed. So it leaked from every part and, had issues with electrical getting water into connectors the moment it landed. It also required months of QA.

[@JeffDM]

I would love to watch a Kingfish video

[@randomeyes]

Mach 4 and 90,000 feet 😮 can u imagine that??? 😅

[@daanvos194]

i consider this part of the teen series fighters, its a nieche unocupied

[@Ob1sdarkside]

What do you mean it leaks? Its grand, once you get her up to speed, she'll seal herself

[@utvwerxoffroadfabdesign4172]

It was called the A-12 Cygnus, not the Archangel.

[@Neophlegm]

Heyo, do you have a source for this? Can't find anything else about it

[@leslietaylor4458]

And that's the way its supposed to be 🕵️‍♂️

[@JSFGuy]

Sure thing.

[@that1dima]

You should’ve dug into it a little deeper and find out how much it cost to develop and how much money on cigarettes they wasted.. Most people don’t know that not a single electronic instrument was used in development, just a bunch of mad dudes using protractors and rulers, hence why shock waves were used to compress the windows!

[@Brandon-Michael]

And this was about 70 years ago... imagine what the government has NOW.....

[@rockguitarist931]

nowadays, they buy raw materials from our adversaries to spy on their own citizens

[@lolsomeyoutuber.1425]

who else is watching this guy while making a lego jet?

[@PilotPhotog]

Very cool, thank you and Legos are awesome! I recently built the Galaxy Explorer for my editing space.

[@brealistic3542]

I believe the A 12 was the fighter version. The SR71 was the recon model.

[@johnnorton971]

YF-12 was prototype for fighter. A-12 was direct replacement for U-2.

[@odlerthanspice]

King Fish!

[@Triple87]

Elon musk’s favourite plane. Also, his kids name. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@PilotPhotog]

Did not realize that, now you know! Always appreciate your comments Six

[@JeffDM]

Didn't that turn out to be more Musky bullshitting?

[@Triple87]

@@JeffDM Oh, they were dead serious. 🤣 The government told them they couldn’t have numbers in the name, so they changed it to X Æ A-Xii instead. That is the kids name. 😂

[@jasons44]

Love to see kingfish

[@frankdeck2767]

The airplane you are talking about the SR-71, not the A12. The SR-71 was the spy plane version. The A12 was a proposed fighter version.

[@DrMackSplackem]

You're thinking of the YF-12, the interceptor derivative of the A12 intended for the Air Force, of which only test articles were built. The A12 was the CIA's single-seat predecessor of the SR-71, and indeed flew operationally for a short period. Check out Frank Murray's interviews about flying the A12 for the pentagon.

[@marklinsdell7527]

Hypersonic bomber ?????

[@MindfullEng.]

Elon musk like this 👍

[@jeffn1384]

Money was no object. Which is typical when you're spending someone else's money. The poor over-taxed worker pays up again

[@vxe6vxe6]

The J58 is a Turbojet engine. Nothing more, nothing less.

[@hectarpanghi9024]

next week china have this jet

[@Mytosa]

lol no fucking shot this is real lmfaooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[@ChavonJWright]

Who here found out about this aircraft because of Elon Musk's kids name?

[@Shoeg4zer]

The U2 shot down in 1960 was shot down over the Soviet Union, not Russia. Russia wasn't an independent nation between 1922 and 1991 as it was part of the Soviet Union.

[@hariharandeebak]

Funny also russia still never understand cia order titanium

[@paramedicineman89]

Flying pizza ovens

[@TomMcD71]

It's successor the SR71 reached Mach 7 the fastest plane

[@DrMackSplackem]

~3.25 max mach number, limiting factor being the inlet vane temperature. Being lighter, the A12 flew a bit faster and higher than the SR-71, and was indeed the fastest air-breathing design of the era. Perhaps you're confusing it with the X-15 rocket plane, which reached mach 6.7.

[@johnroberts9922]

That thing is not stealthy. It has not been relevant for 4 decades.