Project OXCART: The Untold Story of Area 51 (CIA Area 51 Chronicles - Book 6)
By TD Barnes
The fastest spy plane ever built. The birth of stealth. The CIA's most secretive aviation project.
In the depths of the Cold War, the CIA faced a critical challenge -- the revolutionary U-2 spy plane had become vulnerable to Soviet air defenses. In response, the CIA's Directorate of Science and Technology launched Project OXCART, an ambitious effort to develop a reconnaissance aircraft that could fly higher, faster, and with stealth capabilities never seen before.
The result was the A-12 Archangel, a marvel of engineering that shattered records, flying at speeds exceeding Mach 3.2 and reaching altitudes above 90,000 feet -- higher and faster than any manned aircraft before or since. Designed in secrecy at Area 51, the A-12 was tested in over 2,850 clandestine flights, pushing the limits of aviation technology.
Despite its groundbreaking achievements, the A-12's time in active service was brief. Deployed under Operation BLACK SHIELD, it conducted critical reconnaissance missions over Vietnam, North Korea, and other high-threat regions. However, bureaucratic rivalries between the CIA and the U.S. Air Force ultimately led to its early retirement in favor of the SR-71 Blackbird.
For decades, the story of Project OXCART remained classified. Now, for the first time, Project OXCART: The Untold Story of Area 51 reveals the full history of the CIA's most advanced spy plane, the engineers who built it, and the pilots who risked their lives to fly it.
This book is part of The CIA Area 51 Chronicles series:
The Angels - The CIA's race to build the U-2 spy plane.
The Archangels - The secret history of the A-12 Archangel and its covert missions.
The Company Business - The CIA's transformation of Area 51 into a hub for espionage technology.
MiGs Over Nevada - The classified exploitation of Soviet MiG-21 aircraft.
Project HAVE PAD - The declassified study of the MiG-23 Flogger at Area 51.
Project OXCART - The untold story of the CIA's fastest spy plane.

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• Print Length: 110 Pages