Osprey Publishing, Ltd.

Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond the Secret Missions

by  Paul F. Crickmore

Reviewed By  Ben Guenther, IPMS# 20101

MSRP: $24.95 US / $27.95 CAN ISBN: 978-1-84603-846-4 Website: www.ospreypublishing.com Soft cover, 7 7/8 x 10 ½ x 1 1/8, 399 pages, 67 color photos, 196 black & white photos and 21 charts/maps/drawings If you have the need for speed, love the sound of jets and like your planes big then the Lockheed SR-71 is the bird for you. From its audacious beginnings to its retirement the SR-71 was the queen of the skies, flying in excess of Mach 3 and above 80,000 feet. As an air traffic controller at the London Air Traffic Control Centre, Paul Crickmore gained knowledge on SR-71 operations out of RAF Mildenhall in the early 80's and developed a deep admiration with the airplane and the men that operated it. So much so, that Osprey asked him to write a book on the SR-71 which was published in 1986. Later after the program was shut down information became available to Crickmore on the operation side and a new book was published by Osprey in 1993; Lockheed Blackbird: The Secret Missions Exposed. Now after the passage of another ten years more information has been declassified and a new book has been put together whose cover states is a fully revised edition - Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond the Secret Missions. Comparing this new work to Crickmore's second book (I have the 1997 3rd reprint) this newest work has 137 more pages, 31 more black & white photos and 51 more color photos. The real difference is in the greater depth that each chapter has and new chapters like the one on the YF-12, so let's see what each chapter has to offer. Chapter 1 Introduction - Presents the need for high-altitude strategic reconnaissance after World War II, the birth of the U-2 and ending with Gary Power's fateful last mission. Chapter 2 Oxcart - This chapter's 55 pages encompasses the beginning of the CIA sponsored A-12 program (under the codename Oxcart) through the termination of the operational missions. Most of the pages are packed with excellent pilot observations during test flights and missions. Chapter 3 Tagboard and Senior Bowl - Discusses the development of the smaller unmanned drone (D-21) with A-12 performance under the Tagboard code name. When launches from the M-21 (2 crew version of the A-12) were stopped a new program (Senior Bowl) was begun to launch the D-21 with a rocket once it was released from a B-52H. Chapter 4 YF-12 - Follows the birth of the interceptor version of the A-12 to its demise because of political reasons. Chapter 5 SR-71 Technical Briefing - All the various aircraft systems (20) are explained in details within this chapter. Chapter 6 From RS to SR and beyond - This chapter starts with Kelly Johnson proposing a strike/bomber version of the A-12 that was initially started by the Air Force but was later stopped only to morph into a pure reconnaissance aircraft (SR-71). A lot of time is spent with the formation of the 9th SRQ at Beale AFB, test flights and crew training flights of the SR-71; some great stories are in this chapter. Chapter 7 Beale Operations - Highlights 10 flights of more than 10 hour duration to monitor the Yom Kippur war, flights over Cuba and other exciting missions. Chapter 8 OL-8 to Det 1 - SR-71 flights from Kadena AB, Okinawa covering North & South Vietnam, USSR, China, North Korea and Iran from 1968 to 1987; with many crew recollections on missions flown. Chapter 9 Det 4 Operations - Photint and Elint operations from RAF Mildenhall starting in the early 70's until a permanent detachment started (Det 4) in 1979 and beyond. Special note on intercept flight by Russian Mig-25/Mig 31 aircraft and Swedish JA 37 Viggens while the SR-71 made their usual Baltic Sea runs. Chapter 10 Shutdown - Political detractors both in the Services and Congress finally get their way of shutting down the SR-71 program. What then follows are ten appendixes that list every flight from Kadena AB, Okinawa, check flights (A-12, YF-12 and SR-71), disposition of airframes, record breaking flights, NASA flight activities, technical drawings and much more. Do not skip these as a lot of good information is in section. If you only could have one book on the SR-71 then this surely would be it. It has many strengths, but its greatest asset lies in the pilot or RSO retelling the many missions flown, successfully or not, day or night, short or long duration and continuing with other support personal. The human element really makes this an outstanding and hard to put down book. I can highly recommend this work and want to thank IPMS/USA and Osprey for the chance to review this book.