Lockheed D-21
| D-21 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | unmanned spy plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
March 5, 1966 |
| Commissioning: |
1969 |
| Number of pieces: |
38 |
The D-21 was a supersonic , unmanned reconnaissance aircraft made by the US manufacturer Lockheed .
history
After the shooting down of Gary Powers U-2 on May 1, 1960, the CIA looked for new ways to carry out reconnaissance deep over foreign territory. In 1962 Lockheed was commissioned with a study for a high-speed, high-flying drone. The then chief designer, Kelly Johnson, used the knowledge and components of the A-12 program and finally presented the draft of the D-21. In 1963 the project was given the code name Tagboard . Flight tests on the back of an M-21 began on December 22, 1964, the first free flight finally took place on March 5, 1966 from the secret base Groom Lake .
construction
The D-21 is based in many respects on the design of the A-12. Both the design of the wing in a double delta configuration and the measures to reduce the radar signature were based heavily on the A-12. In order to optimize the drone for flight at high speeds, a self-launch capability was dispensed with and a ramjet engine was selected for the drive. In order to achieve the high speeds required to start the engine, the M-21, a variant of the A-12, was supposed to bring the drone up to speed and altitude piggyback and take off at the border of the enemy airspace. The two built M-21s differed only slightly from the A-12, so they had a second cockpit for a system operator and a pylon to transport the D-21, which also took fuel lines to the drone's tank. "M" stood in the aircraft names for "Mother" and "D" for "Daughter" (daughter).
The autopilot guided the aircraft along a route programmed using waypoints. The navigation was carried out on an inertial basis . The only payload available for reconnaissance was a high-resolution camera attached to the underside.
The D-21 was only intended for a single mission. The end of the flight route was placed in a predefined sea area. There the D-21 should eject the module with the camera and the autopilot and destroy itself shortly afterwards. A suitably retrofitted C-130 was supposed to catch the parcel that had fallen to the ground on a parachute while still in the air. The module was sealed so that it could have been retrieved from the sea by ship.
During the fourth attempt to fly, the D-21 got caught in the tail unit of its carrier aircraft during separation. Both aircraft were destroyed and one crew member of the M-21 was killed. The D-21 was then modified so that it could be brought up to altitude under the wing of a B-52 and then accelerated to the required take-off speed using a rocket booster.
use
In total, the D-21 carried out four flights in operational operation. The destination of all flights was the Lop Nor nuclear weapons test site in China :
- During the first mission on November 9, 1969, the drone reached its target area and was able to take photos of the nuclear facilities. However, due to a malfunction of the navigation system, she did not turn back and landed without major damage (so the reconnaissance electronics were undamaged) in the Soviet Union near Arqalyq and was found by a shepherd. During the recovery with a Mil Mi-6 , the D-21 broke into pieces. The remains were brought to Ramenskoye and analyzed by OKB Tupolev . The planned construction of a copy of the D-21 under the name Tupolev Voron was not realized.
- On the second flight on December 16, 1970, the D-21 successfully returned from Lop Nor, but the parachute failed and the images were lost in the sea.
- From the third mission on March 4, 1971, the drone returned with pictures from the target area; however, the attempt to record the capsule with the pictures in the air failed. A ship of the Navy , which should then salvage the capsule floating in the sea, ran over it, whereupon it sank.
- On March 20, 1971, a D-21 crashed on its fourth mission over Chinese territory. The wreck was recovered by the Chinese authorities.
After four failed missions, the CIA finally abandoned the program in 1971. The remaining drones built were initially stored and later given to museums.
Lockheed M-21 with drone on the stern
B-52H with two D-21
D-21 under the wing of a B-52H
Acceleration phase with booster
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| length | 12.8 m |
| span | 5.79 m |
| height | 2.14 m |
| Takeoff mass | 5000 kg |
| Top speed | 3560 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 29000 m |
| Range | 5550 km |
| Engine | a Marquardt RJ43 -MA-11 (6.7 kN thrust) |
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lockheed D-21B. In: Fact Sheets. National Museum of the United States Air Force, October 9, 2015, accessed December 8, 2017 .
- ^ A b Directory of US Military Rockets and Missiles: Lockheed D-21 Tagboard. Retrieved February 19, 2013 .
- ↑ a b c d e D-21 Drone - Tagboard / Senior Bowl. (No longer available online.) In: spyflight.co.uk. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012 ; Retrieved February 19, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Dennis R., Jenkins: Lockheed Secret Projects: Inside the Skunk Works . 2001, ISBN 0-7603-0914-0 , pp. 52 .
- ^ Peter W. Merlin: Blackbird Facts. Retrieved October 16, 2014 .
- ↑ David Donald: Black Jets. AIRtime Publishing, Norwalk, Conn. 2003, ISBN 1-880588-67-6 , p. 139
- ↑ a b AMARCExperience.com: Lockheed D-21 Drone. Retrieved February 19, 2013 .
- ^ WVI: Loss of M-21 and D-21 On July 30, 1966. Retrieved February 19, 2013 .
- ^ The Museum of Flight: Lockheed D-21B Drone. Retrieved February 19, 2013 .
- ↑ Museum of Aviation: LOCKHEED D-21B Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 22, 2015 ; Retrieved February 19, 2013 .
