SR-71A
The SR-71 was designed by a team of Lockheed personnel led by Clarence
"Kelly" Johnson, at that time vice president of Lockheed's
Advanced Development Company, commonly known as the "Skunk
Works".
The basic design of the SR-71 and YF-12 aircraft originated in secrecy
in the late l950s with the aircraft designation of A-11. Its existence
was publicly announced by President Lyndon Johnson on Feb. 29, 1964,
when he announced that an A-11 had flown at sustained speeds of
over 2000 miles per hour during tests at Edwards AFB, Calif.
Development of the SR-71s from the A-11 design, as strategic reconnaissance
aircraft, began in February 1963.
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