General Curtis LeMay needed Johnson to convert the A-12 variant of the Blackbird to an extended-range deep penetration bomber that the Russians could not stop.
In June 1961, following President Kennedy’s meeting with Premier Khrushchev, Kennedy became convinced that they were close to triggering World War III. The two leaders had even spoken about this possibility. The meeting had gone poorly.
General Curtis LeMay, who was then the vice chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, phoned Kelly Johnson and requested an urgent meeting—this time promising to bring funding. He wanted Johnson to modify the A-12 Oxcart into a long-range, deep-penetration bomber that the Soviets would be unable to defend against.
‘He wanted our Blackbird to Nuke’em back to the Stone Age!’ Ben Rich writes in his book Skunk Works. The Q-bay, located behind the cockpits (later the ANS bay), was envisioned as the bomb bay.
He requested the production of ten YF-12 interceptors each month, along with a two-seat version of the A-12 for the U.S. Air Force (the SR-71). The purpose of this two-seat A-12 variant was to assess the destruction after a potential World War III. He wanted the complete range of capabilities: reconnaissance, bombers, and interceptors.
Ben Rich writes, “for once Kelly was speechless.”
Johnson was more than willing to fulfill his request, but LeMay’s primary interest lay in the XB-70 Valkyrie, a Mach 3 strategic bomber. At one point, General LeMay even considered ordering both aircraft.
September 21 marks the anniversary of the XB-70’s first flight, which occurred on Sept. 21, 1964, when North American Aviation test pilots Alvin S. White and Col. Joseph F. Cotton flew the Valkyrie from Palmdale to Edwards AFB for its maiden mission. In the end, the XB-70 program was canceled, and although a supersonic bomber variant of the A-12 was proposed, it was never built. The YF-12 program was later canceled as well.
Concerns about World War III eased once the United States discovered that reports of the Soviet nuclear buildup had been overstated and that they were not close to fielding a supersonic bomber. However, this period marked the beginning of a new era and ultimately led Skunk Works to build 31 SR-71s.
Today, the XB-70 and the YF-12 interceptor sit side by side, permanently displayed together. They can be seen at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
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Photo by CIA and U.S. Air Force
