U-2 SUCCESSOR REPORTED LOST

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005632353
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: June 24, 2015
• Document Release Date: April 1, 2011
• Case Number: F-2010-01942
• Publication Date: January 7, 1967

'EDWARDS AFB; Calif., Jan.
6 (UPI):-An SR 71: aircraft, j a
sophisticated anal advanced
ytype [of. 'strategic: - reconnais
sane`plane; was missing and
presuined down ` in Nevada,
the Air Force reported today:;
The .SR 71, more versatile
fhanthe'U-2 spy;tplape which
ryas.;shot gown,.,over Russia,
was believed ~dowwn in, a ?re
mote, urea east'=of Las Vegas.
An ;Air ,Force- spokesman. at
this ? sprawling flight research
center 100``miles,,north of;.`Los
Angeles-said :the craftwas?on"
a routine test >flight from 'Ed
wards'Thuisda'y' when "its dis
re
land or ocean..-for eatch hour'
of operation.
The SR-71,test. progiam, was
marred by a crash last Janu
ary killing one, of its` two
civilian .test pxlots James T.:
,
Zwayer of Lancster, Calif
who .:bailed out.'' The `other'
parachuted `safely The,plane
was"om a test flight from Ed-
wards> when it `crashed..,on
rocky' ;plateau; `near Alberti;
,N.M
appea
The civilian .test pil6t,-em-'
ployed by,Lockheed Aircraft
Corp, builder of t h e SR 71
was , not idnfied:: ?pendug]
further developments.
According to the spokes-
man, the pilot.was last heard
from at 4- p.m. PST .Thursday.
The ? plane had. only,. enough
"
aloft: for an-
fuel to . remain
other hour and " a half.
Search parties were comb-
ing the desolate area "east of
the gambling ` capital 'where
the plane was believed down...
As'. a -strategic reconnais-
sance ,plane,`, the 'SR-71: has . a
top speed of mach 3 (three
times the speed of sound. or
2060, miles an : hour), top -alti-
tude. of_ better than 80,000 feet
ands ".capable of world-_
'wide-i jreconnaissance, Presi=
dent;'dohnson: announced July;
24; 1964.:. - . .._?
ThelPresident: said it-would
be -'used "during periods -of.
military` hostilities and in
other situations in which the
United States' military forces
may--be confronting foreign
military forces."'
? The SR-71 became op era-
tional - with 'the Strategic Air
Command at Beale AFB,
Calif., in December :1965,.- a
year-after it' made 'its first
flight from Palmdale, Calif...
'The SR-71 was similar in-ap-
pearance to. the' aircraft, now
known `as the. YF12A; which
was begun secretly in 1959.',
But it is longer and;lieavier
-t trail the a. YF12A', 'and is
equipped with_the latest::elec
tronic't reconnaissance ,equip-;
meat:;`Flying 'at maximum
capabilities, _ the ' SR-71 can
survey _60,000 square miles of.
reeke
Spy Plane's
Pilot Hunted
LAS. VEGAS, 'Nev.,' Jan. 7
(UPI)-Resdue teams searched
desolate terrain' northeast of
here today .in hopes that the
pilot of a 2000-mile-per-hour
SR-71 super spy plane may
have parachuted -to safety.
The pilot was identified late
today as Walter L. Ray, 33, of
Canoga Park,' Calif.
A spokesman at Edwards
Air Force Base in California's
Mojave Desert said in a terse
statement earlier that the
wreckage of the missing
strategic reconnaissance plane
was located late Friday. The
SR-71, the world's fastest oper-
ational aircraft and successor
to. the U-2 spy' plane, 'dis-
appeared Thursday. on a rou-
tine, test flight.
The Air Force neither de-
nied nor confirmed the pos=
sibility the civilian pilot was
still alive, but reports from a
crew which examined the
wreckage indicated he was
not aboard when-the plane
The highly 'secret plane,
made by Lockheed, was cap-
able 'of. flying. 2000 miles an
hour at 'a top 'altitude. of bet-
ter than ?80,000 feet.' It'was
described in 1964 as the most
advanced aircraft of its -,type
in the world. '
Loaded with the latest jelec-
tronic - reconnaissance equip-
ment, -the SR 71-'can; at -maxi-
mum capabilities, survey 60,000
square miles -of terrain for
each hour of operation.
APPROVED FOR RELEASED
DATE: 03-21-2011