OUR NEW JET SPY: 'MOST ADVANCED'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP74-00297R000200200005-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 22, 2013
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: July 25, 1964
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/10/25: CIA-RDP74-00297R000200200005-6
? NEW YORK
HERALD TRIBUNE
JUL 25 1964 .
M60P.
-11
Ur ew Jet Spy: 4-Most Advanced'
By Laurence Barrett
Of The Herald T.ribulte Staff ? "
WASHINGTON.
The United States will soon
have a new, long-range re-
connaissance aircraft caPable
, of "world-wide" operations,
; President Johnson revealed i
1 yesterday.
. He said at his press. con-
ference that the SR-71 (Stra-
tegic Reconnaissance) would
.. be "the most advanced in the.
world." '
?W.ile the President di71
few details of the '
I. plane's performance andl
1 nothing at all about its ap-;
? pearanee: it, was learned that,
4 the craft WAS developed In;
the now-famous "skunk
works" at the Lockheed Air-1
craft Corp.' facilities in Bur-.
?bank, Calif. That was where
??? Clarence L. (kelly) Johnson
hatched the U-2 and the
A-11
? It. was understood that. the
? .SR-71 is an outgrowth Of the
?/ .A-11, announced In February
andoow being tested as, an.
inteceptor. The President
President Johnson said: The
T-14 SR-71 - be test_
flown. early next year, the
SA-71 "is substantially heav-
President *hid, and deploy-
ier and it has a longer:range.
The considerably?. heavier ment of ope: ational models to
SAC will begin "shortly there-.j
groic weight permits it to after." He said the spe.edi
ac&niunodate the multiple. e- .1 would be "more than three;
'connaissance sensors needed !times the speed of . sound";
by the Strategic Air Corn- 1(Mach-3, or 'somewhat better,
mand to ? accomplish theiu than 2,000 miles , an hour1,1
: mission . . . in a military , and placed .the operatIonat:
'altitude at above 80,000 feet.)
environment." ? ?
noted that both planes use
, the J-58 Pratt & Whitney'
? engine?as do later models
of the 11-2 spy plane. There
was considerable speculation,
' after President Johnson's dis-
? closure, that the SR-71 .was
assuming the ?reconnaissance
, mission for which the A711
was originally conceived.
For reasons that have not
? been explained yet, the A-11's
primary mission was changed
to that of an interceptor. One
possible explanation is size.? .
Compfring the two . planes,-
He said the SR-71 program ;
I While be gaVe no flgur4,.
1 for range, it was. assumed,
--?a tightly-guarded secret as ? the operating radius will be at'
was the A-11 development? -jeast twicethat of the 1.1-2
was begun in February, 1963. :which is estimated at 2,600
This marks ? the Sft-71 ."---am, Miles. ? The 11-2's speed is
product of the Democratic . under 500 miles an hour.
: "The system," President
administration. Sen. ? BarryGoldwater, the Republican Johnson said, "Will be used
Presidential candidate, has duringeriods ' of military
attacked the Administration .'hostilities and in Other situ-
for allegedly inititaing nq neW.. ations in which United States
weapons systems, and fo1.-. military forces may ? be con-
short-changing the futuri oT,
.' ; fronting foreign military
; manned aircraft in .fa .oif
r'-? forces." ? .,
'.,missiles.;. President' - Johnson N,
This appeared to 'be el...re-
;stressed. that the SR-71 would ,
affirmation of current policy
ibea....:4rnew; strategic, manned
aircraftsystem." i .., ., !not to overfly the SOviet
Ic 'Union. Former President
Thus ,.the %President's an-. Eiienhower said in 1960 the 1
!nouncement, apparently cal- L./
, flights would cease. This
:ciliated 'to attract maximum 'followed the downing of.
: attention, had certain politi, . Francis Gary Powers'. 13-2
I cal overtones. Although the over the Soviet Union. ?
'SR-71 is *not designed pig- 1 - ? ?
However, the phrase about
smartly . a'S a strike plane, it, ??
!American forces "confront-.
. could be armed, Pentagon
1 ing foreign military forces".
sources- said.
i. ! I indicated the ' new plane;
,
President . Johnson person-
? ? would be used in places liked
,ally announetd. development , Southeast Asia and Cuba..
?
of the A-1.,on Feb.,
29 and ;11-2 s are known to have per-t!
also used a scheduled press !formed reconnaissance ms?
!conference to give out the, ; sions in both' of these areas.
1 news. At that time he said i . In the 'case ? of Cuba, the
I the disclosure was being made,s
to "permit the orderly ex-r y.'?'"*. -4?'--- ?
.ploitation Of this advanced'l
technology' ' in our mihtary4
. and commercial programs.".1;
. Yesterday he gave no speci7,
!fie teason , for.' letting . the:'
./ wor1.1. iti .g.? on. the; secret.?? 0 ;
1. ? ? ?.114.,..? ?.. ??? , .? . 4 . 4?
speific?nea the. Cita-fa-W:1.
gime : has been. threatening
to shoot down American ? re-,1
connaissance planes when and
if it gets full control ?WI ?
the RUSSIka ? anti - aircraft
missiles now In Cuba (One:
U-2 was shot down early sin,
.the American reconnaissance s.
effort).1 ? : ?
. The United States is de- ,
a
termined to continue surveil-
lance over Cuba, but it hopes 1
?to avoid shoOting.. ?
? The spe4 and 'altitude of.7;
the SR-71 make, it far lest
vulnerable than the U-2 to.
anti-aircraft fire. President.:
, Johnson's reference to the
new plane's size would incli-..
'cate. that the 'performance
of its photographic and elec.,
. .
trollic ; eyes !would exceed..
(that of any existing plane.. 1
? The President mentioned;
? "Multiple sensors 'needed by:
the Strategic Air Comrnand"i
to aecomplish their
I A principal SAC mission is',
. to destroy the enemy stra-
teeic nuclear weapOns ,
.evPiit of war.
? It would appear, then, that'
1 ...the. SR-71 fills a gap. between
1. ?the' now:vidnerable 11-2 ands
? the 'reconnaissance ?Satellites
in, 'operation. The satellites,
are safe from known means,
. 'Of interception. HoweVer, the,
wialitY of, satellite. photog-{
.:11'orhY not been -As good
ntellielee efri 6(0%1 WOutcl,
?
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013i10/2 : CIA-RDP74-00297R000200260005-6