Talyn
SAINT
The DR-21 Drone
Beginning in 1962, Lockheed’s Skunk Works worked in extreme secrecy, keeping the project code-named Tagboard a mystery to even the majority of those working inside Skunk Works. For lack of specific guidelines, Kelly Johnson set out to design a drone with a range of 3,000 nautical miles and cameras with 6-inch ground resolution.Comprised mainly of titanium and composites, weighing 7,000 lb with a length of 40 ft 10 in, and a wingspan of 19 ft, the drone had impressive performance. Maximum altitude was approximately 95,000 ft. and it cruised along at Mach 3.3.
The drone would have a camera payload of 425 lb. and a guidance system weighing 400 lb. A detachable payload hatch carrying the camera, film, and guidance system would be electronically jettisoned from the drone once the mission was accomplished. The payload would then float down via parachute for retrieval in mid-air by a specially equipped C-130 cargo aircraft known as the JC-130, equipped with a Mid-Air Recovery System (MARS). The drone would then self-destruct via a barometrically activated explosive charge.
The Secretive D-21 Drone and Operation Senior Bowl
Even more Top Secret than the Lockheed SR-71, the D-21 drone was a promising Cold War idea that could have eliminated the need for manned overflights,
theaviationist.com
A Lockheed D-21B drone at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio. The B model was used to overfly Communist China during an operation known as Senior Bowl. Drawing obvious influence from Lockheed’s Blackbird aircraft, the D-21 was highly-advanced for its time.
