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The Archangel and the OXCART: The Lockheed A-12 Blackbirds and the Dawn of Mach III Reconnaissance

by Jeannette Remak and Joseph Ventolo Jr.

283 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #04-0052; ISBN 1-4120-2224-x; US$25.00, C$25.00, EUR17.25, £12.95

Continuing history of the Oxcart Program run by the CIA in the 1960's. This book explains the Black Ops Program and the magnificent aircraft built to service it.

About the Book

The A-12 Blackbird has long been the source of speculation. Born in secrecy, it represented a massive technological leap at a time when the Cold War was at its most dangerous point. When first flown in April 1962, the A-12 was 20 years ahead of any other jet aircraft. Capable of flight at speeds well over 2,000 mph and altitudes above 90,000 feet, it was an astonishing airplane. Build by Lockheed's famous "Skunk Works," this fastest and highest flying Blackbird proved its worth during test flights from Area 51, the famous "remote base in the Nevada desert." In less than 10 years, the A-12 spawned a new class of Mach III manned aircraft that remains unequaled by any known operational jets flying today. Until 2001, little was known about the A-12 because its missions were shrouded in CIA secrecy while, on the other hand, the Air Force's SR-71, although slightly larger and slower, garnered most of the publicity.

The authors began to set the record straight about the A-12 in 2001 with the publication of A-12 Blackbird: Declassified. With this book, The Archangel and the OXCART: The Lockeed A-12 Blackbirds and the Dawn of Mach III Reconnaissance, we hope to bring the Blackbird story up to date with new details revealed by recent CIA declassifications of once very secret information. Once secret missions have come now to light, which has allowed us to clarify and even correct major errors in the historical record.

About the Authors

Jeannette Remak is a military aviation historian, writer, author, artist, and photographic engineer.Her books include XB-70 Valkyrie: The Ride to Valhalla (1998), A-12 Blackbird: Declassified (2001), and The Archangel and the OXCART: The Lockheed A-12 Blackbirds and the Dawn of Mach III Reconnaissance (2008). She has also written articles for various periodicals.

Ms. Remak worked as a volunteer Aircraft Historian for the Intrepid Sea-Air Space Museum in Manhattan, helping to restore U.S. Naval and U.S. Air Force aircraft. Among them is the Lockheed A-12 "Blackbird," the predecessor of the SR-71 ŒBlackbird.' Jeannette also worked as an unpaid consultant for the Curator's Office, National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Ms. Remak is an accomplished aviation artist. Five of her paintings are in the Air Force Art Collection and two are in the NASA Art Collection. Her paintings have been shown at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force; the U.S. Air Force Art Presentation at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland; and in the Pentagon.

Jeannette has a degree in Photographic Engineering and is the first woman to graduate in that specialty, and has her Masters Degree in Aviation Mechanics. Her many accomplishments are listed in Who's Who Among American Women.

She and her co-author have formed Phoenix Aviation Research, to provide research services for other writers, researchers, and historians. Jeannette is a lifelong New Yorker, but has traveled extensively. She currently resides in the Borough of Queens.

Joseph A. Ventolo, Jr. is a military aviation historian and retired curator of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. He has co-authored three books with Jeannette Remak: XB-70 Valkyrie: The Ride to Valhalla (1998), A-12 Blackbird: Declassified (2001), and The Archangel and the OXCART: The Lockheed A-12 Blackbirds and the Dawn of Mach III Reconnaissance (2008).

He has written a number of aviation articles for such periodicals as Air Force Magazine, Warbirds International magazine and Aero News Photo; and co-authored articles for Atlantic Flyer with Jeannette Remak.

Ventolo is currently a researcher with Phoenix Aviation Research, a consulting service he and co-author Jeannette Remak formed to provide research services for other writers, researchers, and historians.

Excerpts