{"product_id":"2940148437697","title":"ARCHANGEL: CIA\u0026#x2019;s SUPERSONIC A-12 RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT","description":"This history of the A-12 reconnaissance aircraft was occasioned by CIA’s acquisition\u003cbr\u003eon loan from the Air Force of the eighth A-12 in the production series of 15 in\u003cbr\u003eSeptember 2007. Known as Article 128, the aircraft is on display at the Agency’s\u003cbr\u003eHeadquarters compound in Langley, Virginia. This history is intended to provide an\u003cbr\u003eaccessible overview of the A‑12’s development and use as an intelligence collector.\u003cbr\u003eWriting this story was a fascinating challenge because I am not an aviation historian\u003cbr\u003eand have never flown any kind of aircraft. Accordingly, I have tried to make the\u003cbr\u003enarrative informative to lay readers like myself, while retaining enough technical detail\u003cbr\u003eto satisfy those more knowledgeable about aeronautics and engineering. I have drawn\u003cbr\u003eon the sources listed in the bibliography and the extensive files on the A-12 program\u003cbr\u003ein CIA Archives. Hundreds of those documents were declassified and released to the\u003cbr\u003epublic in conjunction with the dedication of Article 128 in September 2007 as part of\u003cbr\u003ethe Agency’s 60th anniversary commemoration. I have limited citations to specific\u003cbr\u003edocumentary references and direct quotes from published works. When discrepancies\u003cbr\u003earose among the sources regarding dates and other details, I have relied on the\u003cbr\u003eofficial records.\u003cbr\u003eFor their contributions to the substance and production of this work and to the\u003cbr\u003edocumentary release, I would like to thank my colleagues on the CIA History Staff\u003cbr\u003eand at the Center for the Study of Intelligence, the information review officers in the\u003cbr\u003eDirectorate of Science and Technology, designers and cartographers in the Directorate\u003cbr\u003eof Intelligence, and publication personnel at Imaging and Publishing Support. I also\u003cbr\u003eam grateful for historical material provided by the Lockheed Martin Corporation and\u003cbr\u003ethe A-12 program veterans, the Roadrunners.","brand":"ReadCycle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47108799987952,"sku":"2940148437697","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940148437697_p0.jpg?v=1763702585","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940148437697","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}