The D-21 - The Stealth Drone Of 1960s.
The Lockheed D-21 Drone was a sophisticated attempt by the US to create an unmanned reconnaissance air vehicle that could spy on its Cold War rivals, the Soviet Union and China, without risking the lives of its Air Force personnel. Despite looking out of this world, it was a very real aircraft.
The D-21, constructed without landing gears, was an innovative contraption that could only be used only once and was jettisoned mid-air from another plane that acted as a mothership. It was the product of the tense nuclear stand-off between the US and the Soviet Union that characterized much of the 1950s and 1960s.
The drone was designed to fly at high altitudes and high speeds, and it was intended to gather intelligence over enemy territory without detection.
The Lockheed D-21 was unique in that it was an unmanned drone, and it was one of the first drones to be designed for stealthy operations.
The Lockheed D-21 was launched from a modified SR-71 spy plane, and it was capable of flying at speeds of over Mach 3 at an altitude of up to 27400 meters.
The drone was designed to fly over enemy territory and take high-resolution photographs, which were then transmitted back to the launch aircraft.
One of the most remarkable features of the D-21 was its stealthy design. The drone was made of composite materials and had a sharp, angular shape, which helped to reduce its radar signature. Additionally, the drone was coated with a special radar-absorbent material that made it virtually invisible to radar.
Despite its advanced technology, the D-21 was not without its flaws. The drone was notoriously difficult to control, and it was prone to crashes.
In fact, the very first operational D-21 mission ended in disaster when the drone crashed into the Pacific Ocean.
There have been 3 successful launch separations of the D-21 from the M-21 launch aircraft so far. In each of these flights, even though the launch was successful, the D-21 drone fell victim to some minor mechanical failure that destroyed the drone, because, at over Mach 3 and 27431 meters, there really are no “minor” failures.
In the middle of 1972, after four attempts at overflying China with the D-21 drone and four mission failures, the program was cancelled. It was imaginative. It was innovative. It was ingenious. But it was impossible.
The D-21 was one of the earliest unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicles designed specifically for collecting photo evidence of China’s nuclear sites.
Today, the Lockheed D-21 is remembered as one of the most advanced and secretive drones of its time.