www.habu.org - 06937 - Blackbird Photo Archive (original) (raw)

There were two Blackbirds designated as 06937. This A-12 (Lockheed/CIA article #131, USAF serial number 60-6937) on display in Birmingham was the first.

"....It was the first A-12 to be deployed to Kadena AFB in Operation Black Shield. It also flew the first of 29 A-12 operational missions over North Vietnam May 22, 1967, as well as the last operational Black Shield mission, in support of the AGER-2 USS Pueblo May 8, 1968. It made its last flight June 21, 1968, the final [of any] A-12 flight. This aircraft flew just 345.75 hours in 177 flights, while the entire A-12 fleet had flown only 4,804.38 hours in 2,083 flights." - William J. Simone, Lockheed Skunk Works Star, March 26, 1999 (quoted with permission)