PROJECT OXCART OPERATIONAL CONCEPT FOR FY-1965 TO FY-1966

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81B00879R001000130057-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 13, 2002
• Sequence Number: 57
• Content Type: REQ

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PROJECT OXCART OPERATIONAL",, `----
CONCEPT FOR FY-1965 TO FY-1966
1. MISSION:
To develop, attain, and maintain an operational
capability to conduct covert aerial reconnaissance missions
of denied areas.
2. DEFINITIONS:
a. Pre-Operational Period: (Prior to 1 July 1964)
The period preceding operational readiness
to accomplish the primary mission.
b. Operational Period: (Subsequent to 1 July 1964)
(1) Limited Capability: (1 July 1964 to 1 January
1965)
The capability to perform limited overflight
missions on a "calculated risk" basis should be
achieved by 1 July 1964. Lack of experience at
design operational profile with full operational
configuration will be the limiting factor during
this period. For planning purposes, one operational
mission per month will be flown during this period.
(1 January 1965 and on)
2) Design Capability:.
Six months subsequent to attaining a limited
capability, the capability to accomplish four (4)
operational missions per month should be achieved.
A high degree of systems reliability and operational
readiness will have been demonstrated prior to
attaining this capability.
3. OBJECTIVES - PRE-OPERATIONAL PERIOD:
During this period the primary emphasis will be
directed toward the accomplishment of the following major
tasks:
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 a. The development and procurement of new
equipment and systems which will comprise the A-12
reconnaissance weapons system, allied systems and
supporting equipment and systems.
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b. The completion of construction and readying of
airdrome and supporting facilities.
C, The completion of construction and readying
of facilities at designated airbases. (See
Attachment #2)
d. The logistical build-up required to support
the Pre-Operational Period and the continued build-
up in logistical capability to support the Operational
Period.
e. The planning, programming and coordination
required to be ready to implement the Operational
Period programs to include environmental studies.
f. The completion of specialized communications
facilities required for the coordination and control
of tactical and support aircraft movements.
g. The training and familiarization of support
personnel with new systems and equipment preparatory
to the commencement of A-12 operational missions.
h. The training of selected operational pilots
and Detachment supervisory personnel and the
continued testing of the A-12 reconnaissance weapons
system to an operational readiness status.
i. The development and feasibility testing of
air tactics and operational employment and control
procedures.
AIRCRAFT UTILIZATION AND CONTROL:
a. A-12 Aircraft:
(1) A-12 aircraft which are instrumented as flight
test beds will be under the control of MIA
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Flight Test Center (Lockheed Aircraft Corporation)
until their requirement as instrument test beds no
longer exists. At such time, to be determined by
Project Headquarters, these aircraft will be
transferred to the operational control of the
Detachment Commander to be utilized as directed.
(2) Other A-12 aircraft will be under the control
of Flight Test Center until their
airworthiness has been proven, at which time they
will be released to the operational control of the
Detachment Commander. Aircraft acceptance procedures
will be established by Project Headquarters.
(3) A-12 aircraft which are engaged in directed
missions will be under the' operational direction
of Project Headquarters.
(4) See Attachment #1 for A-12 Flying Hour
Projection.
b. F-101 Aircraft:
These aircraft will be used as companion
trainers to the A-12, as chase aircraft, and for
proficiency flying for the Detachment operational
pilots and supervisory personnel. Thirty-five (35)
flying hours/aircraft/month will be required. These
aircraft are under the operational control of the
Detachment Commander.
c. T-33 and U-3B Aircraft:
These aircraft will be under the operational
control of the Detachment Commander to be used as
required for the following:
(1) Airlift, liaison, and other flying
required to-support the mission.
(2) Training and proficiency flights for
Detachment rated personnel.
(3) Forty (40) flying hours/aircraft/month
will be required.
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d. H-43 Aircraft:
This aircraft will be used for search and
rescue in the event of lost or downed Project
aircraft 25X1A'
This aircraft is programmed to fly thirty (30)
.hours/month under the operational control of the
Detachment Commander to include training flights.
e. C-130 Aircraft:
This aircraft will be under the operational
control of the Detachment Commander to be used
for the following:
(1) Recovery aircraft to airlift necessary
personnel and equipment in the event of an
A-12 landing or accident 25X1A
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(2) Airlift of engines and other equipment
as required.
3 Fulfill air evacuation requirements at
(4) Eighty (80) flying hours/month will be
required.
5. CONCEPT - PRE-OPERATIONAL PERIOD:
a. Developmental Flight Testing:
Planning for the current level of flight-testing
was based on an accelerated flight test program
involving as many aircraft as.are available and at
a rate of,from ten hours per month per aircraft with
an eventual goal of up to twenty-five hours. The
objective of this accelerated test program is to
accumulate as much meaningful test time and therefore
problem definition and resolution on-as many aircraft
as possible and their systems including anti-radar,
payload, propulsion, stability, structure, communi-
cations, navigation, fuel, hydraulic, and inflight
refueling in order to minimize the calendar time
required to attain an operational capability.
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Aircraft numbers 121 and 122 are devoted solely
to continuous flight testing and are currently
involved in envelope extension, propulsion
system matching, and heat soak data collection for
surfacing problems attendant with sustained high
mach flight. As required other appropriate aircraft
are utilized from time to. time for the flight test
development of specific components or systems.
In addition to the ;flight effort itself a very
substantial part of;theengine development program
is currently devoted`t'o investigating, defining,
and resolving problems being surfaced during flight.
b. Flying Trainin
(1) The basic A-12 flying training program consists
of 20 training missions and 54 + 00 flying hours.
This program is divided into 8 transition type
missions and 12 advanced operational readiness type
training missions designed to provide a high degree
of proficiency in all operational phases of the
mission profile. This includes day and night
transition flying, instrument flying, aerial refueling,
navigation, photographic flight line flying, systems
operation and emergency procedures.
(2) Initial transition training and air refueling
checkout will be conducted in a Special Operating
Area More advanced training
will be conducted within he United States along
snecial corridors coordinated with FAA and NORAD.
(3) All A-12 test and training missions will be
planned to launch and recover All 2':1.4
flights will be flown "black" un i e on a local
flight clearance. Specialized procedures are in
effect to minimize inadvertent compromise of the
mission vehicle and its capabilities and to provide
for necessary air traffic control and safety.
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c. Operational Readiness Training:
Procedures for mission implementation and
control will be established and exercised in
conjunction with flying training. Through the
medium of frequent Headquarters planned and
controlled Command Post Exercises, Mission
Generation and Mission Reporting procedures will
be developed. Operational readiness training will
culminate with a 3 air refueling mission including
deployments of KC-135 aircraft, personnel and
equipment to designated forward bases; i.e.,
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6. OBJECTIVES - OPERATIONAL PERIOD:
During this period the following major tasks will
be accomplished:
a. The execution of covert aerial reconnaissance
missions of denied areas as directed.
b. The continued testing of equipment, systems
and procedures in order to improve the operational
capability and reliability.
c. The continued proficiency training of operational
pilots and Detachment personnel.
. CONCEPT - OPERATIONAL PERIOD:
a. A total of twelve (12) A-12 aircraft will be required
to supp perations. All aircraft will be
located which will be used as the permanent
launch an or support base for. forward area stagings as
required. Following is the anticipated disposition of
the 12 assigned aircraft:
(1) Two aircraft to remain as test beds for
continued research and development.
(2) One aircraft undergoing IRAN.
(3) One aircraft (dual seat) for training.
(4) Eight aircraft in the operational fleet to
be used for operational missions and proficiency
training.
b. Operational missions will be planned, directed and
controlled by Project Headquarters against approved
targets received from the COMOR. The attaining of
political approvals and arranging for necessary mission
support will be accomplished by Project Headquarters.
c. Operational missions will be planned utilizing the
primary concept of A-12 prestrike and poststrike at
I Iwith a maximum of 3 aerial refuelings enroute.
An airborne or ground spare A-12 will be planned for
each mission. If a deeper penetration is required, the
following additional concepts of operation may be
employed as "contingency options."
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8. OPERATIONAL MISSION PLANNING:
a. Upon receipt of higher authority approval for an
overflight, Project Headquarters staff will accomplish
mission planning against specific approved targets
received from COMOR. Intelligence information will be
supplied by all Community services. Weather Central will
provide weather support. Following basic A-12 performance
factors will be used in flight planning:
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(1) Cruise Speed - MACH 3.2
b. Missions will be planned and flown along preplanned,
"canned" departure and withdrawal routes. The penetration
or overflight leg of denied territory may vary dependent
on target location and latest weather information,
specifically as pertains to cloud cover in the target
area The finalized flight plan will be forwarded to
to complete the pilot's film strip and emergency
maps. It is planned that by 1 April 1964, the majority
of the flight plan will be accomplished through use of
computers supplemented by manual information. It is
programmed that by 1 January 1965, the entire flight plan
will be prepared by automation. However, Project Head-
quarters will at all times maintain a back-up capability
of manually producing a complete flight plan.
9. OPERATIONAL COMMAND/CONTROL:
a. A-12 Aircraft:
Project Headquarters will direct and control
A-12 operational missions through the use of Policy
Detachment Commander.
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Directives, Mission Directives, Tactical Doctrine
and Reports Control once mission generation has
begun. The responsibility for mission implementation
and detailed supervision will be vested with the
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b. KC-135 Aircraft:
As requested by Project Headquarters, Headquarters
SAC will be responsible for providing tanker support
at specified overseas bases at specified times.
Tanker mission execution will be accomplished through
Headquarters SAC as requested by Project Headquarters.
When advised by Project Headquarters that the operational
mission support is completed, Headquarters SAC will
redeploy the tanker force to the ZI.
10. OPERATIONAL MISSION GENERATION:
The following major actions will be accomplished
in the generation of.each operational mission. Timing
of these actions may very dependent upon the operational
employment concept used and as more experience is gained
in defining mission "countdown" requirements.
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11. SURVIVABILITY:
a. The probability of detection and intercept of the
A-12 vehicle during operational missions is being
thoroughly studied and evaluated. Both passive and
active detection and tracking capabilities are being
considered. Intercept capabilities of the manned fighter,
surface-to-air missile and infra-red homing devices are
also being assessed.
b. Preliminary evaluations of the above indicate the
SA-2 and the anti-ballistic missile may be the most
critical threat during an operational mission.
12. WEATHER SUPPORT:
a. Weather forecasts will be provided by WECEN as
required by Project Headquarters. Upon receipt of these
forecasts, weather briefings will be prepared and
presented to Project Headquarters staff personnel for
mission planning and decision making. Cloud cover in
the target areas, and over-all forecasts of aerial
refueling areas and terminal weather are all critical
factors in the operational weather picture. Any one
of these factors could cause mission failure, therefore,
weather must be forecasted as favorable before mission
generation can be allowed to progress.
b. Lead time is the most significant factor in forecast
reliability. Since the supporting tanker unit must be
alerted of a pending A-12 mission in sufficient time to
accomplish necessary actions (crews alerted, schedules
established, aircraft prepared, etc.), the tanker pre
deployment alert forecast will be presented approximately
54 hours before H-Hour (take-off time of the mission
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vehicle). The latest available analyzed data at this
time is at least 12 hours old, resulting in a requirement
for a weather prediction 66 hours hence. When considering
a particular area of interest, this forecast is used
only as a trend indicator noting improvement or deterioration
from current weather conditions.
c. The weather forecast reliability will increase
as the mission generation count-down continues until at
the "GO-NO-GO" decision, six hours before mission vehicle
take-off, forecasting reliability should approximate
92% accuracy.
OXC/OSA kb (19 Feb
Attachments - 2
As noted above
Distribution:
#1-- AD/OSA
#2-3 C/B&F/OSA
#4 - C/MD/OSA
#5 - C/COMMO/OSA
#6 - D/TECH/OSA
#7 - C/SD/OSA
#8 - D/FA/OSA
#9-10 OXC/OSA
#11- RB/OSA
#12- D/FA/PLANS/OSA
#13- C/PS/OSA
64)
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