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1960s

D-21 (USA)

D-21 (USA)
With the Cold War at its height, the need for high-quality reconnaissance images was greater than ever. Yet several embarrassing aerial surveillance mishaps, including the shooting-down of Gary Powers' U-2 spy plane over Russia in 1960, convinced the CIA that work on a new UAV, invulnerable to attack, should begin immediately. The U.S. government gave Lockheed the job of developing a high-speed, ultra-stealth UAV.

Lockheed produced a single D-21 UAV in 1965. The Mach 4 vehicle, the fastest UAV in history, was carried on the back of a piloted Lockheed M-12 "mother" aircraft and had a range of 3,000 miles when released. D-21 operated at a height of 80,000 feet and was covered in Lockheed's signature plastic anti-radar coating, a precursor to the stealthy outer skin of today's Lockheed F-117 Stealth Fighter and B-2 Stealth Bomber. D-21 flew three failed missions before it crashed and sank on the fourth at an undisclosed location. Back at Lockheed, the remaining parts for unassembled D-21s were moved to storage.

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