Operation BLACK SHEILD Begins

The CIA’s newly developed Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft flies its first covert surveillance mission over North Vietnam. It is the first of 29 missions named Operation BLACK SHIELD, whose primary objective is to photograph the sites of possible surface-to-surface missile installations. The CIA directs the BLACK SHIELD missions, which are flown by six pilots and three aircraft based in Okinawa. They determine that no surface-to-surface missiles have been placed in North Vietnam.

The A-12, capable of flying Mach 3.2 at 90,000 feet, is the successor to the U-2 spy plane. Its specifications make it far less susceptible to radar detection than the U-2. The A-12 is also the precursor to the U.S. Air Force SR-71 Blackbird. BLACK SHIELD lasts until May 1968, and the A-12 is retired in June 1968.¹