Lockheed Blackbird Book Review
By Rachel E. Veres
| Date of Review | December 2016 | Title | Lockheed Blackbird |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Paul F. Crickmore | Publisher | Osprey Publishing |
| Published | 2016 | ISBN | 9781472815231 |
| Format | 400 pages, softbound | MSRP (USD) | $50.00 |
Review
With new information from recently declassified top-secret documents, author Paul F. Crickmore amends his original history of an iconic US long-range strategic reconnaissance aircraft in Osprey's Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond the Secret Missions.
Following a concise forward, preface and introduction, Crickmore chronicles the Blackbird's design specifications developed from its predecessor – the Lockheed A-12 – in the hefty hardback's first half.
Remaining text illumines SR-71 operational history. From debut missions over North Vietnamese targets through NASA missions to the final October 1997 flight, Blackbirds consistently proved superb workhorses for over three decades.
Historical photographs – including imagery intelligence – supplement Crickmore's narrative. Ten appendices, an acronyms and abbreviations section, technical diagrams, a selected bibliography and an index conclude contents.
Very highly recommended!
My sincere thanks to Osprey Publishing for this review sample!