Page 8 - DFCS News Magazine Spring 2014

Continued from page 7 - Ursini’s First Flight to Mach 3
Seven such launches were made from the YF-12. The final launch was successfully conducted against a B-47 bomber drone flying at 500 feet at the White Sands Missile range in New Mexico. The YF- 12 again was at Mach 3.2 and 75,000 feet. It was a direct hit.
This unprecedented Pulse Doppler radar (ASG-18) and missile (AIM-47) was a break-through technology. The technology was later, improved upon, and was the basis for the Navy radar (AWG-9) and missile (AIM-54) contained in the F-14 aircraft. Also a highly successful program. A few years later, as digital technolo- gies were perfected, an F-14 performed a historic feat in air to air missile demonstrations. The F-14 launched 6 missiles against 6 separate drone targets simultaneously. Each missile hit their tar- gets.
There were many other details Sam related to me about the Black Bird Program: but for brevity sake let me tell of one of his most memorable and unusual intercepts. To test the capability of the YF-12, to conduct an intercept against a high speed cruise missile- an SR-71 flying at Mach 3.2, 80,000 feet heading South from Seat- tle and the YF-12 Mach 3.2 75,000 feet heading North from South- ern California heading head on to the SR-71. Detection range was 150 miles and computed launch range was 80 miles. Imagine a closure rate of Mach 6.4. That was high speed indeed.
WORLD SPEED AND ALTITUDE RECORDS MAY 1, 1965
The YF-12 was selected to set new speed and altitude records. As was the policy set by “Kelly “ Johnson, any unprecedented flight conditions must first be established by Lockheed Test Pilots. Jim Eastham, chief Lockheed YF-12 test pilot, was assigned the task of setting the speed and altitude records before Air Force crews took on the tasks, to officially set these records. On the un-official rec- ord flight Sam Ursini was selected to fly with Jim Eastham. The speed and altitude were unrestricted. The flight profile went from West to East through a GATE near Edwards AFB, then a big 180 degree turn to the right to re-enter the GATE from East to West. The two passes were required to provide an average for both speed and altitude. After Lockheed established the speed and alti- tude conditions; Air Force Systems Command crews set 7 world and speed records, on May 1,1965. Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, directed the crews to set the speed runs as close to 2000mph as possible (well below the aircraft capability as set by Lockheed). The speed record was set at 2070mph and 80,000 feet. It was learned later the directive from Mr. McNamara, was done to lure the Russians to break these records, by the Foxbat MIG 25.
This is indeed is what the Russians did. After the Russians held the records for a while; the SR-71 re-established all the records easily taking back ALL the records. They set the new speed at 2193mph and 85,000 ft.
These records, and many others remain in the hands of the Black Bird—still the world’s fastest jet. So McNamara’s strategy worked.
UNIQUE STORY
When the YF-12 set the records in 1965, the French were the offi- cials to certify those records. There was a problem though. The French team looked at the YF-12 flight profile. They insisted that ground tracking radar of the YF-12 must be maintained throughout the entire flight from West to East through the GATE then East to West. This was required to assure the officials that the SAME air- craft set the records in both directions rather than two aircraft. Af- ter the YF-12 went through the GATE West to East it must make a 180 degree turn to re-enter the GATE. This turn at Mach 3 takes the aircraft near Phoenix. Tracking radar could not reach that far to maintain continuous contact. To solve this problem...the day of the record setting, Sam Ursini escorted a French official to the Phoenix Air Defense Sector in Arizona. This sector had centralized radars that could track the YF-12 from the Mojave Desert all the way through the entire profile. This proved to the French officials that one aircraft made the runs...the records were certified!
After several years of flight testing the YF-12 and SR-71, he went to Vietnam. There he flew 190 combat missions in the F-4E Phantom. He earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses. In 1976 Colonel Ursini retired from the Air Force after 20 and a half years. He went on to join Grumman Corp. as the Deputy Program manager on the EF-111 program. Then on to Fairchild Republic (home of the A-10) as Vice President Systems Development. In 1983 he joined a newly formed corporation, Global Analytics in San Diego. This company special- ized in new Stealth Technologies. It was later merged with Martin Marietta and finally purchased by Lockheed Corp. He retired from Lockheed Martin Corp., as Director of Business Develop- ment/Advanced Program Office.
To this day I still love hearing of Sam’s other stories about the Black Bird Program.
In closing I always liked Sam Ursini ’s sense of humor...as evidenced by a sign on his desk which read:
“Through the years the World’s Greatest Navigators
Marco Polo Christopher Colombo (Columbus) Amerigo Vespucci
Vasco da Gama
Sam Ursini”
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