Home Forums Blogs Articles Photos Videos Contact FAQ

Lockheed D-21 - Operational Use

Lockheed D-21 - Operational Use: Encyclopedia II - Lockheed D-21 - Operational Use

Four operational missions took place under the name SENIOR BOWL, from November 9, 1969 to March 20, 1971, all over the People's Republic of China to spy on the Lop Nor nuclear test site. Only two drones completed the flight, and system malfunctions prevented the recovery of the reconnaissance camera. Due to the poor level of success and the introduction of a new generation of photoreconnaissance satellites, ...

Lockheed D-21: Encyclopedia II - Lockheed D-21 - Operational Use

Lockheed D-21 - Operational Use

Four operational missions took place under the name SENIOR BOWL, from November 9, 1969 to March 20, 1971, all over the People's Republic of China to spy on the Lop Nor nuclear test site. Only two drones completed the flight, and system malfunctions prevented the recovery of the reconnaissance camera. Due to the poor level of success and the introduction of a new generation of photoreconnaissance satellites, the Tagboard project was cancelled in July 1971.

In the end, 38 D-21/D-21B drones were built. Twenty-one were expended in tests and missions, and the remaining 17 vehicles were placed in permanent storage and redesignated as GTD-21B. Since the mid-1990s, they have been released to museums for display.