The Convair Kingfish was the other aircraft proposed along with the Lockheed A-12 to replace the U-2.
The Kingfish, this aircraft took advantage of many technologies previously developed for the F-102 and F-106 fighters as well as the B-58. Among these innovations were a stainless steel honeycomb skin, the delta wing design, and crew escape capsules that eliminated the need for pressurized suits. The Kingfish carried a crew of two in tandem and was powered by a pair of J58 engines mounted within the fuselage instead of along the wings as in Lockheed's competing design. Unlike its parasite predecessors, these engines allowed the Kingfish to both takeoff and land under its own power without needing a launch aircraft. These turboramjet engines reduced the cruise speed to Mach 3.2 compared to the Fish's Mach 4.2 using ramjets, but range was increased to about 3,400 nm (6,300 km).
The final Kingfish configuration was a single-seat, full delta wing with slightly curved and highly swept leading edges. Two vertical tails were mounted on top of the wings and flush with the trailing edge. The aircraft weighed 103,200 pounds (gross weight) and carried 62,750 pounds of fuel, giving it a dry weight of 40,450 pounds. The aircraft measured 73 feet seven inches long and eighteen feet four inches high. The wingspan measured sixty feet. The wing area measured 1,815 square feet.
By August 1959, both Convair and Lockheed had completed their designs and submitted proposals to a selection panel composed of Department of Defense, CIA, and Air Force personnel. This board pitted the Convair Kingfish against the Lockheed A-12, a close relative of what would eventually become the SR-71. The following table gives an overall comparison of the competitors.
Sources:
SNAFU! Aerospace WebLockheed Code One Magazine
