[Thermodyne]

Again, hind sight would tell us that it was the correct way to go. None of the Mach 3 fighters were built, and as it turned out, they were not needed. At about the same time, the US canceled the F107 and F108 fighter programs. And results of later designs like the SR 71 suggest that the original Mach 3 designs would have never have been completely successful because of unforeseen engineering problems. Also, the two questions that remains unasked and unanswered are how would it have been paid for and where would the titanium have come from. To build the SR 71, the US ran one of the largest ruses in history. The titanium for obtained from the USSR for the alleged purpose of manufacturing paint. Companies were set up all across the third world and the titanium was then diverted to the US. The F12 was also a victim of the titanium shortage, having to compete with the ballistic missile program as well as Gemini and Apollo which had the highest priorities. Only 1 YF12 was built, and the results of it flight testing have never been released.