US Presidency
1964

The A-11 aircraft now at Edwards Air force Base are undergoing extensive tests to determine their capabilities as long range interceptors. The development of a supersonic commercial transport aircraft will ' also be greatly assisted by the lessons learned from this A-11 program. for example, one of the most important technical achievements in this project has been the mastery of the metallurgy and fabrication of titanium metal which is required for the high temperatures experienced by aircraft traveling at more than three times the speed of sound. Arrangements are being made to make this and other important technical developments available under appropriate safeguards to those directly engaged in the supersonic transport program. This project was first started in 1959. Appropriate Members of the Senate and the House have been kept fully informed on the program since the day of its inception. The Lockheed Aircraft Corporation at Burbank, Calif., is the manufacturer of the aircraft. The aircraft engine, the 1 58, was designed and built by the Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Division of the United Aircraft Corporation.