Conceived as a triple-sonic interceptor aircraft, the YF-12 had all of the blazing performance of its more famous sister aircraft, the SR-71 Blackbird. On May 1, 1965, the YF-12 set no less than nine world absolute speed and altitude records at Edwards Air Force Base. Among these was a sustained altitude of 80,257 feet and a speed of 2,070 mph. In spite of this performance and operational potential, the aircraft never entered production.