Home ENGINEERING XB-70 Valkyrie Prototype Mach 3 Super Bomber

XB-70 Valkyrie Prototype Mach 3 Super Bomber

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The North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie was the prototype version of the planned B-70 nuclear-armed, deep-penetration supersonic strategic bomber for the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command.

source/image: US Military News

Designed in the late 1950s by North American Aviation (NAA), the six-engined Valkyrie was capable of cruising for thousands of miles at Mach 3+ while flying at 70,000 feet (21,000 m).

The Valkyrie was designed to be a high-altitude Mach 3 bomber with six engines. Harrison Storms shaped the aircraft with a canard surface and a delta wing, which was built largely of stainless steel, sandwiched honeycomb panels, and titanium.

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The XB-70 was equipped with six General Electric YJ93-GE-3 turbojet engines, which used JP-6 jet fuel, specially formulated for the mission requirements. Like a number of other delta-wing aircraft designed for supersonic speeds, the Valkyrie needed a feature to improve the pilot’s view during nose-high low-speed flight and on the ground.

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