| North American | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
XB-70 Valkyrie
|
||||||||||||
%20(8X4).jpg) |
||||||||||||
|
Photo: Robert Deering 1985 National Museum of the USAF Wright-Patterson AFB (FFO) Dayton, Ohio |
||||||||||||
|
The
XB-70, one of the world's most exotic
airplanes, was conceived for the Strategic
Air Command in the 1950s as a high-altitude
bomber that could fly three times the speed
of sound (Mach 3). Because of fund
limitations, only two were built, not as
bombers, but as research aircraft for the
advanced study of aerodynamics, propulsion
and other subjects related to large
supersonic aircraft.
The Valkyrie was built largely of stainless-steel honeycomb sandwich panels and titanium. It was designed to make use of a phenomenon called "compression lift," achieved when the shock wave generated by the airplane flying at supersonic speeds supports part of the airplane's weight. For improved stability at supersonic speeds, the Valkyrie could droop its wingtips as much as 65 degrees. The No. 1 XB-70 made its initial flight on Sept. 21, 1964, and achieved Mach 3 flight on Oct. 14, 1965. The No. 2 airplane first flew on July 17, 1965, but on June 8, 1966, it crashed following a mid-air collision. The No. 1 airplane continued in its research program until flown to the museum on Feb. 4, 1969. |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
