THE XB-70

bomber, "one of the

world's most exotic

airplanes" North

American XB-70

"Valkyrie", does this

bring to mind the

Valkyrie? It should. This

aircraft represents a

quantum leap foward in aeronautical design. Imagine a huge jet, larger than a B-52, with a speed

comparable to a SR-71, a shape like that of a fighter, and you get an idea of what the XB-70 is

like. The XB-70 is the direct opposite of the B-2. Where the B-2 is subsonic, the XB-70 travels at

over Mach 3. Where the B-2 is invisible to radar, the XB-70 is easily detectable, but it moves so

fast that it doesn't matter because nothing can shoot it down. The wing tips can fold down as much

as 65 degrees B-70 Valkyrie, Nuclear Forces Guide to take advantage of compression lift. It

could reach an altitude in excess of 70,000 feet North American XB-70 Valkyrie. This

revolutionary bomber could have dominated the world with its unstopability and speed, however the

program was the victem of congressional budget cuts. It can still be built in case of war at a cheaper

price than the B-2 with comparable survivability. It won't be such a huge loss if one of thse would

be shot down. The

"Great White Bird"

001--Flight of the Valkyrie North American's XB-70 "The Great White Bird", October 16th

1996 will continue to stand for what's possible for a long time to come.

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