Key Points and Summary on the XB-70 – The North American XB-70 Valkyrie was a magnificent but doomed attempt to create a Mach 3 strategic bomber to replace the B-52.
-This revolutionary aircraft, with its massive delta wing and six powerful jet engines, was a technological marvel of the 1960s.
XB-70 in Dayton, Ohio Air Force Museum. Image Credit: National Security Journal.
-However, the program was a “nightmare” of technical failures, including melting paint and bursting tires, and was ultimately rendered obsolete by rapidly advancing Soviet surface-to-air missile technology.
-After a tragic mid-air collision destroyed one of the only two prototypes, the ambitious and expensive program was canceled, relegating the “world-beater” to a museum piece.
-We visited the bomber at the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, where we were able to take many amazing photos (all photos original except for the ‘hero’ image at the top).
XB-70 Valkyrie: What Happened to the Air Force’s MACH 3 Bomber Program?
You may know the B-52 is 70 years old, but what if I told you there were efforts to replace it in the 1960s? The new airplane that emerged in 1964, which aimed to take over the main United States Air Force bombing mission, was the North American XB-70 Valkyrie. This experimental airframe was a massive MACH 3.1 airplane that would revolutionize the way America viewed bombers.
The XB-70 Was Designed to Replace the B-52
There was really no other new bomber that could compare to the XB-70 at the time. The Air Force was concerned about survivability and believed that the B-52 would become a vulnerable target as new Soviet air defenses were introduced.
The Air Force was already having difficulty with SAMs shooting down its best fighter jets in Vietnam, so it wanted an ultra-fast bomber that could outrun existing and future air defenses with the ability to have an enormous payload and deliver nuclear weapons deep into enemy territory.
What Made the Valkyrie Special?
The airplane, which had a speed of 2,056 miles per hour, featured a triangular wing, a long downwardly angled nose with canards, and gargantuan engines (six General Electric YJ93 afterburning turbojets) that enabled great speed, thrust, and acceleration.
“The variable geometry wings helped to improve both the aircraft’s stability and its supersonic lift. The innovative construction of the aircraft was based on a revolutionary, multi-layer fuselage skin. Fuel would also circulate throughout the airframe to cool the interior. This was all to counter the kinetic heat the aircraft would go through. On the face of it, the XB-70 was a world-beater,” according to Autoevolution.com.
Could It Defeat Soviet and North Vietnamese SAMs?
The military also had a problem with various types of MiG interceptors that were giving Air Force and Navy pilots fits. Why not create an ultra-fast bomber to bypass air defenses and outfly Soviet fighters in terms of air superiority? The B-52 was seen as a relic, even back then, and the XB-70 could render the Stratofortress obsolete. The B-52 was having trouble evading radar, and it was hoped that the Valkyrie could fly past sensors and leave the scene before Soviet and NVA fighters could scramble.
Another way the Air Force believed the Valkyrie could survive better in this multi-threat environment was by flying low and fast, below radar reach. The Soviets had problems spotting adversarial aircraft at low altitude, and the XB-70 would give the Air Force the advantage. Or so the Americans thought. It turned out that, due to the XB-70’s huge size, it could still be susceptible to radar discovery. This was one nail in the Valkyrie’s coffin.
That’s not all. Despite its ability to fly at such a high speed, the Air Force determined that the XB-70 still did not perform significantly better than the B-52. They both had large payloads, and they were each strategic nuclear delivery platforms. Was the XB-70 that distinct?
XB-70 Up Close @ U.S. Air Force Museum. Image Credit: Harry J. Kazianis/National Security Journal.
Additionally, the B-52 was cheaper to produce in large numbers. The XB-70 had complex systems that made it more difficult to maintain.
Well, Let’s Fly It Higher
What about flying at ultra-high altitude instead of low altitude? The XB-70 could fly at 77,000 feet after all. This could foil the Soviet radars. That didn’t quite work out either. The Soviets were introducing better SAMs that could operate over improved ranges and altitudes.
The XB-70 was seen as an easy target due to its long range and the effectiveness of these enemy air defenses.
More Technical Problems Cropped Up
That’s not all. The XB-70 was poorly built and experienced numerous problems in flight. The brakes performed poorly when landing, and the tires would burst. Paint melted due to extreme heat at high speed. The coating even splintered, and a piece of it once broke off and got sucked into its engines. Four powerplants were knocked out during one test flight.
XB-70 Is a Massive Bomber. Image Credit: National Security Journal.
The Air Force turned its nose up, and only two prototypes were built. The service branch decided to team with NASA to continue the program as a testing and technology demonstrator. Then the worst happened in 1966. Some public affairs office at General Electric decided that it wanted a photo of the XB-70 in flight. The Valkyrie was flying alongside an F-104 Starfighter, and they collided in mid-air. This destroyed the XB-70, and its pilot was killed while the co-pilot ejected safely.
After that, the XB-70 program effectively came to an end. It was thwarted by the Soviet Union’s adept SAMs and radar. It never surpassed the B-52 in terms of survivability and reliability. It had some technical problems, and that crash ended it all. However, the massive airplane with its high-powered engines, capable of delivering a speed of MACH 3, was catnip for the Air Force during the Vietnam War. It was a good idea, but it had poor execution and was ultimately overcome by events.
Summed Up In 4 Words: This Bomber Is Huge
You can still see the XB-70 at the National Museum of the US Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. All the photos you are looking at in this article (except the hero image at the very top) were taken there, as we visited last weekend. And we can tell you from our walk around of the plane, this bomber is massive.
XB-70 Bomber from National Security Journal. Taken at USAF Museum in Dayton Ohio on 7/19/2025.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
More Military
We Almost Touched the F-117 Stealth Fighter
