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XB-70 Valkyrie

Short answer: North American Aviation designed the B-70 in the late 1950s as a six-engine, delta-winged nuclear bomber that would cruise its whole mission at Mach 3 and about 70,000 feet, too fast and high for the Soviet interceptors of the day.

Soviet surface-to-air missiles, which shot down Gary Powers's U-2 in 1960, and the rise of ICBMs undercut that idea, and President Kennedy canceled the bomber in March 1961. Two XB-70A prototypes were completed as research aircraft. AV-1 first flew on September 21, 1964. The aircraft rode its own shock wave for 'compression lift', drooped its wingtips up to 65° at speed, and reached Mach 3.08 and 74,000 ft. On June 8, 1966, AV-2 was lost after an F-104 chase plane collided with it during a GE publicity photo flight. NASA pilot Joe Walker and USAF Maj. Carl Cross were killed. AV-1 flew research missions until 1969 and is now at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

VideoWrite-up4 sources

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What should you know about XB-70 Valkyrie?

Quick facts. Each one stands alone and has a stable ID you can cite.

  1. The XB-70 Valkyrie was designed to cruise at Mach 3 and 70,000 ft. Only two were built, and neither ever carried a bomb.

    DD-048-F01 · Write-up · Exhibit A (Built to outrun)

  2. The XB-70 used its own shock wave for lift, folding its wingtips down by up to 65° to help trap it.

    DD-048-F02 · Write-up · Exhibit D (Riding its own shock wave)

Video transcript: XB-70 Valkyrie: A Mach 3 Bomber That Never Went to War

DID YOU KNOW? The XB-70 Valkyrie was a prototype supersonic strategic bomber developed by North American Aviation for the United States in the 1960s, designed to fly at Mach 3 speeds at altitudes above 70,000 feet. It was intended to penetrate Soviet airspace with nuclear weapons during the Cold War, relying on speed and altitude rather than stealth for defense. NOW YOU KNOW!

Burned-in captions, read frame by frame (see transcript.md) · 19.6s Reel ·

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XB-70 Valkyrie: A Mach 3 Bomber That Never Went to War Instagram Reel · · 19.6s

The write-up

A Mach 3 bomber that never went to war. Only two were built, and one was lost in a 1966 midair collision.

  1. Exhibit A

    Built to outrun

    The B-70 was designed to cruise at Mach 3 and about 70,000 ft for the entire mission, faster and higher than any Soviet interceptor of the time.

  2. Exhibit B

    Undone by missiles

    Soviet surface-to-air missiles, which downed Gary Powers's U-2 in 1960, and the arrival of ICBMs made a high-flying bomber look vulnerable and costly. Kennedy canceled the B-70 bomber in March 1961.

  3. Exhibit C

    Two research jets

    Only two XB-70A prototypes were completed, AV-1 and AV-2, and they served as research aircraft for supersonic transport and sonic-boom studies. AV-1 first flew on September 21, 1964.

  4. Exhibit D

    Riding its own shock wave

    The XB-70 used compression lift from the shock wave off its engine intake, and lowered its outer wingtips up to 65° to trap that shock and stay stable at speed.

  5. Exhibit E

    Records

    AV-2 reached Mach 3.08 on April 12, 1966, and the program's highest altitude was 74,000 ft. AV-2 first hit Mach 3 on January 3, 1966, and made nine Mach 3 flights by June.

  6. Exhibit F

    The 1966 collision

    On June 8, 1966, during a GE publicity photo flight, NASA's F-104N drifted into AV-2's wing. Pilot Joe Walker and XB-70 co-pilot Maj. Carl Cross were killed, and pilot Al White ejected with serious injuries. AV-1 flew until 1969 and is now at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

Questions people ask about XB-70 Valkyrie

What speed was the XB-70 designed to cruise at?

It was designed to fly the whole mission at Mach 3.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Built to outrun) · XB-70 Valkyrie (NASA); Summary of preliminary data derived from the XB-70 airplanes (NASA TM, 1966); North American XB-70 Valkyrie (Wikipedia)

What helped kill the B-70 bomber program?

A high-flying bomber no longer looked survivable.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Undone by missiles) · North American XB-70 Valkyrie (Wikipedia)

How many XB-70s were built?

AV-1 and AV-2 were the only two completed.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Two research jets) · XB-70 Valkyrie (NASA); XB-70A Valkyrie fact sheet FS-084 (NASA Dryden/Armstrong); North American XB-70 Valkyrie (Wikipedia)

What was the XB-70's highest recorded altitude?

It was designed to cruise at about 70,000 ft.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Records) · XB-70 Valkyrie (NASA); North American XB-70 Valkyrie (Wikipedia)

Where is the surviving XB-70 today?

AV-1 flew there in February 1969.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit F (The 1966 collision) · XB-70 Valkyrie (NASA); XB-70A Valkyrie fact sheet FS-084 (NASA Dryden/Armstrong); North American XB-70 Valkyrie (Wikipedia)

Test Your Knowledge

All quizzes →

5 questions, all from this case file. Answers are revealed instantly.

  1. What speed was the XB-70 designed to cruise at?

    1. Mach 1
    2. Mach 2
    3. Mach 3
    4. Mach 5
    Show the answer

    Answer: C. Mach 3 It was designed to fly the whole mission at Mach 3. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Built to outrun) · XB-70 Valkyrie (NASA); Summary of preliminary data derived from the XB-70 airplanes (NASA TM, 1966); North American XB-70 Valkyrie (Wikipedia)

  2. What helped kill the B-70 bomber program?

    1. Stealth aircraft
    2. Surface-to-air missiles and ICBMs
    3. A fuel shortage
    4. A treaty ban
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. Surface-to-air missiles and ICBMs A high-flying bomber no longer looked survivable. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Undone by missiles) · North American XB-70 Valkyrie (Wikipedia)

  3. How many XB-70s were built?

    1. One
    2. Two
    3. Twelve
    4. Sixty-five
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. Two AV-1 and AV-2 were the only two completed. Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Two research jets) · XB-70 Valkyrie (NASA); XB-70A Valkyrie fact sheet FS-084 (NASA Dryden/Armstrong); North American XB-70 Valkyrie (Wikipedia)

  4. What was the XB-70's highest recorded altitude?

    1. 50,000 ft
    2. 74,000 ft
    3. 100,000 ft
    4. 120,000 ft
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. 74,000 ft It was designed to cruise at about 70,000 ft. Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Records) · XB-70 Valkyrie (NASA); North American XB-70 Valkyrie (Wikipedia)

  5. Where is the surviving XB-70 today?

    1. Smithsonian, D.C.
    2. National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Ohio
    3. Edwards AFB scrapyard
    4. Moscow
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Ohio AV-1 flew there in February 1969. Source: Write-up · Exhibit F (The 1966 collision) · XB-70 Valkyrie (NASA); XB-70A Valkyrie fact sheet FS-084 (NASA Dryden/Armstrong); North American XB-70 Valkyrie (Wikipedia)

Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "XB-70 Valkyrie." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-048, last updated Dec 7, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/xb-70-valkyrie/

Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/xb-70-valkyrie/ · Last updated

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