# XB-70 Valkyrie (DD-048) > 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. - Department: Military (also Tech) - First published: 2025-12-07 - Last updated: 2025-12-07 - Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/xb-70-valkyrie/ - Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department ## On the timeline - **1957**: North American Aviation's B-70 design is chosen - **1958**: The bomber is named Valkyrie - **1960**: A Soviet missile shoots down Gary Powers's U-2 - **March 1961**: President Kennedy cancels the B-70 bomber - **Sept. 21, 1964**: XB-70 AV-1 makes its first flight - **Jan. 3, 1966**: AV-2 first reaches Mach 3 - **April 12, 1966**: AV-2 reaches Mach 3.08 - **June 8, 1966**: AV-2 is lost after an F-104 chase plane collides with it - **1969**: AV-1 flies its last research missions Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=xb-70-valkyrie ## Quick facts - **DD-048-F01**: 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. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (Built to outrun))_ - **DD-048-F02**: The XB-70 used its own shock wave for lift, folding its wingtips down by up to 65° to help trap it. _(Write-up · Exhibit D (Riding its own shock wave))_ ## 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. **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. **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. **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. **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. **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. **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. ## Related case files - [Supersonic Striker (DD-036)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/supersonic-striker/): Another U.S. bomber built for the nuclear mission, from the next generation. - [Atomic Annie (DD-004)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/atomic-annie/): Another Cold War nuclear delivery system. - [EKV: Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (DD-011)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/ekv/): The missile-defense side of the same arms race. - [Commercial Supersonics (DD-568)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/commercial-supersonics/): Its sonic booms fed the same concerns that limited Concorde - [Ekranoplan (DD-704)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/ekranoplan/): Another Cold War design built for extreme performance, with few completed - [B52 Stratofortress (DD-708)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/b52-stratofortress/): Another US strategic bomber, a Mach 3 design that never went to war - [Gassed Up...Way Up (DD-711)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/gassed-up-way-up/): Another Air Force aircraft case ## Reel vs. record - **Confirmed from the frames**: the Reel is about North American Aviation's XB-70 Valkyrie (captions at 0.8–11.2 s), a Mach 3, high-altitude nuclear bomber prototype meant to outrun Soviet defenses rather than hide from them. [NASA; NASA TM 1966] - **Missing context**: it never became a bomber. Kennedy canceled the B-70 bomber in 1961, before the first flight, and the two XB-70As flew from 1964 to 1969 as research aircraft. [Wikipedia; NASA] - **Slightly off**: 'altitudes above 70,000 feet.' The design cruise altitude was about 70,000 ft, and the highest it ever flew was 74,000 ft. [NASA TM 1966; Wikipedia] - **Imprecise**: 'in the 1960s.' The design was chosen in 1957 and named in 1958. The 1960s were when the prototypes flew. [Wikipedia] - **Left out**: one of the two was destroyed. On June 8, 1966, AV-2 was lost after an F-104 chase plane collided with it, killing pilots Joe Walker and Carl Cross. The surviving aircraft is at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. [NASA fact sheet; Wikipedia] ## Video: XB-70 Valkyrie: A Mach 3 Bomber That Never Went to War - Duration: 19.6 s · Published: 2025-12-07 - File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DR-Crzkkcew.mp4 ### Transcript 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! ## Questions & answers **Q: What speed was the XB-70 designed to cruise at?** A: 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))_ **Q: What helped kill the B-70 bomber program?** A: A high-flying bomber no longer looked survivable. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Undone by missiles) · North American XB-70 Valkyrie (Wikipedia))_ **Q: How many XB-70s were built?** A: 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))_ **Q: What was the XB-70's highest recorded altitude?** A: 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))_ **Q: Where is the surviving XB-70 today?** A: 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))_ ## Sources - [XB-70 Valkyrie (NASA)](https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/xb-70-valkyrie/) - [XB-70A Valkyrie fact sheet FS-084 (NASA Dryden/Armstrong)](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/121584main_FS-084-DFRC.pdf) - [Summary of preliminary data derived from the XB-70 airplanes (NASA TM, 1966)](http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19660018723) - [North American XB-70 Valkyrie (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_XB-70_Valkyrie) ## 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/