But it never, ever dropped a single bomb.
The XB-70 Valkyrie: The Sad Story of the Biggest and Fastest U.S. Bomber Ever
With
the growing realization that Soviet SAMs posed an increasing threat to
American bombers, the Pentagon started to explore low-level penetration
as an alternative. Low-level penetration involved flying under the radar
horizon using terrain to mask a bomber’s approach, which greatly
reduces enemy response times. Moreover, the development of
intercontinental ballistic missiles greatly reduced the United States’
reliance on manned bombers. Many leading military strategists of the
time believed bombers were too vulnerable to survive the
journey into Soviet airspace. As a result, President John F. Kennedy
decided to cancel the XB-70 as a frontline bomber program on March 28,
1961.
The
North American XB-70 Valkyrie was the largest and fastest bomber ever
built by the United States, but the massive six-engine Mach 3.0-capable
jet never entered production. Only one surviving prototype sits in a museum in Dayton, Ohio, even as the Boeing B-52 it was supposed to one day replace continues to soldier on.
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The
idea behind the XB-70 originated in the 1950s when it was assumed
ever-greater speeds and altitudes would enable American bombers to
survive against Soviet air defenses unmolested on their way to
delivering their doomsday payloads. At the time, the only effective
defense against bombers were fighters and antiaircraft artillery. Even
then, anti-aircraft guns were only marginally effective and interceptors
were increasingly challenged by ever improving bomber performance.
However,
with the advent of surface-to-air missiles (SAM), that began to
change—the balance started to tip in favor of the defender. While the
U.S. Air Force was aware of Soviet advances in SAM technology, the
Pentagon didn’t start to understand the scope of the problem until
Francis Gary Powers’ Lockheed U-2 spy plane was shot down while
overflying the Soviet Union on May 1, 1960. But development of
the XB-70 continued nonetheless.
With
the growing realization that Soviet SAMs posed an increasing threat to
American bombers, the Pentagon started to explore low-level penetration
as an alternative. Low-level penetration involved flying under the radar
horizon using terrain to mask a bomber’s approach, which greatly
reduces enemy response times. Moreover, the development of
intercontinental ballistic missiles greatly reduced the United States’
reliance on manned bombers. Many leading military strategists of the
time believed bombers were too vulnerable to survive the
journey into Soviet airspace. As a result, President John F. Kennedy
decided to cancel the XB-70 as a frontline bomber program on March 28,
1961.
Meanwhile,
the XB-70 test program continued. The jet made its first flight on Sept
21, 1964, when it flew from Palmdale to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
But the first XB-70 proved to be a disappointment—it had poor
directional stability above Mach 2.5 and made only one flight
above Mach 3.0. The second jet, which flew on July 17, 1965, added five
degrees of dihedral on the wings for better supersonic stability.
Tragedy
struck on June 8, 1966, when the second XB-70 prototype was destroyed
in a crash after a midair collision with its F-104N chase plane. Two
people were killed and one was severely injured during the accident. The
loss of the second aircraft—which was much more capable than the
first—was a huge set back. Testing, however, continued until Feb. 4,
1969. Ultimately, the first XB-70 logged eighty-three flights totaling
160 hours and sixteen minutes, while the second XB-70 logged forty-six
flights totaling ninety-two hours and twenty-two minutes according to
NASA.
The XB-70,
while a technological wonder at the time, was the wrong plane for the
wrong time. It came at a time when ballistic missiles were thought to be
supplanting manned bombers. Moreover, it was being developed at a time
when it was increasingly apparent that high speed and high altitude were
not sufficient protection against surface-to-air missiles or the next
generation of Soviet fighters.
But
the nail in the coffin was the jet’s exorbitant price tag and lack of
mission flexibility—the B-70 couldn’t be adapted for the low level role.
Let’s hope today’s shadowy Long Range Strike Bomber fares better.
By: Writter
Birbal Babu
News 24 In Nepal
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