Table of Contents
Summary: The Air Force’s XB-70 “Valkyrie” supersonic bomber was designed to replace the B-52 Stratofortress with its advanced speed, capable of reaching Mach 3.
The Kennedy administration decided to cancel the program as the Soviet Union’s advanced S-75 Dina and MiG-25 Foxbat air defense systems made the XB-70 obsolete before it entered service.
- Despite its amazing capabilities, which included supersonic cruising speeds and powerful engines, the Valkyrie was ultimately deemed redundant and ineffective in the face of the latest Soviet threat.
The XB-70 Valkyrie: Ahead of Its Time but Defeated Before Flight
The XB-70 “Valkyrie” supersonic bomber,” was a system that was, ultimately, ahead of its time. The Air Force’s iconic B-52 Stratofortress was to be replaced by a more advanced (and faster) aircraft, the XB-70, which could have reached Mach 3 speeds, combining the supersonic speeds of the Air Force’s experimental B-58. With the carrying capacity of the mighty B-52s! If this project had been successfully completed, the current makeup of the American bomber force would be very different.
Shortly before starting the Air Force, John F. The Kennedy administration closed the program after several years of development. This was done because the Soviet Union, America’s main adversary at the time, had recently and unexpectedly increased its air defense capabilities.
Basically, the Air Force needed speed, which is why they wanted to replace the Stratofortress with the Valkyrie. The goal set by Air Force planners was for American bombers to penetrate far into Soviet territory, drop their payloads, and avoid whatever Soviet defenses might be able to defend against them.
Everything changed when the Soviet Union successfully fielded the MiG-25 Foxbat and the S-75 Dina anti-aircraft air defense system. Under the old system, targets traveling at Mach 3 could be hit by missiles fired through the Deena air-defense network. In the latter case, the Foxbat can similarly chase and destroy targets traveling on Mach 3.
As a result, the Valkyrie became obsolete even before it was added to the American arsenal.
The XB-70 was powered by six General Electric YJ93 turbojet engines, as I mentioned in these pages. The thrust produced by these engines was 28,800 pounds. The XB-70 was equipped with a robust afterburner. More precisely, the afterburner was the secret to maintaining supersonic cruise speed. Thank you very much for this other key aerospace design features (like retractable wings and a delta shape), the XB-70 was able to cruise at an astonishing Mach 3.”
It was believed that the Soviets got wind of the XB-70 and how it could basically use its immense speed to penetrate Soviet airspace with impunity. This put the fear of defeat in the minds of the Soviet planners.
Because necessity is the mother of innovation, the Soviets were able to develop two aircraft, the S-75 Dina and the MiG-25 Foxbat, capable of rapidly striking the Valkyrie. It would have been redundant and redundant for the Air Force to build such aircraft and induct them into its fleet.
About the Author
Former congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst Brandon J. Weichert is a national security analyst for the National Interest and a contributor to The Washington Times, Asia Times, and Pipeline. He is the author of three books: The Shadow War: Iran’s Struggle for Hegemony, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower. A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, his forthcoming book, will be available October 22 from Encounter Books.
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