XB-70 History

The XB-70 Valkyrie began as a bold vision in the mid-1950s, when the U.S. Air Force sought a high-altitude, supersonic strategic bomber to replace the B-52. Conceived amid Cold War tensions, the project aimed for Mach 3 speeds and operations at 70,000 feet to evade Soviet defenses.  North American Aviation won the design competition against Boeing in December 1957, evolving the concept from the initial WS-110A weapon system into the B-70 program.  Development faced challenges, including shifting priorities toward ICBMs and anti-aircraft missiles, leading President Eisenhower to cancel full production in 1959, though it was briefly revived under Kennedy before being scaled back to prototypes in 1961.

The XB-70’s manufacture kicked off with two prototypes built by North American at their Palmdale facility, powered by six General Electric YJ93 engines.  The first, AV-1, rolled out in 1964 and made its maiden flight on September 21 that year, achieving Mach 3 but plagued by issues like structural cracks and engine problems.  AV-2 followed in 1965, but tragedy struck in 1966 when it collided mid-air with an F-104 during a photo shoot. XB-70 pilot Al White ejected and survived with injuries, but co-pilot Major Carl Cross of the U.S. Air Force and F-104 pilot Joseph A. Walker of NASA perished in the accident.  

In honor of the pilots who perished, we will be making a donation to the Blue Angels Foundation - a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting wounded veterans by providing funding for critical services such as housing, post-traumatic stress treatment, suicide prevention, counseling, life skills, and employment opportunities to help them transition back to civilian life with dignity and purpose. For more details on this wonderful organization, we encourage you to visit their official website at https://blueangelsfoundation.org/.

Despite the complications and tragedy, it should be noted that the XB-70 program provided invaluable data for future aviation, symbolizing American engineering ambition, and leaving a lasting legacy along with tremendous respect for the aircraft and all of those who were involved in the program. The program, costing over $1.5 billion, shifted to research for supersonic transport under NASA, yielding valuable data until AV-1’s retirement in 1969.