The Air Force’s ‘Shockwave’ Mach 3 XB-70 Valkyrie Bomber Would Have Been A Mistake

The Air Force’s ‘Shockwave’ Mach 3 XB-70 Valkyrie Bomber Would Have Been A Mistake

Key Points and Summary – The North American XB-70 Valkyrie was a “technical marvel” of the 1950s—a Mach 3, 70,000-foot nuclear bomber designed to replace the B-52. It used a “revolutionary” principle called “compression lift” to ride its own shockwave. XB-70. Image Credit: Creative Commons. XB-70. Image Credit: Creative Commons -However, the program was canceled by the Kennedy-Johnson administration in 1961 due to its “very expensive” cost, its …