Synopses & Reviews
The Valkyrie is one of the icons of modern aviation, which is curious considering only two were built and they flew just 164 times. Like the Maiden it was named for, the Valkyrie awed those around it. Beautiful in form, and almost unbelievable in function, the B-70 would have been the ultimate incarnation of Curtis LeMay's vision of a strategic bomber. The half-million pound aircraft was capable of flying over 2,000 miles per hour in excess of 80,000 feet, and doing it for hours at a time. Fantastic as the Valkyrie appeared, it was not to be. The political and fiscal climate that existed during the 1960s strangled - then killed - the aircraft almost before it was born. This is the story of the largest Mach 3 aircraft ever flown - the North American Aviation XB-70A Valkyrie. Dennis R. Jenkins and Tony R. Landis have conducted extensive research in military, NASA, and company archives to find previously uncovered aspects of this fascinating program. Included are descriptions of the proposed bombing and navigation systems, defensive armament, electronic countermeasures, and early attempts at stealth technology. Accompanied by over 250 photos and dozens of illustrations, this in-depth history covers the entire B-70 program, not just the two aircraft that ultimately flew.
Synopsis
10x10, 350 b&w and 50 color photosPerhaps the ultimate expression of the Cold War, the B-70 was the largest aircraft to ever fly at Mach 3 and the fastest bomber ever developed. This book provides extensive coverage of some truly outrageous concepts originally proposed for the WS-110 competition, then chronicles the development and flight testing of the two XB-70A prototypes. Includes a description of the proposed production B-70.
About the Author
Dennis R. Jenkins is a consulting engineer in Cape Canaveral, Florida, working on various aerospace projects including 20 years on the Space Shuttle and several on the stillborn X-33 program. He is the author of more than 30 other works on aerospace history.
Tony R. Landis was born and raised in Southern California and joined the Air Force right out of high school. He has had a life-long interest in aerospace history, and images from his photo collection have been published in hundreds of publications. He has been listed as a contributing photographer, editor, and artist in Wings/Airpower magazine and has worked at the NASA Dyden Flight Research Center for several years. Landis has authored several aviation books for Specialty Press.