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North American XB-70 Valkyrie

Peter E Davies author Adam Tooby illustrator Wiek Luijken illustrator

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Published:9th Mar '18

Should be back in stock very soon

North American XB-70 Valkyrie cover

The story of one of the most magnificent aircraft of the Cold War - America's six-engined Mach 3 bomber prototype: the XB-70 Valkyrie.

Of the many futuristic military aircraft concepts created in the 1950s the North American XB-70 still stands out as the most awe-inspiring. With its huge, white partially-folding delta wing, its fuselage resembling a striking cobra and its extraordinary performance, it was one of the foremost technological achievements of the 20th Century.

A strategic bomber built to outrun any Soviet fighter jet, it could reach Mach 3 with a full nuclear payload - as fast as the legendary SR-71 Blackbird but more than three times the size. However, its role as a nuclear bomber was limited after the introduction of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, and defence cuts eventually led to the project being scrapped in the mid-1960s.

The Valkyrie had a brief, costly decade of life but it proved the continuing value of developing manned bombers. However, almost half a century after the XB-70 its predecessor, the B-52, continues in service. Using full colour artwork and rigorous analysis, this is the complete story of the ultimate US Cold War military X-plane.

ISBN: 9781472825032

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 265g

80 pages