Xb-70

[duncan1297]

the xb-70 was a pretty cool aircraft that was meant to be a supersonic bomber.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_XB-70_Valkyrie

but i have a question

Where do the bombs go!?

[LeonG17]

The bombs are what the pilots sit on

[The Destroyer]

Damn, I have this craft for "FSX". It's one SEXY aircraft.

Honestly, I didn't think it was real until I googled.

[duncan1297]

my idea is the pilots throw the bombs out the window when they are over the target:P

[Person012345]

my idea is the pilots throw the bombs out the window when they are over the target:P

Old school.

[TwoHedWlf]

Bomb bay was here:

Never actually used for bombs, it was full of instrumentation in practice. It wasn't meant to carry piles of bombs, more a few nukes.

[nyrath]

One airman said that the XB-70 looked like a cobra sitting on a crate.

[Specialist290]

Where do the bombs go!?

Hopefully, on top of the target

But seriously, the original design apparently called for two bomb bays, though one was later modified to carry additional fuel.

The thing that fascinates me is that there was a recon version (RS-70) on the table. Could have given the Blackbird a run for it's money.

[duncan1297]

i just remembered i tried to build one once.

[LeonG17]

What is it like to fly?

[architeuthis]

Such a beautiful aircraft! ...Though it was something of an anachronism in its time, Eisenhower compared the Mach 3 strategic bomber in a era of ICBMs to bows and arrows in a era of gunpowder. In 2006 Aviation Week claimed that the air force had been using the XB-70 as a mothership for a two-stage to orbit reusable reconnaissance spaceplane dubbed 'Blackstar', but this is likely a fiction... Alas.

The XB-70 was one of the primary inspirations for a SSTO I designed, the unsurprisingly named Valkyrie. This spaceplane is a cargo ferry rather than a ultra-high octane armageddon machine, but nevertheless KSC pilots like to 'nuclear alert scramble' for a totally impractical polar flight attack plan against the kermunists. Since my hometown of Portland, OR is having a highly contentious vote upcoming over water fluoridation I cannot help be amused by Dr. Strangelove reenactments:)

Mach 5 at 22 km altitude. I can see why back in the day they used to say that after the sound barrier comes the 'flame barrier' of hypersonic flight:)

Flying 'on the deck'. March 1 at 800 m altitude.

Edited May 13, 2013 by architeuthis