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North American XB-70 Valkyrie Supersonic Research Aircraft Family

The North American XB-70 Valkyrie was a large six-engine supersonic aircraft family developed from the United States B-70 bomber concept and completed as two XB-70A research prototypes after the operational bomber programme was cancelled. Its stainless-steel structure, delta wing, and variable-geometry wingtips made it a landmark flight-test platform for high-speed aerodynamics, propulsion, sonic-boom, and supersonic-transport research; AV-1 survives at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

North American XB-70 Valkyrie Supersonic Research Aircraft Family
NASA photo ECN-2128 · NASA content is generally not subject to U.S. copyright and may be used factually for educational or informational purposes with NASA acknowledged; no NASA endorsement is implied. Usage guidelines: https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/images-and-media/ · Source
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Identity

Aliases
XB-70XB-70AValkyrieAV-1Ship 1
Family Name
North American XB-70 Valkyrie
Full Name
North American XB-70 Valkyrie Supersonic Research Aircraft Family
Roles
researchexperimentalmilitary
Status
retired
Type
aircraft

Details

Aircraft Specs
Configuration
fixed_wing
Operating Modes
land
Takeoff Landing Capabilities
conventional
Description
The North American XB-70 Valkyrie was a large six-engine supersonic aircraft family developed from the United States B-70 bomber concept and completed as two XB-70A research prototypes after the operational bomber programme was cancelled. Its stainless-steel structure, delta wing, and variable-geometry wingtips made it a landmark flight-test platform for high-speed aerodynamics, propulsion, sonic-boom, and supersonic-transport research; AV-1 survives at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
First Flight Year
1,964
Manufacturer
Propulsion Configurations
  • Entries
    • Count
      6
      Propulsion System
      Role
      main
      Variant Notes
      Six General Electric YJ93-GE-3 afterburning turbojets.
    Name
    North American XB-70 six-engine YJ93 installation
    Notes
    The National Museum of the United States Air Force identifies six General Electric YJ93 engines with afterburners; the exact canonical YJ93-GE-3 propulsion node is used.

Links

Official Url
https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/xb-70-valkyrie/

Assets & Meta

Creation Time
August 1, 2026 at 11:29:46 UTC
Updated Time
August 22, 2026 at 02:50:16 UTC
Image
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