XB-70 Valkyrie

[TC]

How so? Did it render ICBMs useless?

We didn't utilize any ICBMs in Vietnam, though. We did, however, utilize more than one aircraft, which had originally been designed to be nuke-capable in a conventional role. The Thud and the BUFF are prime examples.

We'd have still had the B-52s around to drop conventional bombs (don't know how accurate they could be dropped dumb from mach 3 and 80,000 feet though).

Exactly my point. Vietnam was entirely the wrong type of war for the B-70. Conventional munitions dropped at Mach 3 from 80K is a non-option.

On the flip side of the coin, slowing down, and descending to salvo drop GP munitions, ala, the BUFF, would have been suicide for a Valkyrie crew. No way that it could've done that type job, and survived the SAMs and/or AAA.

Also, as I said before, had we bought enough B-70s to equip a couple of Bomb Wings, politicians in Washington would have been in an uproar over the expense of the bombers, coupled with their non-use in Vietnam.

Another example of this, is the B-58. It never fired a shot in anger, and it too did not make it past the Vietnam era, being retired in January of 1970.

[That_Engine_Guy]

Salute!

Habu KNOWS about the Oxcart. So does Parrot-breath.

TEG (that engine guy) REALLY KNOWS!!!!!

Thanks Gums

Just the motor stuff... Yes the J58 could "cruise" at MACH3 all day long given the proper amount of fuel.

If you've ever seen "Blackbird the Movie" made by LM back in the late 80's early 90's just before the program was dropped; you'll notice the pilot retard the throttles when reaching MACH 3 on the meter.

Yes I said RETARD the throttles when reaching MACH 3.

I wouldn't want to violate that "99 year disclosure clause" but I can say the Blackbird (J58) was capable of the "plus" speeds it is often quoted to have.

Besides, J58s look very beautiful with their gold-plated tubing and such.

Point here, to go fast costs big $$, and today it's not about fast, it's about cheap.

Keep 'em flyin'
TEG

[johnwill]

There may be others on display elsewhere, but I visited the Evergreen Aviation Museum at McMinnville, OR last month and enjoyed seeing the J-58 on display. A beautiful piece of machinery.

[TC]

Yes I said RETARD the throttles when reaching MACH 3.

Uh...he said RETARD Beavis.

I wouldn't want to violate that "99 year disclosure clause" but I can say the Blackbird (J58) was capable of the "plus" speeds it is often quoted to have.

Forgive me if I plead ignorance TEG, but I honestly didn't know that you had been a J58 troop. Cool stuff!

Yeah, the best story I had ever heard about the "plus" in Mach 3+ was from Brian Shul, when he was talking about making feet wet from the coast of Libya, following OEDC. He said, "The Mach meter was reading off numbers we had never seen before!"

[sferrin]

How so? Did it render ICBMs useless?

We didn't utilize any ICBMs in Vietnam, though. We did, however, utilize more than one aircraft, which had originally been designed to be nuke-capable in a conventional role. The Thud and the BUFF are prime examples.

Exactly. We wouldn't have HAD to use the B-70s in Vietnam. Just like we didn't use B-58s or F-106s.

Another example of this, is the B-58. It never fired a shot in anger, and it too did not make it past the Vietnam era, being retired in January of 1970.

That had more to do with it's relatively low bang for the buck. The B-70 would have been much more capable.

[sferrin]

Salute!

Habu KNOWS about the Oxcart. So does Parrot-breath.

TEG (that engine guy) REALLY KNOWS!!!!!

Thanks Gums

Just the motor stuff... Yes the J58 could "cruise" at MACH3 all day long given the proper amount of fuel.

If you've ever seen "Blackbird the Movie" made by LM back in the late 80's early 90's just before the program was dropped; you'll notice the pilot retard the throttles when reaching MACH 3 on the meter.

Yes I said RETARD the throttles when reaching MACH 3.

I wouldn't want to violate that "99 year disclosure clause" but I can say the Blackbird (J58) was capable of the "plus" speeds it is often quoted to have.

Besides, J58s look very beautiful with their gold-plated tubing and such.

Point here, to go fast costs big $$, and today it's not about fast, it's about cheap.

Keep 'em flyin'
TEG

The original A-12 configuration would have went Mach 3.8 with them. (Not the A-12 as produced, although it did reach Mach 3.6 in tests according to some sources.)

[TC]

The B-70 would have been much more capable.

I assume you mean more capable in its intended mission. The Valkyrie would've been perfect for laying in a nuke on the Kremlin, but not for bombing "suspected truck parks" on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

[parrothead]

Call me crazy (you wouldn't be the first one), but wouldn't a bomber version of the Blackbird be pretty cool with nukes? I mean, what's going to kill it?

[TC]

I mean, what's going to kill it?

Congress. They only people in the world who can claim Blackbird kills.

Oh, wait! You meant what sort of threats would it have faced?

[Habu]

Salute!

Habu KNOWS about the Oxcart. So does Parrot-breath.

TEG (that engine guy) REALLY KNOWS!!!!!

We've gone thru this before and even posted the tech manuals and diagrams for the J-58. It had bypass ducts because it didn't need or could not use all that air at high mach numbers.

The neatest thing about the B-70 was the "shock rider" concept. I truly believe it would have done just fine in production, but requirements changed and we had a new administration and ........

Gums sends ...

Haha! Thanks Gums! I do remember those old threads. Good times...good times...

[Habu]

Call me crazy (you wouldn't be the first one), but wouldn't a bomber version of the Blackbird be pretty cool with nukes? I mean, what's going to kill it?

There was one proposed! But the XB-70 project was in the works at the time.

[Guysmiley]

I seem to recall that the SR-71/A-12 was limited by maximum compressor inlet temperature.

[Habu]

I seem to recall that the SR-71/A-12 was limited by maximum compressor inlet temperature.

Limited as to what? If you meant top speed, then yes. 427 max CIT. After that , the J58 would have started destroying itself.

[Guysmiley]

I seem to recall that the SR-71/A-12 was limited by maximum compressor inlet temperature.

Limited as to what? If you meant top speed, then yes. 427 max CIT. After that , the J58 would have started destroying itself.

Right, as in there wasn't a speedo in the cockpit saying "oops you're going too fast now", the limit was max CIT.

[TC]

Here's another thread where I had found some overlap. They actually merged virtually seamlessly. Not bad for originally being three different topics posted over a 4 year span!

I merged all three topics, in order for this to hopefully become this site's definitive XB-70 page. I hope all Valkyrie fans enjoy it.