Mustard

The World’s Fastest Bomber: The XB-70 Valkyrie (2022x2)

Air date: Mar 31, 2022

By the mid-1950’s, the United States had developed a state-of-the-art, all jet-powered bomber force. The newly introduced Boeing B-52 Stratofortesss could reach the Soviet Union from just about anywhere in the world. The soon-to-be-introduced supersonic Convair B-58 Hustler could dash to supersonic speeds. Both aircraft were engineering marvels. But even so, they were expected to perform poorly over Soviet airspace. The B-52 flew too slowly to stand a chance against the latest generation of Soviet interceptors, while the supersonic B-58 lacked the required range and payload to be truly effective. The U.S. Air Force needed a next generation bomber that would combine the capabilities of both these aircraft. A plane that could fly at supersonic speeds, travel long distances and carry large payloads. To meet their new bomber requirements, the Air Force contracted leading aerospace companies to explore radical new technologies, like nuclear powered jet engines for extending aircraft range