Valkyrie: North American's Mach 3 Superbomber (Hardcover)

by Dennis R. Jenkins (Author), Tony R. Landis (Author), Alvin S. White (Foreword), Fitzhugh L. Fulton (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Anything and everything you could want to know about the XB-70 is in this book. Excellent narrative and awesome photos. ---Internet Modeler, reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl, November 2008

Recommended. If you're interested in aircraft development in the late 50s/early 60s, this book has a lot of information on projects which just never got off the drawing board, often for really good reasons. ---IPMS, reviewed by Jim Pearsall, October 2008

To put it simply, this book is a must have for any aviation enthusiast. ---Modeling Madness, reviewed by Scott Van Aken, September 2008 --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
The Valkyrie is one of the icons of modern aviation, which is curious considering only two were built and they flew just 164 times. Like the Maiden it was named for, the Valkyrie awed those around it. Beautiful in form, and almost unbelievable in function, the B-70 would have been the ultimate incarnation of Curtis LeMay's vision of a strategic bomber. The half-million pound aircraft was capable of flying over 2,000 miles per hour in excess of 80,000 feet, and doing it for hours at a time. Fantastic as the Valkyrie appeared, it was not to be. The political and fiscal climate that existed during the 1960s strangled - then killed - the aircraft almost before it was born. There were, of course, other reasons. Intercontinental ballistic missiles became feasible, and were considered - perhaps incorrectly - to be less expensive to build and maintain. The Soviet Union, the only real target for the bomber, was developing surface-to-air missiles and interceptors that might have been capable of defeating the aircraft. But ultimately it was Robert McNamara and his Whiz Kids that reduced the program to a pair of technology demonstrators and dismissed the manned bomber as a viable weapon. This is the story of the largest Mach 3 aircraft ever flown - the North American Aviation XB-70A Valkyrie. Dennis R. Jenkins and Tony R. Landis have conducted extensive research in military, NASA, and company archives to find previously uncovered aspects of this fascinating program. Included are descriptions of the proposed bombing and navigation systems, defensive armament, electronic countermeasures, and early attempts at stealth technology. Accompanied by over 250 photos and dozens of illustrations, this in-depth history covers the entire B-70 program, not just the two aircraft that ultimately flew.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 276 pages
• Publisher: Specialty Press (January 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580070728
• ISBN-13: 978-1580070720
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 10.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #901,575 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last of the Big, Fast, High-Flyers, November 24, 2004

By	John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An absolutely fascinating book that covers a lot more than just the B-70. The early 1950's were a time when anything could be done by the military. The B-70 Valkyrie was one project. It was a beautiful plane, the culmination of big, fast, high-flying manned bombers.

Unfortunately at that time there were simply too many such projects. The whole century series fighter program was under way, several missile projects, the Dyna-Soar project, and unfortunately by the end of the development program the Viet Nam War. At the same time, anti-air defense systems were increasing in capabilities -- witnes Gary Powers and the U-2 incident.

This book is truly splendid in its story of the times. While it is mostly on the B-70, it's table of contents reads, in part, as follows:

The Atomic Powered Airplane
The Mach 3 fighter - XF-103 and XF-108
High Energy Fuels

All of these projects were underway, not a single one made it into production.

Beautiful book, beautifully illustrated with hundreds of photographs, drawings and illustrations of the concepts of the atomic plane and the conceptual drawings that eventually led to the B-70.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece!, November 23, 2004

By	B70Guy - See all my reviews

As a long time fan of the North American XB-70A Valkyrie program, even playing a small part in presenting its history in a couple of writings, I am more than just a little impressed with this definitive presentation put forth by Dennis Jenkins and Tony Landis. They worked in concert to create what is truly a bonafide masterpiece.

Dennis is a prolific and thorough aviation history book designer and writer with many well received works; Tony is a dedicated artist, photographer and writer.

They both love the Great White Bird! And it really shows in this profusely illustrated work.

So with this latest, greatest history on the Valkyrie produced by them, there isn't any need for another book to be published on North American's Mach 3 Superbomber.

Highly recommended!

Steve Pace
Tacoma, WA

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!!!, November 17, 2004

By	Garner - See all my reviews

What a great book! I have purchased every book ever written about this airplane, and this is by far the best. Lots of new photographs, many in color, and printed on slick, glossy paper. The text covers many subjects that seem only slightly related to the B-70 (Mach 3 fighters and atomic-powered airplanes), but it all adds up to the complete story of how and why the B-70 was created, then cancelled. Great line drawings and many artist concepts. And did I mention the great photos? Highly recommended.