The first XB-70A, on display here, flew in September 1964, and it achieved Mach 3 flight in October 1965. The second Valkyrie first flew in July 1965, but in June 1966, it was destroyed following an accidental mid-air collision. The third Valkyrie was not completed.
North American
XB-70A Valkyrie
The XB-70A was originally conceived in the 1950s as a high-altitude, nuclear strike bomber that could fly at Mach 3, but new Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) threatened the survivability of high-speed, high-altitude bombers. Even so, the USAF bought two XB-70As to test aerodynamics, propulsion and other characteristics of large supersonic aircraft. This first XB-70A continued to fly and generate valuable test data in the research program until it came to the museum in 1969.