XB-70 "Valkyrie Bomber" Pictures...

Originally posted by The Godfather of Conspira
Alleged Aurora Sighting:

Originally posted by Popeye


I thought this photo had been de-bunked as a photoshop of the original which was 3 F-111. I am sure the original has been on the net with the de-bunking.

If you notice the re-fuel boom coming out of the tail area of the KC-135 to the aircraft does not look right how it meets with the aircraft.

Anyone able to help me out with this?



[edit on 28-4-2005 by Popeye]

One of the more popular doctored "photos" of Aurora, in an attempt to accompany Chris Gibson's report. This was once referred to as a sighting over Australia

This "photomontage" was created by Bill Rose as a depiction of what a former Royal Observer Corps team member spotted from a North Sea oil drilling platform in 1989. That sighting is considered the most reputable sighting report of its kind, as well as the only truly credible piece of evidence for the existence of the Aurora.

This is not a photograph, although it is easily mistaken for one. It is simply a visual rendering of what might have been seen over the North Sea. The image depicts the Aurora at the bottom of the image, escorted by two U.S. F-111s at upper left, and taking on fuel from a U.S. KC-135 tanker.

On at least one occasion, this image was mistaken for a real photo by a member of the "supermarket press." The image was sent to the British magazine named "UFO Encounters," which paraded it on its February 1996 cover with the byline, "UFO Escort Picture: We Unveil New Evidence Of This US Cover-Up." On another occasion, an almost identical image was publicized as a sighting over Australia.

Source

Originally posted by Aurora is real
The Valkyrie was very fast, but it had absolutely no stealth capabilities, so when the Soviets came out with their Anti-Air Missiles, they could lock on and outrun it until it was shot down.

Originally posted by Aurora is realAs somebody mentioned, the SR-71 was being adapted to be a bomber and also an interceptor, which, if successful would make the XB-70 obsolete because it was faster and stealthier.

Originally posted by Aurora is realBy the time the F-104 hit the XB-70, the budget was getting too tight, the Soviets were working hard on SAMs and the MiG-25, so when they lost one of the only two remaining planes, it was the final straw and the project was cancelled shortly afterward.

First known as the LRIX (long-range interceptor, experimental), development of the XF-108 followed USAF GOR 114, dated 6 October 1955. The North American letter contract of 6 June 1957 called for an all-weather, two-man, two-engine, long-range interceptor, with a combat speed of at least Mach 3 and swift maneuver at 70,000 feet. The aircraft would carry two or more air-to-air missiles with nuclear or conventional warheads. The armament bay was to house a number of weapon combinations.

The Air Force expected a lot from the complex new plane. Many subcontractors were involved. Hughes Aircraft Corporation would provide the aircraft's fire-control system and GAR-9 missiles; Convair, the wing, Marquardt, the air induction control system; Hamilton Standard, the air conditioning and pressurization; Federal Division of the International Telephone & Telegraph Co., the mission and traffic control system; and Electronic Speciality Co., the antenna system. The Air Force would take care of the engine, the General Electric J-93 turbojet (first developed as the X-279E). It wanted an early 1963 operational date, 1,000-nm cruise speed with 5 minutes of combat at Mach 3, and a cruise speed of Mach 3 for 350-nm and 10 minutes of combat time (also at Mach 3). Finally, the F-108 should be able to fly to a specified point at supersonic speed, loiter for about an hour, and speed on to the target.

A mockup inspection on 26 January 1959 disclosed few needed changes. Nonetheless, the XF-108 (nicknamed the Rapier on 15 May 1959) never flew. The Air Force in 1957 had programmed for more than 480 F-108s, but the pinch in funds wiped out the whole project on 23 September 1959. The Air Force believed the F-108 would have been a good mobile missile launcher to intercept enemy aircraft far away from their intended targets. This was a role the B-70 bomber (being also built by North American and later consigned to the XF-108's fate) could not perform. Total RDT&E expenditures then stood at $141.9 million.

Specifications
Manufacturer: North American
Span: 57.4 ft.
Length: 89.2 ft. (not including nose boom)
Height: 22.1 ft.
Tread: 11 ft.
Weight: 102,000 lbs. maximum design gross weight
Armament: Four 20mm cannons,
108 2.75 in. rockets and
up to 4,000 lbs. of bombs

Engines: Two General Electric J93-GE-3 turbojets of 30,000 lbs. thrust each with afterburner.
Crew: Two
Maximum speed: approximately Mach 3
Range: 1,150 miles

www.globalsecurity.org...

Originally posted by Aurora is real
it used a special fuel that was very expensive, causing people to lose interest in paying for it with the budget cuts.

Originally posted by sminkeypinkey
(The book 'XB - 70 Valkyrie; The Ride to Valhalla' by Jeanette Remak and Joe Ventolo Jr is a goldmine and a recommended read if you are interested. )

Originally posted by liquidvudo
Can you imagine how impressive a flightline full of camo-ed/blackend XB-70s would have been???

Yea, and in the day time in clear skies, would have made the Soviet's day.