Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/02/16

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Subject: [Leica] Re: XB-70
From: LRZeitlin@aol.com
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 20:24:04 EST

In a message dated 2/16/04 7:08:36 PM, Greg writes:

<< The XB-70 Valkyrie was a truly spectacular looking and preforming 
aircraft! Certainly in the same league as the Concorde and the SR-71 Blackbird. You 
should be very proud to have been involved in its development!
 >>

The XB-70 was intended to be a rapid response bomber during the Cold War. It 
was designed to fly at 3 times the speed of sound (twice the speed of the 
Concorde) for several thousand miles, penetrating the Russian air space and 
returning to a US base. However, before the plane was deployed, missile technology 
advanced to the point where it  proved more cost effective than the 
horrendously expensive XB-70 and the project was terminated. Only 3 of the XB-70s were 
built. One crashed during a photo op when the chase plane got too close and 
collided with the bomber. Another was used as a high altitude research aircraft 
for several years, then scrapped. The third, and only remaining XB-70 is on 
display at Wright-Patterson AFB in the Air Force museum. I got to fly in the 
research version of the airplane once. It was noisy, crowded in the jump seats 
provided, and an extreme rush. Naturally, I was not allowed to bring a camera. Not 
even my brand new Leica M3.

Larry Z
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Replies: Reply from "animal" <s.jessurun95@chello.nl> (Re: [Leica] Re: XB-70)