European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 02, 1964, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Jeff v v it / v -.  slow Down parachutes help bring the stainless steel Valkyrie to o halt in a lest prior to its first flight. About $1.5 billion has been spent on development of the xb70. By Herb Scott staff writer the air Force s 2,000-Milc-an-hour xii70 Valkyrie that figuratively had us wings clipped a the manned bomber of the future in Pentagon Cut tacks of funds was developed Only after spectacular technological breakthroughs a aircraft construction. The experimental Della Wing Val Berle named for the Patron goddesses of fallen warriors in Norse mythology flirt was destined to lie a strike bomber Hying three times the Speed of sound at altitudes above 14 Miles. Begun in 1958, the b70 program under which a second Valkyrie now is a Tang constructed has been directed by the air Force systems come at Wright Patterson air Force base. Guylon. Ohio. About $1.5 billion has been spent on the project to duty. Through ensuing defense department decisions to concentrate on strategic mlis Ilc production however the pro run was turned o investigation of the feasibility of Long Range High need flight for Lurge aircraft and to advanced mro nautical engineering technology. Built by North american aviation it Palmdale. Calif., with the cooperation of 3.000 subcontractors the stainless steel xb70 is powered by six general electric Turbojet engines each producing 30,000 pounds u thrust. About the size of Boeing s 1 52 a Lulu fortress and Bole to operate from exist ing bases and airports the xb70 is flown by a two Man Crew. The aircraft has a Wing Span of 105 feel. Is irs feel Long and stands two stories tall on the ramp. Although Roll out of the Valkyrie from the Plant in Piil module lust Muy us months behind schedule engineers have disclosed that the delay wok due in difficulties met in sealing the fuel tanks and welding the huge triangular wings to the fuselage. Then the xb70 s Naiden Light Over the Mohave desert sept. 1 was marred by several mishaps said o be perhaps More spectacular than its modest 375 mile an hour first lest performance in the air. But Al while chief test Pilot for cause of the ease with which the big ship handled despite Blowout of a tire in Landing with one dead engine. As the flight testing continues the Valkyrie is admittedly a remarkable aircraft in aviation advancements. A unique development called com pression lift enables the x1170 to at Tain triple sonic cruise speeds by Riding do its own Shock wave like a Speed boat. Engineers designed the Delta Wing to t 8, 1964 fit the a shaped wave of air dealer in much 3 flight. With compression lift. Hie effect of drag  lessened and fuel Economy improved. Heat also raised new engineering problems. Although Nirmul temperature of the air at an Altitude of 70.000 feet is 65 degrees below Zero fahrenheit the skin of an aircraft travelling at three times the sliced of sound at this height heats to 600 degrees  Since aluminium universally used in present Day aircraft superstructures loses its tensile strength around 300 de Grees f., aeronautical experts had to find a new lightweight Structure capable of withstanding twice this temperature. The answer was stainless steel honeycomb for parts of fuselage and most of the Wing areas of the Valkyrie Are made of a Sandwich of thin honeycomb foil Between two thin sheets of steel. This construction has proven Light Strong and heat resistant with Good insulating qualities. Technicians next had to devise new methods of brazing to produce the honeycomb panels. A technique thus was developed to Bond the Metal into heat resistant defect free layers both stronger and lighter than Alumina. Air Force officials further revealed thai a method of Bra Ingr fusing Hydraulic lines instead of employing conventional threaded joints was borrowed from the x15 research program and resulted in considerable weight Sav Ings in the aircraft. Hut construction and production of the six ton Landing t a which did not re Irrl Nalisa in lordly in the first Lake off la a month presented its own special problems where the tires heal to i60 degrees  In a single Landing for example the xh70 brakes absorb kinetic Energy generated by momentum equivalent to that required to Slop 800 automobiles hurtling along at 100 . And must with stand temperatures up to 1.800 degrees  U. But the aircraft still features unusual Crew comforts in a shirt sleeve environment. The Crew compartment is pressured to the equivalent of an  Altitude and no special to Light suits or oxygen masks Are necessary. Encapsulated ejection seals also protect the Pilot and co Pilot if they must Hail out. A pull on a lever encloses each Man in his Seal this Clam Shell providing the pressure and oxygen for breathing w h i i e descending from High altitudes. As further safety measures each Cap sule floats water tight and  survival equipment cold weather clothing and a Supply of food to sustain the downed airman Tor several Days. Two t38 chose planet stayed with the xb70 Ai it flew Over Edwards fab Calif. Al White i led i and col Joseph Cotton second from right report on tint flight. The stars and stripes Page 13