XB-70 Valkyrie and Flight Test of Jet Engines on Surrogate Aircraft – Airplanes by Design

The XB-70 was a Mach 3.0 aircraft and noted by NASA to be the world’s largest experimental aircraft.

XB-70 NASA photo 359356main_ECN-792_full

This view shows both the engine inlets themselves and the shape of the fuselage that houses the inlets leading to the intakes of each of its six engines.

XB-70 NASA photo 359284main_EC68-2101_full

Here is an exhaust view of the six GE YJ93 engines.

Often jet engines in development are flown on surrogate aircraft. The GE YJ93 was first flown on a B-58 at Edwards AFB, as seen here.
B58 with j93 pod for engine flight test

The XB-70 boasted some other unique design characteristics, including its use of compression lift and the ability to droop its wingtips to increase directional stability. For a detailed project description of the XB-70 program see NASA’s website here.

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