Why the XB-70 Valkyrie Folded Its Wings to Use Its Own Shockwave скачать в хорошем качестве

Why the XB-70 Valkyrie Folded Its Wings to Use Its Own Shockwave

#aviation #coldwar #militaryhistory #coldwar #militaryhistory #aircraft #supersonic Subscribe if you love planes: ‪‪@everyplaneever‬ When the North American XB-70 Valkyrie was designed in the late 1950s, the United States Air Force wanted a strategic bomber capable of flying faster than any interceptor aircraft in the world. The target speed was Mach 3. But achieving that speed created a major aerodynamic problem. At extreme supersonic speeds, shock waves form across an aircraft’s surfaces and dramatically increase drag. Engineers discovered that if they could control those shock waves, the aircraft could actually generate additional lift from them. The solution was unusual. Instead of keeping its wings flat like most aircraft, the XB-70 lowered its outer wingtips during high-speed flight. This trapped the aircraft’s shock waves beneath the wing and allowed the bomber to ride its own compression lift while flying above Mach 3. This documentary explores how the XB-70 Valkyrie was designed, why its engineers built folding wingtips into the aircraft, and how the pursuit of extreme speed produced one of the most unusual bomber designs of the Cold War. #militaryaircraft #XB70 #valkyrie #mach3 #AircraftHistory #warzone #war #fighterjet