XB-70 Valkyrie

Born from the Cold War race for speed and altitude, the North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie was one of the most ambitious aircraft ever built. Conceived as a high-altitude strategic bomber capable of outrunning enemy interceptors, the six-engine Valkyrie could exceed Mach 3 and operate above 70,000 feet. Its enormous delta wing and distinctive folding wingtips used compression lift to help carry the 542,000-pound aircraft through the thin air of the stratosphere.

Only two XB-70s were built, and the bomber program ultimately gave way to changing missile and air-defense technology. But the Valkyrie lived on as a high-speed research aircraft, contributing valuable data to America’s supersonic aviation programs.

This tee pays tribute to an aircraft from an era when engineers were willing to ask a simple question: How fast can we make it fly?