{"id":1668434,"date":"2026-06-10T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?p=1668434"},"modified":"2026-07-17T10:36:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T08:36:58","slug":"xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/it\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/","title":{"rendered":"XB-70 vs. Sukhoi T-4: The Mach 3 Race Nobody Won"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n\nIn the late 1950s, both superpowers reached the same conclusion: the future of strategic bombing was speed. Build a bomber that flies at Mach 3 and nothing can catch it. No interceptor, no missile, no air defence system could touch an aircraft crossing the sky at three times the speed of sound and 70,000 feet above the earth.\n\nAmerica built the XB-70 Valkyrie. The Soviet Union built the Sukhoi T-4 \"Sotka.\" Both were technological masterpieces. Both were cancelled. And together, they represent the most expensive dead end in aviation history.\n\n<em>We've written about both aircraft individually before \u2014 the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/russian-valkyrie-sukhoi-t-4\/\" target=\"_blank\">Sukhoi T-4<\/a> and the Valkyrie each deserve their own deep dives. This piece puts them side by side.<\/em>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The American Vision<\/h2>\n\nNorth American Aviation began designing the XB-70 in 1957 under a USAF requirement for a bomber that could penetrate Soviet airspace at Mach 3+, deliver nuclear weapons, and return home before anyone could react. The aircraft that emerged was staggering in scale: 56 metres long, a 32-metre wingspan, six General Electric YJ93 turbojet engines, and a maximum takeoff weight of nearly 246 tonnes.\n\nThe Valkyrie used compression lift \u2014 its wingtips folded down at supersonic speeds to ride its own shock wave \u2014 a concept so advanced that no production aircraft has used it since. On October 14, 1965, XB-70 Ship 1 reached Mach 3.02 at 70,000 feet \u2014 Ship 2 later pushed that to Mach 3.08. For a brief moment, America had the fastest and highest-flying bomber on earth.\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-opt-id=1963084169  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" skip-lazy=\"\" data-skip-lazy=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/xb-70-valkyrie-flight-mach-3-cold-war-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"XB-70 Valkyrie in flight\" \/><figcaption>The XB-70 Valkyrie in flight \u2014 at Mach 3 and 70,000 feet, it was designed to outrun everything in the sky.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Soviet Response<\/h2>\n\nWhen Soviet intelligence learned about the XB-70 programme in the early 1960s, the response was immediate. The Sukhoi Design Bureau was tasked with building a comparable aircraft \u2014 one that could serve as both a strategic bomber and a high-speed reconnaissance platform.\n\nThe T-4 \"Sotka\" (meaning \"hundred,\" a reference to its original 100-tonne weight target) first flew on August 22, 1972 \u2014 nearly eight years after the Valkyrie's maiden flight. It was smaller than the XB-70: 44 metres long, 22-metre wingspan, four Kolesov RD-36-41 engines, and a takeoff weight of 135 tonnes. But in one critical respect it was more advanced: the T-4 featured a quad-redundant fly-by-wire flight control system with full three-axis stability augmentation and auto-throttle \u2014 technology that would not become standard in Western fighters for another decade.\n\nThe T-4 also featured a distinctive droop nose \u2014 like Concorde's \u2014 that lowered for takeoff and landing to give the pilots forward visibility, then raised flush with the fuselage for supersonic flight.\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What Killed Them<\/h2>\n\nThe same thing killed both programmes: surface-to-air missiles.\n\nBy the mid-1960s, the Soviet Union had deployed the SA-2 Guideline and was developing the SA-5 Gammon. Both could engage targets above 60,000 feet. The Valkyrie's entire concept \u2014 fly high and fast and nothing can touch you \u2014 was suddenly obsolete. If a missile can reach your altitude and calculate your trajectory, Mach 3 is not fast enough.\n\nThe XB-70 programme was downgraded from a bomber to a research aircraft in 1961. Ship 2 was destroyed in a midair collision with an <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-104-starfighter\">F-104<\/a> chase plane in June 1966, killing F-104 pilot Joe Walker and XB-70 co-pilot Carl Cross (XB-70 pilot Al White ejected and survived). Ship 1 continued flying as a NASA research platform until February 1969.\n\nThe T-4's fate was arguably worse. Political infighting between Sukhoi and Tupolev \u2014 whose Tu-22M \"Backfire\" was cheaper, simpler, and closer to production \u2014 doomed the programme. The T-4 made only ten flights, never exceeding Mach 1.36 \u2014 far short of its Mach 3 design target. The programme was cancelled in December 1975. The sole surviving prototype sits in the Central Air Force Museum at Monino.\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border:1px solid #dbe4ff;border-radius:8px;padding:18px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px\">\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;color:#333;font-size:17px\">XB-70 Valkyrie vs. Sukhoi T-4 \u2014 Side by Side<\/p>\n<table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:15px;color:#333\">\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:2px solid #5C91FF\"><th style=\"padding:8px;text-align:left\">Specification<\/th><th style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">XB-70 Valkyrie<\/th><th style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">Sukhoi T-4<\/th><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">Country<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">United States<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">Soviet Union<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">Manufacturer<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">North American Aviation<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">Sukhoi Design Bureau<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">Design started<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">1957<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">1961<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">First flight<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">21 Sep 1964<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">22 Aug 1972<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">Programme cancelled<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">1969 (research only from 1961)<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">Dec 1975<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">Length<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">56.6 m (185 ft 10 in)<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">44.0 m (144 ft 4 in)<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">Wingspan<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">32.0 m (105 ft)<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">22.0 m (72 ft 2 in)<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">Max takeoff weight<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">246,000 kg (542,000 lb)<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">135,000 kg (297,600 lb)<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">Engines<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">6 \u00d7 GE YJ93-GE-3<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">4 \u00d7 Kolesov RD-36-41<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">Design top speed<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">Mach 3.1<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">Mach 3.0<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">Actual top speed achieved<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">Mach 3.08<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">Mach 1.36<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">Total flights<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">129 (both prototypes)<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">10<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">Aircraft built<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">2<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">1 (+ incomplete 2nd)<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">Crew<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">2<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">2<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">Wing design<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">Delta with folding wingtips<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">Fixed delta + canards<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">Flight controls<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">Conventional hydraulic<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">Quad-redundant fly-by-wire<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">Primary mission<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">Nuclear strike bomber<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">Bomber + reconnaissance<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #ddd\"><td style=\"padding:8px\">What replaced it<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">B-1 Lancer (low-level penetrator)<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">Tu-22M Backfire<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td style=\"padding:8px\">Survivor location<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">USAF Museum, Dayton, OH<\/td><td style=\"padding:8px;text-align:center\">Central AF Museum, Monino<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Real Legacy<\/h2>\n\nNeither the XB-70 nor the T-4 ever dropped a bomb. But both programmes generated enormous technological dividends. The Valkyrie's research flights produced data on supersonic aerodynamics, thermal effects, and structural loads that fed directly into the B-1 Lancer programme. The T-4's fly-by-wire system and titanium construction techniques influenced every subsequent Sukhoi fighter, from the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/su-27-flanker\">Su-27<\/a> to the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/su-57-felon\">Su-57<\/a>.\n\nThe arms race logic was pure Cold War: America builds the ultimate bomber, the Soviet Union builds the ultimate counter, both sides realise the concept is obsolete, both cancel. The only winners were the engineers.\n\n<em>Sources: USAF Museum, MilitaryFactory, National Interest, Key Aero, Air Data News<\/em>\n\n<!-- mf-faq -->\n\n<div class=\"mf-faq-block\"><style>.mf-faq-block{margin:34px 0}.mf-faq-item:not([open]) .mf-faq-answer{display:none !important}.mf-faq-block h2.mf-faq-h{padding-top:22px;margin-bottom:14px}.mf-faq-item{border:1px solid #e2e8f5;border-radius:8px;margin:0 0 10px;background:#fff}.mf-faq-item summary{list-style:none;cursor:pointer;padding:15px 50px 15px 18px;font-weight:600;color:#1a1a1a;position:relative;line-height:1.45;user-select:none}.mf-faq-item summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mf-faq-item summary::after{content:\"+\";position:absolute;right:18px;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%);font-size:1.5em;font-weight:400;color:#5C91FF;line-height:1}.mf-faq-item[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mf-faq-item[open] summary{border-bottom:1px solid #eef1f8}.mf-faq-item summary:hover{background:#f5f8ff}.mf-faq-answer{padding:14px 18px;color:#333;line-height:1.6}.mf-faq-answer p{margin:0}<\/style><h2 class=\"mf-faq-h\">Related Questions<\/h2><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>What was the XB-70 Valkyrie?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>The North American XB-70 Valkyrie was an American experimental bomber designed in the late 1950s to cruise at Mach 3 and over 70,000 feet \u2014 fast and high enough that no interceptor or missile could catch it. Only two were built before the concept was overtaken by surface-to-air missiles.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>What was the Sukhoi T-4?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>The Sukhoi T-4 \"Sotka\" was the Soviet Union's answer to the XB-70 \u2014 a Mach 3 strategic bomber built largely of titanium and steel. Like its American rival it was a technological masterpiece, and like the Valkyrie it was ultimately cancelled.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>Why were the XB-70 and Sukhoi T-4 cancelled?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>Both fell victim to the same shift: high-altitude surface-to-air missiles made even a Mach 3 bomber vulnerable, while ballistic missiles offered a cheaper way to deliver nuclear weapons. The hugely expensive Mach 3 bombers became dead ends almost as soon as they flew.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>Did anyone win the Mach 3 bomber race?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>No. Both superpowers poured fortunes into building a Mach 3 bomber, and both programmes were abandoned. Together the XB-70 and T-4 represent one of the most expensive technological dead ends in aviation history \u2014 a race nobody won.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>How fast was the XB-70 Valkyrie?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>The Valkyrie was designed to cruise at Mach 3 \u2014 around three times the speed of sound \u2014 at extreme altitude. It was a vast aircraft, about 56 metres long, meant to outrun any defence until missiles made that speed no longer enough.<\/p><\/div><\/details><\/div>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was the XB-70 Valkyrie?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The North American XB-70 Valkyrie was an American experimental bomber designed in the late 1950s to cruise at Mach 3 and over 70,000 feet \u2014 fast and high enough that no interceptor or missile could catch it. Only two were built before the concept was overtaken by surface-to-air missiles.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was the Sukhoi T-4?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Sukhoi T-4 \\\"Sotka\\\" was the Soviet Union's answer to the XB-70 \u2014 a Mach 3 strategic bomber built largely of titanium and steel. Like its American rival it was a technological masterpiece, and like the Valkyrie it was ultimately cancelled.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why were the XB-70 and Sukhoi T-4 cancelled?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Both fell victim to the same shift: high-altitude surface-to-air missiles made even a Mach 3 bomber vulnerable, while ballistic missiles offered a cheaper way to deliver nuclear weapons. The hugely expensive Mach 3 bombers became dead ends almost as soon as they flew.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Did anyone win the Mach 3 bomber race?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No. Both superpowers poured fortunes into building a Mach 3 bomber, and both programmes were abandoned. Together the XB-70 and T-4 represent one of the most expensive technological dead ends in aviation history \u2014 a race nobody won.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How fast was the XB-70 Valkyrie?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Valkyrie was designed to cruise at Mach 3 \u2014 around three times the speed of sound \u2014 at extreme altitude. It was a vast aircraft, about 56 metres long, meant to outrun any defence until missiles made that speed no longer enough.\"}}]}<\/script><!-- \/mf-faq -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the late 1950s, both superpowers reached the same conclusion: the future of strategic bombing was speed. Build a bomber that flies at Mach 3 and nothing can catch it. No interceptor, no missile, no air defence system could touch an aircraft crossing the sky at three times the speed of sound and 70,000 feet [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":1668398,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1668434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>XB-70 Valkyrie vs. Sukhoi T-4: The Mach 3 Bomber Race | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The XB-70 Valkyrie and Sukhoi T-4 Sotka were Cold War rivals \u2014 two Mach 3 bombers killed by the same missile. A side-by-side comparison of specs, history, and fate.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"it_IT\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"XB-70 Valkyrie vs. Sukhoi T-4: The Mach 3 Bomber Race | MiGFlug\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The XB-70 Valkyrie and Sukhoi T-4 Sotka were Cold War rivals \u2014 two Mach 3 bombers killed by the same missile. A side-by-side comparison of specs, history, and fate.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-10T10:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-17T08:36:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/xb-70-valkyrie-mach-3-bomber-sukhoi-t4-comparison-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Connor Kerr\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Connor Kerr\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Connor Kerr\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9\"},\"headline\":\"XB-70 vs. Sukhoi T-4: The Mach 3 Race Nobody Won\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-10T10:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-17T08:36:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1075,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/xb-70-valkyrie-mach-3-bomber-sukhoi-t4-comparison-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"History &amp; Legends\",\"Military Aviation\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\\\/\",\"name\":\"XB-70 Valkyrie vs. Sukhoi T-4: The Mach 3 Bomber Race | MiGFlug\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/xb-70-valkyrie-mach-3-bomber-sukhoi-t4-comparison-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-10T10:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-17T08:36:58+00:00\",\"description\":\"The XB-70 Valkyrie and Sukhoi T-4 Sotka were Cold War rivals \u2014 two Mach 3 bombers killed by the same missile. A side-by-side comparison of specs, history, and fate.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/xb-70-valkyrie-mach-3-bomber-sukhoi-t4-comparison-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/xb-70-valkyrie-mach-3-bomber-sukhoi-t4-comparison-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1920,\"caption\":\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"XB-70 vs. Sukhoi T-4: The Mach 3 Race Nobody Won\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9\",\"name\":\"Connor Kerr\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Connor Kerr\"},\"description\":\"Connor Kerr writes MiGFlug\u2019s long-form features \u2014 aviation history, how-it-works explainers and the stories behind the headlines.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/it\\\/author\\\/connorkerr\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"XB-70 Valkyrie vs. Sukhoi T-4: The Mach 3 Bomber Race | MiGFlug","description":"The XB-70 Valkyrie and Sukhoi T-4 Sotka were Cold War rivals \u2014 two Mach 3 bombers killed by the same missile. A side-by-side comparison of specs, history, and fate.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/","og_locale":"it_IT","og_type":"article","og_title":"XB-70 Valkyrie vs. Sukhoi T-4: The Mach 3 Bomber Race | MiGFlug","og_description":"The XB-70 Valkyrie and Sukhoi T-4 Sotka were Cold War rivals \u2014 two Mach 3 bombers killed by the same missile. A side-by-side comparison of specs, history, and fate.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-06-10T10:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-17T08:36:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1920,"url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/xb-70-valkyrie-mach-3-bomber-sukhoi-t4-comparison-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Connor Kerr","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Connor Kerr","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/"},"author":{"name":"Connor Kerr","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9"},"headline":"XB-70 vs. Sukhoi T-4: The Mach 3 Race Nobody Won","datePublished":"2026-06-10T10:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-17T08:36:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/"},"wordCount":1075,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/xb-70-valkyrie-mach-3-bomber-sukhoi-t4-comparison-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["History &amp; Legends","Military Aviation"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/","name":"XB-70 Valkyrie vs. Sukhoi T-4: The Mach 3 Bomber Race | MiGFlug","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/xb-70-valkyrie-mach-3-bomber-sukhoi-t4-comparison-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-10T10:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-17T08:36:58+00:00","description":"The XB-70 Valkyrie and Sukhoi T-4 Sotka were Cold War rivals \u2014 two Mach 3 bombers killed by the same missile. A side-by-side comparison of specs, history, and fate.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/xb-70-valkyrie-mach-3-bomber-sukhoi-t4-comparison-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/xb-70-valkyrie-mach-3-bomber-sukhoi-t4-comparison-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1920,"caption":"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/xb-70-valkyrie-vs-sukhoi-t4-sotka-mach-3-bomber-comparison\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"XB-70 vs. Sukhoi T-4: The Mach 3 Race Nobody Won"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","name":"Afterburner - La rivista di MiGFlug","description":"Per chi \u00e8 interessato a pilotare aerei militari e argomenti correlati all&#039;aviazione.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9","name":"Connor Kerr","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Connor Kerr"},"description":"Connor Kerr scrive gli articoli di approfondimento di MiGFlug: storia dell&#039;aviazione, spiegazioni sul funzionamento dei sistemi e le storie che si celano dietro i titoli dei giornali.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/it\/author\/connorkerr\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1668434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1668434"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1668434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5897838,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1668434\/revisions\/5897838"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1668398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1668434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1668434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1668434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}