From XF-108 Rapier to XB-70 Valkyrie and Avro Arrow: The Trisonic Defense Dream

At the height of the Cold War, Western military planners faced a critical strategic dilemma: how to intercept and neutralize incoming Soviet supersonic bombers over the frozen vastness of the Arctic before they could reach North American population centers. The solution demanded a revolutionary class of long-range, high-altitude interceptors capable of sustained cruising at three times the speed of sound. This documentary examines the rise and sudden collapse of the most audacious aircraft programs of the era: the North American XF-108 Rapier, the colossal XB-70 Valkyrie, and Canada’s indigenous Avro CF-105 Arrow, presented through meticulously upscaled and restored archival footage in full color. The journey begins with the inception of the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE), an immense computerized early-warning defense network. SAGE required a long-range fighter that could operate independently far beyond ground radar range. North American Aviation, celebrated for historic designs like the P-51 Mustang and F-86 Sabre, responded with the XF-108 Rapier. Engineered to fly at Mach 3 at 70,000 feet, the Rapier incorporated twin General Electric J93 turbojets, the cutting-edge Hughes ASG-18 pulse-Doppler radar, and long-range GAR-9 missiles. Sharing structural metallurgy, honeycomb stainless steel skins, and encapsulated ejection seats with the XB-70 Valkyrie strategic bomber, the Rapier promised unmatched continental defense capabilities. However, the rapid development of Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles transformed Western strategic priorities. Missiles could neither be intercepted by aircraft nor stopped by early warning radar grids. In September 1959, soaring costs and shifting doctrine led the Pentagon to cancel the XF-108 Rapier before a single prototype flew. While its radar and weapons systems migrated to the Lockheed YF-12 and its aerodynamic profile informed the A-5 Vigilante, the dream of a Mach 3 interceptor fleet evaporated. Meanwhile, the XB-70 Valkyrie pressed into high-speed flight research, proving compression lift principles before an air-to-air collision in June 1966 claimed Air Vehicle Number Two. Simultaneously in Canada, A.V. Roe engineered the twin-engine CF-105 Arrow to counter the polar bomber threat. Piloted by Jan Zurakowski, the Arrow easily breached supersonic speeds and promised Mach 2.4 performance with the Orenda Iroquois engine. Yet on February 20, 1959—known as Black Friday—the Canadian government abruptly terminated the project and ordered all aircraft and production tooling cut to pieces. The cancellation triggered an immediate brain drain, sending Canada’s premier aerospace minds south to guide NASA’s Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. To support our work and channel, join @ @dronescapes Thank you! 🙏🎖️ ➤ More aircraft and history videos: @dronescapes ➤ Join the channel: @dronescapes ➤ THREADS: https://www.threads.net/@dronescapesv... ➤ FB: Facebook: Dronescapesvideos ➤ Reddit: Reddit: Atellani ➤ IG: Instagram: dronescapesvideos ➤ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/dronescapes.... ➤ Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/dronescap... ➤ X/Twitter: https://dronescapes.video/2p89vedj VIDEO SERIES: 🎥U.S. AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/US 🎥AVIATION VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/aviation 00:00:00 The Trisonic Vision: North American Aviation Heritage 00:04:13 SAGE Network & Arctic Early Warning Defense 00:08:21 Defining the Long-Range Mach 3 Interceptor 00:12:33 Contracting the XF-108 Rapier & Sister Program Ties 00:15:22 Exotic Alloys, Escape Capsules, and Shared Systems 00:18:29 Hughes ASG-18 Radar & The GAR-9 Missile Program 00:23:08 The Ballistic Missile Shift & Cancellation of the Rapier 00:25:47 Technological Lineage: Lockheed YF-12 and A-5 Vigilante 00:28:49 Developing the XB-70 Valkyrie: Compression Lift Dynamics 00:51:03 Assembly, Flight Testing, and Maiden Takeoff at Palmdale 01:06:41 High-Speed Trials: Sustained Mach 3 at 70,000 Feet 01:13:20 The Tragic Formation Flight: June 8, 1966 Collision 01:19:08 Research Contributions and Retirement to Wright-Patterson 01:28:15 The Canadian Contender: Genesis of the Avro CF-105 Arrow 01:34:47 Engineering the Delta Wing & The Orenda Iroquois Engine 01:40:39 Flight Trials: Jan Zurakowski Takes Arrow 201 Supersonic 01:47:06 Mounting Expenditures, NORAD Politics, and Strategic Debate 01:51:07 Black Friday 1959: Immediate Cancellation and Scrapping 02:04:09 The Fallout: Bomarc Missiles and the Engineering Exodus to NASA 02:21:55 Enduring Legacy: The Icons of High-Speed Aviation #AviationHistory #ColdWarJets #Mach3