SAC camo B-70A Valkyrie

[KiwiZac]

A B-70A Valkyrie of the Strategic Air Command some time in the 1980s.





Lindberg 1/180 kit with kit decals plus Lindberg B-1 decals.

[kerick]

Nice! A could have been!

[PR19_Kit]

Nicely done there Zac. 

But how long would the paint have lasted at Mach 3? 

[Rick Lowe]

Nicely done there Zac. 

But how long would the paint have lasted at Mach 3? 

Ah, but that could have been part of the Plan:
if the paint was somehow designed to slough off as a whole, you'd have 2 returns on the scope and potentially shoot at the wrong one...

Yeah, not so much, right?

Nice work, Zac.

[McColm]

Good job!

[NARSES2]

 

[Captain Canada]

Oh yes ! That looks great like that ! Such a sexy beast. What colours are those ?

 

[TheChronicOne]

That's awesome!! 

[sandiego89]

But how long would the paint have lasted at Mach 3? 

And who would have been looking down on it for it to blend in to the forest?  Unless she went low level   

Still looks good! 

[Snowtrooper]

But how long would the paint have lasted at Mach 3? 

And who would have been looking down on it for it to blend in to the forest?  Unless she went low level   

Still looks good!

But wouldn't it have to have gone down eventually to survive against more modern SAM's? Then it wouldn't be able to do Mach 3 (or if it did, weapons would be redundant against all but hardened targets; see Project Pluto).

[PR19_Kit]

Just the sound of those six J-93s in full burner would have been a weapon in their own right! 

[TheChronicOne]

I think in some instances "they" painted things in camo colors for giggles. Maybe?  Look at B-52s.. how many of them are down in the dirt flying around? Why did they put camo all over those?  I've been trying to figure it out myself.   

[PR19_Kit]

The USAF even camo'd a B-58! 

But they didn't send any to Viet Nam anyway.

[The Rat]

Nice job on a gorgeous aircraft!

[sandiego89]

Look at B-52s.. how many of them are down in the dirt flying around? Why did they put camo all over those?  I've been trying to figure it out myself.

B-52's did indeed go to low level penetration tactics as Soviet radar and defenses improved.  The B-52 was originally designed as a high altitude bombers, but by 1960 it was apparent that low level enhancement and tactics would be required (Lloyd, 6)   The last model, the H, was the only version specifically designed from the start for low level work.  Other models were upgraded with low level radar, improved altimeter, better cooling, structural improvements etc.  Wing cracking later required stronger wing skins. 

Gradually the fleet was painted, although some early models remained in natural metal and anti-flash undersides their entire lives.  By the mid 1960's many were painted. There was a variety of paint schemes to better suit the low level mission.  SAC three tone scheme, SEA scheme, SEA scheme with gloss black undersides, SIOP scheme, and later on all over gray.   

Ref: Lloyd, Alwyn. B-52 in detail and scale.