(TWINMAKER) wrote in message ...
Here is a good "what if" question. If the B-70 had gone into widespread SAC
use in the 60s and beyond, what is the best guess as to how it would have been
painted for operational use? Black like the SR, white like the two XB models,
gray, etc? I doubt it would have had the SAC cammo scheme, since it would not
have done any low level flying.

W. Woodruff

If it had gone into service with it's original design mission of a
mach3 high altitude strategic bomber, then it would've still been
painted white. The reason why is that the white paint it used was a
special type called "Anti-flash white". To protect it from the thermal
pulse of a detonating B53 TN bomb(it was 9MT). You see, the USAFT
learned the high pacific atmospheric tests that such protection was
needed. In one test ,a B-36 had it airframe heated by over 3000
degrees fahrenheit, resulting in structural damage to it's tailplane.
In another test a B-52B (52-00013 I think-BUFFDRIVER would know more
about this) also thermally induced damaged to both it's airframe and
systems.