XB-70 Honeycomb Note: This item is currently in storage. Most significant in the XB-70 program was its contribution to the technology of many facets of American industrial life. Advances in the art of steel making were particularly notable. Principally a steel airplane, the XB-70 represented the first widespread use of stainless steel in a honeycomb panel structure. These panels, which are comprised of facing sheets brazed to a honeycomb-like core, make up 22,000 square feet of the surface of the XB-70. The panel displayed here, manufactured by Aeronca, Inc., is typical of this method of construction. The development of this stainless steel by the Armco Steel Corporation in Middletown, Ohio, was an outstanding accomplishment in the fields of metallurgy and steel production. Click here to return to the Featured Accessions index. Find Out More Related Fact Sheets North American XB-70 Valkyrie Note: The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the National Museum of the USAF, the U.S. Air Force, or the Department of Defense, of the external website, or the information, products or services contained therein.