North American Aviation

The story so far

North American built some of the most extraordinary aircraft of the twentieth century: the P-51 Mustang, the F-86 Sabre, and the X-15 rocket plane that still holds the speed record for a crewed aircraft.

Its XB-70 Valkyrie was the most ambitious of all — a 56-metre bomber cruising at Mach 3, its wingtips folding down in flight to ride its own shockwave. Two were built, one survives, and nothing that large has ever flown that fast since.

North American Aviation aircraft

Silhouettes are sized by real wingspan — bigger aircraft draw bigger.

Every type, ranked by length