Rapier.

This is coolbert:

If and when during the era of the Cold War the Soviets had ever developed a manned high-flying SUPERSONIC bomber warplane with intercontinental range, here is the American interceptor that would have been the counter-measure. [Bison was strictly sub-sonic in speed!]

The XF-108 Rapier.

An interceptor, as with all interceptor airplanes of the same type, designed to get very high very fast, intercept at high altitude an intruding enemy warplane, engage that intruder with missile. [as originally conceived, the XF-108 would have been equipped with guns, 4 X 20 mm in addition to missiles.] The Rapier not intended as a versatile and multi-role combat aircraft [MRCA], but strictly an air defense interceptor.

"The North American XF-108 Rapier was a proposed long-range, high-speed interceptor aircraft designed by North American Aviation. Initiated to defend the United States from supersonic Soviet bombers . . . Had it flown, it would have been the heaviest fighter of its era, surpassing the Soviet Tupolev Tu-128."

The Rapier a "fighter", so described, of prodigious size, almost monstrously so, many of the integral components taken from the B-70 American supersonic bomber prototypes.

"Commonality between the B-70 bomber and the F-108 included the escape capsule and General Electric YJ93 engines" [an escape capsule where the two-man crew would have been ejected DOWNWARD!]

The Rapier never progressing with development beyond the full-scale MOCK UP stage - - project cancelled! A warplane thought to be too expensive  - - the usefulness also questioned!

The Soviets in the decades to follow indeed developing and eventually fielding several varieties of supersonic manned bombers. Versions to include:

* Tu-22 ["Blinder"].

"The Tupolev Tu-22 (NATO reporting name: Blinder) was the first supersonic bomber to enter production in the Soviet Union . . . entered service with the Soviet military in the 1960s, and the last examples were retired during the 1990s. Produced in comparatively small numbers, the aircraft was a disappointment, lacking the intercontinental range that had been expected"

* Tu-22M ["Backfire"].

"The Tupolev Tu-22M (NATO reporting name: "Backfire") is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Soviet Union"

* Tu-160 ["Blackjack"].

"The Tupolev Tu-160 ( NATO reporting name: Blackjack) is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber . . . the Tu-160 is currently the world's largest combat aircraft, largest supersonic aircraft, and largest variable-sweep aircraft built."

For the most part, especially in the case of the Blinder, intercontinental bomber warplanes lacking in large measure that "intercontinental" reach. Better thought of as stand-off delivery systems, firing a profusion of cruise missiles at American cities and targets in case of global thermonuclear war. "Blinder", "Backfire" and "Blackjack" too taking to the skies and deployed ONLY in limited and actually very small numbers even decades subsequent to the demise of the XF-108 project! Again - - the threat of the SUPERSONIC "bomber gap" never materializing as envisioned, supersonic Soviet bombers attacking American cities to an extent ONLY marginally existing! [these supersonic bombers across the board are expensive, difficult to maintain, and seldom have the desired performance as planned!]

"Fly me now or fly me later" not an adage applicable to the Rapier!

[during his term as Secretary of Defense [SECDEF] Robert S. McNamara basically disarmed the air defense of the United States. Phased out in rapid fashion and took out of the U.S. inventory all SAM firing batteries and on-call interceptor aircraft as inefficient and too costly!]

coolbert.