What Happened To Flying Wings?
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Published 2022-08-27
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At the start of the 1940’s, flying wing aircraft seemed destined to be the next evolution in aircraft design. By eliminating structural components typically found on conventional aircraft, such as engine nacelles, fuselage and tail, parasitic drag would be reduced down to its absolute minimum. The result would be a high-lift, low-drag aircraft with unequaled speed, range and efficiency.
Despite earlier efforts around the world to develop all-wing aircraft designs, arguably no single person was more committed to the concept than pioneering American aircraft designer Jack Northrop. Beginning in the 1920’s Northrop studied the concept, drawing up countless designs for flying wing aircraft. By 1940, he had successfully produced two prototypes, the Model 1 (“X216H”) in 1929 and the Northrop N-1M in 1940. But Northrop’s ambitions went far beyond just experimental planes.
Responding to an urgent need for the United States to develop the first ever intercontinental bomber, in 1941 Northrop presented the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) with a concept for an enormous flying wing bomber that would offer unparalleled speed, range and efficiency. Not only would the aircraft far outperform conventional bombers, the all-wing design would make it structurally more simple and economical to build. Impressed with Northrop’s concept, the USAAF agreed to fund the aircraft’s development, ordering an experimental model designated as the XB-35 and pre-production models designated as YB-35s. The USAAF would eventually order over 200 production aircraft which were to be designated as B-35s. Later, a jet powered version, designated as the YB-49 would also be produced.
But engineering such unconventional aircraft would be a daunting engineering challenge for Northrop and his small team of engineers. Eliminating conventional control surfaces would maximize lift and minimize drag, but it would also create new unforeseen technical issues, many of which would only be discovered during flight testing - with tragic consequences. Despite best efforts by Northrop to solve technical issues with flying wing aircraft, solutions would prove elusive using technology available in the 1940s.
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All Comments (21)
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Correction: At 10:16 I accidently say "B-57" when I meant to say "B-47". The Canberra is worthy of its own video :)
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The story of Northrop being able to see his dream come true before passing away is quite heartwarming in a way
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I did not know Northrop himself actually got to see the plans for the B2 stealth bomber. What a feeling that must have been.
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My uncle worked on the YB-49. He was called out of retirement to work on the B-2. He told me because so much of the technology for the YB-49 was needed for the B-2, was the reason they called him back so many years later. That, and he already had clearance.
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It's so sad to see stories where inventors/innovators had ideas too far ahead of their time and didn't have the necessary tools/steps to make it reach its full potential. Thankfully this one had a happy ending with Northrop seeing his "flying wings" realized.
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It's heartwarming how the people involved in the B2 requested top secret clearance for Northrop just to give him vindication. They could have not cared, but they did it anyway.
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It's actually so heartwarming how NASA & USAF let Northrop know his dream wasn't dead, showing him the B-2 model and designs
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Them showing the inventor of the flying wing the top-secret prototype to show him it was possible really warms my heart
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With the B 21 Raider's reveal, I imagine the YB 48 looking down from aviation heaven beaming at its more successful child, the B 2 spirit, grandchild, the B 21.
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As everyone today in the drone industry is designing or building flying wings, that we still use Jack Northrop's equations for stability of a flying wing from half a century ago. He deserved to have seen it all.
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Somehow flying wings seems like such a futuristic things and its wild when your reminded its a an almost 90 year old concept
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That's why I love games like Ace Combat. They see stuff like this and think: Yeah lets make a flying superfortress out of it
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The fact that this iteration or the current B-2 can fly w/out a vertical OR horizontal stabilizer is engineering genius!! 👍👌✌️😉
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Why the airforce didn't keep at least one for a museum is beyond me. They were already built. I would have loved to see one.
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that little ominous sound effect when the B2 is revealed was a nice touch, sent chills down my spine. Can't even imagine what Northrop must have felt like seeing his dream become a reality.
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My grandfather was one of the engineers who worked on this. At the time you designed your part, machined your part and then installed it. I have a picture of the first (it looks like the jet) flight take off with my grandfather, mother, his cousin and his cousin's daughter watching. It broke his heart when they were ordered to destroy the planes and all the scale prototypes.
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I had forgotten about the B2 stealth bomber. What a story.
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I was going to mention when you said that the flying wings were all scrapped, I was like "...What about the B-2?" That ending gave me goosebumps. Glad to see that the original inventor of the flying wing got to see its final form.
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I was at the Farnborough airshow a few years ago. A single B-2 did a flyover. Against a clear blue sky it ... looked like a weirdly silent low budget special effect.
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I've never seen a squadron of B-35s even digitally. That was very cool.
