Why This Most Advanced 1940s Plane Was Abandoned

A Radical Idea in Wartime America

In 1941, American bombers like the B-17 and B-24 were strong and well-armed. But their range was too short to reach targets across the Atlantic without help from European bases. As the war in Europe grew worse, the U.S. faced a serious problem. If Britain fell, there would be no way to launch bombing raids deep into German-held territory. That meant the U.S. needed something entirely new—a bomber that could fly all the way from North America to Europe and back.

Most engineers believed the only way to do that was by building a huge plane with multiple engines and an enormous fuel load. But aircraft designer Jack Northrup had another idea. He believed the key was to remove the parts of a plane that created drag and weight—like the fuselage and tail—and instead build a plane that was almost entirely wing. This would reduce drag and increase efficiency, making it possible to fly faster, higher, and much farther.

Building the Flying Wing

Northrup wasn’t the first to try a flying wing, but he pushed the concept further than anyone before. By 1940, he had already flown working prototypes. When he promised the U.S. Air Force a bomber that could fly a third faster, carry more payload, and go twice the distance of any other bomber, they gave him the green light to begin development. His team had only two years to build a plane that could travel over 9,000 kilometers in one mission.

The design, later called the XB-35, would carry a crew of nine, plus six backup crew who would rotate during the 24-hour flights. All crew areas and even the engines were placed inside the massive wing. It used the most powerful piston engines of the time, driving counter-rotating propellers. Instead of traditional control surfaces, the XB-35 used a new system called “elevons,” all mounted on the wing itself.

Promise and Delay

The XB-35 had six bomb bays and was planned to carry up to 10,000 pounds of bombs, protected by 20 remotely operated machine guns. The Air Force hoped to build hundreds. But despite early excitement, the plane faced long delays. Wartime shortages, engineering problems, and changing military needs slowed the project.

By the time the first prototype flew in 1946, the war was over. And Britain had never fallen, so the need for an intercontinental bomber had faded. Still, the Air Force saw potential and ordered several versions, including the YB-49, a jet-powered upgrade.

A Future That Never Came

The flying wing sparked public imagination. Magazines showed ideas for giant wing-shaped airliners with lounges and observation decks. Northrup even proposed turning the bomber into a passenger plane. But time worked against the project. The original design, drawn up in 1941, had to compete with faster, more advanced jets by the late 1940s.

Despite its futuristic appearance, delays and changing needs led to the project being shut down. Every prototype was eventually scrapped, and one of the most unique aircraft designs of the 1940s faded into history.