The Plane That Made The B-29 Look Like A Toy

The YB-49’s sleek, boomerang silhouette defied the aeronautical norms of its era. Its alien-like form hints at future stealth-like bombers such as the B-2 Spirit and the B-21 Raider.

Moreover, its smooth, tailless profile offers a striking contrast to conventional bombers. Its 172-foot wingspan even dwarfed the B-29 Superfortress by 30 feet making it almost look like a toy.

Roots

Jack Northrop, a visionary engineer and aircraft designer, played a key role in developing the YB-35. He founded his own company and developed an aircraft based around the flying wing design, which aimed to eliminate all non-lifting components of an aircraft such as the fuselage and tail, reducing drag and increasing fuel efficiency.

Northrop was committed to eliminating all traditional features of an airplane and replacing them solely with the wing, significantly contributing to lift and forward thrust. This led to innovative designs such as the N-1M and the N-9M. Renowned General Henry H. Arnold then approached Northrop, asking him if his N-1M design could be repurposed as a long-range bomber for the intercontinental objective. Not long after, the XB-35 project was born.

Development

The first prototype was finished by late 1943 with the second one following in the spring of 1944. The team then equipped the test aircraft with eight Allison J35 jet engines, nestling these powerful units into the wings, evenly split on each side.

Apart from upgrading the jet propulsion, the aircraft saw significant aerodynamic enhancements such as integrating four vertical stabilizers, two per wing. To refine the YB-49’s flight capabilities, air dams were added along the wings, designed to redirect airflow across the wing surfaces, effectively managing lift and drag.

A Breathtaking Sight

The YB-49 was a sight when it first flew on October 21, 1947. It shadowed America’s most potent bomber, the B-29 with its 172 wingspan, 30 feet wider than its peer.

However, it had a fair share of setbacks. For instance, the aircraft accelerated too quickly, blowing off the gear doors on one occasion. Moreover, the jet engine reduced range in half coupled with fuel sloshing in a giant rubber bag without baffles, highlighted its impracticality as a bomber. It could also become unstable at aft-center-of-gravity loadings.

Disaster Strikes

On June 5, 1948, Major Daniel Forves and Capt. Glen Edwards and three other crew members took the skies aboard the second YB-49. However, disaster struck, the aircraft’s wing tore apart, and moments later the plane hit the ground and exploded. The five men lost their lives.

It was clear that the YB-49 was an unstable platform as a bomber. Tests revealed that it was challenging to stabilize the aircraft during a bombing run.  

Abrupt End

Northrop didn’t give up on the project, and when seasoned aviator Cardanas flew the Flying Wing for four and a half hours, setting the transcontinental speed record, President Truman was thoroughly impressed.

Another shortcoming brought the plane’s history to an abrupt end. During a flight test, the nose gear abruptly collapsed and fell on a lakebed, destroying the second prototype. While the pilot survived, the project came to an end in 1953. Today, the legacy of the YB-49 lives on with the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber and its successor, the B-21 Raider.