Nazi Stealth Bomber

[lyric1]

IMO they chose the flying-wing concept for its low-drag and high speed capabilities instead. I can see why they wanted to make THIS model stealthy though, it was by far the most flight-efficient aerofoil.

I would have thought the same. However per the documentary one of the designers had lost a brother in the battle of Britain & he thought the British had an unfair advantage with radar. So he set out to make a plane that would not be seen by radar or at least to late to do much about it then fly this plane to England to destroy the British radar network. All of his work was to avenge his lost brother. I don't think they would have believed they would come up with a design that flew over 600mph flat & level how ever they did.

[AWwrgwy]

It was designed to be stealthy.

No.  It was designed as a flying wing.

In the infancy of radar itself it wasn't so much hide the plane to keep the enemy from knowing you were coming as much as it was to hide the position of the plane to keep it from getting shot by AAA.  Hence, "window".]

Nobody designed it with the thought, "what we need is a plane that radar cannot see."

Wood is used for lack of resources to build an aircraft with otherwise.  Wood actually weighs more than aluminum.  When the Russians had the resources to build LA-5s completely from aluminum instead of half wood the LA-7 became a much more potent aircraft.


wrongway

[fuddu2]

Nobody designed it with the thought, "what we need is a plane that radar cannot see."

I think every military design is designed with the Element of suprise in mind. Everything that has ever been made for Military use was done so for one purpose. To out wit, out flank and flat out kill better then the enemy's equipment. Im sure the engineers were thinking alot about the British radar at the time, and how to overcome it.

[RTHolmes]

No.  It was designed as a flying wing.

why the powdered charcoal coating then?

[Golfer]

I get a kick out of how on every damn message board this same thread is happening calling it news.

Read a book and get off my lawn.

[AWwrgwy]

why the powdered charcoal coating then?

Bar-B-Q?

How would powdered charcoal = stealth?


wrongway

[SoonerMP]

It was a late war weapon NEVER USED. But have no fear your shipment of FAIL has arrived

  15 posts and already ruling the forum with an iron fist! 

[TheAce]

The story reads that the skin was made of wood glue and Charcoal. The B2 bomber is reported to have a high carbon graphite skin. To be honest it looks like they copied alot of the design to make the B2 bomber.  

Stealth = 90% shape & 10% RAM

[hammer]

It was a late war weapon NEVER USED. But have no fear your shipment of FAIL has arrived
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TnEJ1umwcGU&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TnEJ1umwcGU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

The irony.


ack-ack

Indeed!

[Martyn]

It was stealthy - but not exactly by design, more by accident and neccessity. The Hortens never said they built it specifically with stealth in mind. They were running out of materials. It was also a death-trap! Allied test pilots refused to fly it after the war. There was no bulkhead between the oil pumps and the pilot, and no bulkhead between the engines and the pilot, and it leaked. On take-off the floor was only covered in canvas - VERY draughty. The guys at Gotha wanted to redesign it before it went for production for some of these reasons.

The Germans simply had no resources to do a proper job by this stage of the war - if they had it would have been a totally different situation. It looks really cool on the outside but inside it was bad-news.

It was known as the Horten IX, but given the spec. number 229 by the air ministry. The Hortens didn't like calling it the Ho-229, but if it had been manufactured by Gotha it would have been known as the Go-229.

Now if they'd had more resources and a little more time... then that might have been another story. However when the aircraft reached trans-sonic speeds then buffeting would have become a serious issue - more than a plane with a fuselage.

Ref: Horten Ho 229 Spirit of Thuringia (Shepelev & Ottens)

[lyric1]

Here is a link to the special I watched.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/hitler-s-stealth-fighter-3942/Videos/06845_00#tab-Videos/06845_00

[Krusty]

Threads like this are why the Discover Channel is going to hell in a handbasket. Shame on the crap they pass off as "documentary" -- more like claptrap and yellow journalism.

[TwinTail]

Performance

Maximum speed: 495 mph (793 km/h)
Range: 9,978 mi (16,057 km) Maximum[2]
Combat radius: 1,615 mi (2,599 km)
Service ceiling: 45,700 ft (13,900 m)
Rate of climb: 3,758 ft/min (19.1 m/s)
Wing loading: 33 lb/ft² (163 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 0.23
Armament


Guns: 4 × .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns
Bombs: 32,000 lb (14,500 kg)





So if his 1945 german prototype is stealthy can this be a stealth too, also it NEEDS to be added!


Also for Fun...

Popular culture
"Stock footage of a YB-49 in flight appeared in The War of the Worlds. In the movie, the Flying Wing was tasked with dropping an atomic bomb on the invading Martians."

It Needs a Nuke!

[lyric1]

Threads like this are why the Discover Channel is going to hell in a handbasket. Shame on the crap they pass off as "documentary" -- more like claptrap and yellow journalism.

Yeah!!! just as well it was on National Geographic huh?

[Enker]

I didn't even have to read the post to say NO!

I read the post and say NO!

Also, this has to be a worse idea than my recent idea of chasing a F6F through ship ack in FSO tonight!