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| An impressive view of the equally-impressive design that is the German jet-powered flying wing. |
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The Germans had realized the future with the development of the rocket and jet age. The Horton Ho IX (or Gotha Go 229) was a development of futuristic proportions - a runner-up if you will - to the technology-laden Northrop B-2 Stealth Bomber in service with American air forces today.
The Horton Ho IX flying wing was the development of the Horton brothers, Reimar and Walter, who begun delving into the rudder-less concept through test flights with gliders of various types.
The initial Ho IX was designed through the firm of by Sonderkommando 9 in 1942. An unforeseen change in the engine radius forced the prototype to be engine-less, as the radius of the BMW 109-003-1 turbojets were too big to fit into the design. Nevertheless, the prototype was flown as a glider with great success in the summer of 1944.
The Oranienburg flight pushed the project forward, with the Ho IX V2, a redesigned flying wing built to accommodate two Junkers 109-004B-1 turbojets. Speeds during test maxxed out at nearly 600 mph (597 mph was recorded). Unfortunately, the prototype was destroyed while trying to make a single engine landing.
Such promising gains moved the project along, spurring the development of the Ho IX V3 (Go 229 V3) with two Jumo 109-004C turbojets by the firm of Gothaer Waggonfabrik. This prototype would never fly, as the reeling German forces could no longer support it with the Allies advancing seemingly every day in May of 1945. Eventually, the abandoned project would fall into American hands and be shipped back to the United States to undergo new waves of testing and research.
Development was also started on a two-seat version of the Gotha 229 known as the Go 229 V4. A nightfighter version was also on the boards as the Go 229 V5. The Go 229 V6 was a weapons and armament test prototype in development. The Go 229 V7 was to be a two-seat trainer variant.
By the end of the war, none of the 20 ordered Ho 229 IX flying wings would ever hit the production lines (Go 229-A-0, classified as a fighter/bomber). These initial production models were to be armed with two 2,205 lb bombs and four 30mm MK 103 cannons. One can only envision about the devastation such a weapon might have caused unsuspecting formations of Allied bombers.
Needless to say, the early development of the Horton Ho IX / Gotha 229 flying wing branched aircraft design and development in a direction unforeseen prior to the war. A terrifying and beautiful machine all at once.
Specifications for the Horton Ho 229 IX (Gotha Go 229):
Designation: Ho IX (Gotha 229) Flying Wing
Type: Fighter / Bomber
Manufacturer: Sonderkommando 9/Gothaer Waggonfabrik
Powerplant: 2 x 2,205 lb thrust Junkers Jumo 109-004C turbojet engines
Length: 24 feet, 6 1/8 inches
Wing Span: 55 feet, 5/8 inches
Weight: 18,739 lbs (Maximum Take-Off Weight)
Maximum Speed: 621 mph
Maximum Range: Unknown
Armament: 4 x 30mm MK 103 cannons; 2 x 2,205lb bombs (4,410lbs total)
Crew: 1 (twin-seat trainer conversion planned but never produced)
Models: V1 (first glider prototype); V2 (redesigned prototype fitted with Junkers 109-004B-1 engines); V3 (fitted with Jumo 109-004C turbojets - never flown due to end of war); V4 (two-seat in development); V5 (night-fighter prototype); V6 (weapons testing platform); V7 (two-seat trainer version).
More Pictures of the Horton Ho IX (Gotha Go 229) Flying Wing Fighter / Bomber
Rare color image of the Go 229 in storage. |
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Rear view with engines (sans wings). |
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Profile. Tricycle landing gears were a major
aircraft development in WW2. |
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Front view with ground crew. |
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John Northrop of Northrop Aircraft Company tried for decades
to develop a tailless aircraft design, culminating with the XB-35
Flying Wing bomber in 1946 (pictured with P-61 Black Widow). |
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The US Government fitting several of the 20 produced XB-35
with turbojets. An order of 200 XB-35's was eventually cancelled. |
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Profile of the American XB-35 showing definite similarities
to the German Go 229 development. |
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60 years later, the dream is fully realized in the
Northrop B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber. |
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