Hitler's Stealth Fighter

[kilroy0097]

This is pretty cool guys. Check it out.

Source /. (http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/06/24/135221)


"Aviation Week reports on a television special from the National Geographic Channel on what may have been the world's first true stealth fighter (http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3A27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3A41a656fb-92f6-4a9e-97ee-0b44f7587550), the Horten Ho 229 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_229), a wooden design that was to include a layer of carbon material sandwiched in the leading edge to defeat radar. Northrop Grumman, experts at stealth technology from their Tacit Blue and B-2 programs, have built a full-size replica of the airframe and tested it (http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/hitler-s-stealth-fighter-3942/Overview23) at their desert facilities where they determined that the design was indeed stealthy, and would have been practically invisible to Britain's Chain Home radar system of WWII."

[Gruthar]

I'd be interested to see if it actually flies well. The problem with flying wing designs is that they've historically all been unstable and/or difficult to control, best exemplified by Northrop's experimental planes in the late 40s. It's only thanks to computers that the B2 doesn't suffer from those problems. The 229 may have been stealthy, but it might have also been a death trap for its pilots.

[Killerfurby6]

well it's german... what means it works!! :D
there is a video of a RC modell of it flying very well!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYbxycf4JZU
also something interesting i found about it

First flown in January 1945, the Ho 229 was the innovative design of Walter and Reimar Horten, both former Luftwaffe officers. The test programme showed the 229 to have outstanding speed and handling characteristics but developement was halted when US troops overran the research facility. Some dispute has arisen over whether the 229 should be classified as the Go 229 or Ho 229. Since Gothar was supposed to build 229 and didn't really design it, I'm arbitrarily going with the Ho 229 designation in honor of the designers.

http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/ho229.html

[EdrrakNolat]

I miss that old game Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, you could get the Gotha flying wing.

And don't forget, a flying wing WAS made here in the states prior to the B-2, though it was FAR from stealthy.

[sir_digalot]

heh the good thing about old time before computers was you always got some hero....or corpse to try it out...so what if it did not fly, someone would try... we got all to wimpish now with out testing thanks to computers!

if it flies and you live, your a hero if it flies and you die you are a dead hero... if it does not fly, you go back to shooting down the enemy..... considering lifespans for pilots back then was fairly identicle for combat and test pilots, how do you want to be remembered?

[LordBeer]

I miss that old game Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, you could get the Gotha flying wing.




It's in IL-2 1946. Secret Weapons was the 1st time I ever saw that plane though.

[EdrrakNolat]

Lucasarts would make an absolute killing if they made an updated SWOTL, with the code wheel!

[sir_digalot]

still a pretty advanced design for the 40's considering wht we maketoday with the aide of supercomputers!

[papasan9]

i watched something or other on military channel that said- when the b2 designers started out they went to the smithsonian to study the old german wing. the smithsonian apparently has one or part of one...

anyway, the designers took the best from the german design and made it work. according to that show, the b2 came very directly from the german wing.

[sir_digalot]

all i can say is that it is a good job hitler was a nutter or we all would have been buggered if he had not pushed away some of his best minds....

[Drayu]

was an interesting show....probably catch it on their website.

[JustMeBF2]

Damm I missied it. It is on again July 5 1pm P

Says P for pacific time. But my local listing has it 1pm central.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/hitler-s-stealth-fighter-3942/Overview