At the end of World War II, the U.S. Third Army received a secret mission, codenamed "Paperclip", whose goal was to collect samples and documents of Nazi Germany's advanced technology and equipment, as well as related personnel. During this mission, the U.S. military discovered a secret flying-wing bomber called the HO229V2, which shocked them greatly. This article will describe the aircraft and the story behind it in detail.
The Holden brothers were two self-taught German aircraft designers who had been fascinated by the concept of flying wings for a long time and designed several unpowered flying wing gliders in the 30s of the twentieth century. After the outbreak of the war, they joined the Luftwaffe, and in 1942, at the request of the Luftwaffe, a propeller-powered version of the flying wing aircraft Hovii, was designed and built.
In 1943, German Minister Goering issued a request for a new bomber, known as the "Three 1000" plan, that is, the bomber was required to carry 1,000 kg of ammunition, fly at a speed of 1,000 kilometers per hour, and have a combat radius of 1,000 kilometers. Based on this request, the Houghton brothers proposed a jet-powered version of the flying wing, which was supported and funded by Goering.
In 1944, the first unpowered gliding prototype of the HO229, the V1, made a test flight. On February 2 of the following year, the second prototype of the jet-powered version of the HO229V2 made its maiden flight and underwent several flight tests. However, during the third test flight on February 18, the HO229 malfunctioned at an altitude of 800 meters, and the test pilot tried to restart the engine several times, but failed, eventually causing the plane to crash and the test pilot to be killed.
The HO229 has only one pilot and a captain of 74 meters with a wingspan of 168 meters, the height of the machine is 281 meters with a wing area of 528 sq.m. It has a aspect ratio of 78. The empty weight is 4844 kg, the maximum take-off weight is 6876 kg. Power is provided by two Junkers Jumo004B turbojet engines, which reach a maximum speed of 960 kmh, a range of 1,900 km, and a climb rate of 22 m/s. The wing load is 130 kg square meters, and the thrust-to-weight ratio is 0382。
However, due to the lack of materials in Germany for the manufacture of the Ho229, they had to use wooden glulam to make the parts of the aircraft. This wooden structure could not adapt to supersonic flight, so the performance of the HO229 was limited. In addition, the radar** performance of the HO229 is not a German advanced design, but a "windfall" of this special shape.
In addition to the HO229, the Horton brothers proposed an intercontinental strategic bomber scheme called HOXVIII, which still had a tailless flying wing layout and installed 6 jet engines that could be used to bomb the United States across the ocean. However, due to the demise of Nazi Germany, this program was not further developed.
In addition, Nazi Germany had another name called Arado EThe "American bomber" scheme of 555. This aircraft also uses a flying wing layout, in which e.The 555-i likewise installed six jet engines. However, Arado eWork on the development of the 555 also did not continue.
Due to the peculiar shape of HO229 and the unsolved mysteries of Nazi Germany, it has become an inspiration for many film masters**. In the 1981 movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark", there is a wonderful fight scene that takes place on an airplane designed according to the shape of the HO229.
All of this makes HO229 mysterious, and it has become the object of people's conjecture and **. Today, the seized HO229V3 is kept at the Hatchey Center Museum in Virginia, USA, for people to understand and study.
Recall that during World War II, Nazi Germany demonstrated its excellence in the field of aviation technology. The Ho229 flying wing bomber designed by the Horton brothers is one of the masterpieces, and its sci-fi appearance has aroused great interest and imagination. Although there were still some problems with the design of the Ho229 at the time, its appearance still had an important impact on the development of later flying machines. The technological prowess of Nazi Germany was astounding, and people's curiosity and conjecture about HO229 continue to this day.
As an editor, I'm not exempt from vulgarity, and I'd love to see for myself the plane that has caused so much controversy and mystery. I think it's both a testament to the development of science and technology during World War II, and a testament to the Horton brothers' excellent design capabilities. Nowadays, it is part of history and is kept in museums for people to study and enjoy. For me, HO229 is an object worth in-depth understanding and exploration, and it has given me a lot of food for thought and inspiration.