At the end of World War II, the U.S. Third Army received an operational order codenamed "Paperclip" to organize a special technical team to collect and preserve Nazi Germany's advanced technology and equipment, documents and related personnel. Their goal is to acquire advanced technologies that are not yet in use in Germany and to study their potential and possible areas of application. In this operation, the US military is not only for the sake of trophies, but also hopes to understand the foundation of Germany's scientific and technological strength, so as to make better strategic decisions on future scientific and technological competition and armament development.
And during this operation, the U.S. military discovered a secret flying-wing bomber called HO229V2, the prototype of which had not yet had time to make its first flight. However, people were surprised by its unique appearance and innovative design. Although the United States is also working on similar flying-wing aircraft, progress has been relatively slow. The Germans skillfully combined the shape of a beautiful flying wing with a powerful jet engine to create a new type of equipment with great potential.
The initiators of this project were two German aircraft designers, the brothers Remar Horton and Walter Horton. They are self-taught and have been in the gliding club since their teenage years. Soon, they became interested in the concept of flying wings. In the 30s of the 20th century, they successively developed unpowered flying wing gliders such as HOI II III IV. After the outbreak of the war, the two brothers joined the Luftwaffe and in 1942 built a propeller-powered version of the flying wing Hovii at the request of the Luftwaffe.
In 1943, Goering of the Luftwaffe issued the "three 1000" requirements for the new bomber, that is, the bomb load weight of 1,000 kg, the speed of 1,000 kilometers per hour, and the combat radius of 1,000 kilometers. The Horton brothers proposed a jet version of the flying wing scheme, which was endorsed and financed by Goering. So, they set out to develop the HO229.
In 1944, the HO229 made its first test flight with an unpowered glide. Then, on February 2, 1945, the second prototype of the jet-powered version, the HO229V2, successfully made its maiden flight, followed by several flight tests. Unfortunately, however, during the third test flight on February 18, 1945, the HO229 suffered an engine failure at an altitude of 800 meters, causing a fire and eventually crashing, and the test pilot was unfortunately killed.
- Captain: 74 meters
-Wingspan: 168 meters
-Height: 281 meters
- Wing area: 528 sq.m
- Aspect ratio: 78
- Thrust-to-weight ratio: 0382
At the time of the construction of the HO229 prototype, Germany was on the verge of defeat, and there was a severe shortage of various materials. Due to the lack of metal materials, many parts of HO229 are made of wooden glulam panels. However, this structure is difficult to adapt to the needs of supersonic flight. In fact, when American technicians inspected the HO229V3, they found that it did not have a built-in bomb bay, and its main purpose should be as a fighter-bomber. And when disassembling the substructure, they also found traces of high-temperature burns on the wooden part, which suggests that the Germans at least tested the engine.
There is also some information that the radar stealth performance of the HO229 is also the result of the advanced design of the Germans. However, this is not the case. The Germans did not design the HO229 with stealth in mind, and stealth performance was only a "bonus" of the shape of this aircraft.
Today, the HO229V3 captured by the U.S. military is preserved in the Hazy Center Museum in Virginia and has become a witness to history.
In addition to the HO229, Nazi Germany had a number of other aircraft programs with flying wing designs. For example, the Horton brothers proposed an intercontinental strategic bomber called the HoxVIII, which still had a tailless flying wing layout and six jet engines to enable transoceanic bombing of the United States. However, due to the defeat of Germany, the development of this project did not begin.
In addition, there is a species called Arado eThe Nazi flying wing scheme of 555. Arado EThe 555-i also had a flying wing layout, with six jet engines mounted on a piggyback. However, the programme was not yet developed.
Due to its peculiar shape, HO229 has aroused interest in its mysterious conjectures, and this mystery has even become an excellent material for film masters to create a sense of technological mystery. In the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, actor Harrison Ford fights a Nazi winged plane in a spectacular fight sequence, and the plane's appearance is based on the HO229.
In conclusion, the development and test flights of the HO229 flying wing bomber demonstrated the innovative ability of Nazi Germany in the field of aviation technology. Although the project ultimately failed, its unique shape and innovative design still influenced the field of modern aircraft design and became one of the treasures of history.