Northrop Aircraft
2 types ยท 0 airframes
Pre-1950 Narrative
Narrative coming soon.
Aircraft Types
Northrop YB-35
The Northrop YB-35 was a flying-wing heavy bomber developed for the U.S. Army Air Forces from a 1941 requirement for a bomber able to reach Germany from North America. First flown in June 1946, it carried its crew, fuel and bombs inside one wing of 172 ft span, powered by four piston engines driving pusher propellers. Gearbox and propeller problems kept test flying to a minimum, the production contract was cancelled, and the Air Force ended the programme in 1950 after converting several airframes to the jet-powered YB-49. Every example was scrapped and none survives.
Northrop YRB-49
The Northrop YRB-49A was a jet reconnaissance conversion of the flying-wing bomber line: one YB-35A airframe fitted with six Allison J35 engines, two of them in pods beneath the wing to free space for fuel, and with camera stations for photographic reconnaissance. Northrop was authorized to begin work in 1948, when an RB-49A production order was promised, but production work was ordered ended in January 1949 and only the single prototype was ever completed. It made 13 test flights in 1950 and 1951 and was scrapped in 1953; none survives.