preface
The aircraft was a precursor to the B-2 Phantom bomber and the F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter.
B-2 Phantom
F117 Nighthawk
The Ho 229 is a prototype designed by the brothers Lymar and Walter Horton at the end of World War II and produced by Gotha. It was the first flying wing aircraft propelled by a jet engine and could evade radar detection. It was the first fighter to have a similar stealth technology, but the stealth performance of the aircraft was actually a windfall from the flight wing appearance and was not deliberately designed.
If you search for the Ho229, you'll see an aircraft with a great look and flying wing design. This aircraft was actually the grandfather of the B-2 bomber and F-117 stealth fighter as we know it today. The Horton brothers studied the flying wing glider before the war, and in 1941 the Horton brothers applied this design concept to the first H.IV glider.
In 1943 Luftwaffe Field Marshal Göring issued a request for a proposal for a bomber that could carry 1,000 kg of bombs at a speed of 1,000 km/h, fly to destinations 1,000 km away, and climb to altitudes of 15,000 meters. Horton believed that the flying wing could achieve this goal, so they proposed their own flying wing plan, which was accepted by the Air Force. The only change they made was to add two 30mm guns to the front of the aircraft, as they thought the aircraft could also be used as a fighter.
It can be said that the Horton brothers conceived of the flying wing aircraft as one of the most remarkable fighters of the time. Powered by two Junkers Jumo 004B turbojet engines, the Ho-229 has a top speed of 600 mph and an impressive cruising speed of 560 mph. Early test flights proved the application prospects of jets.
However, on February 18, 1945, the only flyable prototype was damaged in an accident where the pilot had tried to save the aircraft but eventually crashed outside the borders of the airbase, and the pilot, Lieutenant Zeller, was thrown out and died in hospital two weeks later. Despite this, the project continues unabated, and the development of a third prototype, the Ho 229 V3, is still in full swing. However, germany was already in full swing, and when Germany was captured, the prototype was captured by the United States and shipped to the United States as part of Operation Seahorse.
A prototype captured by the United States
Prototype in the museum
The Ho-229 V3 prototype was the only survivor. The plane was largely completed when it was captured by the U.S. military, and two Junkers Jumo 004B engines were already installed on the fuselage. This prototype is a reminder of how advanced German technology was at the time.
If the Ho 229 does get into combat service, it could catch the Allied Air Force off guard. It's sure to be faster than anything the Allies have for a while, which makes it almost whatever it wants, unless it's defeated on takeoff or landing. It was also one of the most advanced aircraft of its time, with a flying wing layout on stealth fighters and stealth bombers for many years. The fact that a thing can survive for so long is a great thing in itself.