The story of how the flying wing design eventually emerged in military aviation was one of innovation, setbacks, and eventual triumph. This journey is epitomized by the early flying wing bomber Northrop YB-49, from the 1940s.
The period formed under World War II was when the YB-49 was contemplated audacious approach toward minimizing drag regarding a bomber and maximizing speed.
However, the technological conditions of that time were inadequate to provide sufficient help to enable it to sustain its radical design thereby causing stability problems and resulting in a loss of operational capability.
At first as a piston-powered XB-35, this came as a jet-powered variant YB-49 at the expense of drastically reduced ranges caused by such high and voracious, fuel-guzzling engines.
Although promising, the YB-49 could not stand any ground for the new generation of bombers like the B-47 Stratojet.
Which so actively started to appear and had a series of accidents, making its fate to be canceled in 1950.
The end of the YB-49 was surrounded by rumors of sabotage and internal politics.
Jack Northrop, the man behind the design, always felt that the Air Force favored other projects.
Perhaps because he wouldn’t merge with Convair. Nothing ever did come up to authenticate those rumors, however.
It took the flying wing concept decades to finally succeed in the guise of the B-2 Spirit, a stealth bomber that unmistakably conforms to the YB-49’s shape.
Improved fly-by-wire technology eliminated the problems in stability that had bedeviled its precursor, and B-2 became a benchmark for modern strategic bombing.
Today, the B-21 Raider continues this line of thought and represents a resurrection of sorts within the U.S. bomber fleet.
As a sixth-generation bomber, the B-21 embodies state-of-the-art stealth and targeting capabilities that can be said to embody the very can-do spirit that originated with the original YB-49.
From the YB-49 to the B-21 Raider, the flying wing would represent an unyielding quest for aerodynamic efficiency and stealth in military aviation and define the future of strategic bomber design around the world.
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