Reply to post: Re: So they finally understood the Horten Ho 229

US Air Force reveals B-21 Raider stealth bomber that'll fly the unfriendly skies

LogicGate Silver badge

Re: So they finally understood the Horten Ho 229

Two prototypes worked, one of which was an unpowered glider.

V2 flew, and underwent very limited testing before it crashed, most likely due to engine fumes leaking into the cockpit.

V3 was captured almost completed, and is now at Dulles. Last time I looked at it, they had still not started restauration.

While the low wing loading led to higher turn rates than those of the 262, I suspect that low pitch stability would have made it a bad gun platform.

The what.-ifs make for interesting discussions, but most likely, the aircraft would have been a flop.

The Horten brothers were innovative, but they were also very good at grifting project funding from friends high up in NSDAP.

(It must be noted that Willy Messerschmitt also had substantially better connections than, for example, Ernest Heinkel, and he used these ruthlessly, to the detriment of Luftwaffe)

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon