Northrop YB-49

Flying Wing Bomber Prototype [ 1947 ]

The Northrop YB-49 jet bomber was an evolved form of the earlier piston-powered YB-35 flying wing design.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 01/29/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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The YB-49 strategic bomber prototype came about as an extension of the ultimately-cancelled XB-35/YB-35 project. The major difference between the two lines was the YB-49's switch to an all-turbojet-powered arrangement (the B-35 series relied on radial piston engines in a "pusher" configuration). Like the XB-35/YB-35 before it, the YB-49 also eventually suffered cancellation. Just two were completed with seven more remaining in various stages of conversion from the YB-35 standard at the end.

The pre-production quality YB-35 served as the basis for two YB-49 prototypes and was part of the shift of the USAAF to jet-powered forms late in World War 2 (1939-1945). The installation of eight Allison J35 turbojets (4,000lb thrust each) provided an instant increase in performance - particularly in maximum speed and altitude while reducing the operating ranges by as much as 50% when compared to the piston-powered form. The general arrowhead design was retained and the nine-person crew was now reduced to seven.

The prototype YB-49 made its maiden flight on October 21st, 1947 and showcased a promising future in testing. All gains were lost when the second airframe crashed, killing all of its crew, on June 5th, 1948 - the wing mainplanes had become detached from the fuselage section during flight, making recovery impossible. In February of 1949, a YB-49 completed a flight from Muroc AFB to Andrews AFB covering four hours and twenty-five minutes. On its return trip, half of the engines suffered issues and were shutdown.

With the termination of the YB-35 project in 1949, the YB-49 continued on. However, another crash in March of 1950 only added to the project's woes. A nosewheel collapse being blamed for the resulting accident, fire spreading from the fully-fueled aircraft. By this time YB-35 line was already under conversion to turbojet form. On the whole, the YB-49 performed excellently despite its highly publicized issues.

Like the YB-35, the YB-49 was done in by technological challenges and politics at both the industry and governmental levels. Jack Northrop, founder of the Northrop aviation concern, would not see his dream of the flying wing realized until he received an early look at the in-development B-2 "Spirit" stealth bomber just prior to his death in 1981. The Spirit was officially introduced into service in 1997 and continues to fly today (2015).

As completed, the YB-49 featured a crew of seven and dimensions were made up of a 16 meter running length, a 52.4 meter wingspan and a 6.2 meter height. Empty weight was 40,115 kilograms against a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 88,000 kilograms. Power was from 8 x Allison / General Electric J35-A-5 series turbojet engines developing 4,000 lb thrust each. Performance included a maximum speed of 495 mph, a range out to 9,980 miles (ferry), a combat radius of 1,615 miles, a service ceiling of 45,700 feet and a rate-of-climb nearing 3,760 feet-per-minute. Proposed armament was 4 x 0.50 caliber Browning M3 Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) set in a tail "stinger" position (as in the proposed XB-35/YB-35). The internal bomb load was to be 32,000 lbs, far less than the 51,000 lb war load estimated for the B-35 design.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1947

Origin

United States

Status

CANCELLED
Development Ended.

Crew

7

Production

3
UNITS

Northrop - USA

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

United States (cancelled)

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Ground Attack (Bombing, Strafing)
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.

✓ X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.

Length

52.5 ft
(16.00 m)

Width/Span

171.9 ft
(52.40 m)

Height

20.3 ft
(6.20 m)

Empty Wgt

88,405 lb
(40,100 kg)

MTOW

194,007 lb
(88,000 kg)

Wgt Diff

+105,601 lb
(+47,900 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Northrop YB-49 production variant)

Installed: 8 x Allison / General Electric J35-A-5 turbojets developing 4,000 lb of thrust each.

Max Speed

493 mph
(793 kph | 428 kts)

Ceiling

45,932 ft
(14,000 m | 9 mi)

Range

9,942 mi
(16,000 km | 29,632 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

3,758 ft/min
(1,145 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Northrop YB-49 production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

STANDARD:
4 x 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) Browning M3 heavy machine guns in tail "stinger" unit.

OPTIONAL:
Up to 32,000 lb of internal stores.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

Graphical image of an aircraft heavy machine gun

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

YB-49 - Base Series Designation; three units completed with several others ending in various states of conversion/construction prior to project termination.

YRB-49A - Proposed long-range reconnaissance model; sole example scrapped in 1953.

RB-49A - Proposed designation for YRB-49A series in service.

B-49 - Proposed in-service designation for YB-49 model

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