Talk:Northrop YB-49
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I'd get the impression that this aircraft was quite an inspiration for the B-2_Spirit , just by looking at the photo even. I also vaguely recall that Northrop had built an earlier flying wing design that even already had some stealthy properties by accident. Would the story be relating to this aircraft? Kim Bruning 13:50, 31 Mar 2004 (UTC)
[edit] Northrop YB-49
A 2001 paper shows that the YB-49 was cancelled not because of Jack Northrop's refusal to merge Northrop with Convair, but because of unceremonious postponements in the B-49 project (45% percent greater production potential, stability problems, and medium area of Northrop's manufacturing plants).
Both B-49s have been known as the YB-49, but the 1st aircraft is believed to have used an XB-49 designation, while the 2nd was designated YB-49, because of its closeness to a production version.
- It was cancelled because with the state of the art at the time it could not be made to fly right. Conventional bombing accuracy was poor and it could not carry the contemporary nuclear weapons. - Emt147 Burninate! 01:09, 5 May 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Reasons for the Cancellation
I agree that part of the reason for the cancellation of the YB-49 was Jack Northrop's refusal to become part of former General Reuben Fleet's monopoly of aircraft subsideries. Another reason for the cancellation most likely came from uncertainty concerning the stability of the YB-49. After the crash of Capt. Edwards' prototype one YB-49 and the destruction of the second prototype during a taxi run, the flying wings looked to the Air Force to be unstable and unsafe. This definately contributed to the cancellation. I also beleive that the Air Force was reluctant to spend more of their money on a design that was going out on a limb. With a standing partiality towards Consolidated Vultee, the bad reports given to the Air Force were just enough for them to decide to give up the futuristic design, which in all honesty knocked back the development of advanced aircraft thirty years, when the blended wing body design was rediscovered in the B-2. Hopefully the government will be more open minded in the future, but that is going out on a limb itself.
