Horten Flying Wings

[GTX]

Hi folks,

How about some whiffs for aircraft that are essentially whiffs themselves (i.e. these never made it to operational service anyway, so anything in operational service would be a whiff here)?  I'm thinking especially of Horten Ho-IX (or Gotha Go 229 or Ho 229 - call it what you will), though other Horten flying wings are welcome too.

To start here are some ideas, I'm playing with:

• A captured version test flown by the Soviets;
• An Argentine version - Reimar Horten emigrated to Argentina after all;
• A two seat (Ho IXb) version dedicated to stealthy night attack, possibly using a developed IR sight and guided bombs (say Fritz-X's or developments thereof) - kind of like a WWII equivalent to the F-117 or B-2;
• A Japanese version; and/or
  
• A carrier based version.

What other ideas do you have - what modifications might you make?  I for one have always disliked the nose landing gear which looks far too large and out of scale.




Regards,

Greg

[dy031101]

I like the idea #3.

Otherwise...... Ho XVIIIA and Ho XVIIIB- cruise missile platform and inflight refueling tanker.

[frank2056]

I like the Argentinian version, with maybe a turboprop? That would probably destroy the lines, though.

[GTX]

Not necessarily - you could have a pusher turboprop setup somewhat like the earlier Horten Ho-VII:





Regards,

Greg

[MAD]

Hi folks,




What other ideas do you have - what modifications might you make?  I for one have always disliked the nose landing gear which looks far too large and out of scale.


Regards,

Greg

I have to agree with you 110% about that ridicules landing gear arrangement!
It's over sized, heavy and space consuming.
I have always loved this design – minus the landing gear also!
A smaller twin-wheel arrangement on both the nose gear and main gear would be far better – say like that of the He-219 Owe?
I'm sure (and hope) that this arrangement would have been only for prototype development.

M.A.D

[K5054NZ]

Yay! I've loooooooooved the Ho.IX ever since I laid eyes on it at age 15. Gorgeous machine. Just looks right.

Re scheme, an Argentine one would be cool.

Barbarossa II?

A Horten airliner for the "Fatherland"-era Lufthansa would be sweet.

Heck, ANY Horten IX in any scheme is good.

Hehe......RNZAF green/green/grey.....

[gooberliberation]

What other ideas do you have - what modifications might you make?  I for one have always disliked the nose landing gear which looks far too large and out of scale.

Well, since the nosegear was plucked off a Heinkel 177, I'd hope that production models would have differently sized wheels. The goofiness of the wheel is why I'm planning on building mine with the gear up.

How about a postwar eastern-bloc copy, made by the likes of Avia or PZL in appropriate markings?

[dragon]

I have built one in Japanese markings (I have displayed it here a number of times).  It has a pair of underwing cannons fron a tank buster Stuka.  I would have added the German version of air-to-air missiles for the time too, but was unable to find any.  It looks cool though!

[Mossie]

How about photo recce or high altitude interceptor?  The aircraft had a very impressive ceiling, it'd be able to overfly Britain with virtual impunity.

As for other types, I often thought of getting hold of Unicraft's IAe.38 Narenjero & doing it up in Luftwaffe colours as a transport.  I've found this version on the net, seems larger than the Naranjero & closer to some of the other Horten designs:

[Mossie]

Maybe replace it with an extendable gear?

[Ed S]

The aircraft has the big nosegear as deltas and flying wing aircraft have a high angle of attack on landing and take off.  Whilst I know virtually bugger all about aerodynamics, I'd say that the bigger nosegear would give a shorter take off run.

Probably true, but that wheel just looks way out of scale for the a/c.  They could always do a nose gear strut extension like the RN did with their Phantoms.

Ed

[TsrJoe]

something different ...

[dy031101]

There's always the scenario where Hitler got "no-factored" and Germany escaped Treaty of Versailles the hard(er) way......

Like, C&C Red Alert......

[PanzerWulff]

If I remember part of the reasoning for the nose gear and wheel was to keep the engine intakes well away from the ground while operating from rough improvised airfields,as the bulk of germanys airfields were being pummeled at the time
"Panzer"

[kitbasher]

I've made a start on a PM Ho229 with smaller wheels, a new canopy and new nose as an Armstrong-Whitworth flying wing alternative to the Meteor night fighters.  Callng it the 'Manta'.