Horten Ho 229: Did Hitler really build a stealth fighter?

What you need to know: The Horten Ho 229 was a German prototype fighter-bomber developed during World War II and was often considered the world’s first stealth fighter due to its flying wing design, which reduced radar detection.

– Designed by brothers Walter and Reimar Horten and built by Gothaer Waggonfabrik, it was the first flying wing powered by jet engines. The Ho 229 had two turbojet engines, a top speed of 977 km/h (607 mph) and was armed with two 30 mm cannons.

-Only three prototypes were built and the program ended after a fatal crash in 1945. One surviving example is on display at the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia.

Horten Ho 229 – The world’s first stealth fighter?

Nasty Railroad modeling hobbyiststhe term “HO” means the most popular model railway in the world. However, in the context of the history of military aviation, ‘HO’ has a very different meaning. Say Guten Tag to the Horten Ho 229, aka the H.IX or Gotha Go 229 prototype fighter-bomber.

Had it been operational, the Ho 229 would have joined the ranks of Nazi Germany’s so-called Wunderwaffen (Wonder Weapons) of World War II, along with: the Luftwaffe’s Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe (Swallow), the world’s first operational fighter jet; the Messerschmitt Me 163 Comet (Comet), the world’s first operational rocket-powered fighter aircraft; and the Arado Ar 234 Lightning (Lightning), the world’s first operational jet bomber. Some would argue that the Ho 229, and not the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawkwas the world’s first stealth fighter, this claim is highly questionable and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Ho 229 First history and specifications

Designed by the Horten brothersWalter and Reimar, and manufactured by Gothaer Waggonfabrik (GWF), the Ho 229 made its maiden flight, in glider form, on March 1, 1944; the first actual jet-powered version flew on February 2, 1945. She was the first flying wing aircraft to be powered by jet engines.

The warbird, more specifically the H0 229A variant, had the following specifications and vital statistics:

Hull length: 7.47 meters (24.5 feet)

Wingspan: 16.76 meters (fifty-five feet)

Height: 2.81 meters (nine feet and three inches)

Maximum take-off weight: 8,100 kg (17,900 lb)

Powerplant: two Junkers Jumo 004B turbojet engines, 8.83 kN (1,990 lbs) thrust each

Maximum airspeed: 977 km/h (607 mph; 528 kn)

Combat range: 1,900 km (1,200 miles, 1,000 miles)

Armament: 2x 30 mm (1.181 in) MK 108 gun

The guns stand out because of a sharp contrast with the F-117 so-called “Stealth Fighter” and the flying wing style Northrop B-2 Ghost “Stealth Bomber” insofar as the latter two do not have air-to-air ordnance on board.

Moreover, as noted by my colleague Sebastien RoblinThe warbird even had a primitive ejection seat and a tow parachute that could be deployed during landing.

A total of three airframes were built.

Operational history

So why then do some armchair historians consider the Ho 229 the first stealth fighter, aside from its passing resemblance to the B-2 Spirit? Well, like BBC Future correspondent Stephen Dowling explains“(A) design that omits the traditional tail fin at the rear. This design helps reduce the size of the aircraft and provides a smoother shape – making it less likely to reflect radar signals to detect it.”

Okay, so what went wrong with the How 229?

“Well, simply put, the only actually powered example, as opposed to the glider version mentioned in the previous section, the life came. Some foreshadowing may have been evident during the plane’s second flight, which also included an emergency landing, requiring extensive repairs… Nearly 100 production aircraft had been ordered, but the fatal crash abruptly caused the business transaction to collapse. ‘

Where are they now?

If you either live “in the Beltway,” that is, in the Washington, DC area, or plan to visit the nation’s capital as a tourist soon, then you’re in luck; one of the three Ho 229s has been preserved for historical posterity and can be seen in the Smithsonian National Aerospace Museum‘S Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

It is a stone’s throw from Washington Dulles International Airport and I can arrange a tour personally vouch for it from multiple visits.

About the author

Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor forNational Safety Gazette(NSJ). He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, a federal law enforcement officer, and a private military contractor (with assignments in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a BA in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an MA in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from the American Military University (AMU). He has also been published inThe daily torch,The Journal of Intelligence and CybersecurityAndEasy flying. Last but not least, he is a Knight in the Order of theOrder of the Sea of ​​the United States (NOUS).

Image credits: Creative Commons and/or Shutterstock.