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Horten Ho XVIII (Amerika Bomber)

1945 SECRET WEAPONS OF THE LUFTWAFFE WORLD WAR 2 X-PLANE

History

Horten H. XVIII existed as a planned Luftwaffe jet bomber during World War II. The bomber is part of the "American Bomber" initiative, which calls for a transatlantic bombing platform capable of hitting distant targets - namely the United States, and contemporary German bombers are barely able to reach America's home front but threaten war in Germany The effort has been greatly troubled in Europe. The H.VIII was another "flying wing" proposal by the Holden brothers, which utilized a hybrid wing surface, but had no vertical attachments, and provided excellent internal storage for fuel and throwing artillery.

The H. XVIII carried many of the design cues established in the Holden Brothers' most memorable design, the Ho 229 flying wing that was developed until the end of the war.

While the Germans were far from developing their own atomic bomb, it is conceivable that an American bomber would be used to drop this munition over American cities. Air Force Commander Herman Goering himself thought it was an achievable goal.

Fear of the German atomic bomb prompted the Americans to first develop weapons and aircraft to deliver it - the Boeing B-29 "Superfortress".

In late 1944, the Luftwaffe considered the use of long-range bombers to disrupt U.S. participation in the war by delivering bombs to U.S. cities and factories on the Atlantic route. All the major German air defense players were considered, but none met the Luftwaffe's range requirementsGoring suggested a minimum of 6,835 miles. Approaching the requirements, the Holden brothers accepted the challenge of designing such a bomber using their intriguing flying-wing concept, which initially began testing as an unpowered glider some time ago. This led the brothers to further develop their existing Ho 229 production by simply increasing its size and adding additional engines (from the original two to six), the project was named "H.

XVIII" (p. 18). ), although this should be an unofficial marker.

The engine chosen was a BMW 003 or a Junkers Jumo 004 Turbojet, arranged in two rows of three engines (six seats abreast in total). The engines will occupy a position at the rear of the fuselage, be drawn in through six portholes on the leading edge of the fuselage and discharged at the trailing edge of the fuselage to facilitate the smooth overall profile of the aircraft's shape.

Estimated performance figures include a top speed of 560 mph and a range of 7,460 miles -- though none of those values ??have been confirmed until the end.

The top view of the aircraft consists of a slightly flattened triangle with the cockpit at the top and a three-person crew under a "greenhouse-like" canopy arrangement with a good view of the terrain ahead. The wings are swept back on their leading and trailing edges and rounded at their tips. Because the H. XVIII had no vertical surfaces, control was accomplished through a series of flaps built into the wings - that is, on the trailing edge.

The structure of the plane consists of a tubular steel frame with metal skin on the fuselage, and the wings are made of wood and glue. In its current form, the H. XVIII is designed to be a large aircraft with a wingspan of up to 138 feet.

The proposed defense is a single turret operated by a dedicated gunner. The position was equipped with 2 x 30 mm Mk 108 series automatic cannons to protect the aircraft from interception by following aircraft. The turret is located behind the cockpit to keep the crew together and improve communication between members.

Additional defense is provided by a similar turret mounted under the dorsal fitting - armed with the same weapons, designed to protect the vulnerable underside of the aircraft. The landing gear is disposable to simplify the construction and operation of the landing by means of an anti-skid system (similar to the concept of the Messerschmitt Me 163 "Komet" rocket-powered interceptor).

At a meeting in February 1945, when the war situation in Germany was critical, the H. XVIII was chosen over a competing long-range heavy bomber design. The product was named "H. XVIIIA" and engineers from Messerschmitt and Junkers participated in accelerated development. These engineers agreed that the Horten design could benefit from a more traditional dedicated vertical stabilizer attached to the rear of the fuselage for improved directional control. The brothers did not take this design decision well, and themselves committed to Hermann Goering to carry out an improved design of similar dimensions but with a larger working envelope via 4 x Heinkel HeS 011 turbojets.

Goering was so impressed that he ordered this newer design to be built as "H. XVIIIB". The Type A proposal ended up in the annals of history, with no real physical work done until the end of the war.

The overall design of the H. XVIIIB was lighter than the previous A-type and employed a conventional wheeled landing gear system that could not be discarded. It also remains stationary in flight while being encased in an assembly that is also intended to house one HeS 011 turbojet at a time.

Interestingly, the plane was designed to have no nose gear legs and was supported by its multi-wheeled main leg structure - the manufacturing process was somewhat simplified as it eliminated the more complex retractable landing gear. Once again, the multi-person crew (three people) is arranged on top of the triangular design, although now under a cleaner "bubble-like" canopy with excellent views. Defensive armament was entirely optional, as the bomber's combat altitude would counteract Allied fighter interception.

In any case, Hortens suggested installing 2 x 30mm MK 108 automatic cannons under the cockpit to please all concerned authorities. Performance estimates include a top speed of 530 mph and a range of up to 6,835 miles when flying at an altitude of 52,500 feet.

The end of the war in Europe in May 1945 ended all work on the Model B, and there was little real progress in this regard, as construction plans did not begin until that fall.

In the final revision - reportedly driven by Messerschmitt and Junkers engineers - H. XVIIIB H. XVIIIB-2 (aka H. XVIIIC) will have 6 x BMW 003 turbojets under the wings and a rear mounted turret , equipped with 2 x 20mm MK 151 cannons. Like all other drafts of H. XVIII, this one yielded nothing.

Reimar Horten resumed work in Argentina after the war, although the wartime H. XVIII program yielded nothing. He managed to further develop his flying wing concept with two DINFIA IA 38 prototypes, one of which was eventually built and made its first flight in December 1960.

The design, which shined with its engines (4 radial piston types, 450 hp each), was eventually scrapped and the hull was bewitched by a suspicious fire before being scrapped.

Research on the flying-wing concept continued throughout the Cold War, especially in the United States, where Northrop founder Jack Northrop pursued flying-wing designs for decadeseven in the prewar period The same is true, because the flying concept is not yet just a German company. This eventually gave birth to the Northrop YB-49, the precursor to today's sophisticated B-2 "stealth bomber" (detailed elsewhere on this page).