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Armstrong Whitworth AW.52

1947 COLD WAR X-PLANE

History

During World War II (1939-1944), flying wings were not only the exclusive domain of the Americans and Germans, the British were also interested in full-wing systems because of the inherent advantages of this aircraft. These advantages include long service life (due to greater internal volume for fuel storage), strong buoyancy principles and extended ammunition carrying capacity. His various projects culminated in Armstrong Whitworth AW.

The 52 Flying Wing concept - although never ordered for series production - advanced British research on flying wings with two full prototypes of the program (TS363 and TS368). Armstrong Whitworth began designing his flying wings in 1943.

Committed to AW. The 52 series was before the foremost unpowered two-seat AW. The 52G glider form was towed aloft and used to develop various aerodynamic concepts associated with the completed AW. 52 jet powered mounts. The first flight of the glider took place on March 2, 1945 - a few months before the end of the war in Europe.

Gone are the days of being timely and useful, while also suffering severe deterioration, AW. 52G was eventually scrapped.

The TS368 retains the same design lines as the TS363, but adds some subtle changes to counteract the deadly ringing effect. Speed ??is not only limited by engine choice, but also in practice for sheer safety. Testing continued until 1953, after which the program was finally abandoned. The surviving airframes were subsequently used as targets for weapons testing and went down in history. Armstrong Whitworth AW thus ended.

52 programs.

When completed, the aircraft is 37.3 feet long, with a wingspan of 90 feet and a height of 14.4 feet. The kerb weight is listed at 19,660 pounds, and the fully loaded weight is closer to 34,150 pounds. Top speed is 500 mph, range is up to 1,500 miles, and service is capped at 36,000 feet.

The rate of climb is measured at 4,800 feet per minute.

AW. 52 Did not consider military service and thus never underwent weapons testing. Its contemporaries were the famous German Horten Ho 229 jet fighter-bomber in 1944, the Northrop XP-79 rocket-powered fighter in 1945, and the Northrop YB-49 prototype in 1947.

It wasn't until 1997 that the Northrop B-2 "Spirit" stealth bomber finally realized the key technology of the military flying wing, the culmination of Jack Northrop's decades of flying wing work.