Northrop XB - 35
| The XB-35 was America's first attempt at an all-wing heavy bomber.
In the darkest days of World War II, when it appeared that Nazi Germany might well conquer Great Britain and the Soviet Union, the Army Air Forces saw the need for a large bomber with intercontinental range. Such a plane, based in the United States, must be able to cross the Atlantic and hit Germany with a large bomb load. The XB-35 was required to carry a 10,000-pound bomb load a distance of 10,000 miles. Four Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engines mounted internally, close to the leading edge. Each engine drove a pair of counter-rotating four-bladed propellers by means of a long extension shaft and a complex gearbox. The XB-35's first flight, on June 25, 1946, was a success. But that was about the only trouble-free flight the bomber was ever to have. Numerous equipment failures had already delayed the plane's development by more than a year. Only three B-35s were completed. The remainder of the initial test models were converted to jet power. |
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