Northrop N-9MB

Northrop N-9MB
Pays	Usa
Rôle	Prototype d’aile volante
Premier vol	Le 27 décembre 1942
Construit	4

Lla Northrop N-9M était un avion toutes ailes d’environ un tiers de portée de 60 pi utilisé pour le développement d’un bombardier lourd à longue portée de 172 pi d’envergure Northrop XB-35 et yb-35 à longue portée. Volé pour la première fois en 1942, le N-9M (M pour modèle) était le troisième d’une lignée de conceptions d’avions Northrop toutes ailes qui a commencé en 1929 lorsque Jack Northrop a réussi à faire des expériences précoces avec son hélice à poussoir unique, à double queue, bi-boom, tous stressés peau métallique Northrop Flying Wing X-216H monoplan, et une décennie plus tard, le double-prop N-1M de 1939-1941. Northrop’l’avion tout-ailier pionnier conduira Northrop-Grumman de nombreuses années plus tard à développer le bombardier furtif avancé B-2 Spirit, qui a fait ses débuts dans l’inventaire de la Force aérienne en 1989.

Source: Northrop N-9Mb sur Wikipedia

Northrop N-9MB flying wing Walk Around
Photographe	Cees Hendriks
Localisation	Inconnu
Photos	19

Northrop N-9MB 01

Northrop N-9MB 02

Northrop N-9MB 03

Northrop N-9MB 04

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Northrop N-9MB 09

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Voir aussi :

Northrop N9MB Flying Wing Walk Around
Photographes	John Heck, Vladimir Yakubov
Localisation	Inconnu
Photos	36

Northrop N9MB Flying Wing Walk Around
Photographe	Vladimir Yakubov
Localisation	Machines de rêve de côte du Pacifique
Photos	47

A Scale Model for a Giant Ambition

Lla Northrop N-9M was a family of approximately 1/3-scale flying wing aircraft developed to provide flight test data for the massive XB-35 Et YB-49 bombers. The N-9MB was the fourth and final aircraft in the series, featuring more powerful engines and refined aerodynamics. By eliminating the fuselage and tail surfaces, Jack Northrop aimed to create an aircraft with the absolute minimum of parasitic drag, though the design presented extreme challenges in stability and control for the era.

Attribute	Technical Specification (N-9MB)
Rôle	Experimental Proof-of-Concept Aircraft
Crew	1 (Pilot)
First Flight (N-9M Series)	December 27, 1942
Groupe motopropulseur	2 × Franklin 0-540-7 eight-cylinder engines
Horsepower	300 hp (224 kW) per engine
Envergure	60 feet (18.3 m)
Vitesse maximale	258 mph (415 km/h)
Construction	Wood (Wings) and Welded Steel Tubing (Center section)

Engineering the Pure Wing

Lla « Elevon » Control System: Without a tail, the N-9MB used elevons—surfaces that combined the functions of elevators (pitch) and ailerons (roll). These were located on the trailing edge of the wing.
Split Flap Rudders: For yaw control (steering left/right), the aircraft utilized « clamshell » or split flaps at the wingtips. Opening one side created drag that pulled the wing in that direction, acting as a rudder without the need for a vertical fin.
Pusher Configuration: To keep the airflow over the wing as « clean » as possible, the engines were mounted internally with the propellers at the rear, pushing the aircraft forward.
Leading-Edge Slots: To combat the inherent stability issues of a flying wing at low speeds, the N-9MB featured fixed slots on the leading edges of the wingtips to prevent tip-stalling.

The Legacy of a Visionary

Data for the Bombers: The N-9M program successfully proved that a large flying wing could be flown, though it revealed that the design was highly sensitive to the center of gravity and prone to « tumbling » if pushed beyond its limits.
The Yellow Paint: The N-9MB was famously painted in a high-visibility yellow and blue scheme, making it easier for ground observers to track its orientation during complex test maneuvers.
The B-2 Spirit Connection: Decades later, when the B-2 Stealth Bomber was designed, engineers used the flight data and concepts pioneered by the N-9M. When Jack Northrop was shown a model of the B-2 shortly before his death, he reportedly wrote on a pad: « Now I know why God kept me alive for 25 years. »
The Final Loss: For many years, the N-9MB was the only flying example of a Northrop flying wing in the world, maintained by the Planes of Fame Air Museum. Tragically, it was lost in a crash in 2019, leaving no airworthy examples of this historic series remaining.