Northrop N-9MB – Photos & Video

The Northrop N-9M was an approximately one-third scale, 60-ft span all-wing aircraft used for the development of the full size, 172-ft wingspan Northrop XB-35 and YB-35 flying wing long-range, heavy bomber. First flown in 1942, the N-9M (M for Model) was the third in a lineage of all-wing Northrop aircraft designs that began in 1929 when Jack Northrop succeeded in early experiments with his single pusher propeller, twin-tailed, twin-boom, all stressed metal skin Northrop Flying Wing X-216H monoplane, and a decade later, the dual-prop N-1M of 1939–1941. Northrop’s pioneering all-wing aircraft would lead Northrop-Grumman many years later to eventually develop the advanced B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, which debuted in Air Force inventory in 1989.

Source: Northrop N-9MB on Wikipedia

The Northrop N-9MB was a remarkable aircraft that pioneered the concept of flying wing design. It was a one-third scale model of the Northrop XB-35, a proposed long-range heavy bomber that never entered service. The N-9MB was used to test the aerodynamics, stability and handling of the all-wing configuration, as well as to train pilots for the future bomber. The N-9MB had a wingspan of 60 feet and was powered by two Menasco or Franklin engines, depending on the variant. It first flew in 1942 and made 45 flights in five months, before the first prototype crashed and killed the pilot. Three more N-9MBs were built and flown until 1945, when the XB-35 program was cancelled. The N-9MBs were then scrapped or abandoned, except for one that was restored and flown by the Planes of Fame Air Museum until 2019, when it also crashed and killed the pilot. The N-9MB was an important step in the development of flying wing technology, which would later lead to the Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.