Northrop JB-1 Bat – Fotos e Vídeos

O Northrop JB-1 "Bat" era um míssil de cruzeiro superfície-superfície dos Estados Unidos que era um protótipo de asa voadora movida a jato. O programa MX-543 das Forças Aéreas do Exército dos Estados Unidos foi iniciado em setembro de 1942 para usar versões construídas sob licença do motor a jato de Frank Whittle (General Electric J31). A Northrop Corporation foi contratada no final de 1943, e apenas 10 fuselagens JB-1 foram construídas. Uma versão tripulada foi rebocada para o 1º voo em "27 de agosto de 1943", de Rogers Dry Lake e uma versão planadora foi lançada de um trenó movido a foguete e caiu em dezembro de 1944. Um JB-1 não tripulado alimentado por um turbojato improvisado General Electric B-1 com uma envergadura de asa de 28 pés e 4 polegadas (8,64 m) fez seu 1º voo da Ilha Santa Rosa de Eglin Field, Flórida, em 7 de dezembro de 1944, e caiu a 400 metros do lançador ferroviário.

Fonte: Northrop JB-1 Bat na Wikipédia

The Northrop JB-1 Bat was a jet-powered flying wing cruise missile developed by Northrop Corporation during World War II. It was intended to be a surface-to-surface weapon that could deliver a 900 kg (2000 lb) bomb to a target up to 400 km (250 mi) away. The JB-1 Bat was inspired by the German V-1 flying bomb, which was discovered by the Allies in 1942. The JB-1 Bat used two General Electric B-1 turbojet engines, which were derived from a turbosupercharger design. The JB-1 Bat had a wingspan of 10.4 m (34 ft) and a length of 6.4 m (21 ft). It had a maximum speed of 640 km/h (400 mph) and a cruising speed of 480 km/h (300 mph).
The JB-1 Bat was tested as a manned glider and as an unmanned missile. The first flight of the glider version took place on August 27, 1944, with test pilot Harry Crosby at the controls. The first launch of the missile version occurred on December 7, 1944, but it failed due to an engine malfunction and an improper elevon setting. The JB-1 Bat suffered from many technical problems, such as engine failures, structural complexities, and overweight issues. Northrop tried to improve the design by using a Ford pulse jet engine instead of the GE B-1 turbojet engines, resulting in the JB-10 variant. However, the JB-10 also had poor performance and reliability. The JB-1 Bat program was canceled in 1946 after only 13 flights, none of which were successful.