Jack Northrop and the Flying Wing: The Story Behind the Stealth Bomber - Hardcover

Coleman, Ted; Wenkam, Robert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 155778079X ISBN 13: 9781557780799

Publisher: Paragon House, 1988

Synopsis

Traces the development of the Stealth bomber for the original design for flying wing by Northrop and looks at the career of Jack Northrop, its founder

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

During World War II, Northrop (1895-1981) translated his revolutionary flying-wing concept into a practical aircraft he claimed was substantially more efficient than conventional airplanes. After the war, the Air Force was sufficiently impressed with his prototype series to order 30 production models. In 1948, Northrop was peremptorily ordered by Air Force Secretary Stuart Symington to merge his company with a competitor due to collusion, charge the authors, on the part of Symington and Convair's board chairman, Floyd Odlum. On Northrop's refusal the Air Force canceled the contract, ordered the flying-wing bombers on the assembly line scrapped, along with the production jigs and dies. Northrop was so disheartened that he went into premature retirement. Three decades later, in an irony-heavy turn of events, the government began pouring billions of dollars into the development of the supersecret Stealth bomber, based directly on Northrop's pioneering aerodynamic discoveries. The Northrop B-2, it turns out, is a flying wing. Coleman was one of the Northrop Corporation's founding directors; Wenkam is a freelance writer. Photos.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Paragon House
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 155778079X
• ISBN 13: 9781557780799
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 284