Horten H III f

Horten H III f, originally uploaded by cliff1066™.

Cei mai buni ingineri specializati pe reconstruirea avioanelor de epoca, au reusit sa reproduca fidel ultima speranta a lui Adof Hitler de a castiga razboiul. Specialistii l-au recreat pe Horten 2-29, avionul secret al regimului nazist, a carui productie in masa a fost declansata prea tarziu pentru ca Hitler sa mai poata castiga cel de-al doilea Razboi Mondial.
Horten 2-29 a fost tinut secret de Aliati pana in zilele noastre, acesta fiind cea mai puternica arma dezvoltata in cea de-a doua Conflagratie Mondiala. Numerosi experti sunt de parere ca avionul de razboi era atat de avansat si futurist incat daca ar fi fost construit in serie, istoria Terrei ar fi aratat astazi altfel decat o stim.. Pentru realizarea unei copii perfecte, echipei de experti i s-a pus la dispozitie singurul avion Horten 2-29 existent in prezent in lume si detinut timp de 50 de ani intr-o baza secreta a armatei americane. Aripile avionului Ho 2-29 seamana suspect de mult cu cele ale bombardienrului american B-2. Alcatuit in mare parte din lemn, avionul invizibil al nazistilor avea o viteza maxima de 970 km./h. Armele sale constau in doua bombe de 500 kilograme fiecare, si patru tunuri automate de 30 mm. Primul Ho 2-29 a zburat cu succes in ajunul Craciunului anului 1944, Lufftwaffen-ul neputandu-se folosi de aceasta arma revolutionara. Conform lui Tom Dobrenz, un expert antiradar din cadrul Northro Grumman, design-ul avionului favorit al lui Hitler prezinta avantaje majore chiar si pentru radarele militare din zilele noastre. Echipa de ingineri germani care l-a proiectat detinea de asemenea informatii capitale pentru producerea unui avion de vanatoare care sa se strecoare in teritoriul inamic neobservat de radare. Pe scurt, Horten 2-29 a fost primul avion din lume destinat sa fie un vanator invizibil de succes in lupta aeriana.

Reimar Horten continued to refine his line of all-wing sailplanes by building at least eighteen examples of the Horten III beginning in 1938. Horten fitted this example, called the Horten III f, with a flat-prone couch for the pilot and he probably assigned Werk Nr. 32 to the sailplane when he finished it in 1944 at Göttingen. This Horten III f, the Horten VI V2, and the Wright brothers 1903 Flyer are the only airplanes in NASM collections configured for prone pilotage. To mount the aircraft, a pilot stretched flat on his stomach, bent slightly at the waist and knees, and rested his feet on rudder pedals hinged above his heels. A padded chin rest supported his head which projected into the leading edge of the wing. Clear plastic panels formed the leading edge for several feet above, below, and to either side of the pilot. Visibility was excellent and drag greatly reduced.

In the 30's, the Horten brothers became interested in flying wings due to low drag (which was extremely helpful in glider design).

They eventually produced the Ho 229, which was the only plane to come close to Göring's requirement for a plane that could go 1000 km with 1000 kg of bombs at 1000 kph.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horten_brothers