Northrop XP-79

The idea for Northrop XP-79 originated in 1942. John K. Northrop created this aircraft which was intended to be a near-sonic-speed flying wing fighter aircraft powered by a rocket engine. In January 1943, a contract for three prototypes designation XP-79 was issued by the USAAF. Glider prototypes were built in order to test the radical design.

Originally, a 2,000 lbf (9 kN) thrust XCALR-2000A-1 “rotojet” rocket motor supplied by Aerojet was designated to be used. It used monoethyl aniline and a red fuming nitric acid. Since, the liquids were corrosive and toxic, Northrop chose to construct the aircraft out of a non-critical war material, magnesium alloy. It featured a monocoque structure (to protect the pilot if the plane was damaged in combat) with a ⅛ in (3 mm) skin thickness at the trailing edge and a ¾ in (19 mm) thickness at the leading edge.

Large horizontal wing surface area with twin vertical tail surfaces at rear clearly dominated the design of the XP-79. The pilot had to lie in an awkward in an unpressurized cockpit situated between the two turbojets. The theory on the basis of which such a kind of seating arrangement was conceived was that the pilot would be able to withstand more G forces upon his body, around 20 G’s. Also, to allow for a potent aerial interception platform.

Its first flight on 12 September 1945 proved fatal for the test pilot Harry Crosby because after a fifteen minutes flight, the XP-79B entered what appeared to be a normal slow roll from which it never recovered. With the destruction of the sole XP-79B, the program was canceled.

Specifications