The Horten would not have been invisible to British radar in any normal operation. Most importantly the Grumman engineers only tested the materials of nose cone in establishing that the materials used in this laminated structure did indeed attenuate the reflected radar signal. They then came up with figures, using a full size mock up, based on the aircraft approaching the British coast at speed and an altitude below 100' which implied it would be considerably less visible than a Bf 109 (at what altitude we are left to guess). This is hardly surprising as a Bf 109 approaching at 50 -100 feet would in fact be invisible to chain home radar. Mosquitos doing the same thing the other way were just as invisible to German radars. This is a function of early radar, not the aircraft.
Incidentally the mock up is rather crude. It does not contain the substantial metal tubular frame about which a real Ho 229 was constructed for example. Jet engines were represented by thin plate. It was not finished in original lacquers and the surface finish is one of the critical elements in stealth technology.
All the Grumman tests really demonstrated was that some elements of the Ho 229's construction did possess properties that might attenuate the aircraft's radar signature and that the shape had a lower overall signature for an aircraft of this size, largely due to the lack of a fin or propellers. To state that the aircraft was truly stealthy is a somewhat wild extrapolation of the limited data.
The Horten's potential invisibility is one of those internet myths that has grown into a 'fact' by repetition. It did have a relatively lower radar signature but there were no intentional stealth features built into the Horten design and that includes the surface finish which was standard RLM (Warnecke and Bohm) lacquers. The presence of supposedly radar defeating elements in some of the bonding materials used in the construction of the Horten aircraft is likewise coincidental.
Time lines are important here. When the design was made radar was a VERY new technology and any thoughts of defeating it by stealth were well in the future. The tailess gliders the Hortens (and others like Lippisch) built, which are the direct ancestors of the jet powered 'flying wings', predate radar by several years.
The first claim for any stealth features in the Horten wings was made by one of the brothers, in Argentina, AFTER stealth technology was being developed in the US, something he was aware of. He even claimed to have deliberately added conducting materials to the bonding materials at this time.
The moral of this story is be careful in trusting the recollections a Nazi aircraft designer, particularly when he is still designing aircraft and may have a vested interest in appearing to have been further ahead of the game than he actually was.
Cheers
Steve
Incidentally the mock up is rather crude. It does not contain the substantial metal tubular frame about which a real Ho 229 was constructed for example. Jet engines were represented by thin plate. It was not finished in original lacquers and the surface finish is one of the critical elements in stealth technology.
All the Grumman tests really demonstrated was that some elements of the Ho 229's construction did possess properties that might attenuate the aircraft's radar signature and that the shape had a lower overall signature for an aircraft of this size, largely due to the lack of a fin or propellers. To state that the aircraft was truly stealthy is a somewhat wild extrapolation of the limited data.
The Horten's potential invisibility is one of those internet myths that has grown into a 'fact' by repetition. It did have a relatively lower radar signature but there were no intentional stealth features built into the Horten design and that includes the surface finish which was standard RLM (Warnecke and Bohm) lacquers. The presence of supposedly radar defeating elements in some of the bonding materials used in the construction of the Horten aircraft is likewise coincidental.
Time lines are important here. When the design was made radar was a VERY new technology and any thoughts of defeating it by stealth were well in the future. The tailess gliders the Hortens (and others like Lippisch) built, which are the direct ancestors of the jet powered 'flying wings', predate radar by several years.
The first claim for any stealth features in the Horten wings was made by one of the brothers, in Argentina, AFTER stealth technology was being developed in the US, something he was aware of. He even claimed to have deliberately added conducting materials to the bonding materials at this time.
The moral of this story is be careful in trusting the recollections a Nazi aircraft designer, particularly when he is still designing aircraft and may have a vested interest in appearing to have been further ahead of the game than he actually was.
Cheers
Steve
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