First flight of the XB-35 was on June 25th, 1946 but by this time World War 2 had ended with the fall of Germany in May of 1945 and the collapse of the Japanese Empire that August. Nevertheless, the Northrop product survived the large post-war drawdown of military projects and continued its development phase. During early testing, engines (provided by the USAAF directly) and propellers gave issues and the problem evolved into a sticking point between the USAAF, Northrop, engine-maker Pratt & Whitney and propeller-maker Hamilton Standard - all sides blamed the other.
Delays in the program meant that the first YB-35 did not achieve a first-flight until May 15th, 1948 and only one YB-35 ever made it airborne. Despite its performance when compared to contemporaries, interest in the flying wing bomber waned and this example was left alone until scrapped in July of 1949, ultimately joined by an incomplete YB-35 airframe in August of that year. The remaining airframes were finished to varying degrees, differing mainly by engine fits. The two XB-35 prototypes were, themselves, scrapped in August of 1949.
XB-35s served as prototypes while YB-35 were developmental craft. This left production-quality airframes to utilize the designation of "B-35" and the USAAF envisioned a fleet of 200 such aircraft but the line was never made ready in time to participate in the war. The Glenn L. Martin Company was set to assist Northrop in wartime production but this agreement proved a moot point in the XB-35's history - the B-35 would not have been made wholly ready before 1947.
With the end of the war, the USAAF inevitably began turning its interest to jet-powered types and called on Northrop to build two YB-35 aircraft into YB-49 bombers outfitted with 8 x Allison J35 turbojet engines. The move reduced operational ranges by as much as 50% but increased performance - particularly maximum speed which was raised to 520 miles per hour and operating altitudes which reached 40,000 feet. Three YB-35 aircraft were converted to the YB-49 standard, the second model crashing and killing its crew on June 5th, 1948.
YRB-49A, built from an existing YB-35, was outfitted with only six turbojets and proposed as a long-range reconnaissance platform. The USAF ordered thirty of the type and a single prototype managed a total of thirteen flights before the USAF reversed its commitment to the aircraft. The sole example was scrapped in December of 1953. Another YB-35 was used in constructing the EB-35B meant to evaluate the new in-house T37 "Turbodyne" turboprop engine driving contra-rotating propellers. This example was not furthered.
The end of the war, industry and governmental politics as well as technical challenges all contributed to the demise of the B-35 - delaying the entry of a frontline flying wing bomber for decades. Jack Northrop's dream of the flying wing bomber finally materialized through the B-2 "Spirit" introduced in 1997. Northrop was able to view the in-development creation prior to his death in 1981 - technology had finally made the flying wing concept a viable military platform and the B-2 series has gone on to find its own level of success in the conflicts of the late 1990s and the decades following.
Official performance numbers revealed for the YB-35, with its 8 x radial engine array, included a maximum speed of 393 miles per hour, a range out to 8,150 miles and a service ceiling up to 39,700 feet. Proposed armament was 20 x 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) Browning M3 heavy machine guns and an internal bomb load of 51,070 was expected. Its total crew complement numbered nine made up of two pilots, a bombardier, a navigator, flight engineer, radioman and three dedicated gunners.
The XB-35/YB-35 program was officially cancelled in 1949.
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