page_title: Northrop YB-49
section_title: Specifications (YB-49)
hierarchical_section_title: Northrop YB-49 / Specifications (YB-49)
context_page_description: The Northrop YB-49 was a prototype jet-powered heavy bomber developed by Northrop Corporation shortly after World War II for service with the U.S. Air Force. The YB-49 featured a flying wing design and was a turbojet-powered development of the earlier, piston-engined Northrop XB-35 and YB-35. The two YB-49s actually built were both converted YB-35 test aircraft.
  The YB-49 never entered production, being passed over in favor of the more conventional Convair B-36 piston-driven design. Design work performed in the development of the YB-35 and YB-49 nonetheless proved to be valuable to Northrop decades later in the eventual development of the B-2 stealth bomber, which entered service in the early 1990s.
context_section_description: Data from National Museum of the United States Air Force, and U.S. Standard Aircraft Characteristics
  General characteristics
  Crew: 6
  Length: 53 ft 1 in (16.18 m)
  Wingspan: 172 ft 0 in (52.43 m)
  Height: 15 ft 2 in (4.62 m)
  Wing area: 4,000 sq ft (370 m²)
  Aspect ratio: 7.2
  Airfoil: root: NACA 65₃-019; tip: NACA 65₃-018
  Empty weight: 88,442 lb (40,117 kg)
  Gross weight: 133,569 lb (60,586 kg)
  Max takeoff weight: 193,938 lb (87,969 kg)
  Powerplant: 8 × Allison J35-A-15 turbojet engines, 4,000 lbf (18 kN) thrust each 
  (6x 5,000 lbf (22,241.11 N) Allison J35-A-19 engines on YRB-49)
  Performance
  Maximum speed: 493 mph (793 km/h, 428 kn)
  Cruise speed: 365 mph (587 km/h, 317 kn)
  Range: 9,978 mi (16,058 km, 8,671 nmi) maximum
  Combat range: 1,615 mi (2,599 km, 1,403 nmi) with 10,000 lb (4,536 kg) bombload
  Service ceiling: 45,700 ft (13,900 m)
  Rate of climb: 3,785 ft/min (19.23 m/s)
  Wing loading: 33 lb/sq ft (160 kg/m²)
  Thrust/weight: 0.23
  Armament
  Guns: 4 × .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns (to be mounted in rotating "stinger" tail cone on all production aircraft)
  Bombs: 16,000 lb (7,260 kg) of ordnance
caption: YB-49 takes to the air for the first time.
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