The flying wing was most recently marketed as an ideal platform for unmanned operations with a potential range of 2,175 miles or an endurance of 20 hours.
The sole Horten HX-2 awaits its next test flight in October 2019. [Courtesy: Jason McDowell]
Key Takeaways:
Flying wings are a rare aircraft design, facing challenges in large-scale applications like airliners but showing promise in niches such as military, gliders, UAVs, and smaller private aviation.
The Horten HX-2 is a modern, two-seat flying wing prototype demonstrating exceptional fuel efficiency (32.8 mpg) and inherent design benefits like stable center of gravity and suitability for future hydrogen power or unmanned operations.
Horten envisioned the HX-2 as the foundation for a family of aircraft, including kit versions, four-seaters, and dedicated unmanned platforms, but its development and marketing efforts have been stalled since 2020.
Cool as they are, flying wings are exceedingly rare.
Among the two dozen or so individual models that have been built over the years, only a few types have been produced in quantities of more than two or three. Fewer still were both manned and powered, and the small Horten HX-2 is a member of that exclusive group.
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Jason McDowell is a private pilot and Cessna 170 owner based in Madison, Wisconsin. He enjoys researching obscure aviation history and serves as a judge for the National Intercollegiate Flying Association. He can be found on Instagram as @cessnateur.
