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 inherently rare due to design challenges for large passenger aircraft, but they offer advantages in military, UAV, and smaller private aviation applications.
The Horten HX-2 is a modern, two-seat flying wing with a lineage tied to aviation pioneer Reimar Horten, showcasing the potential for such designs in personal aircraft.
It demonstrates impressive fuel efficiency (e.g., 32.8 mpg), significant internal volume for cargo or future hydrogen storage, and stable handling characteristics.
Despite its promising design and potential for hydrogen-powered or unmanned variants, the HX-2's development and marketing efforts have stalled since 2020, awaiting renewed investment.
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.
