Thread by @YNot_1989

Here's a random timeline: #WhatIf Reimar Horten was able to follow through with his plan to create Radar Absorbent Material during WWII for the Ho 229? #aviation #alternatehistory (1)

At the end of the war, a nearly complete Ho 229 is found and captured by the Americans and transported to the US during Operation Seahorse, along with samples of Horton's RAM. (2)

Once back in the US the Ho 229 and its test data are extensively studied, particularly with regard to its claims of low radar visibility. Horton's RAM is tested in flight on one of the 3 YB-49 Flying Wings in 1947. (3)

The use of RAM confirms that it is possible to create stealth aircraft. The military begins quietly exploring stealth aircraft designs. The first is the RB-49A, a production version of the YB-49 to be used as a reconnaissance aircraft. (4)

Northrup, after a shotgun marriage to Convair puts the RB-49A into full production in 1948. The B-36 Peacemaker goes into a more limited production than in OTL and the now Convair-Northrup B-49 goes into production in 1949. (5)

The B-49 and its variants are generally regarded as the first production Stealth aircraft. 228 airframes are built and become the backbone of SAC after edging out the 156 airframes of the B-36. (6)

Convair-Northrup gain a contract to create a stealth interceptor and uses the XP-79 as the basis for the design, but reduce its tail and narrow the aspect ratio of its air intakes to reduce radar cross section. The finished product the F-92 Nighthawk (7)

The Nighthawk would first see service in the Korean War, and the Air Force quickly found its performance to be lacking as a fighter. It served far better as an attack aircraft. (8)

Post-war the Air Force reduced its orders of the F-92 from 1500 aircraft to the ~500 airframes that had already been built. Pilots hated the plane, as yaw damping autopilot, necessary for it to remain stable in flight, severely reduced maneuverability. (9)

Despite its problems the F-92 would remain in service until 1963. The lessons from the F-92 and B-49 would go on to influence the North American F-108 Rapier, the first production stealth aircraft to not be a Flying Wing. (10)

The F-108 was originally slated for cancellation due to a heavy price tag ($5 Billion at the time of its adoption in 1959). However, the Eisenhower administration pushed the aircraft into production when the Soviets debuted their first stealth bomber the Tu-22 Blinder. (11)

The Blinder was the first supersonic stealth aircraft to be put into production. However the Soviets only ever built 109 air frames. 4,100 F-108 Rapiers would be built to intercept it. (12)

A biproduct of the success of the B-49 was the introduction of commercial aircraft using the flying wing design. Convair-Northrup debuted the CN880 in 1960 as a flying wing in this timeline. (13)

https://twitter.com/northropgrumman/status/1088859048651513856

The lower weight and drag of a flying wing inherently reduces fuel consumption, which made the CN880 very attractive to commercial airliners, beating out the Boeing 707 to become the basis for all successive commercial aircraft. (14)

Successors to the CN880 eventually adopted more of a blended-wing-body configuration to improve capacity and improve ease of loading passengers. (15)

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