Flying Wings & Radical Things: Northrop's Secret Aerospace Projects & Concepts 1939-1994
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Author: Tony Chong
Publisher: Specialty Press
ISBN: 978-1-5800722-9-8
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 276
Northrop has produced some iconic aircraft designs over the years, with the most recent example being the impressive B-2 flying wing. Going back to before the Second World War, though, Northrop has always pushed the envelope with creative yet effective designs. This new book from Specialty Press takes a detailed look at Northrop's designs, both those that made it into production and those that did not.
The book is broken down into specific chronological chapters: 1939-1945, 1946-1953, 1954-1959, 1960-1973, 1974-1980, 1981-1989, 1990-1994, and finishing with 1995-2016. Each of these breaks falls into a specific period for Northrop as a company, and the changes each brought about can be seen in their designs. Additionally, there are a couple of appendices that itemize the Northrop N-number and provide the individual aircraft specifications.
Each chapter covers both the production aircraft such as the N-3PB, B-35, and F-89, as well as many of the other project aircraft such as the N-102, N-144, and N-308. Throughout each chapter, the individual aircraft are well detailed in the text. For those designs that were put into production, there are lots of photographs showing them in both prototype and production form. The other designs are visualized through many period drawings.
Northrop's interesting history throughout the latter half of the 20th Century is a fascinating one to read, and this book does a great job of outlining the company's evolution over that period. My thanks to Specialty Press for the review copy.