The Ho 229 was designed in response to a call by Hermann Göring, the head of the Luftwaffe, in 1943 for light bombers capable of meeting the "3×1000" requirement; namely, to carry 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb) of bombs a distance of 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) with a speed of 1,000 kilometres per hour (620 mph). Only jet propulsion could achieve the required speed, but such engines were relatively primitive and very fuel-hungry, necessitating considerable effort across the rest of the design to satisfy the range requirement. The flying wing configuration was favoured by the Horten brothers due to its high aerodynamic efficiency, as demonstrated by their Horten H.IV glider. In order to minimise drag, the Ho 229 was not fitted with extraneous flight control surfaces. Its ceiling was 15,000 metres (49,000 ft). The Ho 229 was the only design that even came close to the requirements, and the Horten brothers quickly received an order for three prototypes after the project garnered Göring's approval..
Gotha developments:
Horten developments:
Ceiling
Combat RANGE
Aircraft Speed
Max Crew
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During the early 1930s, the Horten brothers had become interested in the flying wing configuration as a method of improving the performance of gliders.
n 1983, Reimar Horten stated that he intended to mix charcoal dust in with the wood glue to absorb electromagnetic waves (radar),
A jet-powered flying wing design such as the Horten Ho 229 has a smaller radar cross-section (RCS) than conventional contemporary twin-engine aircraft because the wings blended into the fuselage and there are no large propeller disks or vertical and horizontal tail surfaces to provide a typical identifiable radar signature