There has been some buzz lately over the discovery and reconstruction of a Nazi aircraft called the Horten 229. This was one of the many impressive Nazi machines that wasn't developed until too late into the war to be fully fielded. Aside from being absolutely beautiful, this aircraft warrants special interest because it successfully employed stealth technology decades ahead of its time.

Northrop Grumman, the company that made the B-2 stealth bomber and should be cranking out new tankers right now, decided they have the unique expertise needed to evaluate the capabilities of the Ho 229. So, they gathered the prototypes and plans and spent their own money building a new one. They then tested it against the types of radar systems available at the end of World War II. Their findings were, well, humbling: the Ho 229 could have penetrated British radar nets and attacked allied targets. It's a good thing the aircraft didn't reach production before Hitler surrendered.

The Horten 229 has captured so much interest that National Geographic produced a show about it. The program, "Hitler's Stealth Fighter" will be airing this Sunday, July 5th, and promises to be very interesting.

I'm glad to hear that Northrop Grumman put forth the resources and effort to help solve this mystery. I'm sure they're enjoying good press and probably some compensation from National Geographic, but it's good that they took this opportunity to make a lasting and un-required contributed to aviation. My question now is: When do I get to see it?