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World War II was a time of relentless innovation in aviation, as nations raced to develop faster, deadlier, and more advanced aircraft. Among the many experimental designs that never made it past the prototype stage, few were as radical—or as problematic—as the Northrop XP-56, a jet-age concept born before jets. Nicknamed the "Black Bullet," this tailless, pusher-prop fighter was one of the most extreme aircraft ever conceived during the war, a machine that looked more like a spaceship than a warplane. But its futuristic design came at a price, and despite high hopes, the XP-56 turned out to be an engineering nightmare.
By 1940, the U.S. Army Air Corps was looking ahead to the future of air combat. Jet engines were still in their infancy, but engineers were pushing the limits of aerodynamics to create aircraft that could reach speeds never seen before. The Northrop Corporation, led by visionary designer Jack Northrop, proposed something truly revolutionary: a high-speed, heavily armed fighter with no tail, powered by a rear-mounted engine. This radical approach promised lower drag, greater maneuverability, and a compact, powerful design. The Army was intrigued, awarding Northrop a contract to build the XP-56 prototype.
The Black Bullet was unlike anything else in the sky. With its sleek, almost bat-like profile, it had no conventional fuselage or tail. Instead, it was a pure flying wing with small vertical stabilizers at the tips of its sharply swept wings. The engine—an experimental Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial—was mounted in the rear, pushing the aircraft forward instead of pulling it like a traditional fighter. This setup eliminated the need for a long fuselage and reduced drag, theoretically allowing for extreme speeds.
But theory and reality were two very different things. From the start, the XP-56 was plagued with problems. The magnesium alloy used in its construction was notoriously difficult to work with, leading to delays and structural concerns. The biggest issue, however, was stability. With no tail to provide control, the aircraft was dangerously unpredictable in flight. Engineers struggled to refine the design, tweaking the control surfaces and making adjustments, but the Black Bullet remained a handful to fly.
The first prototype took to the skies on September 30, 1943, at Muroc Army Airfield (now Edwards Air Force Base). Test pilot John Myers had little confidence in the aircraft, and his instincts proved correct. On takeoff, the XP-56 veered wildly, requiring extreme effort just to keep it under control. During a later test, a tire burst, causing the aircraft to flip over, nearly killing Myers. The second prototype was built with modifications, but the fundamental issues remained.
Despite all efforts, the XP-56 never became the high-speed interceptor it was meant to be. By 1944, jet engines had become a reality, rendering prop-driven speed experiments obsolete. The Army lost interest, and after a few more dangerous test flights, the project was abandoned.
The Black Bullet was a failure, but it wasn’t a wasted effort. The lessons learned from its unconventional design would later influence Northrop’s groundbreaking flying wing bombers and, eventually, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. The XP-56 was ahead of its time—so far ahead that the technology needed to make it work simply didn’t exist yet. Today, the lone surviving prototype sits in the Smithsonian, a reminder of an era when engineers dared to push the limits of what was possible, even if it meant creating an aircraft that was more nightmare than dream.