Horten HX-2

The Horten HX-2 is a two seat flying wing or "Blended Wing Body" aircraft powered by a Rotax 912 iS2 engine. It was built and first flown by Horten Aircraft in 2018 as an experimental aircraft with additional flights in 2019 as part of its flight testing at the Kindel Airfield near Eisenach in Germany.

HX-2 Flying Wing during flight testing in Eisenach, Germany

Design and development

The first designs for flying wings were made at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1910, Hugo Junkers received a patent for his work on flying wings. The Horten name honors the visionary aircraft designer Reimar Horten (1915-1994).[1] He is regarded as a pioneer in the field of these aircraft and made the most significant contributions to the development of the precursor prototypes PUL-9 and PUL-10.[2]

The HX-2 has a two-seat enclosed cockpit in the centre of the carbon-fibre and glass-fibre honeycomb structure, reinforced to provide roll-over protection. The undercarriage comprises a retractable tricycle landing gear, with a ballistic parachute for emergencies.[3]

By June 2019 there were no published performance specifications for the design, but the company claimed that it would be faster and with greater range that comparable aircraft due the lower drag of its no-fuselage design.[1]

The manufacturer claimed that the design was intended to accept new technology propulsion systems, as they become available.[1]

The HX-2 was exhibited at AERO Friedrichshafen, 2019, and also at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2019.[3]

Specifications (HX-2)

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)
  • Wingspan: 10 m (32 ft 10 in)
  • Gross weight: 600 kg (1,323 lb)
  • Fuel capacity: 240 l (63 US gal; 53 imp gal)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 912 iS2 4-cylinder air-cooled horizontally-opposed piston engine, 75 kW (100 hp)

References
  1. Cook, Marc (4 June 2019). "Horten HX-2 Flying Wing To Make U.S. Debut At Oshkosh". AVweb. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  2. "PUL-10". www.nurflugel.com. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  3. Horten Aircraft. "Home". Horten Aircraft. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
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