50 Strangest Aircraft Ever Made

Horten Ho 229

smithsonianmagazine.com

Reimar and Wlater Horten designed the Horten Ho 229. It was a prototype flight/ bomber made for Germany during World War II. The team’s goal was to meet Reichsmarschall Göring’s request to create an aircraft that could carry 1,000 kilograms (2,200 Ib) of bombs at 1,000 kilometers per hour (620 mph). The manufacturer decided to use jet engines to match the speed of the demand. However, the Junkers Jumo 004 engine used a lot of fuel. Still, research progressed throughout the end of the war. Ultimately in 1945, the U.S. military took the V3 prototype and transported it to the U.S. Today, it is the only surviving Horten Ho 299. People can see it at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.