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The Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, introduced in 1997, captured global attention with its unique flying wing design. Since then, the United States has developed various autonomous flying wing aircraft, including the secretive RQ-170 and RQ-180. The U.S. Air Force is also working on the Northrop-Grumman B-21 Raider stealth bomber. Although the Navy's A-12 Avenger II flying wing was canceled post-Cold War, flying wing designs have been explored since the 1920s.
One such design was the Westland-Hill Pterodactyl from the United Kingdom. Designed by Captain Geoffrey T.R. Hill in collaboration with Westland Aircraft, five models were built as experimental tailless aircraft in the 1920s and early 1930s. Despite efforts to create fighter versions like the Pterodactyl V, which featured a Rolls-Royce Goshawk engine and Vickers machine guns, production did not proceed due to other issues. The Royal Aeronautical Society noted Hill's intention "to improve safety in flight" amidst frequent accidents in the Royal Air Force.
Another British attempt was the Armstrong Whitworth A.W.52, an experimental flying wing that first flew on November 13, 1947. Built by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft in the late 1940s, two jet-powered prototypes were constructed alongside a glider model to explore design feasibility. According to the Warwickshire Industrial Archeological Society, "the AW 52 glider was entirely made of wood," while aluminum was used for turbojet-powered prototypes.
