Horten Ho-VIII

1945

Back to the Virtual Aircraft Museum
  BOMBERVirtual Aircraft Museum / Germany / Horten  

3-View 
Horten Ho-VIIIA three-view drawing (592 x 402)

The Ho VIII was by far the largest of the Horten flying wings, and was designed as a commercial aircraft with accommodation for about 60 passengers. Originally to have had a span of 80m, it was to have been powered by six 448kW BMW pusher engines; range was estimated to be 6000km at a cruising speed of between 300 and 350km/h. A prototype was expected to fly in November 1945, but the defeat of Germany prevented its development. The concept was resurrected after the war by Reimar Horten, who went to Argentina and incorporated the idea in the unsuccessful I.A.38 tailless cargo aircraft, which flew in prototype form in 1958.

Specification 
 MODELHo-VIII
 CREW3
 WEIGHTS
  Take-off weight8000 kg17637 lb
  Empty weight5000 kg11023 lb
 DIMENSIONS
  Wingspan40 m131 ft 3 in
  Length16.5 m54 ft 2 in
  Height3.85 m13 ft 8 in
  Wing area146 m21571.53 sq ft
 PERFORMANCE
  Max. speed280 km/h174 mph
  Range w/max.fuel6000 km3728 miles

Comments
John Frazer, e-mail, 26.12.2017 17:15

Is it correct that the TOW was only 8 tonnes for the huge transport, of 80+meters?
60+troops, maybe, but not paying passengers.
4 engines of 600+horsepower are ok for a medium transport.


It's always been these which were fascinating, not the small fast fighters and medium strike bombers.
Real commercial planes are the hope for designers.

The 1960 Naranjero was hampered, being forced to use low-power engines. It was at best a powered glider, and should have been towed up to test its flight characteristics. Put to rest any guesses by uninformed viewers about it's flight handling and safety.

In 1930, Junkers drew a huge all-wing transport of 100 tons. Northrop's early '40s transport version of the bomber might have been that heavy. Fauvel in the late '30s and during the war era also designed such a huge all-wing transport.
Patents from Henter in '40 also showed designs of huge inhabitable wing land & sea planes of 120+meter spans. Henter put tails on his, so they'd have been much more likely to be stable to fly.
Burnelli in the late '40s designed huge winged & tailed lifting body transports, and since he couldn't guarantee availability of jets, he designed around 4 contra-props driven by ganged allison V-12.

reply

huaren, 21.06.2011 07:17

It looks much more as a transport plane than a passenger one and sure not for 60 people.

reply

Baltazar, e-mail, 02.06.2011 23:43

Epaaa... Ese Reimar... Será un desendiente del Ingeniero Reimar Horten?? lo que cuenta del Ho-VIII En Argentina año 1953 se llegó a construir el modelo modificado a carguero. algo más cuadrado pero la esencia del diseño intacta, llegó a volar con considerables prestaciones, una capadidad de carga de hasta 6Tn... Infelismente el desarrollo fue canselado por cuestiones politicas, posteriormente se intentó retomar el proyecto en el año 1960 donde se canseló el proyecto en forma definitiva

reply

Reimar Horten, e-mail, 31.03.2011 23:27

No- it was not built. A derivative of the concept was built in Argentina, called the "Horten /I.Ae 38 transport flying wing.
It was, along with South America's first supersonic fighter, the Pulqui, canceled post-Peron coup de'tat (pro-American government).

reply

alvaro, e-mail, 16.01.2010 23:05

Was it really build?

reply

gottardi antonio, e-mail, 14.10.2009 18:18

I think that it would have done a great show to see it flying! But ... looking at the performances' description, I am of the opinion that the engines should jhave a lot more performance: I mean in the 2000HP range each one. This ,probably, would have rised the max T.O. weight. One more of my personal opinions: It looks much more as a transport plane than a passenger one and sure not for 60 people.

reply

gottardi antonio, e-mail, 14.10.2009 18:18

I think that it would have done a great show to see it flying! But ... looking at the performances' description, I am of the opinion that the engines should jhave a lot more performance: I mean in the 2000HP range each one. This ,probably, would have rised the max T.O. weight. One more of my personal opinions: It looks much more as a transport plane than a passenger one and sure not for 60 people.

reply

Do you have any comments?

Name    E-mail


COMPANY
PROFILE


All the World's Rotorcraft


All rhe World's Rotorcraft AVIATION TOP 100 - www.avitop.com Avitop.com