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Flying wing
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{{Short description|Tailless fixed-wing aircraft that has no definite fuselage}} {{for|the Canadian football formation|Flying wing (football)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}} {{Use British English|date=May 2022}} [[File:B-2 first flight 071201-F-9999J-034.jpg|thumb|upright=1.14|The [[Northrop B-2 Spirit]] stealth bomber]] A '''flying wing''' is a [[tailless aircraft|tailless]] [[fixed-wing aircraft]] that has no definite [[fuselage]], with its crew, payload, fuel, and equipment housed inside the main wing structure. A flying wing may have various small protuberances such as pods, [[nacelle]]s, blisters, booms, or [[vertical stabilizer]]s. Similar aircraft designs, that are not technically flying wings, are sometimes casually referred to as such. These types include [[blended wing body]] aircraft and [[lifting body]] aircraft, which have a fuselage and no definite wings. Whilst a pure flying wing is theoretically the lowest-[[Drag (aerodynamics)|drag]] design configuration for a fixed wing aircraft, a lack of conventional stabilizing surfaces and the associated control surfaces make them unstable and difficult to control. The basic flying wing configuration became an object of significant study during the 1920s, often in conjunction with other tailless designs. In the [[World War II|Second World War]], both [[Nazi Germany]] and the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] made advances in developing flying wings. Military interest in the flying wing waned during the 1950s with the development of supersonic aircraft, but was renewed in the 1980s due to their potential for [[stealth technology]]. This approach eventually led to the [[Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit]] [[Stealth aircraft|stealth]] bomber. There has been continual interest in using it in the large transport roles for cargo or passengers. [[Boeing]], [[McDonnell Douglas]], and [[Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft|Armstrong Whitworth]] have undertaken design studies on flying wing [[airliner]]s; however, no such airliners have yet been built. The flying wing concept is mostly suited to [[subsonic aircraft]]. No supersonic flying wing has ever been built.
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