{"id":11491203,"date":"2026-08-12T10:52:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T08:52:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T11:12:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T09:12:26","slug":"northrop-xp-56-black-bullet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/","title":{"rendered":"L&#039;aile volante en magn\u00e9sium de Northrop qui n&#039;a jamais combattu"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style><p>Roll it out onto the sun-bleached hardpan at Muroc in 1943 and the Northrop XP-56 looked less like a fighter than a dark, headless projectile. There was almost no tail, no nose propeller, and a fat belly fin slicing the desert air. Jack Northrop called it the Black Bullet, and it was one of the most radical machines America built during the war.<\/p><p>The idea was born in 1939, when Northrop chased a flying-wing fighter with the lowest possible drag. No horizontal tail, only a stub of a vertical fin, and a pusher engine buried behind the pilot spinning a pair of contra-rotating propellers. To prove the tailless layout would even fly, Northrop first tested the little N-1M mockup, which confirmed the concept enough for the Army to order prototypes.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px 24px;margin:24px 0;border-radius:8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:15px;letter-spacing:.04em;color:#5C91FF\">FAITS RAPIDES<\/p><table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:15px\"><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 14px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">Taper<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">Single-seat prototype interceptor<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 14px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">Premier vol<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">30 September 1943<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 14px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">centrale \u00e9lectrique<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">1 x Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial, pusher, contra-rotating props<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 14px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">vitesse maximale<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">465 mph design estimate (never reached)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 14px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">Nombre construit<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">2<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 14px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">Construction<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">Magnesium airframe, Heliarc welding<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 14px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">Destin<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">One crashed; the other survives at the Smithsonian<\/td><\/tr><\/table><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Built from magnesium and desperation<\/h2><p>What truly set the XP-56 apart was its skin. With aluminium forecast to run short under wartime demand, Northrop built the airframe from magnesium, a metal roughly a third lighter but notoriously hard to weld. His team developed the Heliarc welding process to join it, a technique that outlived the aircraft and became an industry standard.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Hz0aFmCFURE\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<p>The powerplant was a compromise from the start. The exotic Pratt & Whitney X-1800 engine was cancelled, forcing Northrop to cram in a bigger, heavier R-2800 radial. The swap added weight, widened the fuselage, and cost months. The Black Bullet was already fighting itself before it ever flew.<\/p>\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img data-opt-id=632146582  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet-1.jpg\" alt=\"Surviving Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet in storage\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The surviving second Black Bullet, now in the Smithsonian collection. Photo: Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A short, unhappy flying career<\/h2><p>On 30 September 1943 the first prototype finally lifted off, plagued by a vicious yaw problem traced to poor aerodynamic stability. Just over a week later a tire blew during a high-speed taxi run and the aircraft cartwheeled across the dry lake. Test pilot John Myers walked away, crediting the polo helmet he had improvised for the job.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;Jack Northrop's Black Bullet was an attempt to radically improve combat aircraft performance by using an unconventional, near all-wing, airframe design.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Mus\u00e9e national de l&#039;air et de l&#039;espace<\/strong> &mdash; Smithsonian curatorial description<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n<p>The second prototype flew in March 1944 with a much larger fin, but it never came close to its promised 465 mph. It was nose-heavy, thirsty, and unstable, and after just ten flights the Army grounded it as too hazardous.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Y70Dh7Be__4\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<p>By 1946 jets were on the drawing board and nobody wanted a troubled propeller fighter. The surviving Black Bullet was crated up and eventually joined the Smithsonian. It sits in storage today: a menacing, beautiful dead end that pushed metallurgy forward even as it flopped as a fighter.<\/p>\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img data-opt-id=1874066045  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet-2.jpg\" alt=\"Wartime photo of the Northrop XP-56\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A wartime view of the tailless, pusher-engined XP-56. Photo: Ray Wagner Collection \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;Although it ultimately failed, the XP-56 was built using a new material, magnesium, and a new construction process, Heliarc welding.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Mus\u00e9e national de l&#039;air et de l&#039;espace<\/strong> &mdash; Smithsonian object description<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n<p>The full, strange story of the Black Bullet and the ideas it left behind:<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lnVj90Ldr5E\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<p><em>Sources: National Air and Space Museum; Wikipedia; Ray Wagner Collection.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Articles similaires<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/vought-xf5u-flying-pancake-navy-fighter\/\">Flying Pancake : le chasseur de la Marine qui n&#039;a jamais vol\u00e9<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-yb-49-flying-wing-b2-spirit\/\">Le Northrop YB-49 : L&#039;aile volante qui a p\u00e9ri pour que le B-2 puisse vivre<\/a><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Roll it out onto the sun-bleached hardpan at Muroc in 1943 and the Northrop XP-56 looked less like a fighter than a dark, headless projectile. There was almost no tail, no nose propeller, and a fat belly fin slicing the desert air. Jack Northrop called it the Black Bullet, and it was one of the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":11491218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11491203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet: Tailless WWII Gamble<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet was a tailless, magnesium pusher fighter that promised 465 mph but barely left the ground. Here is its strange story.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet: Tailless WWII Gamble\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet was a tailless, magnesium pusher fighter that promised 465 mph but barely left the ground. Here is its strange story.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-12T08:52:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-12T09:12:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet-featured.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"485\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"260\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/da89e4a5834c9a932ee20751ed75569c\"},\"headline\":\"Northrop&#8217;s Magnesium Flying Wing That Never Fought\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-12T08:52:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-12T09:12:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":570,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/08\\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet-featured.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Military Aviation\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\\\/\",\"name\":\"Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet: Tailless WWII Gamble\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/08\\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet-featured.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-12T08:52:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-12T09:12:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet was a tailless, magnesium pusher fighter that promised 465 mph but barely left the ground. Here is its strange story.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/08\\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet-featured.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/08\\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet-featured.jpg\",\"width\":485,\"height\":260},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Northrop&#8217;s Magnesium Flying Wing That Never Fought\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/da89e4a5834c9a932ee20751ed75569c\",\"name\":\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald\"},\"description\":\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald writes MiGFlug\u2019s technical deep-dives \u2014 engines, avionics and weapons systems, with every number checked twice.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/fr\\\/author\\\/maxgruenwald\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet: Tailless WWII Gamble","description":"The Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet was a tailless, magnesium pusher fighter that promised 465 mph but barely left the ground. Here is its strange story.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/","og_locale":"fr_FR","og_type":"article","og_title":"Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet: Tailless WWII Gamble","og_description":"The Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet was a tailless, magnesium pusher fighter that promised 465 mph but barely left the ground. Here is its strange story.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-08-12T08:52:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-12T09:12:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":485,"height":260,"url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet-featured.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/"},"author":{"name":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/da89e4a5834c9a932ee20751ed75569c"},"headline":"Northrop&#8217;s Magnesium Flying Wing That Never Fought","datePublished":"2026-08-12T08:52:32+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-12T09:12:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/"},"wordCount":570,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet-featured.jpg","articleSection":["Military Aviation"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/","name":"Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet: Tailless WWII Gamble","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet-featured.jpg","datePublished":"2026-08-12T08:52:32+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-12T09:12:26+00:00","description":"The Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet was a tailless, magnesium pusher fighter that promised 465 mph but barely left the ground. Here is its strange story.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet-featured.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet-featured.jpg","width":485,"height":260},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/northrop-xp-56-black-bullet\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Northrop&#8217;s Magnesium Flying Wing That Never Fought"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","name":"Afterburner - Le magazine de MiGFlug","description":"pour ceux qui s&#039;int\u00e9ressent au pilotage d&#039;avions militaires et aux sujets li\u00e9s \u00e0 l&#039;aviation","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/da89e4a5834c9a932ee20751ed75569c","name":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald"},"description":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald r\u00e9dige les analyses techniques approfondies de MiGFlug \u2014 moteurs, avionique et syst\u00e8mes d&#039;armement \u2014 chaque chiffre \u00e9tant v\u00e9rifi\u00e9 deux fois.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/author\/maxgruenwald\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11491203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11491203"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11491203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11491223,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11491203\/revisions\/11491223"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11491218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11491203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11491203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11491203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}