The Cornelius XBG-3 was an American "bomb glider", developed by the Cornelius Aircraft Corporation for the United States Army Air Forces. Using an unconventional design that included a forward-swept wing, a single prototype was ordered in 1942; however the contract was cancelled later that year before the aircraft had been constructed.
| XBG-3 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Bomb glider Type of aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Cornelius Aircraft |
| Primary user | United States Army Air Forces |
| Number built | 0 |
| Type | Prototype |
| Serial | 42-46911[1] |
Early in the Second World War, the United States Army Air Forces initiated research into the possibility that gliders, towed by other, conventional aircraft to the area of a target, then released and guided to impact via radio control, could be a useful weapon of war.[2] Essentially an early form of (very large) guided missile,[2] the concept was similar to a Navy project underway at the same time, known as Glomb (from "glider-bomb"),[3] and led to the establishment of the 'BG' series of designations, for 'Bomb Glider', in early 1942.[2][3]
Among the designs considered for use as a bomb glider was an unconventional design submitted by the Cornelius Aircraft Company. Cornelius, having established a reputation for unconventional aircraft designs,[4] proposed a design that featured a "tail-first" configuration,[2] with canard foreplanes and a radical forward-swept wing.[3] The USAAF considered the design interesting enough to award a contract to Cornelius for the construction of a single prototype, designated XBG-3.[5] However the project was cancelled in late 1942, when the bomb glider concept was abandoned by the USAAF.[3][6]
An enlarged, tailless, forward-swept wing glider would be built by Cornelius later in the war, acting as a "flying fuel tank" for long-range bombers, as the XFG-1.[7]
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
USAAC/USAAF/USAF glider aircraft designations 1924–1962, Tri-service designations 1962–present | |||||||||||||
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| USAAC/USAAF sequences (1924-1947) |
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| 1948 USAF redesignations | |||||||||||||
| Tri-service sequence (1962-present) | |||||||||||||
1 Not assigned | |||||||||||||
United States Army Air Forces missile and guided bomb designations, 1941–1947 | |
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| Bomb gliders | |
| Glide bombs | |
| Glide torpedoes | |
| Jet bombs | |
| Vertical bombs | |