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Originally Posted by rogueteens
I'm pretty sure that i've read that that plane was a "one-way" plane too. I think the reason was that as it entered high in the stratosphere to gain its long distance abilities, it was unable to regain its height after delivering its payload (using most of its fuel to get it's initial height in the first place) ..... Or something like that.
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A "one-way" aircraft is correctly defined as an aircraft which is consumed, abandoned or destroyed after it has fulfilled it's function or purpose and does not come home. The Japanese Kamikaze is the archetypal example of a "one-way" airdraft. The Amerika would have been a re-useable aircraft and so does not fit the description of a "one-way".
It should also be noted that the US did indeed continue German research into missle technology and weird aircraft. The first US space rockets were little more than glorified V-2s and the famous Northrop B-49 Flying Wing
was a developement of the German Horton Ho229V7 Night Fighter
both of which were limited by engine technology as both were caught in the progression from reciprocating engines to jets.
The USAF lied about how good the Northrop was and scrapped the project to stifle research in other countries until the US could develope better engines. The strategy worked and no one else worked up a flying wing until the B-2 Bomber:
The design of the first nuclear-powered submarine, The Nautilus, was a direct result of the German Typ XXI U-Boot; basically a Typ XXI with the Diesels replaced by a nuclear reactor.
The problem with weapons research during the Hitlerzeit was that it was not focussed and good thing it was not!
Sally.