The N1-M was one of the prototypes developed by Northrop to refine flying wing design. This work eventually led to the XB-35 and XB-49 all-wing bombers that lost out to the B-36 in the competition for a long range strategic bomber for the USAF.
Jack Northrop began research on flying wings summer 28. 1929 and 1930, an early design with a small tail on twin booms made numerous flights and gathered much valuable flight data. Shortly after Northrop Aircraft organized 1939, design work on N-1M (nicknamed the "Jeep") began. 1940, boomerang-shaped flying scale mockup built of wood and tubular steel with wingspan of 38 ft, length of 17 ft, and height of 5 ft completed. Pitch and roll control accomplished by means of elevons in trailing edge of wing which served function of both elevator and aileron. Split flap device on wing tips took the place of conventional rudder. Wing tips originally drooped downward but were later straightened. Controlled by rudder pedals, split flaps, or "clamshells," could also be operated to increase angle of glide or reduce airspeed. Center of gravity, wing sweep, arrangement of control surfaces, and dihedral adjustable on ground.