Northrop Low-Altitude Penetrator (LAP) (1979)

Scale: 1/144
Initial Release: 2020
Medium: Resin 
Kit Rarity: 2

About the Design

During the early days of the B-2 Stealth Bomber's development, many designs -- and missions -- were considered for what everyone knew would be a radical radar-elusive aircraft.

The first question both Northrop and Boeing -- which were competitors for the Air Force contract -- had to answer was: Do we want to propose a high-altitude bomber or a low-altitude penetrator? The nature of the mission would ultimately determine the aircraft's overall design.

Early design studies from Northrop suggested that their Low-Altitude Penetrator (LAP) would have been far narrower and sleeker than the high-altitude version ultimately proposed, making it faster but considerably less fuel-efficient, giving it a significantly shorter range. It's therefore no wonder why this B-2 alternative wasn't aggressively pursued.

About the Kit

This 1:144 scale kit was released by Fantastic Plastic models in mid-2020. Designed in CAD by Scott Lowther, it contained both cast resin and 3D printed parts.

This model was built from the original issue.