The Northrup Flying Wing (B-49)

The B-49 was 53 feet long with a wingspan of 172 feet. It maxed out at 493 mph and had a ceiling of 45,700 feet. Early 1951 the craft was being mothballed and by 1953 all are believed to have been scraped.

The Flying Wing was envisioned as a bomber but demanded decreased post WW2. The XB-35 was developed at Muroc but only used till 1949 when the Air Force cancelled the program. The plane was sexy and modern but had problems with stability. See more at the Northrup page on the planes.

Some early sightings from 1951 reported a craft bearing a resemblance to this design but absolutely silent (see article on what was being seen in 1951).  The speed of the reported craft seems to negate the idea of a glider but that might be a possibility but if so - why no record of it? Who designed it and who was flying it around Texas and New Mexico in August of 1951?