The A.W.52 emerged from wartime research into the laminar flow airfoil, which indicated that, in combination with the flying wing configuration, such an aircraft could be dramatically more efficient than traditional designs.

It was pursued to gather data and experience with the configuration in support of Armstrong Whitworth's ambitions to develop its proposed flying wing jet airliner.

Shortly thereafter, Armstrong Whitworth decided to terminate all development work, having lost confidence in the configuration's practicality and the envisioned flying wing airliner that the A.W.52 was intended to lead to.

[5] Amid the Second World War, John Lloyd of Armstrong Whitworth was approached by Ministry of Supply with a request to design a full-scale wing suitable for conducting laminar flow drag tests in a wind tunnel operated by the National Physical Laboratory.

Lloyd calculated that, the adoption of a relatively clean tailless layout in combination with a laminar wing would generate only one-third of the aerodynamic drag of a conventional aircraft, and quickly began outlining an envisioned airliner that incorporated these features.

It was decided that it should be built with a pair of anti-spin parachutes installed at the wing tips to aid in its recovery should pilots encounter severe difficulty in the aircraft's handling.

During late 1944, the Ministry of Supply had taken sufficient interest in Armstrong Whitworth's proposals that it issued a contract to the company for the production of a pair of two A.W.52 prototypes for evaluation purposes; they were nominally intended to serve as mail carrying aircraft.

Roll and pitch were controlled with elevons that extended inward from the wing tips over most (in the case of the A.W.52 about three-quarters) of the outer, swept part of the trailing edge.

To delay tip stall, air was sucked out of a slot just in front of the elevons, by pumps powered by undercarriage-mounted fans on the glider and directly from the engine in the A.W.52.

[12] The first prototype performed its first flight on 13 November 1947, powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Nene engines, each capable of generating a maximum of 5,000 lbf (22 kN) of thrust.

[3] On 30 May 1949, while diving the first prototype at 320 mph (510 km/h), test pilot John Oliver Lancaster encountered a pitch oscillation believed to be caused by elevon flutter.

[2][15] Following this incident, and in view of the relatively disappointing results that had been gathered so far, Armstrong Whitworth's management decided that no further effort would be exerted on the development of the flying wing concept.

[16] In the aftermath of Armstrong Whitworth's withdrawal, the second A.W.52 was handed over to the Royal Aircraft Establishment and transferred to RAE Farnborough, where it was used for experimental flying for several years.