Combat Aircraft Projects & Designs - Index in 2nd post

[AUSTERLITZ]

i think some of the earlier pics are broken.

 

[Manticore]

i think some of the earlier pics are broken.

i had made those old graphs myself .. will upload them again if ive saved them somewhere

 

[AUSTERLITZ]

i had made those old graphs myself .. will upload them again if ive saved them somewhere

Thank you,this thread is some serious devotion.I haven't gone through it all.But watched the documentaries last night..very informative.

 

[Manticore]

Thank you,this thread is some serious devotion.I haven't gone through it all.But watched the documentaries last night..very informative.

you are on a roll today! generally members dont post in threads where they cant sling mud, these days. However visitors do see these threads.
thanks for the ratings

 

[The SC]

Bird of Prey

The Bird of Prey project began at the Phantom Works in 1992, and the aircraft made its first flight eight months earlier than the X-36 on September 11, 1996. Unlike the publicly acknowledged NASA X-36, the Bird of Prey was a classified program, funded by the contractor but apparently managed by the US Air Force. Like Tacit Blue, it was successfully obscured from public view until its flight test program concluded in April 1999 after forty successful flights.

The Bird of Prey program, like many of the projects that have come out of the Phantom Works, utilized rapid prototyping techniques to cut both costs and development time. According to the company, the program "pioneered breakthrough low-observable technologies and revolutionized aircraft design, development and production." The Bird of Prey was also one of the first aircraft programs to "initiate the use of large, single-piece composite structures; low-cost, disposable tooling; and 3D virtual reality design and assembly processes to ensure the aircraft was affordable to build as well as high-performing."

The aircraft was not, however, one to push the edge of the performance envelope. The Bird of Prey had a reported cruising speed of 300 mph and a modest service ceiling of 20,000 feet. The aircraft was 47 feet long and had a wingspan of about 23 feet. It weighed about 7,400 pounds and was powered by an off-the-shelf Pratt & Whitney JT15D-5C turbofan engine.

 

[The SC]

X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft

Project Summary

The unusual lines of the X-36 technology demonstrator contrast sharply with the desert floor as the remotely piloted aircraft scoots across the California desert at low altitude.
The NASA/Boeing X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft successfully completed a 31-flight research program at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA, in November 1997. The X-36 project team developed and demonstrated the tailless fighter design using advanced technologies to improve the maneuverability and survivability of possible future fighter aircraft. The X-36 program met or exceeded all project goals.

In a follow-on effort, the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) contracted Boeing to fly AFRL's Reconfigurable Control for Tailless Fighter Aircraft (RESTORE) software as a demonstration of the adaptability of the neural-net algorithm to compensate for in-flight damage or malfunction of effectors, i.e., flaps, ailerons and rudders. Two RESTORE research flights were flown in December 1998, proving the viability of the software approach.

Accomplishments

The first flight of the X-36 occurred on May 17, 1997, with the final flight closing the original program on Nov. 12, 1997. A total of 31 safe and successful research flights were flown during that 25-week period, accumulating a total of 15 hours and 38 minutes of flight time and using four different versions of flight control software. The aircraft reached an altitude of 20,200 feet and a maximum angle of attack of 40 degrees.

The X-36 project team examined the aircraft's agility at low speed/high angles of attack and at high speed/low angles of attack. The X-36's speed envelope reached up to 206 knots (234 miles per hour); the aircraft was very stable and maneuverable and handled very well at both ends of the speed envelope.

For the follow-on RESTORE program, two flights were flown with the adaptive neural-net software running in conjunction with the original proven control laws. Several in-flight simulated failures of control surfaces were introduced as a problem for the reconfigurable control algorithm. Each time, the software correctly compensated for the failure and allowed the aircraft to be safely flown in spite of the degraded condition.

Technical Specifications

The X-36 is a 28-percent scale representation of a theoretical advanced fighter aircraft configuration. The Boeing Phantom Works (formerly McDonnell-Douglas) in St. Louis, MO, built the X-36, in a cooperative agreement with NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA. It was designed to fly without the traditional tail surfaces common on most aircraft. Instead, a canard forward of the wing is utilized, in addition to split ailerons and an advanced thrust-vectoring nozzle for directional control. The X-36 is unstable in both the pitch and yaw axes; therefore, an advanced, single-channel digital fly-by-wire control system, developed with some commercially available components, stabilizes the aircraft.

Fully fueled, the X-36 prototype weighs about 1,250 pounds. It is 19 feet long and three feet high with a wingspan of just over 10 feet. A Williams International F112 turbofan engine provides about 700 pounds of thrust. A typical research flight lasts approximately 35 to 45 minutes from takeoff to touchdown.

Using a video camera mounted in the nose of the vehicle (and an on-board microphone), the X-36 is remotely-controlled by a pilot in a ground station virtual cockpit. A standard fighter-type head-up display (HUD), in addition to a moving-map representation of the vehicle's position within the range, provides excellent situational awareness for the pilot. This pilot-in-the-loop approach eliminates the need for expensive and complex autonomous flight control systems and the risks associated with their inability to deal with unknown or unforeseen phenomena once in flight.

Teamwork

The X-36 project team, consisting of employees from Boeing, and NASA's Ames and Dryden Research Centers. The project was an unparalleled accomplishment for a remotely-piloted aircraft program.

Ames and the Phantom Works developed the technologies required for tailless agile flight beginning in 1989. Based on positive results of extensive wind tunnel testing and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, McDonnell-Douglas in 1993 proposed building the remotely-piloted scale aircraft technology demonstrator to validate the advanced technologies in a real flight environment.

In 1994, the Phantom Works began fabrication of the two X-36 vehicles using rapid prototyping techniques in its St. Louis facility. NASA and Boeing were full partners in the project, which was jointly funded under a roughly 50/50 cost-sharing arrangement. The combined program cost for the development, fabrication, and flight testing of the two prototype aircraft was approximately $21 million. Ames led the X-36 program providing government oversight. In the flight test phase, Dryden provided the flight test experience, infrastructure and range support.

Funding

The X-36 Program received its funding from NASA's Office of Aero-Space Technology (OAT) in Washington, DC, and from The Boeing Company.

 

[Manticore]

The Best Fighter of its Generation (1935-1945): Messerschmitt Bf 109

By Chuck Hawks
Messerschmitt Bf 109 - Best Fighter of its Generation

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10. Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.
The piston-engine fighter planes developed shortly before and during the Second World War proved to be the last and greatest of their type. By the end of World War II, the first generation of jet fighters was coming into service in the air forces of the major powers. The new jets would very quickly sweep aside the last generation of piston-engine fighters in first line service, although the most numerous and successful of the old types would serve in second line service (mostly in the ground attack role) and in smaller air forces for many years after the War. These long lived types included the Bf 109, P-51 Mustang, F4U Corsair, Yak 3/9 and Spitfire. All are worthy of consideration as representing the best fighter of their generation.

However, my choice--and the subject of this article--is Willy Messerschmitt's Bf 109. I am not alone in this choice, as the well known aeronautical engineer, WW II aviation authority and best selling aviation author, Martin Caidin, was of the same opinion.

I would argue that the Bf 109 (also and equally well known as the Me 109) deserves to be considered at the top because of its innovative design, adaptability, longevity in service, huge production numbers (almost 35,000, making the 109 the most produced fighter of WW II by a wide margin) and historical importance. From the Bf 109's entry into service at the end of 1936 in the Spanish Civil War to the end of the Second World War in 1945 and the Israeli War of Independence in 1948, the 109 remained a front line air superiority fighter. This long run remains unprecedented in a time of rapid technological advances and extreme pressure, as the world's foremost military powers fought for their very survival.

Willy Messerschmitt and Walter Rethel designed the Bf109 in response to an official government request for a monoplane fighter. They, sensibly, designed their new fighter around the smallest airframe (length 28 feet, wingspan 32 feet) that could accommodate the most powerful motor available at the time, the liquid-cooled 680 HP Junkers Jumo 210A. This design philosophy was to serve the new fighter well during its long combat career.

The Bf 109 V1 prototype first flew on 28 May 1935. It was the first fighter to incorporate all of the features that would make the final generation of piston-engine fighters so successful during the Second World War. It was an all metal, stressed skin monocoque, single seat, monoplane fighter with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear.

The "B," "C" and early "D" Bf 109 versions were powered by Jumo engines, but the late production 109-D models introduced the Daimler Benz DB-600 series motors with which all subsequent Bf 109 versions were to be equipped. This superb inverted V-12 engine was able to keep pace with the best of the Allied V-12's throughout the war. The DB-601A fitted in the Bf 109E-1 (1939) produced 1175 HP and the DB-605DCM fitted in the Bf 109K-4 at the end of the war (1945) produced 1800 HP (over 2000 HP emergency power with MW-50 methanol-water injection).

The Bf 109's most famous and successful early contemporary was probably the Hawker Hurricane Mk. I, a single seat monoplane fighter with an enclosed cockpit and retractable undercarriage that trailed the Bf 109 into service by a year or more. However, the Hurricane was a hybrid mix of old and new technology, as its fuselage was built on a tubular metal frame and fabric covered. Although a dangerous opponent in 1939-1940, the Hurricane was never quite the equal of the Bf 109 as an air superiority fighter and, unlike the 109, by 1942 the Hurricane was clearly inferior to newer designs. The Hurricane's obsolescent design was unable to keep up with the fast pace of wartime technological innovation.

Among Allied fighters, only the British Supermarine Spitfire proved to have a design as adaptable to improvements and innovations as the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Consequently, the Spitfire and Bf 109 remained deadly enemies (albeit with mutual respect from aces on both sides) throughout the war. Indeed, the Messerschmitt and Supermarine designers engaged in a continuous, war-long contest of technical one-upmanship.

The Spitfire is equally deserving of being called the best fighter of its generation, if only its service during and after WW II is considered. However, the Bf 109 went into service during the Spanish Civil War, well before the first Spitfire Mk. I's entered service in August 1938. Interestingly, Czech Bf 109's (Avia S-199) and Spitfires were purchased after WW II by the fledgling Israeli Air Force and used with telling effect in that country's 1948 war of independence, achieving air superiority flying against Royal Egyptian Air Force Spitfires.

The Me 109's track record is unparalleled. The Bf 109B entered service during the Spanish Civil War with the Condor Legion, where in 1937 it demonstrated its superiority against the Soviet Polikarpov I-16 monoplane fighter supplied to the Republican forces by the USSR.

When Germany invaded Poland in 1939 and France in 1940, well trained Luftwaffe pilots, mostly flying Bf 109D's, quickly achieved air superiority over the Polish, French and American Curtiss P-36 fighters they encountered.

Later in 1940, during the Battle of Britain, the Bf 109E (Emil) proved superior to the Hurricane and the equal of the famous Spitfire in air to air combat. This was tacitly admitted by the RAF, whose preferred interception technique was to have Hurricanes attack the German bombers while Spitfires engaged the 109 fighters.

By the time Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941 the I-16, although still constituting about 65% of the Soviet fighter force, was obsolete, while the improved and streamlined Bf 109F (Friedrich or Franz) that spearheaded the invasion was arguably the best air superiority fighter in the world at the time. In North Africa during 1941-1942, generally outnumbered Bf 109F pilots dueled with Spitfire Mk. V, Curtiss P-40 and late model Hurricanes fighters with positive results. The Bf 109F was probably the purest form of the design and the best dogfighter.

Later, during the 1943-1944 air war over Germany and on the Eastern Front, the Allies were able to establish overwhelming numerical superiority and field their latest generation of fighters. These included the American P-38, P-47 and P-51; British Spitfire Mk. IX and Hawker Typhoon; and the Soviet Yak 9. However, the Bf 109G (Gustav) series, powered by the larger displacement (1475 HP) DB 605A motor, remained competitive (when flown by pilots of equal ability) with the latest Allied fighters. The G-1 (pressurized cockpit), G-2 (not pressurized) and G-3 (wider tires and improved radio) models were the last 109's intended almost exclusively for fighter versus fighter combat. Like the prevous Friedrich series, they were armed with a rapid fire MG 151 20mm cannon firing through the propeller hub and two cowl mounted 8mm machine guns.

From 1944 on, British and American heavy bombers were successfully pounding German cities and industry into rubble with massive day and night raids. In the G-5 and subsequent Gustavs, 13mm machine guns replaced the 8mm cowl mounted guns of the Friedrich and early G-series. The numerically dominant G-6 series, the first "standardized" 109's, were designed to accept a variety of external stores. These included under wing 20mm and 30mm cannon packs, 210mm mortars, or a 551 pound bomb. This additional armament, advantageous when engaging heavy bombers or in close support of ground forces, degraded the fighter's air to air combat performance, leaving it at a disadvantage when confronted with superior numbers of the latest Allied fighters. The G-6 was sometimes referred to as the "Bulge" by German pilots, for the unsightly cowling protuberances required to contain its heavier armament. Flown "clean" (without external stores) the G-6 could hold its own in air to air combat.

The Gustav series culminated with the G-14 and G-10, the former preceeding the latter into service. These represented incremental improvements over the more numerous G-6 models. Powered by a more powerful DB 605D motor (1850 HP) the G-10, last and best of the Gustavs, achieved a top speed in clean condition of 426 MPH at 24,280 feet. Altogether, a total of some 30,000 Bf 109G's of all types were built.

It is worth noting that the Luftwaffe preferred to vector their less maneuverable (but heavily armed) FW 190 fighters against the daylight heavy bombers while Bf 109's engaged the escorting fighters. These tactics are reminiscent of the roles the RAF assigned to their Hurricane and Spitfire fighters during the Battle of Britain.

The final production Bf 109 variant was the aerodynamically refined "K," based on the G-10 airframe with the G-series bulges faired into the fuselage. The Bf 109K-4 was the production version and deliveries to Luftwaffe squadrons began in October 1944 and continued until the final collapse of the Third Reich in May 1945. The K-4 incorporated a pressurized cockpit for high altitude operation, a comfort lacking in contemporary Allied fighters. Even at this late date the Bf 109 remained a very impressive fighter with performance comparable to its adversaries. Consider the following specifications for top speed at best altitude and climb rate.

• Bf 109K-4: Maximum speed 452 MPH at 19,685 ft. (6 km); best climb 4920 ft./min. at 2963 ft., 3692 ft./min at 19,685 ft.
• Spitfire Mk. XIV: Maximum speed 439 MPH at 24,500 ft.; best climb 4700 ft./min. at 8,000 ft., 3700 ft./min. at 22,500 ft.
• P-51D: Maximum speed 437 MPH at 25,000 ft.; best climb 3320 ft./min at 5000 ft., 2450 ft./min. at 20,000 ft.
• Yak 3 (II): Maximum speed 407 MPH at 10,170 ft.; initial climb 3800 ft./min. (altitude unspecified)

It is remarkable that the first of the all metal, stressed skin monocoque, single seat, monoplane, piston engine fighters with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear was able to remain so competitive with the final evolution of the type. Willy Messerschmitt's signature fighter was, indeed, a remarkable achievement. It deserves to be considered the best fighter of its generation.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Best Fighter Planes of WWII

The Best Fighter Planes of World War II

The Bf 109, Spitfire, FW 190, P-51, Yak-3, A6M Zero, P-38, F4U and Ki-84

By Chuck Hawks

When I started this project, three methods of approaching the subject came immediately to mind. I could examine the aircraft by year (i.e.: 1939 = Bf 109, 1940 = Spitfire, 1941 = Zero, 1942 = FW 190, 1943 = P 47, 1944 = P 51, 1945 = Me 262), by country of origin (UK, U.S., Ger., Jap., Italy, U.S.S.R.), or by theater (European and Pacific). I chose the latter approach, further subdivided by "early" and "later" periods (Due to the rapid advance of technology, the best fighter early in the war was never the best fighter late in the war).

Some other criteria had to be imposed. To qualify as one of the very best, an airplane had to make a significant impact as an air superiority fighter. For example, the Me 262 jet fighter was arguably the best fighter plane of WW II, particularly deadly against American heavy bombers, but only small numbers ever saw combat and it became operational so late in the war that it had only a minimal impact. So I have chosen to leave it out.

The British Mosquito was built in numbers and had a significant impact on the war, but was most famous as a ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft, rather than as an air superiority fighter; ditto the Typhoon. Neither of those fine planes will be dealt with here.

So the fighters I am going to pick as "best" for their period and theater of war must have: (1) been built in significant numbers and (2) been dominant in the air superiority role. Here are my choices.

European Theater, Early Period

In the European Theater of Operations, early years, there were two absolute standout fighter planes. Both were severely limited in range, but in a dogfight they reigned supreme in the ETO. Of course, I am talking about the British Supermarine Spitfire and the German Messerschmitt Bf 109.

The former was designed by R. J. Mitchell and the latter by Willie Messerschmitt. They were the standout air superiority fighters of the early years of the war in Europe and the leading members of the cast that fought the most famous air battle of them all, the Battle of Britain (not to slight the Hawker Hurricane, designed by Sidney Camm, which actually out numbered the Spitfire on the British side of the famous battle and scored more victories over German airplanes.

Messerschmitt Bf 109

The prototype Messerschmitt 109 first flew in 1935. It was a low wing, all metal monoplane of the type that became the mainstay of all sides in WW II. The Bf 109 was basically the smallest airframe that Willy Messerschmitt could devise attached to the most powerful engine available. This proved to be a very successful formula that could be progressively upgraded.

However, the type was not without flaws. Notable among these were its cramped cockpit, restricted rearward visibility and narrow track undercariage that made ground handling tricky. Another problem that plagued the type throughout its production life was that its control forces became progressively heavier as speed increased. Manuverability was very good at low and medium speed, but deteriorated greatly at high speed. The type's short range was to prove its downfall on both the Western and Eastern Fronts, severely limiting its tactical utility.

The Messerschmitt 109 fighter was flown by many of the top scoring Luftwaffe fighter pilots during WW II. The top fighter pilot of all time, Erich Hartmann (352 victories), and the second highest scoring fighter pilot of all time, Gerhard Barkhorn (301 victories), both flew the Bf 109. So did the first "General of Fighters," Werner Molders (115 victories), and his famous successor in that job, Adolf Galland (104 victories). The top scoring German ace of the Western front, Hans-Joachim Marseille (158 victories), also flew the Bf 109.

By 1937 the Luftwaffe had been equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109B models, the first production version. The "B" model had a top speed of about 290 m.p.h. It was powered by a 680 h.p., inverted V-12 Jumo 210 engine. The small, fast Messerschmitt fighter first proved its worth in Spain during the Civil War. There the Condor Legion's 109B's quickly proved their superiority over the Russian I-15 and I-16 fighters used by the Communists.

By 1938, the "D" model had arrived. This model had a top speed of about 304 m.p.h. at altitude. Before the end of that year, the German fighter squadrons were entirely equipped with "D" models. During the Blitzkrieg across Poland, Belgium, Holland and France in 1939-40, the 109D bore the brunt of the air fighting and proved to be more than a match for the first line fighters of those nations, quickly achieving aerial superiority. By then, the latest version of the 109D had received the long awaited DB 600 engine and top speed was up to about 320 m.p.h.

The Messerschmitt model that bore the brunt of the subsequent Battle of Britain was the Bf 109E. It started coming into service in 1939 and by 1940 was the front line Luftwaffe fighter. Power for the "Emil" was the Daimler-Benz DB 601A, a supercharged, 12-cylinder inverted Vee engine with fuel injection. It developed 1,100 hp at 2,400 r.p.m. This was one of the finest engines of its time and it gave the "E" a top speed of 354 m.p.h. and a best climb rate of 2,990 ft./min.

The 109E compared very closely in performance to the British Spitfire I and II, the premier British fighters of the Battle of Britain. Its main drawback as a bomber escort was its limited range, which led directly to the British triumph in the Battle. Purely as a fighter, the Bf 109E was second to none.

By the early part of 1941, German squadrons were receiving the Bf 109F, powered by the up rated DB 601N, which incorporated a power boost system for brief emergency use. This engine was nominally rated for 1,200 hp. The "F" model probably represents the high water mark for the 109 fighter. Its more streamlined nose, retractable tail wheel, rounded wing tips (rather than the traditional "clipped" tips of the earlier models), cantilever horizontal stabilizer and 900 r.p.m. 20mm cannon made it, briefly, the best fighter in the air. Maneuverability was enhanced and top speed was up to 382 m.p.h. at 17,000 ft. Best rate of climb was a sizzling 3,640 ft/min. The "F" model was Gerd Barkhorn's favorite model. He is quoted as saying that it was lighter than other 109 variants and could turn and climb "like hell."

The next version, the "G" or Gustav, first appeared at the end of 1942. This was to became the most numerous ME 109 model of all, produced in many variations, but the basic design was starting to show its age. Performance was again up (max. speed slightly over 400 m.p.h. at altitude), but the addition of bigger machine guns and their ammunition, as well as other various improvements for which the airframe was not designed, caused bulges to appear in unlikely places on the cowling of the aircraft (hence its slang name "the bulge"). Power was provided by a bored out DB 601 called the DB 605 and this engine, which had some early reliability problems, was rated at 1,475 hp at takeoff. The Gustav was used on all fronts for the rest of the war, although later models did appear. Not only an air superiority fighter, the Gustav also performed ground attack, bomber destroyer and photo recon missions.

The final Messerschmitt production variant was the "K," deliveries of which began in September of 1944. The "K" was powered by an 1,800 hp DB 605D engine (2000 hp with methanol-water injection) that gave it a top speed of 452 m.p.h. at 19,685 feet. Best climb rate was a sensational 4,820 ft./min. Armament was two 13mm cowl mounted machine guns and one engine mounted 30mm cannon firing through the propeller boss. Two additional 20mm cannons were mounted beneath the wings in the K-4/R4 variant.

The "K" was the final effort to clean up the aerodynamics of the Bf 109 and standardize the factory and field improvements that had appeared in previous models. In this it was similar to the previous "F" model, which it resembled. Gone were the unsightly cowl bulges of the Gustav. The most numerous variant, the "K-4," of which over 700 were produced, featured a pressurized cockpit and the improved visibility "Galland" canopy. It was a formidable fighter, comparable to the best Allied fighters of the period. The "K" was to outlive the Luftwaffe, serving in the Spanish Air Force into the 1960's (by which time it had been re-equipped with Rolls Royce engines!).

The basic specifications of the Bf 109E follow (from The Fighter Aircraft Pocketbook by Roy Cross. For the sake of consistency, subsequent specifications will also be taken from this same source whenever possible).



Wingspan:

32ft 6in

Length:

28ft 9in

Height:

8 ft. 1 in.

Wing area:

176.5 sq. ft

Engine:

DB 601A, 12 cyl. Vee, 1,100 h.p.

Max speed:

354.2 mph at 16,400 ft

Best climb:

2,990 ft/min at 13,150 ft

Climb to:

9,840 ft., 3 min.; 19,865 ft., 6.3 min.

Service ceiling:

30,100 ft

Combat range:

412 miles at 16,400 ft

Endurance:

1.1 hours

Empty weight:

4,431 lb..

Loaded weight:

5,600 lb..

Armament:

2-7.9mm fuselage guns, 2-20mm wing cannon (1/wing).




Supermarine Spitfire

The other "best" fighter of the early period of the European war was the Spitfire. The Spitfire proved, like the Bf 109, to be a very adaptable airplane and in various versions it served throughout the war. Naturally, most of the famous British aces of WW II flew the Spitfire. These included the top scoring British ace of the war, Group Captain "Johnny" Johnson (38 victories), and the legless ace and hero of the Battle of Britain, Douglas Bader. Bader flew with two artificial limbs and he scored 9 of his 20 kills from a Spitfire cockpit, the balance in Hurricanes.

The prototype Spitfire was built in 1936. Like the Bf 109 and all of the other "best" fighters I will discuss, the Spitfire was an all metal stressed-skin monoplane. This was new technology at that time and many production problems had to be solved, which resulted in considerable delays before the new fighter began reaching RAF squadrons.

The Spitfire was a low drag design that could be progressively improved to keep pace with foreign developments. By all accounts, it was a real pilot's airplane. She proved easy to fly and forgiving, a fighter without vices. This was an important consideration during the war, when pilot training was put into high gear and "stick time" in training reduced.

The first production version of the Spitfire was the Mk. I, which entered squadron service in mid-1938. When the war came in 1939, the RAF insisted in holding the bulk of their modern monoplane fighters in Britain. No Spitfires were sent to France. This proved to be a good decision as, after the fall of France, RAF fighter command could still deploy about 620 Hurricanes and Spitfires to meet the Luftwaffe's 800 Bf 109s.

The main variant of the Spitfire Mk. IA was powered by the famous Rolls Royce V-12 Merlin II engine. This produced 1,230 hp and drove a two bladed wooden propeller, giving the early Spitfire a top level speed of about 360 mph and a best climb rate of 2,530 ft./min. By the time of the battle of Britain, a three-bladed constant speed propeller, which markedly improved climb and acceleration, had been fitted.

Typical armament for this period was 8-.303 cal Browning machine guns, four in each wing. Some Spitfires were armed with a 20mm cannon in each wing, plus a couple of machine guns. These were called Mk. IB's.

Either way, their performance was closely similar to that of the Bf 109E, with the Spitfire being perhaps slightly faster and a little more maneuverable and the Messerschmitt being faster in the dive and with a superior roll rate. The 109 held a performance edge above 20,000 feet.

In 1940 the Mk. II began to appear, replacing the Mk. I in early 1941. The Mk. II was powered by a 1,240 h.p. Merlin XII that gave it a top speed almost identical to the Mk. I (354 mph at 17,550 ft), but a higher rate of climb (3,025 ft./min).

It is worth mentioning that the early Spitfires had SU carburetors, not fuel injection, and the engines would quit for lack of fuel (followed immediately by flooding) if the aircraft pulled negative g's during a maneuver or was flown upside down. This problem was not fully solved until improved pressure carburetors were adopted in 1943 for the late production Mk. V and subsequent models, although the stop-gap "Tilly Orifice," a simple flow restrictor invented by Miss Beatrice (Tilly) Shilling, was retrofitted to ameliorate the problem in early 1941.

Mk. II's were armed with either eight machine guns, or a mix of four machine guns and two cannons. All Spitfires of this period had the signature elliptical plan wings and were (in my opinion) among the most graceful of all fighter planes.

History records that the Spitfires (and Hurricanes) prevailed in the Battle of Britain. Their primary shortcoming was their short range. This was not a problem while they were serving in the interceptor role during the Battle of Britain, but it became a serious fault when the RAF went over to the offensive.

Later marks of Spitfire included the Mk. V of 1941, which for the first time introduced the "universal" wing that could accommodate either machine guns or cannons in various combinations and the option of clipped wing tips to increase the roll rate. The Mk. V had a top speed of up to 374 mph and the best rate of climb was 2,900 ft./min. The Mk. V was produced in large numbers, but was hard pressed by the improved Bf 109F and the new FW 190A. It was a very nice airplane to fly, adequately powerful and responsive; it probably represents the high water mark of Spitfire development.

The next big production model was the Mk. IX, a Mk. V airframe with a new two-stage, two-speed supercharged Merlin 70 engine that developed 1,655 h.p. at 10,000 ft. This new engine was really intended for the new Spitfire Mk. VIII airframe, but the press of events forced its adoption in the older airframe. The result, however, was quite satisfactory. Top speed was raised to 415 m.p.h. at 27,800 ft. The sustained climb rate to 20,000' jumped to 3,509 ft./min.

The Mk. IX started to enter service around the middle of 1942 and proved able to meet the improved German fighters on an essentially equal footing. The Mk. IX was approximately contemporary to the Bf 109G series and, like that fighter, served for the rest of the war.

The Mk VIII finally came along in 1943, incorporating many detail improvements, including better streamlining and a fully retractable tail wheel. Best climb rate was 3,790 ft./min. This version was used mostly in the Far East.

The final major models were the Mk. XIV of 1944 and the Mk. 22 of 1945. The Mk XIV was a Mk VIII airframe with a Rolls Royce Griffon 65 engine, developing 2,050 h.p., good for a top speed at altitude of 448 mph. It drove a five bladed propeller and gave the Mk. XIV an improved service ceiling and enhanced high altitude performance. Best climb rate was up to over 5,000 ft./min. Later Mk XIV's also had a "teardrop" style canopy to improve all-around visibility.

The Mk. XIV was, however, less maneuverable than the earlier models and more of a handful to fly. During Israel's War of Independence against the Arab League in 1948, Israeli fighter pilots flew both Mark IX and Mark XIV Spits and they preferred the Mark IX, because of its superior dog fighting ability.

The Mks. 21, 22 and 24 were the last Spitfires. These were fitted with a teardrop canopy and for the first time the wing was redesigned. The new wing was similar in plan, but was stronger, carried more fuel, housed a longer landing gear (which allowed a larger diameter propeller) and carried four 20mm cannon. Speed was up to 450 mph and best climb rate up to 4,900 ft./min. The Spitfire had reached the end of its long career. The future would belong to more modern fighters, but by this time the war was ending and the jet age had begun. For more about the Spitfire and the Royal Navy's similar Seafire, see my article "The Supermarine Spitfire and Seafire."

Following are the basic specifications for the Spitfire IIA of September 1940.



Wingspan:

36ft 10in

Length:

29ft 9in

Height:

8 ft. 10 in.

Wing area:

242 sq. ft.

Engine:

R.R. Merlin XII, 12 cyl. Vee, 1,236 h.p.

Max speed:

354 m.p.h. at 17,559 ft.

Best climb:

3,025 ft/min at 12,800 ft.

Climb to:

10,000 ft., 3.4 min; 20,000 ft., 7 min.

Service ceiling:

37,600 ft.

Combat range:

395 miles

Empty weight:

4,783 lb..

Loaded weight:

6,172 lb..

Armament:

8-.303in Browning MG (4/wing)




European Theater, Later Period

After the first couple of years, in the European theater, things become more complicated. During the 1939, 1940, and 1941, the Spitfire and Messerschmitt Bf 109 were clearly the dominant fighters. However, as the war wore on, many new designs entered combat.

In 1942 (really beginning late in 1941) the Focke-Wulf 190 appeared in numbers and immediately established a measure of superiority over the Spitfire Mk. V, already hard pressed by the Bf 109F. In 1942, the first year of the war for the U.S., American P-39 and P-40 fighters were generally out performed by the German Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf fighters and things looked a bit bleak for the Allies. However, when the Spitfire Mk. IX and the P-38 started to make their presence felt, things began to improve for the Allies.

In the Spring of 1943, the P-47B went into operation in England. The Focke-Wulf 190, up until now the premier fighter in the theater, was suddenly hard pressed by the big American fighter, particularly at high altitude. In mid-1943 the much improved P-38J started to arrive and the pressure on the Germans increased. The arrival at the end of 1943 of the P-51B, the long range escort fighter the Americans so desperately needed, marked the beginning of the end for the Luftwaffe. Able to escort the bombers all the way to Berlin and back, the Mustang left the Luftwaffe no place to regroup and train. The P-51 did to the Luftwaffe what the Bf 109 did not have the range to do to the RAF earlier in the war.

So while all of the above fighters played an important part in the war, it was the P-51 that turned out to be decisive. The Americans could have won their daylight air war over Germany with the improved P-38J and L or P-47D, both of which appeared in 1944, but in fact it was the P-51, more than any other single fighter, that did it. So it seems only fair to examine first the FW 190 and then the P-51 Mustang, as the two successive "bests" of the later part of the European war.

Focke-Wulf FW 190

The Focke-Wulf 190 was designed by Kurt Tank and was a nasty surprise to the RAF in September 1941. Only a little over 200 were completed in 1941, but in 1942 1,850 were built, which amounted to about 40% of German single seat fighter production.


The new fighter was powered by a BMW 14-cylinder twin row air-cooled radial engine. This engine put out 1,760 hp and, coupled with the aircraft's forgiving handling qualities, gave the early FW 190A models a measure of superiority over the RAF's Spitfire Mk V, particularly in speed at low and medium altitudes.

Many German aces flew the FW 190. An example would be Gunther Rall, the 3rd highest scoring ace of the War (275 victories). Between 1939 and 1945, Rall flew the Bf 109, the FW 190, the "long nose" FW 190D and the Me 262 jet.

The FW 190 was known as a "pilots airplane," meaning she was a sweet ship to fly, light and easy on the controls (unlike the Bf 109, which was reputedly a handful). Its speed, climb, dive and roll rate were superior to the Spitfire Mk V. There was also excellent armor protection for the pilot. It had a wide track landing gear, which made it much less prone to ground loops than the Bf 109.

The FW 190 was also heavily armed. Typical armament, beginning with the FW 190A-3, was two 7.9mm machine guns in the engine cowling, two Mauser 20mm cannon in the wing roots (each of which could fire 700 rounds per minute, much faster than the equivalent British cannon), plus two slower firing (450 rounds per minute) Oerlikon 20mm cannon farther out in the wings. The total of two machine guns and four 20mm cannon represented a lot of firepower, the most of any contemporary fighter.

The first production Models were the FW 190A-1 and A-2. The FW 190A-3 of early 1942 basically standardized the engine and armament. This was the model that made the FW 190's reputation as a world class air superiority fighter.

Later in 1942 the A-4 model came along. This model had a methanol-water injection system for the engine which boosted power for a 10 minute period on demand and substantially improved performance at the lower altitudes. A new radio was also fitted. Other A-4 models included a night fighter version, and a ground attack version. There was also an extended range version with racks under the wings and fuselage for drop tanks or munitions

The 1943 version was the FW 190A-5. The main change was to move the engine 6 inches foreword in order to allow more flexibility for under wing stores. The primary variants of the A-5 included air superiority, bomber destroyer and ground attack versions. War emergency horsepower was up to 2,050 in the 801D engine.

The A-6 version got a new wing structure and replaced the slower firing outer wing cannons with faster firing Mauser cannons. Performance remained about the same as the A-5. The A-7 again increased firepower by replacing the .32 caliber (8mm) nose machine guns with more powerful 13mm (.51 cal) machine guns.

The FW 190A-8 of 1944 incorporated other improvements, including increased fuel capacity for longer range and an improved power boost system to improve high altitude performance. Speed was 405 m.p.h. at best altitude. Best climb was down to 2,756 ft./min. at 16,100 ft. The basic BMW radial engine had clearly reached its maximum performance limits. What was needed was a new power plant to keep the FW 190 competitive with the latest Allied fighters.

Experiments mating the FW 190 airframe with liquid-cooled Daimler Benz and Junkers inverted V-12 engines had started back in 1941. By 1944 the need for more performance was acute and the FW 190D was the result.

This much altered fighter used the standard Focke-Wulf wings and tail plane with an extended rear fuselage and a longer and heavier Junkers Jumo 213 engine. This brought the top speed up to 436 m.p.h. in the D-9 model (best climb rate was up to 3,642 ft./min.), and 458.5 m.p.h. (at 38,080 ft!) in the D-12 model.

These "long nose" models were reportedly more of a handful to fly, but still handled fairly well. They kept the Focke-Wulf competitive in performance with the best Allied fighters until the end of the war. For more information about the FW 190-series, see my article "The Focke-Wulf FW 190."

The following Specifications are for the famous FW 190A-3 model, of early 1942.



Wingspan:

34 ft. 5 in.

Length:

29 ft. 1 in.

Height:

12 ft.

Wing area:

197 sq. ft.

Engine:

BMW 801D 14 cylinder radial, 1,760 hp. at 3,000 r.p.m. at 18,000 ft.

Max speed:

395 m.p.h. at 17,000 ft.; 390 m.p.h. at 20,000 ft.

Best climb:

3,280 ft./min. at 17,500 ft.

Climb to:

16,500 ft., 4.75 min.; 18,000 ft., 6.25 min.

Service ceiling:

37,000 ft.

Range:

820 miles max. economy cruise

Max weight:

9,200 lb.. (8,580 normal)

Armament:

2-7.9mm MG, 4-20mm cannon




North American P-51 Mustang

Many top E.T.O. aces flew the P-51 Mustang. These included Captain Don Gentile (35 victories), Captain John Godfrey (31 victories), Colonel Eagleston (23 victories), Major James Howard (the only American ace in both theaters of the war--6 victories in China flying P-40's and 6 victories in Europe flying P-51's), Chuck Yeager (who later became the first man to break the sound barrier) and Colonel Donald Blakeslee (15 victories and C.O. of the famous 4th Fighter Group). The 4th FG destroyed over 1,000 German aircraft, more than any other American fighter group in WW II.

The Mustang story began in 1940 when the British contacted North American Aviation with a request to build fighters for the RAF. North American was willing, and they offered to design and build a new fighter that would meet British requirements, and be easy to mass produce. In only 100 days NAA rolled out the first prototype Mustang. By November 1941 the first of over 600 aircraft produced under British contract were delivered to the RAF.

The new fighter incorporated some advanced ideas, in particular a laminar flow wing of thin cross section, which allowed the Mustang to avoid most of the "compressibility" dive problems that plagued many other high performance fighters of the time. Two of the first ten Mustangs built were taken to Wright Field, at Dayton Ohio, for testing by the AAF, which designated them XP-51.

The 1,150 hp. Allison F-series V-12 powered the early Mustang models. This resulted in poor high altitude performance, so the RAF used their Mustang I (P-51) and II (P-51A) models for low altitude ground attack and reconnaissance duties.

The Mustang I had a top speed of 370 m.p.h. at 15,000 ft. Best climb at 11,300 ft. was 1,980 ft./min. An assortment of .30 and .50 caliber machine guns were carried, but the Mustang IA was armed with 4-20mm cannon. Handling and maneuverability were good. Like the FW 190, the P-51 was a pilot's airplane.

P-51A (Mustang II) production was divided between America and Britain. This model standardized armament as 4-.50 cal MG. (two per wing). There were ground attack versions of the P 51A in U.S. service, designated A-36A, which served the AAF in the North African campaign. There were also specialized photo reconnaissance versions of all major Mustang models, the F-6 series.

The decision was made to mass produce the outstanding Merlin engine under license in the United States. The P-51B and C models (Mustang III's in Britian), which entered service in December of 1943, were powered by the new Packard-built version of the Merlin V-12, driving a four bladed propeller. At the same time, the airframe was strengthened, the radiator was re-designed, the ailerons were improved, and racks for long range drop tanks or bombs were added under the wings.

The 1,450 hp. Packard/Merlin engine (1,595 hp. war emergency rating) gave the P-51B-7 a top speed of 445 m.p.h. Best climb was 3,320 ft./min. at 10,000 ft. The new Mustang carried 4-.50 caliber MG (two per wing), and up to 1,000 lbs. of external stores. Its range was an astounding 2,200 miles with two 150 gal. drop tanks. Endurance with drop tanks was 8.7 hours.

The new engine completely changed the character of the Mustang, turning it into a high altitude fighter suitable for bomber escort missions. It came at a crucial moment for the AAF daylight bombing campaign. Luftwaffe fighters were taking such a toll of un-escorted heavy bombers that the losses were becoming unsupportable. The great range of the P-51B-7 allowed it to escort the heavy bombers all the way to their targets deep inside Germany. In March of 1944, Mustangs went to Berlin. Eighth Air Force bomber losses plummeted, while Luftwaffe fighter losses skyrocketed.

Later in 1944 the famous P-51D model arrived. It sported a "tear drop" canopy for better all around vision and a more powerful 1,790 hp. version of the Packard/Merlin engine, along with many detail improvements. The armament was increased to 6-.50 caliber wing MG and all manner of external stores could be carried. Recognition of the D model is easy because of its teardrop canopy and the large fillet fin added in front of the vertical stabilizer. For the Luftwaffe, the end was at hand.

The final major production version of the Mustang was the P-51H. This re-designed model incorporated major improvements, as extensive in scope as those incorporated into the FW 190D or Spitfire Mk. 22.

In the H model, the structure was increased in strength by 10%, to allow higher "g" loads in combat maneuvers. No structural part was left in common with earlier models. Streamlining was improved to increase speed and stability was increased. A new version of the Packard/Merlin, incorporating water injection, delivered over 2000 hp. These changes resulted in the finest American fighter of the war. Speed was 486 m.p.h. at 30,000 ft. best climb rate was 5,350 ft./min. at 5,000 ft. Service ceiling was 41,600 ft.

Unlike most other American piston engine fighters, which were withdrawn from service soon after the end of WW II, the Mustang fought on, doing valuable ground support work in the Korean War. It was adopted by many other nations, too numerous to list here, and remained in service in some countries into the 1960's. For more information about the Mustang, see my article "The North American P-51 Mustang." The following specifications are for the famous D model of 1944.



Wingspan:

37 ft. 5/16 in.

Length:

32 ft. 3 5/16 in.

Height:

13 ft. 4 1/2in.

Wing area:

240 sq. ft.

Engine:

Packard/Merlin V-1650-7, 1,790 hp. at 11,500 ft.

Max speed:

443 m.p.h. at 25,000 ft., 438 m.p.h. at 30,000 ft.

Best climb:

3,320 ft./min. at 5,000 ft.

Climb to:

10,000 ft., 3.3 min; 20,000 ft., 7.5 min.

Service ceiling:

41,900 ft.

Range:

1,140 miles at max. cruise power at
10,000 ft. (normal internal fuel load)

Endurance:

4.3 hours (normal internal fuel load)

Weight:

11,100 lb. with max. fuel

Armament:

6-.50 cal. MG (3/wing); up to 1,000 lb. of external stores on wing racks.




Yakovlev Yak-3

The final "best" air superiority fighter of the later period of the war in Europe was the Yakovlev Yak-3. Many top Soviet aces flew the Yak series of fighters, which started with the rather primitive Yak-1 and evolved into the Yak-3 air superiority and Yak-9 general purpose fighters. (See the article "The Yakovlev Yak-9" for more details about the latter model.) The Yak-9 was produced in greater numbers than any other Allied fighter of WW II, but it is the contemporary Yak-3 that was regarded as the best dogfighter on the ETO Eastern Front.

Although a program to develop the smallest and lightest fighter possible around the proposed 1,600+ hp M-107 V-12 engine was begun in 1941, due to delays in engine development and shifts in Soviet priorities, the Yak-3 did not enter service until mid-1944. Compared to the original Yak-1, the new fighter incorporated reduced drag, an all-around vision canopy, a structurally improved airframe and a new wing of reduced span and area. In the event, the intended M-107 motor was not available in time, so the 1,300 hp M-105 was substituted. Nevertheless, the Yak-3 was about 30 mph faster than the contemporary (and heavier) Yak-9.

The Yak-3's greatest asset was its tight turning radius. It was a highly maneuverable fighter that offered excellent performance below about 20,000 feet and it could turn inside of a Bf 109 or FW 190; at one point the German fighter command issued a directive instructing their fighter pilots not to dogfight with Yak fighters lacking an air scoop under the engine. (The absence of this front scoop being the key Yak-3 recognition feature.) The Yak-3 was not a particularly difficult fighter to fly, but it required a skilled pilot to take full advantage of its fighting potential. In such hands, it became an air superiority fighter second to none.

By the time production ceased in May 1945, 4,848 Yak-3 fighters had been built. Following are specifications for the Yak-3.



Wingspan:

30 ft. 3 in.

Length:

27 ft. 11 in.

Height:

7 ft. 11 in.

Wing area:

186 sq. ft.

Engine:

M-105 PF-2, 1,300 hp.

Max speed:

412 m.p.h. at 10,197 ft.

Climb to:

16,400 ft., 4 min.

Service ceiling:

25,197 ft.

Range:

558 miles

Weight:

5,871 lbs.

Armament:

1-20mm cannon and 2-.50 caliber MG's, all in nose




Pacific Theater, Early Period

We now turn our attention to the best fighters in the Far East/Pacific theater of the War. In the early years, there can be only one choice. The Japanese "Zero", officially the Mitsubishi A6M5, or Imperial Japanese Navy Type 0 carrier-borne fighter.

Mitsubishi A6M Zero

At the beginning of the Pacific War no Allied fighter was a match for the Zero. The best of the early American Army fighters was probably the Curtiss P-40 and the early models of this fighter were distinctly inferior to the Zero.

Most of the Imperial Navy's top aces flew the Zero. Prominent among them is Saburo Sakai (with 64 victories), the top scoring Japanese ace to survive the war and Hiroyoshi Nishizawa (actual total of victories unknown, but 104 confirmed), perhaps the greatest of them all. Shoichi Sugita had 120+ victories, Tadashi Nakajima 75+ and Naoishi Kanno 53.

Not only could the Zero out fight any Allied fighter, it also out-ranged them. Many people do not realize that the Zero was the world's first long range escort fighter. Zeros flew long range bomber escort missions during the war in China, before the Pacific war even began. If the Germans had the long range A6M2 Zero instead of the short range Bf 109E, the outcome of the Battle of Britain might have been very different. As well known as the Zero is, its importance is still under rated by most people.

The Zero was designed by Jiro Horikoshi to fulfill Japanese Navy requirements for great range, rapid climb, high speed, and above all superior maneuverability. In order to get them, the Zero was designed with a very low wing loading; pilot armor and self sealing fuel tanks were dispensed with to save weight. Japanese fighter pilots gladly gave up such safety features in order to achieve a fighter with superior agility.

The Zero's performance fell off at high altitudes, but early in the war the American fighters that opposed it were even worse in that regard. At low and medium altitudes, nothing could touch the Zero.

The first production version of the Zero was the A6M2 Model 11, of 1940. This had a Nakajima Sakae 12 engine, a 14-cylinder air cooled radial that developed 950 hp. at 13,800 ft. The A6M2 had a top speed of 316 m.p.h. at 16,400 ft., and a range of 1,265 miles on internal fuel. With an under fuselage drop tank, the range was extended to 1,930 miles. The standard armament was 2-7.7mm MG in the engine cowling, and 2-20mm cannon in the wings. Wingspan was 39 ft. 5 in.

The similar Model 21 had folding wing tips for aircraft carrier use. This was the model on board the Japanese carriers at the beginning of the Pacific War on December 7, 1941.

The next main version of the Zero was the A6M3, which appeared late in 1942. This version was powered by an up rated 1,130 hp. Sakae 21 radial engine, with a two stage supercharger that improved high altitude performance. Top speed was increased to 336 m.p.h. at 19,865 ft. Best climb rate was 4,500 ft./min. Armament and range remained about the same.

The A6M3 Model 32 had clipped wing tips, achieved by removing the folding wing tips of the carrier model. This was intended to improve the roll rate, which was inferior to that of American fighters. This model also had reduced internal fuel capacity (down to 134 gal. from the 156 gal. capacity of the A6M3 Model 22). The Zero was beginning to show its age, and its performance was being eclipsed by the latest Allied fighters.

The reduced wing span (36 ft. 2 in.) of the Model 32 was carried over to the next model, the A6M5 of 1943. This model had the improved Sakai 31 engine with ejector exhaust stacks to augment thrust, the reduced wing span of the Model 32 (but with the familiar rounded shape of earlier Zeros), plus heavier wing skin. Speed was now up to 358 m.p.h. and dive limit speed to 410 m.p.h. Best climb rate was 3,340 ft./min. The A6M5a had an improved wing cannon, carried more ammunition and the dive limiting speed was raised to 460 m.p.h. These models still lacked any protection for the pilot, or even an emergency release for the canopy.

The A6M5b of 1944 finally addressed some of these problems. It had an armored glass windshield, automatic fire extinguishers for the fuel tanks and 12.7mm MG replacing the previous 7.7mm MG. By this time the overall performance of the Zero had fallen well below that of its major adversaries, the P-38J Lightning, P-47 Thunderbolt, F6F Hellcat, P-51 Mustang and F4U Corsair.

The final version of the Zero was the A6M8c of 1945, which just reached production as the war ended. A new 1,560 hp. Kinsei 62 radial engine provided a top speed of 355 m.p.h. at 19,680 ft. and an improved climb rate.

By then, the Zero had fallen hopelessly behind in overall performance and more modern Japanese fighters were at last in production. However, the Zero remained the ultimate "turn and burn" dogfighter of the war. A total of 10,936 Zero fighters of all types were produced. More of the Zero story can be found in my article "The Mitsubishi A6M Zero." The specifications that follow are for the A6M5 Model 52 of 1943.



Wingspan:

36 ft. 2 in.

Length:

29 ft. 10 in.

Height:

9 ft. 2in.

Wing area:

238 sq./ft.

Engine:

Nakajima Sakai 21, 14 cylinder two row radial, 1,320 hp. at 2,600 r.p.m.

Max speed:

358 m.p.h. at 22,000 ft.

Best climb:

3,340 ft./min. at 8,000 ft.

Climb to:

20,000 ft., 7.8 min.

Service ceiling:

35,100 ft.

Range:

1,200 miles (internal fuel), 1,844 miles with drop tank.

Max weight:

10,600 lb..

Armament:

2-7.7mm fuselage MG, 2-20mm cannon in the wings




Pacific Theater, Later period

During the latter half of the Pacific War, as has already been alluded to, American fighter planes caught and then surpassed the Japanese Navy's A6M Zero fighter (and also the Japanese Army's equivalent Ki-43) in most performance parameters. However, the Imperial Army introduced one of the outstanding fighters of WW II in response to a specification issued in 1942 for a fast, long range fighter to replace the Ki-43. The result was the Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate, produced from April 1944 until the end of the war.

The top land based U.S. Army Air Force fighter in the Pacific was the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. This big twin engine fighter had the range, firepower, and speed to dominate the skies in the theater. The number one American ace, Major Richard Bong (40 victories), flew the Lightning, as did the number two American ace Major Thomas McGuire (38 victories). The P-38 also made a major contribution in the European theater, but the extremely high altitude combat taking place over the continent was not really the best environment for the P-38's Allison engines. In the Pacific, the Japanese did not normally operate at extreme altitudes, and the P-38 really came into its own.

U. S. Navy and Marine pilots flew different airplanes, of course, and they had two of the best in the Pacific. One of these was the Chance Vought F4U Corsair. (The other, of course, was the Hellcat, which is covered in a separate article.) The Corsair is the famous fighter with inverted gull wings. The German Stuka dive bomber also had inverted gull wings, and it is the only other famous combat aircraft of WW II I can think of that did. The Corsair was so big and fast that until the end of 1944 the Navy used it entirely as a land based fighter. Finally, though, it was approved for carrier operations. By then aces like Marine Major "Pappy" Boyington (28 victories, and the first man to break Eddie Rickenbacker's WW I record of 26) had made the Corsair fighter famous.

Lockheed P-38 Lightning

Let's take a look at the P-38 Lightning first. The P-38 shot down more Japanese aircraft than any other USAAF fighter in WW II. It was flown by both of the top American aces of the war. Its incredible range became legendary, and its twin engines particularly suited it for long over water flights.

The P-38 story started in January 1937, when the Army Air Corps issued a specification for a new pursuit plane for the "interception and attack of hostile aircraft at high altitude". The government anticipated an order for a maximum of 50 planes, so suitability for mass production was not a consideration. Lockheed was one of the companies that entered the competition to design and build the new fighter.

H. L. Hibard and Clarence "Kelly" Johnson were assigned the job of primary design. Johnson realized that no existing engine could provide enough power to meet the government specification, and began a series of single seat, twin engine fighter designs. The new Allison V-1710 engine was chosen by the Lockheed design team to power the new fighter.

The final layout of the new twin engine fighter (called the Model 22 by Lockheed) incorporated turbo superchargers, counter rotating props, twin tail booms, and a central fuselage for the pilot. It also had a tricycle landing gear and a control wheel (later yoke) instead of a stick.

The nose of the central fuselage was used to mount the very effective armament of 1-20mm cannon and 4-.50 cal. MG. There was no need for an interrupter gear to shoot through a propeller and no need to "converge" wing guns.

In June 1937, the Army notified Lockheed that their design had won the competition, and authorized Lockheed to build one prototype airplane, designated the XP-38. In late December 1938 the prototype was ready to fly. It was the most streamlined plane ever seen, built with flush riveted external panels butted together. Stainless steel was used extensively in its construction.

That first XP-38 proved to be capable of a level speed of 413 m.p.h. and had a terrific climb rate. Unfortunately, the first prototype crashed only 16 days after its first flight. It was written off during a record setting cross-country flight that ended with the AAF pilot landing short of the runway. Tony LeVier (Lockheed Chief Test Pilot) later estimated that disaster set the P-38 program back nearly two years.

In April 1939 the Air Corps ordered 13 YP-38 airplanes for testing. In September 1939, the Army ordered 66 more for service. In August 1940 over 600 more P-38s were ordered. At that time, Lockheed had not even delivered the first YP-38!

As alluded to earlier, the P-38 was not designed for mass production. Many serious engineering and production problems had to be solved before the Lightning could be produced in quantity.

The P-38 was one of the first airplanes fast enough to encounter "compressibility" (more properly called shock stall) problems in the high altitude, high speed dive. The basic problem was that in a sustained dive from high altitude, speed quickly built up to the point that the airflow over parts of the airplane (such as the upper surface of the wing) reached supersonic speeds. A shock wave is formed. This destroys the lift over that part of the wing. It also causes the air flowing off the wing to affect the tail in an unusual manner: it increases lift at the tail.

This loss of lift from the wings, coupled with increased lift from its tail, causes the nose of the airplane to go down. This increased dive angle causes the speed to increase farther. And so on, in a vicious and often fatal circle.

The P-38 was not the only American fighter to encounter this effect in dives from very high altitudes (where the air is thin), the P-47 and F4U both suffered the same problem. But the P-38 was different. The big radial engine fighters would dive uncontrollably toward the earth until they reached the thicker air at lower altitudes. There two things happened: 1. The speed of sound goes up as the altitude gets lower; 2. The increased drag of the thick air on their large frontal surfaces would tend to limit further speed increases. Finally the pilot would begin to regain some control and, pulling back as hard as he could on the stick, would typically wind up in a screaming zoom climb.

The P-38 differed because of its extremely streamlined design. Its drag was so low that the thicker lower air often did not have enough effect for the pilot to regain control in time: the P-38 just dove straight into the ground.

Lockheed and the Air Corps lost a number of test pilots and aircraft trying to understand and solve these problems. The P-38 had taken them into flight regimes at best poorly understood at that time. The eventual solution included counter balancing and raising the tail of the airplane some 30 inches, and developing high speed dive flaps to control the rate of descent.

Lockheed produced dive flap kits to retro-fit to planes in the field, but it was not until they began producing the P-38J-25-LO model that dive flaps were incorporated in the new aircraft coming off the assembly line. A brief description of four of the major P-38 combat models follows.

The P-38F went into production in March 1942, and into combat in the Pacific in December, where it reversed the fortunes of AAF fighter pilots facing the previously unbeatable Zero. The "F" had a 1,325 hp. Allison engine. Top speed was 395 m.p.h. at 25,000 ft.

P-38G models had strengthened Fowler flaps which could be used at combat speeds up to 250 m.p.h. to tighten the turning radius. The engines developed an extra 100 hp. Production began in August 1942.

The P-38J went into production in mid-1943. It incorporated many improvements, including more powerful engines, improved superchargers, relocation of the intercoolers from the leading edge of the wings to beneath the nose of the engines, a bulletproof windscreen, and, at the J-25-LO model, the factory installed dive flaps. Speed was up to 426 m.p.h., and best climb to 3,900 ft./min. The "J" would climb to 20,000 ft. in 5.9 minutes.

The P-38L of 1944 was the final and best Lightning, a world beating fighter. It incorporated many of the improvements of the "J" and "K" models. For more information about the P-38, read my article "The Lockheed P-38 Lightning." Specifications of the P-38L-5-LO follow.



Wingspan:

52 ft.

Length:

37 ft. 10 in.

Height:

12 ft. 10 in.

Wing area:

328 sq. ft.

Engine:

Allison V-1710-111, 1,600 hp. at 28,700ft.

Max speed:

414 m.p.h. at 25,000 ft.

Climb to:

10,000 ft., 4 min.; 20,000 ft., 7 minutes

Service ceiling:

44,000 ft.

Combat range:

450 miles at 290 m.p.h. at 10,000 ft.;
2,600 miles with max. external fuel

Empty weight:

14,100 lb.

Loaded weight:

21,600 lb.

Armament:

1-20mm cannon, 4-.50 cal MG, 3,200 lb. external stores.




Chance Vought F4U Corsair

The Chance Vought F4U Corsair is my other "best" Pacific theater fighter. This big, fast, Navy and Marine fighter was designed in 1938 around the new Pratt and Whitney R-2800-2 Double Wasp engine, which promised to be the most powerful in the world at that time. It was a twin row 18 cylinder radial engine that produced some 1,850 HP in its initial version.

The most distinctive feature of the Corsair is its "cranked" or inverted gull wing. This feature was designed to raise nose of the airplane higher off the ground without unduly lengthening the undercarriage. The reason was to allow the use of the largest possible diameter propeller in order to make most efficient use of the engine's high power. It also allowed the wing's hinge point to be a little closer to the ground, and the tips consequently a little lower when folded, giving a little more hanger deck roof clearance on board aircraft carriers. The propeller selected was a three-bladed Hamilton-Standard Hydromatic constant speed model.

The prototype XF4U-1 was delivered to the Navy in 1940, where it became the first Navy fighter to exceed 400 MPH in level flight and also to encounter shock stall, as described in the P-38 section above. This insidious problem affected the first generation of fighters to achieve high mach numbers in a dive, including the P-38, F4U and P-47.

The Corsair F4U-1 was ordered into production in the Autumn of 1941. It reached the Marines fighting to hold Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands, in February of 1943, where it went operational for the first time with Marine Squadron 124.

The Marines found that the big Corsair at last gave them superiority over the Zero, as long as they did not try to turn with the lighter Japanese fighter. The Corsair was much faster than the Zero, had a better roll rate, and could dive away to safety when necessary. Corsair pilots established a very satisfactory kill ratio and helped turn the tide of war against the Japanese. The F4U-1 had a top speed of 393 m.p.h. at 25,000 ft. Water injection was eventually added to the engine, raising the top speed to 415 m.p.h.

The Corsair was continuously modified and improved. By 1945 over 3000 minor and major improvements had been made. The definitive Corsair was the F4U-4.

Major improvements evident in the F4U-4 included a four-bladed Hamilton Standard Hydromatic propeller, a new cockpit layout, a clear view sliding hood, a two stage turbo-supercharged engine, and under wing attachment points for rockets or bombs.

Unlike most American piston engine fighters, the Corsair continued to serve long after the end of WW II. Production did not finally end until 1953, by which time about 12,500 F4U's of all types had been built.

Interviews conducted after the war revealed that Japanese fighter pilots considered the Corsair to be the best all-around American fighter. The Corsair subsequently served in the Korean War, and with the French in Indochina (Vietnam). It also served as a carrier based fighter with the British Royal Navy during and after the war. For more information about the Corsair see my article "The Chance Vought F4U Corsair." Specifications for the F4U-4 follow.



Wingspan:

40 ft. 11.75 in.

Length:

33 ft. 8.25in

Height:

14 ft. 9.25 in.

Wing area:

314 sq. ft.

Engine:

Pratt and Whitney R-2000-18W; 2,325 hp. at 2,800 r.p.m. at S.L.

Max speed:

435 m.p.h. at 15,000 ft.

Best climb:

4,770 ft./min. at S.L.

Climb to:

20,000 ft., 4.9 min.

Service ceiling:

38,400 ft.

Range:

1,005 miles at 214 m.p.h. at 15,000 ft.

Empty weight:

9,167 lbs.

Loaded weight:

12,405 lbs.

Armament:

6-.50 cal. MG (3/wing); up to 2,000 lbs. of bombs under fuselage; 8-5 in. rockets under wings.




Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate

Generally considered the best Japanese fighter of the war and equal or superior to the best Allied fighters, the Ki-84 Hayate (Hurricane or Storm) was Nakajima Hikoki KK's response to a set of specifications promulgated early in 1942 by the Imperial Japanese Army for a fast, long range, multi-purpose fighter to replace the increasing obsolescent Ki-43 and the later Ki-44. A top speed of 640-680 km/hr (398-420 mph) was desired, along with substantial endurance, a stronger airframe, pilot armor, self-sealing fuel tanks and a heavy armament of 2-20mm cannons and 2-.50 caliber machine guns. The power plant was to be the Nakajima Ha-45 19-cylinder radial engine, expected to develop around 1,800 HP.

Nakajima accepted the challenge and the result was the prototype Ki-84, which appeared in March 1943. The Ki-84's big radial engine was closely cowled and the prop was fitted with a large spinner, rather like the FW-190, with a large oil cooler carried in a fairing beneath the engine cowling. The engine's 18 cylinders had individual, thrust augmenting, exhaust stubs. The two .50 caliber machine guns were located in the cowling above the motor and the 20mm cannon were mounted in the wings outside of the propeller arc. In addition, hard points allowed for carrying extra fuel in drop tanks or a 550 pound bomb beneath each wing. The pilot benefited from excellent all-around vision provided by a streamlined greenhouse canopy. A wide-track landing gear that retracted inward simplified take-offs, landings and ground handling.

The potential of the new fighter was immediately realized and the Army ordered a large number of pre-production aircraft for in-service testing. By April 1944 the Ki-84 was in series production as the Army Type 4 Fighter Model 1A (Ki-84-1a), replacing the earlier Ki-44 on the assembly lines. A total of 3,514 Ki-84 fighters were completed by the end of the war in two Japanese and one Manchurian factory. Manchurian production amounted to something like 94 aircraft, all built in 1945, and these were labeled "Ki-84-1s." Deleting the 12.7mm machine guns and increasing the armament to 4-20mm cannon resulted in the model Ki-84-1b. A further increase in armament to 2-20mm and 2-30mm cannon, designed to counter the B-29 heavy bombers that were by then pillaging Japan, became the Ki-84-1c. Few of the 1b and 1c models were ever built, the great majority of production being the Ki-84-1a variant.

In service, production Ki-84's were hampered by shortages of raw materials (particularly lightweight metals), shoddy assembly, poor quality control (Japanese aircraft production facilities were by then under unrelenting attack by American air power and few skilled workers remained), shortages of high octane gas, a lack of well trained pilots and poor maintenance in the field. Even so, the Ki-84 (code named "Frank") was highly respected by the Allied fighter pilots who faced it in the skies over Manchukuo, China, Formosa, Okinawa, the Philippines and Japan.



After the war a captured K1-84-1a was brought to the U.S. and extensively tested. Air Force pilots found that this aircraft, properly maintained and supplied with good aviation gas, was capable of 426 mph at 20,050 feet carrying a full fighter load of 7,505 lbs. This was slightly faster than either the P-51D or P-47D tested in identical conditions, the fastest American piston-engined fighters of the war. However, the Ki-84's performance fell off at high altitudes. This aircraft was eventually returned to Japan, where it is now on display.

Compared to the other great WW II propeller driven fighters, the Ki-84 was an excellent air superiority fighter that could match the best in the world at low and medium altitudes. It was competitive with the best energy fighters in "boom and zoom" and capable of winning dogfights ("turn and burn") against the Ki-44, Raiden, Bf-109, FW-190, P-51, P-47, P-38, La-5, La-7 and Corsair. It generally out-performed the fighters equal or superior to itself in maneuverability (principally the Ki-43, Zero, Spitfire, Hurricane, P-40, Wildcat, Hellcat and Yak 3), making it a difficult antagonist for any contemporary piston-engined fighter. Specifications for the Ki-84-1a follow.



Wingspan:

36 ft. 10 in.

Length:

32 ft. 7 in.

Height:

11 ft. 1.25 in.

Wing area:

226 sq. ft.

Engine:

Nakajima Ha-45 radial; 1,825 hp (1,990 hp in the final production series). at S.L.

Max speed:

388 m.p.h. at 19,865 ft.

Climb to:

16,400 ft., 6 min. 29 sec.

Service ceiling:

10,500 m (approx. 35,000 ft.)

Range:

1,005 miles at 214 m.p.h. at 15,000 ft.

Empty weight:

5,908 lbs.

Loaded weight:

8,267 lbs.

Armament:

2-.50 cal. (12.7mm) MG, 2-20mm wing cannon; up to 1,100 lbs. of bombs under wings.




That's it, my picks for the best fighter planes of World War II. Nine excellent air superiority fighters that saw widespread sevice.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Great Bombers of World War II
The Great Bombers of World War II
Lancaster, B-17, B-24, B-29, B-25, He 111, JU 88, Mitsubishi G4M2 Type 1 ("Betty"), Stormovic, Dauntless, Mosquito, A-26, Avenger and Stuka

By Chuck Hawks

Bombers are "A combat aircraft designed to carry and drop bombs" according to theAmerican Heritage Dictionary. They are the quintessential air to ground (or sea) delivery system. Despite the title of this little piece, no one can definitively name the "greatest" bombers of the Second World War. However, the types covered in this article do meet some important criteria that suggest that they are worthy of inclusion. The bombers below were produced in large numbers, served their respective air or naval forces as a standard type for an extended period of time and had a significant impact on the war.

I have divided the great bombers of WW II into general categories (heavy, medium and light). Within each category the aircraft are listed alphabetically by manufacturer. The data and specifications used in this article are courtesy of Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. Aircraft specifications are always approximate, so other sources may vary.

Heavy Bombers

These are the long range strategic bombers and during WW II they were all four-engined machines. The USA and UK excelled in the production and use of heavy bombers, demonstrating their superior understanding of the potential of strategic air power in total war. It was the heavy bomber that smashed the cities and industrial centers of Japan and Germany and ultimately heavy bombers ended the war by dropping two atomic bombs on Japan.

Japan, Italy and Germany failed to produce strategic heavy bombers in significant numbers (only about 200 German He 177A heavy bombers, for example, entered service during the war). The USSR developed the four-engine Tupelov TB-7, but accomplished little with the type. The heavies that made the cut are the definitive American and British types.

Avro 683 Lancaster (UK)

The Lancaster was Britain's war winning bomber. While the American B-17 and B-24 heavies targeted German military targets, transportation centers and industries the Lancaster pulverized German population centers by night area bombing.

Germany unleashed total air warfare (albeit on a small scale) using Zeppelins and Gotha bombers during WW I. In the Second World War, beginning with the Blitz, Hitler and Goering sent the Luftwaffe against London and other British population centers. The Battle of Britain revealed the inadequacies of Luftwaffe bombers as strategic weapons and graphically demonstrated to the British that a long range, high capacity, well defended bomber was required for successful strategic total warfare. The Lancaster was just such a bomber.

Avro's 683 was developed from the twin-engined Manchester bomber and began reaching RAF Bomber Command squadrons early in 1942. It was an all-metal, mid-wing monoplane capable of carrying an internal load of up to 18,000 pounds. The normal crew was seven airmen. With modifications to the bomb bay the Lancaster could carry single 12,000 and 22,000 pound bombs, the only bomber in the world to do so. In addition to being built in large numbers in the UK, Lancasters were also produced in Canada and Australia.

The Lancaster I was powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlin XX 1,280 h.p. water-cooled, V-12 engines. The Lancaster II substituted Bristol Hercules VI radial air-cooled engines. The Lancaster III and the Canadian built Lancaster X were powered by Packard built (under license) Merlin V-12 engines.

Normal defensive armament was ten Browning .303 caliber machine guns in four power operated turrets. There was one turret in the nose, two amidships and one in the tail. The tail turret carried four guns, all the others two guns. The Lancaster's vitals and crew positions were protected by armor plate and bullet-proof glass.

The Lancaster's empty weight was 37,000 pounds and the normal loaded weight about 68,000 pounds. Wingspan was 102', maximum speed 275 M.P.H. and maximum range approximately 3,000 miles. The service ceiling was 28,000'.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (USA)

The prototype of the famous B-17 first flew on July 28, 1935. In June of 1939 the type went into regular service as the B-17B. The B-17 was used in both the Pacific and Europe, but proved to be best suited for the ETO. Its greatest fame came from operating with the 8th Air Force stationed in the UK, from where it undertook long range, daylight bombing missions against German military and industrial targets. The B-17 lacked the range and bomb load of the B-24 Liberator, but was somewhat better armed and proved to be even more resistant to battle damage. The Fortress was a key element in winning the air war over Europe and the destruction of the Luftwaffe.

The definitive B-17G was a low-wing, all-metal monoplane powered by four 1,200 h.p. Wright R-1820-97 air-cooled, turbocharged, 9-cylinder radial engines. It had a wingspan of 103' 9" and a length of 74' 9". The normal crew was ten men. Empty weight was 32,720 pounds, normal loaded weight was 49,500 pounds and maximum weight was 60,000 pounds. Normal range with maximum bomb load and normal fuel was 1,100 miles. The maximum speed was 295 M.P.H. and the service ceiling was 35,000'. The B-17's ability to operate at very high altitudes created a significant tactical problem for Axis interceptors.

The B-17G's defensive armament consisted of thirteen heavy .50 caliber machine guns. Eight of these were distributed in pairs in power operated chin, dorsal, ventral and tail positions, plus single manually trained guns on each side of the fuselage in cheek and waist positions and a single manually trained gun fired upward from the top of the fuselage by the radio operator. The internal bomb load was 6,000 pounds.

Boeing B-29 Superfortress (USA)

The B-29 was the definitive heavy bomber of WW II. It originated with a USAAF specification for a heavy bomber to replace the B-17. The prototype XB-29 first flew on 21 September 1942 and the bomber entered service in December 1943. On 15 June 1944 the B-29 first bombed Japan from bases in China. From that point on Japanese cities and industries were increasingly targeted, primarily by B-29's stationed on Guam and in the Mariana Islands. The B-29 was not used in the ETO as the B-17 and B-24 were deemed sufficient to finish the job by the time of the B-29's introduction.

The B-29 was a mid-wing, cantilever monoplane with a crew of ten to fourteen men. It was powered by four 2,200 h.p., twin turbocharged Wright R-3350-23 air-cooled radial engines. Its fuselage was pressurized and this saved its crews from the extreme discomfort of high altitude operation experienced by B-17 and B-24 crews. The result was a marked increase in crew efficiency.

The B-29's service ceiling in excess of 35,000' caused great problems for Japanese interceptor fighters, as did its defensive armament of four centerline, remotely controlled, power operated turrets (two above and two below the fuselage). Each turret was fitted with two .50 caliber heavy machine guns. The remotely controlled tail gun position deployed one 20mm cannon and two .50 caliber machine guns. These guns were aimed from a total of five sighting positions that allowed fire from all guns that would bear to be concentrated on a single target. The result was devastating and B-29 losses to Japanese fighters were light.

The B-29 ended the Second World War by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but its fighting career was not over. The B-29 was again pressed into action during the Korean War, where it smashed industrial targets in North Korea. By the early 1950's, however, the enemy's daylight interceptor fighters were MiG 15 jets and B-29 losses quickly became prohibitive. After a couple of weeks of costly daylight raids, B-29's operated against North Korean targets only at night.

The B-29's wingspan was 141' 3", length 99', and loaded weight 135,000 pounds. The bomber's maximum speed was over 350 M.P.H. and its range in excess of 4100 miles. Up to 20,000 pounds of bombs could be carried internally in the B-29's two bomb bays.

Consolidated Vultee B-24 Liberator (USA)

The Liberator long range bomber prototype first flew on December 29, 1939. It went into production in the Fall of 1940 and stayed in production until May 1945, after some 19,000 examples had been built. These aircraft were produced by Consolidated Vultee (Later Convair) in the San Diego and Ft. Worth plants), North American, Douglas and Ford. In addition to being one of the primary heavy bombers of the USAAF, the Liberator heavy bomber was sold to the RAF and used by the U.S. Navy as a long-range patrol bomber. In the latter capacity it finally closed the "black hole" in the North Atlantic where German U-boats had previously operated free from interference from Allied land based aircraft.

The Liberator was one of the two American heavy bomber types (the other being the B-17) that formed the backbone of the USAAF strategic bomber offensive in the ETO. It was also widely used in the Pacific Theater, where its extra range made it superior to the B-17.

The twin tailed B-24 was a high-wing, cantilever monoplane of all-metal construction flown by a crew of ten men. It was produced in many variations and wartime improvements were incorporated. The B-24J had a wingspan of 110', length of 67' 2" and a fully loaded weight of over 60,000 pounds. Maximum speed was 297 M.P.H., powered by four 1,200 h.p. Pratt & Whitney Twin-Wasp air-cooled supercharged and turbocharged radial engines. The normal range was 1,540 miles with maximum internal bomb load.

The defensive armament consisted of ten .50 caliber heavy machine guns. These were distributed in pairs in power driven nose, dorsal, ventral and tail turrets plus manually trained single guns firing from waist positions in each side of the aft fuselage. There were twin bomb bays in the center fuselage beneath the wings that allowed for a maximum internal bomb load of 8,000 pounds.

Medium Bombers

All of the major combatants in WW II developed and used twin-engined medium bombers in large numbers. Medium bombers served in both the strategic (as used by Germany during the London Blitz) and tactical (as when Japanese G4M2's sank theRepulse and Prince of Wales off Singapore) roles and were used in all theatres of the war. The types listed below are among the best and most significant of the WW II medium bombers.

Heinkel He 111 (Germany)

The He 111 dates to 1935. It first saw action with the German Condor Legion in Spain, where it supported Franco's forces in the Spanish Civil War. It went on to serve the Luftwaffe on all fronts throughout the Second World War and was a mainstay of the German bomber force during the Battle of Britain. In addition to its usual level bomber role the He 111 was also employed in the anti-shipping role as a torpedo bomber and occasionally served the Luftwaffe as a transport and as a glider tug.

The He 111 was produced in large numbers. The most numerous production series was the He 111H, a low-wing cantilever monoplane powered by two Jumo 211 1300 h.p. engines. The well known H-6 variant had a 74' 3" wingspan, 54' 6" length and an empty weight of 17,000 pounds. Normal loaded weight was 25,000 pounds and the maximum weight was 31,000 pounds. The internal bomb load was 4,400 pounds. Top speed was 250 M.P.H., the service ceiling was 27,500' and the range with maximum fuel was 1,750 miles.

Defensive armament varied considerably depending on the specific sub-type, and there were many field modifications. The later models generally carried a single 13mm heavy machine gun in the nose, two 7.9mm (.32") machine guns in a bay beneath the fuselage (one firing forward and one firing aft), a 7.9mm machine gun firing laterally from each side of the fuselage and a single 13mm heavy machine gun firing aft from a dorsal position atop the fuselage. There was no tail gun position, a weakness of most German bombers. One he other hand, the He 111 crew members were all stationed in the front half of the fuselage, which simplified crew communications.

Junkers JU 88 (Germany)

Perhaps the most versatile bomber of WW II, the Ju 88 "Wonder Bomber" first entered service in 1938 and remained in production throughout the war. It served variously as a level bomber, dive bomber, torpedo bomber, ground attack aircraft, trainer, long range reconnaissance plane and even as a radar equipped night fighter, a role in which it was quite successful.

Naturally, the Ju 88 was produced in a myriad of models to accomplish all of these tasks. The Ju 88A-1 was the initial production version, a medium bomber. The Ju 88A series ended with the Ju 88A-17. The Ju 88B series were experimental models with radial engines. The Ju 88C series were day and night fighters. The Ju 88D series were long range reconnaissance types. The Ju 88G series were night fighters. The Ju 88H was intended to be an improved bomber series, but was ultimately used as the radio controlled flying bomb component of composite aircraft late in the war. The Ju 88P was a ground attack aircraft that carried a 75mm cannon. The Ju 88S series were extended range bombers in which bomb load was sacrificed for extra fuel tanks. The Ju 88T series were reconnaissance aircraft.

All Ju 88's were twin engine, low wing cantilever monoplanes. The Ju 88A-4 series were perhaps representative of the type. These were powered by two liquid-cooled Junkers Jumo 211J inverted V-12 engines that produced 1,300 h.p. each. Wing span was 65' 10", length was 47' 1", normal load weight 26,700 pounds, maximum take off weight was 31,000 pounds. There was an internal bomb bay and a total of four hard points under the inner wings for ordinance or extra fuel tanks. Maximum bomb load (internal + external) was 6,600 pounds. The top speed was 295 M.P.H. and the service ceiling was 27,000'. The range with max bomb load was 650 miles; with maximum fuel the range was 1,900 miles.

Typical defensive armament was one forward firing 7.9mm machine gun operated by the pilot, one or two nose mounted 7.9mm machine guns operated by the bombardier, one 7.9mm or 13mm machine gun in upper rear firing position, and twin 7.9mm machine guns in blister providing the lower rear firing position. There was no tail gun.

The Ju 88 medium bombers carried a four man crew (pilot, bombardier, top gunner and navigator/lower gunner) in the front part of the fuselage forward of the main wing spar. This allowed direct voice communication between crew members, who fought the aircraft as a team.

Mitsubishi G4M2 Type 1, Model 22 (Japan)

This is the Japanese Navy twin-engine, land based, medium bomber that was code named "Betty" by the Allies. It was a long range, high speed medium bomber and reconnaissance aircraft that served throughout the war. Late in the war Type 1 bombers were modified to carry Oka ("Baka bomb") suicide piloted rocket bombs.

The Type 1 boasted excellent performance. Its top speed was 325 M.P.H. and its service ceiling was 30,800'. Power was provided by two 1,500 h.p. Mitsubishi Kasei 21 engines. These were fourteen cylinder, twin row, supercharged, air-cooled radials.

Particularly in the early stages of the Pacific War when the Japanese maintained aerial superiority it was a force to be reckoned with. It was Type 1 bombers, for example, that sank the British capital ships Prince of Wales and Repulse at sea off Singapore in the early days of the Pacific War to signal the end of the Super Dreadnought as the arbiter of sea power.

The G4M2 was 65' 7" long and had an 81' 10.5" wingspan. Its empty weight was 17,600 pounds and its normal loaded weight was 27,500 pounds. The maximum loaded weight was 33,100 pounds. It was flown by a crew of 6 or 7 men. It could carry one 1,760 pound torpedo or up to 4,840 pounds of bombs in a bomb bay beneath the wings. There were no conventional bomb bay doors. When loaded this bomb bay was left open at the bottom with a deflector at the rear of the bay to reduce turbulence. When the Type 1 was configured for reconnaissance missions or the bomb bay was otherwise not in use a fairing was fitted that closed the opening.

Defensive armament was provided by one 7.7mm (.303") machine gun in a power operated ball turret in the glazed nose, one 20mm cannon in an upper power operated turret, a manually trained 7.7mm machine gun in waist positions on either side of the fuselage, and a manually trained 20mm cannon on a slide mount in the tail. There is no ventral gun position, which proved to be a weak point that could be exploited by enemy fighters attacking from below.

There was also a later version of the Betty known as the Model 24 with bulged bomb bay doors and a heavier defensive armament. In this model the 7.7mm waist guns were replaced by 20mm cannons.

North American B-25 Mitchell (USA)

The B-25 was the definitive American medium bomber and a most successful and useful design. It was used successfully in all theatres of the war. Mitchell's (the aircraft was named for U.S. military aviation pioneer Billy Mitchell) were operated by the USAAF, USN and RAF during WW II, among others.

The prototype XB-25 first flew on 19 Aug 1940. It was a twin-engined, all-metal, mid-wing cantilever monoplane with characteristic twin vertical stabilizers. Mitchell's were produced in many variations including medium bomber, ground attack, trainer (TB-25) and long range photo reconnaissance versions, the latter being designated the F-10. The USN designation for the Mitchell was PBJ-1.

Power for the B-25J precision bomber model was provided by two Wright Cyclone R-2600-13 double row radial engines with two-speed superchargers (1750 h.p. each). The normal crew was six and all crew positions were protected by armor plate. Wing span was 67' 7", length 53' 5.75", empty weight 21,100 pounds and loaded weight 33,500 pounds. Maximum speed was 303 M.P.H. and the service ceiling was 24,200'. Maximum internal bomb load was 6,000 pounds (or a single 2,150 pound torpedo) plus up to 2,400 pounds of bombs on external racks. Depth charges could also be carried by aircraft engaged in maritime roles.

Defensive armament usually included one fixed and one trainable .50 caliber machine gun in the glazed nose, a power operated dorsal turret with two .50 caliber heavy machine guns, waist positions on both sides of the fuselage with a .50 machine gun in each and a tail gun position with two .50 caliber machine guns. That is a total of eight heavy machine guns, making the B-25J a very heavily defended medium bomber. The B-25C/D versions had a power operated ventral turret instead of the waist and tail gun positions, but this was dropped when the latter were added.

Light, Dive and Torpedo Bombers

These are the "jacks of all trades" of the bomber world. Some were twin engined and some were single engined. They were employed from land bases and also aircraft carriers. Some were pressed into service as night fighters and/or served as specialized ground attack aircraft. The Stormovic, for example, was the scourge of German armored vehicles on the Eastern Front. In some instances, such as the Stuka during the Battle of France and the Dauntless during the Battle of Midway, they were instrumental in securing great victories that altered the course of the war.

Iliuchin IL-2 Stormovic (USSR)

Sergei Iliuchin's Stormovic was an attack bomber specifically designed to provide close support to the Red Army and it proved to be the battle winner on the Eastern Front. It was probably the finest aircraft of its type for its intended purpose of the Second World War. Stalin personally gave the Stormovic production priority over all other Soviet aircraft and tens of thousands were produced during the war.

The IL-2 was a two seat, single engined, low-wing cantilever monoplane. The front of the fuselage was of metal construction while the rear fuselage was made of wood. The control surfaces were fabric covered. Power was provided by a 1,300 h.p. M-38 liqui- cooled V-12 engine that was optimized for low level operation. Armament included two fixed, forward firing 23mm cannons and two .303 machine guns in the leading edges of the wings controlled by the pilot and an aft facing .303 machine gun placed at the rear of the canopy for the gunner. For special missions a pair of 37mm cannon could be carried externally in a removable gun pod. Normal bomb load was eight ground attack fragmentation rockets, fired from four launch rails located under each wing. The Stormovic had a 47' 10" wingspan and an overall length of 38'. Its top speed was about 280 M.P.H.

The underside of the engine as well as the bottom, sides and back of the crew compartment was heavily armored to protect against ground fire. In effect the crew sat in an armored "bath tub." It was a hard airplane to knock down, especially with light AA fire from the ground, but its relatively slow speed made it easy prey for enemy fighters. Thus the Stormovic formations required fighter escort when operating in the vicinity of German fighters. The need to protect the Stormovic explains why most Red Air Force fighters were optimized for low to mid altitude operation.

Douglas SDB Dauntless (USA)

The U.S. Navy's Dauntless carrier based scout bomber went into production in June of 1940 and remained in production until July, 1944, by which time some 5,936 had been built. By the end of 1944 the Dauntless was being replaced as a front line scout/dive bomber by the newer SBF Helldiver, but it remained in service until the end of the war. Some versions of the SBD were equipped for long range photo reconnaissance.

The SBD proved to be an excellent scout/dive bomber and it was instrumental in winning the Pacific War. It was Dauntless dive bombers that sank four Japanese attack carriers during the battle of Midway, the turning point of the Pacific War. SBD's also formed the dive bomber component of the famed "Cactus Air Force" during the long and bitter battle of attrition for possession of Guadalcanal Island. For the first two years of the war the SDB was the only American dive bomber. It was operated from U.S. aircraft carriers at sea and from land bases by the U.S. Marine Corps. The Dauntless was also procured by the USAAF, where it was known as the A-24.

There were six sub-types of Dauntless, SBD-1 through SDB-6. The Dauntless was a two seat, low-wing cantilever monoplane. The definitive SBD-6 was Duralumin framed with a flush riveted aluminum skin and fabric covered rudder and elevator control surfaces. The crew sat (pilot in front and the gunner behind) beneath a continuous transparent canopy protected by armor and a bullet-proof windscreen. Power was provided by a single Wright R-1820-66 Cyclone air-cooled, 9-cylinder radial engine that developed 1,350 h.p. at takeoff. Wingspan was 41' and length 32'. Empty weight was 6,535 pounds and fully loaded for dive bombing missions the Dauntless weighed 9,519 pounds. Maximum speed was 255 M.P.H. and the service ceiling was 25,200'. Range in scout bomber configuration was 773 miles.

Armament included two .50 caliber Browning heavy machine guns firing through the engine cowl for the pilot and a pair of .30 caliber machine guns in a flexible mount for the rear gunner. A swinging bomb cradle beneath the fuselage could accommodate a single 1,000 pound or 500 pound bomb. In addition, a 100 pound bomb could be carried on the single hard points located below each wing. Typical payload for dive bombing (and especially anti-ship) missions would be one 1,000 pound and two 100 pound bombs. Typical payload for scout bomber missions would be one 500 pound and two 100 pound bombs with an increased fuel load for greater range.

De Havilland D.H. 98 Mosquito (UK)

The Mosquito served in all theatres of the war. It was another of those extremely versatile aircraft that was eventually produced in light bomber, fighter-bomber, day fighter, night fighter, night intruder, trainer and reconnaissance versions. There was the Mk. 33 Sea Mosquito naval version with folding wings and arrestor gear for use from Royal Navy aircraft carriers and even a British Airways civil version that operated from Britain to Sweden during the war. As a reconnaissance aircraft the Mosquito became the RAF's most valuable source of aerial intelligence and as a night ground attack intruder it was the scourge of Nazi occupied Europe.

De Havilland built the fuselage and wings of the Mosquito largely of plywood and spruce with a plywood skin in an effort to reduce the consumption of strategic materials such as aluminum. Never the less, the Mosquito turned out to be one of the most successful warplanes of the Second World War and arguably the best light bomber (in historical context) ever produced.

The prototype Mosquito first flew on 25 November 1940 and the type was first delivered to the RAF in July, 1941. Over its production life it was built in a myriad of Marks (numerically up to at least the Mk. 42) and in Canada and Australia as well as in the UK.

The Mosquito was a mid-wing cantilever monoplane with a crew of two that was powered by two liquid-cooled Rolls Royce Merlin V-12 engines. The crew sat side by side in the cabin and bomber versions had a Plexiglas nose for bomb aiming. (Fighter versions had a solid nose with armor protection.) The Mosquito carried no defensive armament, relying on its speed to evade enemy fighters.

The representative Mark XVI bomber could carry a single 4,000 pound bomb in its extended internal bomb bay (up from 3,000 pounds in earlier versions) and two external 50 gallon drop tanks under the wings. Alternatively, a bomb load of four 500 pound bombs and two 100 gallon drop tanks could be accommodated. Wingspan was 54' 2"; length was 44' 6". The maximum take-off weight was 25,000 pounds. Its top speed was over 400 M.P.H., the service ceiling was in excess of 36,000 feet and its range was over 1500 miles. The Mk. XVI featured a pressurized (at 2 lbs./sq. in.) and heated cabin, which enhanced crew comfort and performance.

Douglas A-26 Invader (USA)

The A-26 proved to be a very successful light bomber and attack aircraft that served the USAF in WW II, Korea, and finally in Vietnam. This versatile aircraft was more or less America's counterpart to the British Mosquito and German Ju-88. Like those aircraft the A-26 performed level bomber, ground attack and night fighter missions. It was also used by the USN as the JD-1 target tug. The prototype XA-26 first flew on 10 July 1942 and the A-26B production version first went into action during November, 1944 with the USAAF 9th Air Force in Europe.

The A-26 was a twin-engined, all-metal, mid-wing cantilever design. Two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-71 air-cooled, 18-cylinder, supercharged, radial engines provided 2,000 h.p. each. These were fed gas and oil from self-sealing tanks. The top speed was 345 M.P.H. Dimensions included a 70' wing span and a length of 50' 9". Normal loaded weight was 27,000 pounds and maximum weight was 32,000 pounds.

The A-26B had a closed-in nose in which was mounted six .50 heavy machine guns, or sometimes a large cannon. In addition, eight .50 caliber heavy machine guns could be mounted under the wings in "gun package" pairs, two under each wing. There was an internal bomb bay with hydraulically operated doors and external bomb racks under the wings.

The A-26C had a glazed nose with two forward firing .50 caliber Browning heavy machine guns and a bombardier position. This model served as the lead aircraft for level bomber missions. Otherwise the two models were very similar.

Defensive armament for both the B and C models included remote controlled, power operated dorsal and ventral turrets with two .50 machine guns each. The upper turret could be locked to fire forward and was then controlled by the pilot.

Grumman TBF Avenger (USA)

The Grumman designed Avenger was perhaps the most successful carrier borne torpedo bomber of the war. It was used extensively by the USN and the British Royal Navy. Grumman built Avengers were called TBF's, while Avengers built under license by General Motors were called TBM's. All Avengers built after December, 1943 came from the Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors.

The U.S. Navy took delivery of the XTBF-1 prototype in 1941. The TBF-1 three seat torpedo bomber went into production that same year and entered fleet service early in 1942. Unlike earlier American, British and Japanese torpedo bombers, the Avenger carried its torpedo in an enclosed bomb bay with hydraulically operated doors controlled by the pilot or the bombardier.

The Avenger was a mid-wing cantilever monoplane usually powered by a supercharged 1,700 h.p. Wright R-2600-8 air-cooled, 14 cylinder, radial engine. In addition to internal fuel, there was provision for carrying an auxiliary 58 gallon drop tank under each wing and a droppable long range ferry tank of 275 gallons in the bomb bay.

The bomb bay could accommodate one USN short air torpedo, one 2000 pound bomb, one 1000 bomb, four 500 pound bombs or an equivalent load of smaller bombs. The forward firing armament controlled by the pilot included one .30 caliber machine gun in the engine cowl and two .50 caliber heavy machine guns in the wings. In addition there was a power driven turret at the aft end of the canopy containing one .50 caliber heavy machine gun operated by the radio operator/gunner and a ventral .30 caliber machine gun in a housing aft of the bomb bay fired by the bombardier.

Dimensions included a wing span of 54' 2" (19' when folded) and length of 40' 1/8". The normal loaded weight was 15,536 pounds. Maximum speed was 278 M.P.H. and the service ceiling was 22,600'. The normal range was 905 miles.

The final version of the Avenger was the TBM-4. This version had a strengthened airframe and was powered by a Wright R-2622-20 engine. One decorated Avenger pilot was George Bush, who later became the 41st President of the United States.

Junkers Ju 87 Stuka (Germany)

Due to its gull wings and fixed landing gear the Stuka was one of the most recognizable aircraft of the war. It was a purpose built dive bomber and was later modified for the ground attack role. Ju 87's were built in a number of variations, including the Ju 87G ground attack series that carried two Flak 18 (3.7") guns under the wings and lacked dive brakes. There was a dual control trainer version and a naval version, the Ju 87C, that was modified for operation from the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin, which was never completed. The Stuka first entered service before the beginning of WW II and saw action in Spain during the Civil War.

Stuka units normally operated in close cooperation with the German Army and were instrumental in the early blitzkrieg victories over Poland, Belgium, Holland and France. Its ability to deliver bombs accurately on target (always the greatest problem for level bombers) had a profound effect on subsequent German bomber design, most of which were required to have dive bombing capability.

The Battle of Britain revealed the basic flaw in the Stuka concept: although highly maneuverable it lacked the speed to escape from enemy fighters or the defensive fire power to keep them at bay. Furthermore, it cruised at a speed so low that it was nearly impossible for German fighters to escort properly. High losses forced the withdrawal of the type from the Battle of Britain, although it continued to serve effectively in North Africa as well as in the anti-shipping role in the Atlantic, North Sea and Mediterranean Sea.

The Stuka became a mainstay of German close air support on the Eastern Front after Hitler attacked the Soviet Union in 1941, and it was particularly effective in the early part of that campaign when the Luftwaffe maintained air superiority. Later on, as the Red Air Force began to wrest control of the air from the Luftwaffe, Stuka losses rose and the Ju 87 was finally forced out of production in 1944. It was largely replaced in the ground attack role by special versions of the Fw 190 fighter.

Perhaps the best known and most widely used Stuka was the Ju 87D series (D-1 through D-8). These were two-seat, low-wing cantilever monoplanes powered by a single Junkers Jumo 211J, liquid-cooled V-12 that developed 1,300 h.p. Dive brakes were fitted below the front wing spar outboard of the fixed landing gear. Tandem seating was provided under a long, continuous Plexiglas canopy for the two man crew with the pilot in the front seat and the gunner in the rear seat. Wing span was 45' 4" and length was 36' 6". Normal weight was 12,600 pounds and maximum take-off weight was 14,500 pounds. Maximum speed was 255 M.P.H. and the service ceiling was 24,000'. The range with a full bomb load (3,960 pounds) was 620 miles; with maximum fuel the range could be extended to 1,200 miles.

Armament included two 20mm cannon in the wings controlled by the pilot and twin 7.9mm machine guns in a flexible mount firing from the rear of the canopy and operated by the gunner. For strafing missions a gun pack containing six 7.9mm machine guns could be mounted under each wing. A single 550, 1,100, or 3,960 pound bomb could be carried under the fuselage on a swinging cradle. Four 110 pound, two 550 pound or two 1,100 pound bombs could be carried beneath the wings for a total bomb weight of up to 3,960 pounds.

Conclusion

Those, then, are my choices as the greatest bombers of World War II. Fourteen aircraft from five nations that were not only widely produced and employed, but which also had a significant impact on the course of the war.

 

[vostok]

Light training aircraft Yak-152
Four prototype Yak-152 (two - for flight, one - for static and fatigue tests) plans to build up to October 30, 2015 th. State joint tests must be completed before September 30, 2016.

MoD needs are estimated at 250-300 Yak-152.
Main technical characteristics:
Takeoff weight, kg - 1320
Engine power, hp - 360
Maximum speed, km / h - 500
Stall speed, km / h - 100
Operating load - +9 / -7 g
Maximum fuel, kg - 200
Maximum range, km - 1000
Takeoff / run, m - 175/360
Life, h - 10000
Calendar life, years - 30

 

[vostok]

First Soviet AWACS Tu-126 (1965) 9 planes were built

General characteristics

• Crew: 12 (plus a full spare crew)
• Length: 56.5 m (185 ft 4 in) with refuelling probe
• Wingspan: 51.4 m (168 ft 8 in)
• Height: 16.05 m (52 ft 8 in) [5]
• Wing area: 311.1 m2 (3,349 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 103,000 kg (227,076 lb)
• Gross weight: 171,000 kg (376,990 lb)
• Fuel capacity: 60,800 kg (134,041 lb)
• Powerplant: 4 × Kuznetsov NK-12MV axial flow turboprop engines, 11,033 kW (14,795 hp) each
• Propellers: 8-bladed Contra-rotating

Performance

• Maximum speed: 790 km/h (491 mph; 427 kn)
• Cruising speed: 520 km/h (323 mph; 281 kn) at 9,000 m (29,528 ft)
• Range: 7,000 km (4,350 mi; 3,780 nmi) internal fuel only
• Endurance: 20 hours with one in-flight refuel
• Service ceiling: 10,700 m (35,105 ft)
• Power/mass: 0.26 kW/kg (0.16 hp/lb)

Tupolev Tu-126 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Danishwer]

it is a good and informative....

Introduction;
This thread is a combination of many related subjects of my interest --e.g
secret projects, un-realized projects, modern fighter's initial design proposals - to design comparisons of both pre/post cold war era fighters etc

Manticore I am unable to see a single link of yours...

 

[mil-avia]

Two Japanese concept stealth jets (left & centre) and Chinese J-20 stealth fighter (right) :

Related link(s).

 

[Penguin]

The Best Fighter of its Generation (1935-1945): Messerschmitt Bf 109

By Chuck Hawks
Messerschmitt Bf 109 - Best Fighter of its Generation.

Daimler Benz (re)powered Spitfire

"In November 1942 a Spitfire VB EN830 NX-X of 131 Squadron made a forced landing in a turnip field at Dielament Manor, Trinity, Jersey, under German occupation at the time. This aircraft was repairable and started being test flown in German markings and colours at the Luftwaffe's central research facilities at Erprobungsstelle Rechlin. There it was proposed that the Spitfire's Merlin engine should be replaced by a Daimler-Benz DB 605A inverted Vee-12 engine; the Spitfire was sent to Echterdingen, south of Stuttgart, where Daimler-Benz operated a flight testing division.

When the Merlin engine was removed it was discovered that the fuselage cross section was virtually identical to that of the engine nacelle of a Messerschmitt Bf-110G. Consequently a new engine support structure was built onto the Spitfire's fuselage and the DB 605 engine and cowling panels added. A propeller unit and supercharger air intake from a Bf 109 G completed the installation.

Other changes made were to replace the Spitfire instruments with German types, and to change the 12-volt electrical system to the German 24-volt type. In this form the Daimler-Benz Spitfire started flying in early 1944. It was popular with German pilots and was flown regularly until destroyed in a USAAF bombing raid on 14 August 1944".

Merlin powered Bf-109: Spain's Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L Buchon V2.1

(used in war movies)

 

[mil-avia]

[self-deleted]

 

[mil-avia]

F-3 (left) and F-22 (right) stealth fighters (2 images) :

 

[500]

F-16 with AN/APG-65 radar from F-18. 1979