Best Aircraft - From the First World War to today - not just combat prowess, but also reliability and affordability
What are the top five fighter jets of all time? Like the same question asked of tanks, cars or rock and roll guitarists, the answer invariably depends on the parameters.
Best Aircraft
For example, T-34 and King Tiger have a few sets of stable parameters. I know which one I want to run in a fight, but I appreciate that this is not the most appropriate way to approach the question.
The Best Long Flight Travel Accessories For Jet Setting In Luxury
As such, I would love to drive a Porsche 959 to work every morning, and I hesitate to list it in a "best of" collection ahead of the Toyota Corolla.
Countries buy combat aircraft to solve national strategic problems and should evaluate the aircraft by their ability to solve or resolve those problems. So the motivating question is - to what extent did this aircraft help solve the strategic problems of the countries that built or bought it?
: How did this aircraft fare against the competition, not only other fighters, but bombers and ground installations?
: Can people count on this plane to fight when needed, or will it spend more time on maintenance than in the air?
The 10 Best Plane Movies Of All Time
: What would the organization and the nation have to pay in blood and tax to fly this plane?
In the early days of military aviation, technological innovation moved so quickly that advanced aircraft became obsolete death traps within a year.
Engineers in France, Great Britain, Germany and Italy constantly strived to outdo their competitors, producing new aircraft every year. The development of operational strategies lagged behind the technology, although input from major flyers played an important role in how designers put together new aircraft.
However, Spade S.XIII stands out for its fighting nature and light production. Based on the advice of French aviators such as Georges Guinemar, the XIII lacked the maneuverability of some of its contemporaries, but could outrun most of them and performed well in a climb or dive.
War Thunder: The 15 Best Aircraft In The Game, Ranked
About 8,500 aircraft were simple enough to be produced and eventually entered service. Significant early reliability problems were resolved by the end of the war, but were nonetheless overwhelmed by the XIII's combat capability.
The S.XIII not only replenished French fighter squadrons but also Allied air services. American ace Eddie Rickenbacker scored his 20 kills flying a XIII, outclassing the most advanced German fighters of the day, including the Fokker D.VII.
Spade XIII aided the Allies during the Ludendorff Offensive and controlled the skies over France during the counteroffensive. After the war it remained in service for several years in France, the United States and a dozen other countries.
In one important sense, the Spade XIII set the standard for what a postwar aircraft should do.
Top 10 Of The Best Aircraft Design Software In 2022
Of course, the Air Force isn't the only one flying fighter jets. The F6F Hellcat cannot be compared to the Spitfire, P-51 or Bf 109 in many basic flying characteristics, although its ability to climb is first class.
What the F6F could do, however, was fly reliably from aircraft carriers, which led to the major and decisive US naval vessel attacks of World War II.
When the USN entered the war in September 1943, 75 percent of its air campaign victories were achieved in the Pacific. USN ace David McCampbell, flying a Hellcat, shot down nine Japanese planes in one day. The F6F was heavily armed and could inflict more combat damage than its contemporaries.
In total, the F6F claimed almost 5,200 casualties for air losses in 270 aircraft, including a 13:1 ratio against the Mitsubishi A6M Zero.
What's The Best Plane For Beating Jet Lag?
The USN carrier strike in the latter part of World War II is the greatest example in world history of the use of decisive air power. The Hellcats and their cousins (Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers and Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers) devastated Japan's island empire and exposed the Japanese homeland to devastating air strikes and the Japanese homeland. The threat of invasion.
In 1943, the US needed a fighter capable of enduring a campaign far from most bases, yet fast and agile enough to defeat the best the IJN had to offer. Tough as a brick and reliable, the Hellcat is perfect for that role.
Simply put, the Honda Accord is a great car in its own right; Honda Accords in the fighter world also deserve their day.
The Me 262 Schwalbe (Swallow in English) failed to win the war for Germany and was unable to stop the Combined Bomber (CBO). Had the German military authorities made the right decisions, the latter could at least have been carried out.
Best Masks To Wear On An Airplane 2022
Known as the world's first operational jet fighter, full-scale production of the Mi 262 was delayed by opposition from the German government and the Luftwaffe, who were using resources for an experimental aircraft without a clear role. Early attempts to convert it into a fighter-bomber failed.
As the need for a superior interceptor became apparent, the Me 262 found its niche. The Swallow proved devastating against American bomber formations and outmaneuvered American pursuit aircraft.
The Me 262 was not a perfect fighter – it lacked the maneuverability of the best American interceptors, and American and British pilots developed strategies to control the swallow.
Although production encountered some early problems with the engines, manufacturing in the later stages of the conflict was so easy that the aircraft could be mass-produced in scattered, underground facilities.
The Best Way To Strip Paint Off A Fighter Jet? Laser Wielding Robots
But had it come online a little earlier, the Me 262 might have ripped the heart out of the CBO. 1943 C.B.O. Dramatically high bomber losses in 1943 may have prompted Churchill and Roosevelt to reduce production of four-engined bombers in favor of additional strategic aircraft.
Without the advantage of long-range escort, American bombers would have been easy prey for German jets. Furthermore, the Mi 262 would have been more effective without the constant worry of P-47s and P-51s shelling its airfields and tracking landings.
Nazi Germany needed a game changer, an aircraft capable of making CBO costs too high for the Allies to sustain. The Me262 came too late to solve that problem, but it's hard to imagine any aircraft that could come close.
Ironically, this may have hastened the Allied victory, as the combined bombing attack resulted not only in the destruction of urban Germany, but also in the waste of significant Allied resources. Win-win.
The Top 10 Fighter Jets In The World
An odd choice for this list? The MiG-21 was known as fodder for the other Cold War superfighters, and for having an abysmal kill ratio. The fish bed (in NATO terminology) served as convenient prey in Vietnam and various Middle Eastern wars, some of which were fought on both sides.
But ... the MiG-21 is cheap, fast, maneuverable and has low maintenance requirements. Although it is not easy to learn to fly well, it is relatively easy to learn to fly.
The Air Force continued to purchase the MiG-21 for a long time. Counting the Chengdu J-7 variant, perhaps 13,000 MiG-21s have entered service worldwide. In a sense, the Fishbed is the AK-47 (or T-34, if you prefer) of the fighter world. Fifty countries flew the MiG-21, and it flew for 55 years.
It continues to fly as an integral part of 26 different air forces, including the Indian Air Force, the People's Liberation Army Air Force, the Vietnamese People's Air Force and the Romanian Air Force. Would anyone be surprised if the fish bed and its variants are still flying in 2034?
Umkytoys 8 Air Force Fighter Planes Best Toy Gift Set For Kids Plane Toys For Boys And Girls Children's Air Plane
The MiG-21 won praise from American Red Flag attack pilots, who celebrated its speed and maneuverability and (through the contribution of North Vietnamese aces such as Nguyễn Văn Cốc) played a key role in redefining the air superiority requirements of the United States. states. While it flies well, it remains a dangerous foe.
Most of its life is just showing up, and no fighter since the 1960s has shown up as consistently and in as many places as the MiG-21. For countries that need a cheaper option to claim control of their national airspace, the MiG-21 has long been a problem solver and will continue to serve in this role.
What about the F-15 Eagle? When it entered service in 1976, it was immediately recognized as the best fighter in the world.
Today, although the Su-27 and F-22 have surpassed it in some ways, it is still the best and most cost-effective fighter. If a fighter jet in American history could be named after the national emblem of the United States, what else would it be but the F-15?
The Best Aircraft Of 2021 For Msfs 2020?
The eagle symbolizes the era of American supremacy
Best aircraft mechanic schools, best aircraft headsets, aircraft, best aircraft cleaning products, best light sport aircraft, best aircraft maintenance schools, best homebuilt aircraft, best aircraft paint shops, best aircraft renters insurance, best aircraft paint remover, best aircraft paint, best aircraft wax