The World’s Greatest Military Aircraft: An Illustrated History

331 Pages·2015·10.11 MB·English

by  Thomas Newdick

THE WORLD’S GREATEST
MILITARY AIRCRAFT
AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY
Thomas Newdick
This digital edition first published in 2015
Published by
Amber Books Ltd
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United Kingdom
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Copyright © 2015 Amber Books Ltd
ISBN: 978-1-78274-277-7
All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purpose of review no part of this
publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the publisher.
The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge.
All recommendations are made without any guarantee on the part of the author or publisher, who also
disclaim any liability incurred in connection with the use of this data or specific details.
Picture Credits:
Art-Tech/Aerospace: 8–17 (all), 21 (top), 24–81 (all), 89–105 (all), 119, 155
Dassault: 183, 203
Ukrainian State Archive: 85
U.S. Department of Defense: 21 (bottom), 110, 123–151 (all), 163, 171, 175, 187, 195, 199, 206–219 (all)
All artworks courtesy Art-Tech except for the following: Military Visualizations, Inc: 216–218 (all)
www.amberbooks.co.uk
Contents
INTRODUCTION
WORLD WAR I AND WORLD WAR II
Sopwith Camel (1916)
Fokker Dr.1 (1917)
SPAD XIII (1917)
Junkers Ju 87 Stuka (1935)
Messerschmitt Bf 109 (1935)
Hawker Hurricane (1935)
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (1935)
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (1935)
Supermarine Spitfire (1936)
Junkers Ju 88 (1936)
Douglas SBD Dauntless (1938)
Mitsubishi A6M Zero (1939)
North American B-25 Mitchell (1939)
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 (1939)
Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik (1939)
De Havilland Mosquito (1940)
North American P-51 Mustang (1940)
Yakovlev Yak-1/3/7/9 (1940)
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (1941)
Avro Lancaster (1941)
Grumman F6F Hellcat (1942)
Messerschmitt Me 262 (1942)
Northrop P-61 Black Widow (1942)
Boeing B-29 Superfortress (1944)
Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star (1944)
COLD WAR AND MODERN ERA
North American F-86 Sabre (1949)
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (1950)
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (1952)
Avro Vulcan (1952)
Lockheed C-130 Hercules (1954)
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (1955)
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II (1958)
Lockheed SR-71 ‘Blackbird’ (1962)
General Dynamics F-111 (1964)
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy (1968)
Tupolev Tu-22M (1969)
Grumman F-14 Tomcat (1970)
Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II (1972)
Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon (1974)
Panavia Tornado (1974)
Sukhoi Su-27 ‘Flanker’ (1977)
Mikoyan MiG-29 ‘Fulcrum’ (1977)
Dassault Mirage 2000 (1978)
McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet (1978)
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II (1978)
Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk (1981)
Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle (1986)
Dassault Rafale (1986)
Northrop B-2 Spirit (1989)
Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor (1990)
Eurofighter Typhoon (1994)
Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II (2006)
INDEX
Introduction
From the frail, canvas-covered machines that fought
over the trenches in World War I, to the
sophisticated, high-performance super-fighters of the
twenty-first century, military aircraft have come an
enormous way in a century of air warfare.
With one exception, all the famous aircraft presented in this book have, to
varying degrees, forged their reputations in combat: most recently, the US Air
Force’s premier air dominance fighter, the F-22 Raptor, which first saw battle
over Syria in 2014. The Raptor, which represents the so-called ‘fifth generation’
of manned fighter, continues an illustrious line that began in World War I, when
the first purpose-designed fixed-wing combat aircraft were fielded.
In the first half of the 20th century, the development of the manned fighter
was spurred on by two world wars, in the course of which pilots progressed from
firing at each other with hand-held small arms from open cockpits to attacking
enemy aircraft in the air, and targets on the ground, with increasingly powerful
and sophisticated armament, up to and including the first, primitive rockets and
missiles. The fighters described in the following pages represent different design
philosophies in the effort to provide the most effective blend of a range of
sometimes conflicting requirements: performance, manoeuvrability, strength,
handling and firepower. With the F-35 Lightning II, the only aircraft included
that is yet to see operational service in a combat environment, the manufacturer
and customer air forces aim to provide the ultimate combination of these
demands. Only time will tell how successful is this latest bid at providing the
‘definitive’ all-round fighter.
World War II saw military aircraft come of age, as they began to take on an increasing range of
missions in theatres across the globe. Typical was the B-25 Mitchell, developed as a medium bomber
but equally efficient in roles as diverse as maritime patrol and photo-reconnaissance.
While fighters remain the most familiar military aircraft, and dominate this
type selection, attention is also given to bombers, which also launched their first
raids during World War I. In the course of World War II, the delineation
between the strategic bomber – primarily intended for long-range bombing
missions against key fixed targets including cities – and the tactical bomber –
typically intended for striking objectives close to the front lines or for attacking
enemy shipping – became increasingly blurred. At the same time, the expanding
potential of the fighter permitted the introduction of a new class of fighter-
bomber that could undertake either defensive or offensive missions. Although
the fighter-bomber was further developed to yield multi-role fighters, the first
true exponents of which appeared in service mid-way through the Cold War,
there remains a place in the 21st century for the dedicated long-range bomber,
like the B-2 Spirit and the venerable B-52 Stratofortress.