MiG-23 Flogger

The Mikoyan MiG-23 Flogger was the first operational fighter aircraft in military history to be fitted with variable sweep wings. It was developed and produced during Cold War. Designed by the State-run Mikoyan-Gurevich firm, its prototype performed its first flight in June 1967 and it entered service in 1970. Although it was designed as a supersonic jet fighter, this versatile aircraft could also conduct ground-attack missions as it could carry up to 3,000 kg of ordnance or air-to-ground missiles. It first saw combat action in the Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989). In service with the Iraqi Air Force, it was also used in the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). During this latter armed conflict, an Iraqi MiG-23ML shot down an Iranian American-made F-14 Tomcat.

Technical Characteristics

The MiG-23 was a supersonic jet aircraft. It was fitted with swing wings, whose geometry positions were hydraulically controlled through a lever located under the cockpit throttle. The wings were mounted high on the fuselage of the aircraft (shoulder-mounted). To fly at subsonic speeds, the wings had to be fully spread. To fly at supersonic speeds, they had be swept backwards. Meanwhile, the engine air intakes were situated on the sides of fuselage, right under the wings. The aircraft was powered by a Tumansky R-29B-300 afterburning turbojet engine, which could deliver 27,500 lb (12,500 kg) of thrust. However, it would be replaced by a Khatchaturov R-35-300 on the MiG-23MLD version.

Variants

The Ye-231 and MiG-23A were the first prototypes and they were known as Flogger-A; the MiG-23S was the first production batch. The MiG-23M and MF, which were the first massively produced and used in combat. The MiG-23P was an air interceptor version, equipped with advanced radar and air-to-air missiles. Known as Flogger-G, the MiG-23ML was fitted with improved avionics, which included a Spfir-23ML radar, TP-23ML IRST, and Polyot 21-23 navigation suite. The last fighter version was the MiG-23MLD, with improved maneuverability and vortex generators.

Specifications

Type: one-seat, jet fighter aircraft

Length: 16.7 m (54 ft 9 in)

Height: 4.8 m (15 ft 10 in)

Wingspan: 14 m (fully spread)

Wing Area: 37.35 m³ (fully spread)

Maximum Speed: Mach 2.35 at high altitude (2,500 km/h), and Mach 1.1 at sea level.

Combat Range: 1,500 km.

Armament

One 23mm GSh-23L cannon; two R-23 Apex and four R-60 Aphid air-to-air missiles.

Below, a Mikoyan MiG-23ML of the Croatian Air Force on the tarmac of a military airbase in the early 1990s.

Below, a photo of the MiG-23 which is about to take off from a Russian military base.

 Two Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-23ML version about to touch down on a military airbase runway in Eastern Europe.

Beriev Be-6

The Beriev Be-6 was one of several Soviet flying boats. The development of this aircraft started in 1944, with the first test flight taking place in 1946. It was finally introduced in 1952. This versatile aircraft of the Cold War years played several important roles for the Soviet Navy; coastal patrol, reconnaissance, search and rescue, transport, mine laying, but it was also a long-range torpedo-bomber. In 1957, it was fitted with updated sonar and radar for searching NATO's submarines marauding near the Russian sea coasts. It would be phased out of duty in 1968.

The Beriev Be-6 was a two-engine heavy monoplane. It featured gull wings, which were mounted high on the fuselage. The fuselage was all-metal, with its belly having the shape of a keel for operating in sea waters; thus, when it was above water, it resembled the keel of small ship. The aircraft had a two-fin tail, with a V-shaped horizontal stabilizer. The 'landing' gear consisted of the keel-shaped fuselage bottom and two small floats, each one set on each wing. The power plant was composed of two Shvetso ASH-73, 18-cylinder radial engines, which delivered 2,400 HP. The main production version was the Beriev Be-6M. The anti-submarine variant was the Be-6PL, fitted with a hydro-acoustic detection system.

Specifications

Type: Flying Boat (Reconnaissance/Torpedo-Bomber)

Length: 23 m

Wingspan: 33 m

Height: 7.45 m

Payload: 4,100 kg

Maximum Speed: 377 km/h

Range: 4,800 km

Armament: two heavy torpedoes and two rear 20mm cannons.

Below, the Beriev Be-6M on Baltic sea water.

 

F-111 Aardvark

The F-111 Aardvark was the first American swing-wing aircraft. It was developed and produced by General Dynamics to replace the F-105 Thunderchief. Therefore, one of the main requirements was for the manufacturer to design an aircraft capable of supersonic speeds and a high payload capacity at the same time. The new fighter-bomber rolled out on October 15, 1964, during a special ceremony attended by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.

The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark would fly for the first time eight weeks later, on December 21, 1964. During the first test flight, there was a malfunction with the power plant and the two Pratt & Whitney TF30 engines had to be overseen and improved to overcome the difficulties. After many test flights and technical corrections, the USAF received its first batch of F-111 aircraft in July 1967, officially entering service in October of the same year. Over the next couple of years, different variants would be produced; the F-111B, F-111C, F-111D, and F-111E. This aircraft was also used by the Australian Air Force and the UK RAF.

Technical Characteristics

The Aardvark was a two-seat, two-engine supersonic aircraft. Its wings were mounted high on the fuselage structure by means of a steel torsion box, which had pivots at each end. The variable sweep angles were 16 degrees, when set at maximum span, and 72.5 degrees at minimum span. With the wing at forward sweep, the root leading edge section moved into a fixed 'glove' to keep a smooth contour. When the wings were fully swept back, the root trailing edge disappeared into the fuselage through a slotted flexible seal. The front section of fuselage includes an ejectable crew capsule instead of ejectable individual seats.

Combat Operations

The F-111 Aardvark first saw combat action in March 1968, taking off from a US military base located north of Bangkok, Thailand. It carried out sorties over North Vietnam to evaluate the aircraft in anger. After eleven days of combat missions, the first aircraft was lost. By 1972, their efficiency had improved sharply as the Aardvark performed low-level bombing raids against the North Vietnamese Army.

Specifications (F-111D)

Type: Fighter-Bomber

Crew: 2

Length: 22.37 m

Wingspan: 19.20 m (at 16 degrees); 9.74 m (at 72.5 degrees).

Wing Area: 46.75 / 58.50 sq. meters

Height: 5.22 m

Power Plant: two Pratt & Whitney JTF10-A-36 TF-30-P-9 turbofan engines with afterburner.

Maximum Speed: Mach 2.5 (2,654 km/h) at 11,000 m.

Combat Radius: 1,600 km

Armament: 19,500 kg payload, which included bombs of all types, missiles, and rockets.

Below, the F-111 Aardvark in the 1970s, with its wings fully extended.

 Front view of the aircraft.

 The Aardvark displaying its armament.

 

F-14 Tomcat

The F-14 Tomcat was a carrier-based, variable-sweep wing fighter in service with the US Navy during the Cold War. It was developed by the American aircraft company Grumman for United States Navy to replace the F-4 Phantom II fighter, which had already carried out many combat missions in Vietnam. The Tomcat first rolled out on December 14, 1970 and it flew for the first time a week later, on December 21.

Designed both as an air superiority fighter and a long-range naval interceptor, the Grumman F-14 was a twin-engine, two-seat aircraft fitted out with variable sweep wings. It entered service with the US Navy in September 1974, being deployed aboard the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier. The Tomcat was the biggest and heaviest carrier-based fighter in the US Navy history.

Below, the F-14A front view.

The F-14 Tomcat had its baptism of fire on August 19, 1981, over the Gulf of Sidra in what is known as the Gulf of Sidra incident after two F-14s from VF-41 Black Aces were engaged by two Libyan Su-22 "Fitters". The F-14s evaded the short range heat seeking AA-2 "Atoll" missile and returned fire, downing both Libyan aircraft. US Navy F-14s once again were pitted against Libyan aircraft on January 4, 1989, when two F-14s from VF-32 shot down two Libyan MiG-23 "Floggers" over the Gulf of Sidra in a second Gulf of Sidra incident. Of course, the Soviet-made fighters were not fitted out with the modern Soviet avionics of the day. The F-14 would also see combat action in the 1991 Operation Desert Storm in the ground-attack role.

Serving with the US Navy, the F-14 was upgraded more than once. In the 1990s it added the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) pod system and began performing precision strike missions. The F-14 was retired from the active US Navy fleet on September 22, 2006, having been replaced by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The US Government, under Jimmy Carter’s Administration, unfortunately sold 44 F-14A aircraft to the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose air force used this US-built supersonic fighter until 2016, when it was also retired as they lacked spare parts.

Specifications

Engine: two General Electric F110-GE-400 afterburning turbofans.
Maximum speed: Mach 2.34 (1,544 mph, 2,485 km/h)
Combat radius: 575 miles (926 km)
Ferry range: 1,840 mi (2,960 km)
Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,200 m)
Length: 62 ft 9 in (19.1 m)
Wingspan: spread: 64 ft (19.55 m); swept: 38 ft (11.58 m)
Empty weight: 43,735 lb (19,838 kg)
Avionics: Hughes AN/APG-71 radar.
Crew: two (pilot and radar intercept officer)
Armament: one 20mm (0.787 in) M61 Vulcan Gatling Gun with 675 rounds; two AIM-54 Phoenix, three AIM-7 Sparrow, two AIM-9 Sidewinder air to air missiles.
Variants: F-14A, F-14B, F-14D

Below, the F-14B in flight with its wings fully swept back.

Another frontal view of the Tomcat but in flight, exhibiting its air-to-air missiles.

The F-14A's underbelly carrying AIM-54 missiles.

 Below, the F-14A, with extended wings, in 1977.

F4U Corsair

The F4U Corsair was a piston-engine fighter aircraft in service with the US Marine Corps. It performed its maiden flight on May 29, 1940, entering service two years later in December 1942. It was developed by the American firm Chance Vought. Along with the F6F Hellcat, it was the most effective fighter in the WW2 Pacific Theater of Operation. It was also massively produced by Brewster and Goodyear firms, with an estimated total number of 12,000 aircraft.

The F4U Corsair first saw combat action in early February 1943, during the last stages of the Battle of Guadalcanal as it took off from the Henderson airbase. In June 1944, it took part in the naval battle of the Philippine Sea, near the Marianas Islands. In the ground attack role, it also provided fire support to landing Allied forces on Guam, Saipan, and Tinian. In September and November 1944, it played an important role in annihilating the entrenched pockets of Japanese resistance in Peleliu, Palau islands, attacking them with incendiary bombs. In the Korean War, it would be relegated to carry out only ground attack missions, because it had been replaced by fast jet fighters.

Technical Charasteristics

The Chance Vought F4U was a single-seat, single-engine, carrier-based monoplane. It had a very distinctive feature; its wings. Among all the WW2 Allied aircraft, it was the only one fitted with inverted gull wings, which were broad and mounted low on the fuselage. This characteristic and its sturdy all-metal fuselage made of it a very maneuverable and secure aircraft to fly. (The other WW2 fitted with inverted gull wings was the German Junkers Ju-87 Stuka).

The Corsair's fuselage was an all-metal monocoque construction. Its folding wings were also all-metal. The fin and stabilizers were all-aluminum, while its ailerons were made of hardened plywood. The fin rudder and elevators were also aluminum structures covered by fabric. Its powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine occupied half the length of fuselage. The aircraft was fitted with retractable landing wheels. It was made in several versions, such as the F4U-1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, and F4U-7.

Specifications

Type: Fighter

Crew: 1

Length: 10.17 m (33 ft, 4.5 in)

Wingspan: 10.5 m (41 ft) 

Wing Area: 29.17 sq. m (314 sq. ft)

Height: 4.9 m (16 ft, 1 in)

Power Plant: one 2000 HP, Pratt & Whitney R-2800-8 radial piston engine. In the F4U-5 variant: one 2660 HP, Pratt & Whitney R-2800-32W.

Maximum Speed: 671 km/h (417 mph) at 6065 ft.

Range: 1633 km (1015 miles).

Armament: six forward firing 12.7-mm Browning machine guns mounted in wings. Load capacity of 1,800 kg of bombs. 127mm rockets in the Korean War.

Below, three F4U Corsairs in flight in 1944.

Below, an F4U-5 Corsair in service with the Argentinean Navy in the 1950s.

The Corsair on tarmac of airbase, with folded wings ready for storage.

An F4U parked on a USMarine Corps militar base in the late 1940s.

F-84 Thunderjet

The F-84 Thunderjet was a USAF fighter aircraft developed by the American firm Republic Aviation. Its prototype, the XP-84, performed its first flight on February 28, 1946, just when the Cold War was about to begin. Its straight-wing design resembled the P-80 Shooting Star. The main production versions were the F-84B, F-84C, F-84D, and F-84E, with the F-84F Thunderstreak being a different model, with different wings.

This subsonic jet fighter-bomber was a very reliable aircraft. At the beginning of the Korean War, it played the role of the B-29's escort fighter, also performing very well against piston-engine enemy fighter aircraft. However, the F-84 was not as fast as the Soviet MiG-15. Therefore, in the second and third year of that armed conflict, most of the missions it carried out were in the ground-attack role, attacking armored vehicles and concentration of enemy troops. By the time it had been completely phased out, in 1964, a large number of Thunderjets had been produced, with more than 7,000 units.

Technical Characteristics

The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was a single-seat, single-engine monoplane. It was fitted with straight wings, which were mounted low on the fuselage, which was all-metal. It was equipped with rectractable landing gear, but each one of the three wheels folded up into the belly of fuselage separately. The F-84D variant was powered by one Allison J35-A-17 turbojet engine. The air intake was located in the nose of aircraft.

Specifications

Type: Fighter/escort/attack

Length: 11.61 m (38 ft, 1 in)

Wingspan: 11.1 m (36 ft, 5 in)

Wing Area: 24 sq. m

Height: 3.85 m (12 ft, 7 in)

Crew: 1

Maximum Speed: 1,002 km/h

Range: 1600 km

Armament: six 12.7-mm (.50) Browning machine guns, 127mm rockets, and two 500-kg bombs.

Below, two F-84B version flying over West Germany.

 

A Thunderjet armed to the teeth right before taking off for another ground attack mission in Korea.

  

Below, the F-84 profile drawings.

 

Macchi C.205

The Macchi C.205 'Veltro' was a WW2 Italian fighter aircraft, which was developed from the C.202 by the firm Macchi. It was the fastest of all the Italian aircraft, and it was also faster and more maneuverable fighter than several, well-known Allied counterparts; hence, the name 'Veltro', which means greyhound. The prototype performed its first test flight on April 19, 1942, entering service in February 1943. Both the Macchi C.202 and the C.205 had been designed by the aeronautical engineer Mario Castoldi. By 1945, about 270 Veltros had been manufactured.

It received its baptism of fire the following month, when 22 C.205s engaged 18 US P-40s in the skies over the Mediterranean Sea as 10 of the American planes were shot down by the Italian fighters. However, it was the British pilots of the Supermarine Spitfire aircraft that really dreaded this reliable Italian aircraft as many of them were wiped out of the skies.  The Veltro also carried out day and night missions in North Africa and Italy, as a fighter, interceptor, and bomber's escort. After the war, it was kept in service with the Italian Air Force until 1947, and with the Egyptian until 1950.

Technical characteristics

The Macchi C.205 was a single-seat, low-winged monoplane. It had an all-metal, streamlined fuselage, with its back section ending in conical point. It was also fitted with retractable landing gear and canopy cockpit. The C.205V was equipped with a Fiat RA1050 RC58 Tifoni, which was a 12-cylinder radial engine, capable of delivering 1,475 HP. This engine was known in Germany as the Daimler-Benz DB-605A-1, which was built in Italy by Fiat under license.

Weapons

The Veltro was equipped with the following armament: two 20-mm MG-151 guns; two 12.7-mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns; two 160-kg bombs (employed during ground-attack missions).

Specifications

Wing span: 10.58 m

Length: 8.84 m

Height: 3 m

Wing area: 16.80 sq. m

crew: 1

Maximum speed: 650 km/hour

Range: 1,050 km

Below, the Macchi C.205V Series III. You can see the one of the two 20-mm cannons, which were mounted on the wings

 

Below, the C.205N at an Italian military base in late 1943.

 

Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut

The Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut was a Russian X-plane, which had been developed as a prototype in the 1990s. Designed by Mikhail Pogosyan, the main characteristic that made it look different from other supersonic aircraft is the inverted swept-wing feature, which was combined with canards. It was formerly designated S-37, which performed its maiden flight on September 25, 1997.

Unlike the Mikoyan MiG 1.44, the Su-47 had completed a large number of test flights that continued into the early 21st century. According to engineers' records, it surpassed the speed of Mach 1.45. It had been conceived to take off from unpaved runway surfaces. It was stressed for -3G and +9G and its wings and fuselage had to be strong enough for 8G maneuvers at supersonic speeds. When flying at an altitude of 1,000 m (3,280 ft), the Berkut was expected to accelerate from 600 km/h (373 mph) to 1,100 km/h (684 mph) in fourteen seconds. For this acceleration, it had to be equipped with powerful engines.

Specifications

Type: X-plane, experimental.

Length: 22.6 m

Wingspan: 16.7 m

Wing Area: 56 sq. meters

Height: 6.4 m

Power Plant: two Soloviev D-30F6, turbofan engines, with afterburning boost.

Maximum Speed: Mach 1.45

Range: 3,400 km

Ceiling: 18,000 m

Crew: 1

below, the Sukhoi Su-47 during one of its many test flights.

Sukhoi Su-47/Su-37 Berkut footage during test flights (video)

 

Aichi D3A

The Aichi D3A Type 99 'Val' was Japanese dive bomber, which had entered service with the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1940. It was extensively used in the Pacific Theater until the end of World War II. It was a carrier-borne monoplane designed and developed by the Aichi firm as a replacement for the obsolete D1A2 biplane, performing its first test flight in 1938. Until the end of the armed conflict, more than 2,000 units were produced in its two main versions: the D3A1 and the D3A2.

It first saw combat action in late 1939, when it was still being tested, in the skies over South Guangxi, China, taking part in the capturing of the city of Nanning. This famous dive bomber also took part in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and in the sinking of the British Navy's HMS Hermes (95) in 1942. It also participated in the air raids that sank the USS Lexington (CV-2), the USS Yorktown (CV-5), and the USS Hornet (CV-8) during the naval battles of the Coral Sea, Midway, and Santa Cruz, respectively.

Below, a photo of the Aichi D3A Type 99 dive bomber in the skies over China.

 

Technical Characteristics

The Aichi D3A was a carrier-based, two-seat monoplane. Its had elliptical wings, which were mounted low on the fuselage. This type of wing made the 'Val' a very maneuverable aircraft, being able to literally dive to drop the bomb on its target. The D3A2 had more fuel capacity than the D3A1 as it was propelled by a more efficient and powerful engine. This Japanese aircraft was also fitted with fixed landing gear and vertical tail fin, which extended to the dorsal portion of the aircraft for provide it with more stability.

Armament

The D3A was armed with two forward-firing 7.7mm Type 97 machine guns; one flexible mounted 7.7mm machine gun; one 250-kg bomb under the fuselage, and two 60-kg bombs under the wings.

Specifications (D3A2 model)

Type: carrier-based dive bomber

Length: 10.20 m (33 ft 5.6 in)

Wingspan: 14.48 m (47 ft 2 in)

Wing Area: 34.90 m² (375.7 sq ft)

Height: 3.8 m (12 ft 7.6 in)

Power Plant: one Kinsei-54, 1,300 HP, 14-cylinder, air-cooled radial engine, which was built by Mitsubishi

Maximum Speed: 430 km/h (267 mph)

Range: 1352 km (840 miles), with bombload.

Below, the Aichi D3A2 dive bomber flying in the skies over the Pacific. Notice the broad wings, which made it very stable in flight.

 

Luftwaffe

The Luftwaffe was the German Air Force during the Third Reich. Unlike the German Army (Heer) and Navy (Kriegsmarine), it was created exclusively by the Nazi government in the 1930s. Since the Treaty of Versailles forbade Germany to have an air force and combat aircraft, the Third Reich disguised the emerging air force under civil sport gliders competitions, which was an excuse to train the future pilots. They would also make use of the Lufthansa airliner aircraft to train military pilots.

This is how the Nationalsocialistische Fliegerkorps, a civil flight group, was created in early 1930s. When Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933, he incorporated all existing aviation, ballooning and gliding clubs to the Flieggerkorps. Then he appointed Hermann Göring as chief of this organization. Next, he secretly signed contracts with big German aviation firms, such as Junkers, Messerschmitt, Heinkel, Henschel, and Arado. Many World War I ace pilots, such as Ernst Udet and Bruno Lörzer, also joined the Fliegerkorps.

By 1936, three combat aircraft were already part of the arsenal of the Third Reich, the Henschel Hs 123 and Hs 126, and the renowned Junkers Ju-87 Stuka. As they could no longer hide the new force, they officially called the Fliegerkorps "Luftwaffe", with Luft- meaning 'air', and -waffe, 'weapon'. In 1937, a new and more modern fighter would enter service, the Messerschmitt Bf 110, and the Bf 109, a fast and maneuverable fighter would immediately follow suit and become part of the Luftwaffe.

Luftwaffe in Action (Video)

Junkers Ju 87

The Junkers Ju 87, known as 'Stuka', was a WW2 German dive bomber in the arsenal of the Luftwaffe since 1936. It first saw combat action in 1938, in the Spanish Civil War, with the Condor Legion. It had been designed as a kind of support flying artillery for the Wehrmacht ground troops in the Blitzkrieg tactics. 'Stuka' is the German abbreviation for 'Sturzkampfflugzeug' (diving combat aircraft).

In August 1939, to provide fire support to the German invasion of Poland, the Luftwaffe created five Junkers Ju 87 squadrons, which was about 100 aircraft. It was in the Polish campaign, the Battle of France (1940), and in the first months of Operation Barbarossa (1941) that the Stuka became a legend and the backbone of the lightning war. With skillful and daring pilots, it was very precise, almost surgical, destroying telecommunication centers, armament and gasoline depots, railways networks, bridges, and so forth. They also attacked big concentration of enemy troops, providing fire support to the advancing German infantry spearheads.

Below, a Junkers Ju-87B diving in the skies over France in 1940.

Variants and Armament

The main versions produced by the German firm Junkers were the Ju 87A, 87B, 87D, and 87G. The Ju 87D had a more powerful engine, a 1400-HP, Junkers Jumo 211J-1. Meanwhile, the 87G was a tank-buster variant, equipped with two lethal 37-mm anti-tank guns. All of them were equipped with four 7.92mm machine guns and could carry one 1,800-kg bomb (or three 600 kg bombs).

Technical Characteristics

It was a two-seat, single-engine monoplane. The main distinctive feature of the the Stuka was its inverted gull wings, which were mounted low on the fuselage. It was fitted with fixed landing gear. The deep radiator was located right below the nose. They were equipped with sirens that screamed loud when the aircraft dived sharply to drop the bomb. Due to the type of wings, it was very maneuverable, although it as not as fast as Allied fighters, like the British Spitfire.

Specifications

Type: dive-bomber; ground-attack aircraft

Crew: 2

Length: 11.5 m

Wingspan: 13.8 m

Wing Area: 31.9 sq. meters

Height: 3.9 m

Maximum Speed: 410 km/h (255 mph)

Cruising Speed: 320 km/h (199 mph)

Power Plant: One 1400-HP, Junkers-Jumo 211J-I inverted 'V' piston engine.

Below, Junkers Ju-87 flying over Spain in 1938

 

A Ju-87B in Poland in 1939

A Stuka in the skies over Greece.

Junkers Ju 87 dive bomber in action (video)

Messerschmitt Me 210

The Messerschmitt Me 210 was a two-engine heavy fighter aircraft briefly used by the Luftwaffe during World War II. It had been developed as a potential successor of the Me 110. Its prototype, the Me 210V1 first flew in September 1939, leaving the production assembly line in mid 1941.

The first batch was delivered to the Luftwaffe late in 1941 and it saw combat action on the eastern front and in North Africa. However, service evaluation proved the aircraft to be unsuitable for operational service as it became unpopular with pilots. Thus, its production was stopped in 1942.

About 200 Messerschmitt Me 210 aircraft had been built, with an additional 370 being in various stages of manufacturing. Nevertheless, after nine months, technical difficulties had been overcome and the production continued but the aircraft had been re-designated as the Me 410, which proved to be a very satisfactory fighter, with excellent handling characteristics.

Specifications

Type: heavy fighter

Crew: 2 (pilot and gunner)

Length: 12.2 m (40 ft)

Wingspan: 16.33 m (53 ft, 7 in)

Height: 4.26 m (14 ft)

Power Plant: two Daimler-Benz DB 601F, 12-cylinder, liquid cooled engines, delivering 1350 HP each.

Maximum Speed: 350 miles per hour.

Range: 1150 miles

Armament: two 20-mm MG-151 guns, and two 7.92-mm machine guns.

Below, the Messerschmitt Me-210 in late 1941.

The Me-210 in flight, you can observe its large, straight low-wings.

 

Heinkel He 115

The Heinkel He 115 was German sea plane used by the Luftwaffe during world War II. It was designed in late 1936, flying for the first time in August 1937. It entered service late that year. At the beginning of the war, it performed the role of torpedo-bomber aircraft. However, by late 1941, its production had been phased out, with a total of 140 He 115s having been built. From then on, it would become a general purpose plane, carrying out reconnaissance missions on coastal areas of the Baltic and the North Sea, and the English Channel.

It also operated from German bases in Norway, taking part in the destruction of  several British merchant vessels in the North Sea. It also attacked and destroyed supply ships heading for the Soviet Union with weapons and ammunition. Although it looked rather antiquated, it proved to be a reliable and versatile aircraft both in the air and on the water. The Heinkel Flugzeugwerke had done a good a work. Being able to fly a long distance without being resupplied with gasoline made of it an excellent reconnaissance plane. It was also used by the Swedish and Finish Air Force.

Technical Characteristics

The Heinkel He-115 was a two-engine, all-metal monoplane. It featured straight mid-wings, which were mounted slantingly in the middle of fuselage. Two long, large floats replaced the otherwise landing gear. Thus, it took off of water and landed on water entirely. The nose was made of transparent material for better observation. It was powered by two BMW 132-K, 9-cylinder, radial, air-cooled engines, which delivered 960 Hp.

Specifications

Type: Torpedo-Bomber

Crew: 3 men (pilot, observer, radio operator)

Length: 56 ft 9 in.

Wingspan: 73 ft

Height: 21 ft 7 in.

Maximum Speed: 180 miles per hour

Range: 1,750 miles.

Below, the Heinkel He 115 flying near the Norwegian coast.

The German seaplane in flight in the summer of 1942.

 

Beriev A-50

The Beriev A-50 is a Russian patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. Equipped with a powerful surveillance radar on top of the fuselage, it is used as an early warning and control aircraft, with a detection range of about 700 km for air targets. It provides interceptors and other friendly combat aircraft with information about enemy fighter, bomber, or missile that enter the Russian airspace.

Below, the A-50 in flight in 1986

 

The Beriev A-50 was developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War from the Ilyushin Il-76, which is a military heavy-lifter transport plane. It entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1984. It would be employed in combat situation during the Russian-Aghan War (1979-1989), in the Syrian Civil War, and in the Russo-Ukrainian War to detect the presence of NATO's aircraft in the airspace over Ukraine.

Technical Characteristics

The Beriev A-50 is a four-engine aircraft, which is fitted with swept wings mounted high on the shoulder of fuselage. Its tailplane is also mounted high on the vertical fin. To carry out the early warning and control missions, its latest variant, the A-50U, is equipped with a detection Vega-M radar, which can track up to 200 enemy aircraft/objects.

Below, the Beriev A-50 flying in the skies over Siberia, near the Bering Straits in 1988.

Two A-50 early warning aircraft parked at an airbase in Afghanistan in 1986.

P-80 Shooting Star

The P-80 'Shooting Star' was a subsonic jet fighter used by the US Air Force during the Cold War. It was designed by engineer Clarence Johnson and manufactured by Lockheed. Its prototype maiden flight took place in June 1944; it was the XP-80A, the 'Lulu Belle', flown by test pilot Tony LeVier.

After many test flights, it entered service in September 1945. Thus, it was the pioneer jet aircraft in the arsenal of the American air force. By 1950, more than 1,400 Shooting Stars had been produced, seeing extensive combat action in the Korean War, especially engaging in dog-fight the Soviet MiG-15 fighter. This versatile aircraft would be deployed world-wide, from the US military bases in West Germany to South Korea.

below, a P-80B flying in the skies over the State of Colorado

 

Technical Characteristics

The Lockheed P-80 was a single-seat, single-engine monoplane, whose fuselage was all-metal, semi-monocoque. It was fitted with straight low-wing, which tapered laterally towards their tips. This type of wing made the Shooting Star a very maneuverable aircraft.

The Shooting Star was equipped with retractable landing gear and it was powered by one Allison J33-A-35 turbojet engine. However, the prototype was driven by one General Electric I-40 turbojet. The P-80B variant was equipped with an ejection seat.

Armament

It was armed with six 12.7-mm (.50) machine guns; eight 127-mm rockets; and two 450-kg bombs.

Specifications

Type: fighter

Length: 10.49 m

Wingspan: 11.8 m

Wing Area: 22 sq. meter

Height: 3.4 m

Maximum Speed: 957 km/h (595 mph)

Range: 1,328 km (825 miles).

Below, two P-80s flying in the skies over West Germany, in the late 1940s.

The cockpit of the Shooting Star.

 

Henschel Hs 126

The Henschel Hs 126 was a light, reconnaissance aircraft employed by the Luftwaffe in the 1930s and during the first years of World War II. It was developed from the Hs 122, flying for the first time in 1936. It saw combat action for the first time at the end of 1938, during the Spanish Civil War, as part of the Condor Legion.

Below, the practical and efficient aircraft of the Luftwaffe in Spain.

During the armed conflict in Spain, the Henschel Hs 126 carried out combat duties as a fighter. However, when WW2 broke out, it would be used as a reconnaissance aircraft because faster and more maneuverable aircraft had been developed by that time. Nevertheless, it would also be employed to perform ground-attack missions when the need arose. By 1942, it had been phased out as it had been relegated as a trainer.

Technical Features

The Henschel Hs 126 was a two-seat, single-engine monoplane. It was equipped with straight, braced wings (set up over the fuselage). They were propped up by four struts. The fuselage was stressed skin monocoque. It was powered by one BMW Bramo, 9-cylinder, radial engine that put out 850 HP. As armament, it was equipped with one fixed, forward-firing 7.92mm machine gun, and another 7.92mm set up on a flexible mount.

Specifications

Type: Reconnaissance

Length: 35 ft 7 in (10.85 m)

Wingspan: 47 ft 6 in (14.5 m)

Height: 12 ft 3 in (3.7 m)

Maximum Speed: 217 miles per hour

Range: 445 miles

Below, the Henschel Hs 126 flying in the skies over Poland in late September 1939.

 A squadron of Henschel Hs 126 on the Eastern Front in 1941.

Arado Ar 232

The Arado Ar 232 was a military transport aircraft used by the Luftwaffe during World War II. Designed in 1941, it had entered service by mid 1943. Only 18 units were built. They were used to carry airborne troops and logistic supplies, flying mainly in Italy and over the Western Front.

Technical Characteristics

Although the prototype, the Ar 232A, was fitted with two engines, the production model, the Ar 232B was powered by four BMW Bramo 323R2, 9-cylinder, radial, piston engines, delivering 1,200 HP each. Thus, it outporformed the Ju-52, being able to transport twice and for a longer distance.

This general purpose transport aircraft was fitted with straight, shoulder-mounted wings. It had retractable landing gear, folding up sideways. Troops got onto the plane through a tail ramp.

Specifications

Type: Military transport

Crew: 4

Length: 23.52 m

Wingspan: 33.5 m

Wing Area: 142.6 sq. meters

Height: 5.69 m

Maximum Speed: 308 km/h

Load Capacity: 4,600 kg.

Below, the Arado Ar 232B at a German military base during WW2