Sukhoi Su-27

The Sukhoi Su-27 is a Russian fighter and interceptor aircraft. It was designed in 1975 by the Soviet engineers, performing its first flight on May 20, 1977, as the T-10 prototype. After several years of test flights and corrections, it finally entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1985. When NATO found out about its existence, they call it "Flanker-A". It would be further develop into the Sukhoi Su-30 and Su-35. Being a lethal and reliable multirole fighter, more than 650 aircraft has been made so far.

Two Su-27 fighters flying in the skies over the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

The Sukhoi Su-27 first saw combat action in Georgia in 1992. In 2015, it would be deployed in Syria where it performed sorties to attack targets on land. In 2022 and 2023, it has been used by the Russian Air Force to intercept Ukrainian aircraft and to carry out ground-attack missions with smart bombs. In March 2023, a Russian Su-27 shot down an American reconnaissance and attack drone, an MQ-9 Reaper, which had approached Sevastopol, Crimean peninsula, flying in the skies over the Black Sea.

Technical Characteristics

The Sukhoi Su-27 is a two-engine, supersonic aircraft. It is fitted with cropped swept wings, which resemble a delta design, with leading edge extensions. Not only is it extremely maneuverable but it can also fly at very high altitude, breaking the world record in 1990 flying at 15,000 meters with a 1,000 kg payload. The engines air intakes are located under the wings, almost on the belly of the fuselage. It is equipped with the Phazotron Zhuk MSE radar and the OEPS electro-optical targeting system. It is powered by two Saturn AL-31F turbofan engines, with 27,600 lbf thrust.

Up until 2023, it has been produced in several variants, such as the T-10 (prototype); the Su-27S, which was first production version; the Su-27P, which is the interceptor variant, without air-to-ground weapons; the Su-27UB, which a two-seat trainer; the Su-27K, the carrier-based model with folding wings; Su-27SM, which is an upgraded version of the Su-27S, with new avionics.

Specifications

Type: Multirole fighter aircraft

Length: 21.9 m (71 ft, 10 in)

Wingspan: 14.7 m (48 ft, 3 in)

Wing Area: 62 m² (670 sq ft)

Height: 5.92 m (19 ft, 5 in)

Maximum Speed: Mach 2.35 (2,500 km/h) at altitudes.

Combat Range: 3,500 km.

Armament: a 30mm autocannon and air-to-air missiles, in interception role; rockets, smart bombs, and cruise missiles for ground-attack missions.

Below, a Su-27S about to take off from a Soviet military base runway in 1988.

The belly of two Su-27S interceptors flying at low altitude.

Aichi B7A Ryusei

The Aichi B7A Ryusei was a WW2 dive-bomber employed by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1944 to 1945. Although it had been designed as carrier-based aircraft, it could only operate from Taiho aircraft carrier, which was large enough to scramble this big and heavy dive-bomber. However, Taiho was sunk during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, in June 1944. As a result, the B7A would operate only from land bases until the end of the war. Since it entered service with the Japanese Navy in early 1944, it did not take part in the major battles of the Pacific that had turned the tide of the war, like the Battle of Midway.

Technical Characteristics

The Ryusei was a two-seat, single-engine aircraft. It was fitted with inverted gull wing, which could be folded for carrier storage. It had an all-metal fuselage and retractable landing gear. It could carry one 800-kg torpedo or a bombload of 800 kg. As defensive armament, the B7A had two 20mm Type-99 cannons, fitted in wings, and one 7.93mm Type-1 machine gun. Aichi Kokuki manufactured a total of 230 dive-bombers in three versions: B7A, B7A1, and B7A2.

Specifications

Wingspan: 14 m
Length: 11.50 m
Heigh: 4 m
Engine: Nakajima NK9C 12, with 18 cylinder and delivering 1,825 hp
Maximum speed: 352 mph (567 km/h)
Range: 1,890 miles (3,044 km)

Below, the Aichi B7A dive bomber in flight over the Pacific. Photo taken at the beginning of 1945

 

Ilyushin IL-76

The Ilyushin IL-76 is a large, military transport plane, which is in the arsenal of the Russian Air Force. This heavy duty aircraft was designed by the Soviet Union in 1967, performing its first test flight in 1971. It entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1974 and, since then, it has been produced in different variants, such as the Beriev A-50. With more than 570 aircraft being manufactured, it has been exported to Eastern European and African countries, where it is also used as commercial airliner and civilian freighter. It replaced the Antonov An-22 transport plane.

Below, an IL-76 about to touch down in the 1970s.

Technical Characteristics

The Ilyushin IL-76 is a four-engine monoplane aircraft, which is fitted with swept wings mounted high on top of the fuselage. It features two-section, triple-slotted flaps and five-section leading edge slats to ensure good field performance. The flap setting is 15° for take-off and 43° for landing. The radome of ground mapping radar protrudes below the lower fuselage contour to provide the radar with 360° coverage. It features hydraulically-actuated retractable, tricycle-type landing gear, with fat, low-pressure tires for rough runways.

The fuselage is all-metal, semi-monocoque, stressed-skin structure, with frames, longerons and stringers and it is made mainly of D16T duralumin (aluminum, copper, maganese, iron and silicon alloy). Structurally, it is made up of four sections; the forward, the center, the aft, and the rear fuselage. The wings are also all-metal, made of V93 aluminum alloy. The IL-76M and IL-76T is powered by four Solovyov D-30KP turbofans engines, delivering 12,000 kgp during take-off and 2,750 kgp in cruise speed at 11,000 m of altitude, with a speed of Mach 0.8. The aircraft features a SAU-1T-2BT automatic flight control system, a central digital navigation computer, and a duplex I-P-76 inertial navigation system.

Armament

One Gsh-23, double-barrel, 23-mm cannon, which is mounted in a tail turret. It has a rate of fire of 3,200 rounds per minute. Two small pylons under wings for carrying a 500-kg bomb or missile each.

Specifications

Type: four-engine, heavy military and commercial transport aircraft.

Length: 46.6 m (152 ft, 10 in)

Wingspan: 50.5 m (165 ft, 8 in)

Wing Area: 300 m² (3,229.2 sq ft)

Height: 14.76 m (48 ft, 5 in)

Range: 9,300 km

Load Capacity: 48,000 kg

Below, an Iluyshin Il-76M at a Soviet military airbase in the 1980s

A Soviet Il-76 military transport in flight in the mid-1980s

Below, the il-76 parked on an airbase tarmac in the late 1970s.

 

Sukhoi Su-57

The Sukhoi Su-57 is a fifth generation fighter which is in service with the Russian Air Force since 2020. Designed and developed by the Sukhoi company, this versatile combat aircraft can perform several types of role, which include fighter, interceptor, and ground-attack missions. According to some military analysts, about 70 Su-57s have already been delivered to the Russian Air Force so far, as its manufacturing has been accelerated due to the war in Ukraine. It is known as 'Felon' by NATO and the US military. It was built with advanced stealth materials and technology.

Technical Characteristics

The Su-57 is a one-seat, supersonic, jet aircraft. It features trapezoidal wings, which are fully integrated to the fuselage into one homogeneous whole structure. Its wings are fitted with leading edge flaps. These features and its advanced KSU-50 flight control system make of the Su-57 a very maneuverable aircraft, which can perform extreme high angles of attacks maneuvers. The fuselage of the aircraft is made of alloy materials, which include titanium, aluminum, and steel. It has a coating of a classified material, which, along with its unique design shape, renders it surreptitious to enemy radars.

Below, the Su-57 'Felon' flying over Russian territory

The Su-57 features a glass cockpit, with the primary controls being the joystick and two throttles. Flight and combat information is shown to the pilot on two LCD displays. The aircraft is equipped with advanced multifunctional integrated radio-electronic system, which is known as the Sh-121. This system is composed of the L402 Himalayas electronic countermeasures system and the N036B 1-01 x-band Byelka radar. Meanwhile, the S-57 is powered by two Saturn AL-41F1 afterburning turbofan engines, with its air intakes being located under the aircraft fuselage.

Weapons

For the interceptor and fighter role, this Russian aircraft is armed with hypersonic Vympel R-37 and the R-77 air-to-air missiles. When performing ground-attack missions, the Su-57 is fitted with four Kh-38M and two supersonic Kh-31 air-to-surface missiles. It can also be armed with four Kh-58 anti-radiation missiles. In the bomber role, it can carry up to 7,000 kg of bombs in its internal weapon bays and on twelve hardpoints.

Specifications

Length: 20.1 m

Wingspan: 14.1 m

Wing Area: 78.8 m²

Height: 4.6 m

Weight: 18 tons

Maximum Speed: Mach 2 (at high altitude); Mach 1.4 at low levels.

Range: 3,500 km at supercruise speed; 4,600 km at subsonic speeds.

Below, the belly of the Su-57 fighter aircraft, which is performing a flight maneuver.

 

Mikoyan MiG-31

The Mikoyan MiG-31 'Foxhound' is a supersonic aircraft originally designed as a long-range interceptor against American tactical bombers during the Cold War. However, today it is also employed as a ground-attack aircraft. In this latter role, the MiG-31 is much superior to any American or NATO's ground-attack aircraft because of its supersonic speed (3,000 km/h), service ceiling, maneuverability and combat range as it can carry a wide variety of weapons, from anti-radiation missiles and smart bombs to ballistic missiles. The Russian Air Force has approximately 120 MiG-31 aircraft in its arsenal. It was developed from the MiG-25 Foxbat to replace it. During its test flight, the prototype, the Ye-266, broke the world records flying at 37,655 m of altitude.

Characteristics

Developed by the State-run Mikoyan-Gurevich factory during the Soviet era, the Foxhound, as it is known in the West, has cropped swept-back wings, which are mounted on the fuselage shoulder of the aircraft. For stability, this aircraft was equipped with twin, vertical tailfins and swept-back tails. Its two powerful jet engines are fitted with two rectangular air intakes, which are located right under the wings. Its power plant consists of two afterburning turbofan engines (Soloviev D30F6).

The upgraded versions of this Russian aircraft (the MiG-31D, MiG-31M, and MiG-31BM) is fitted with a Zaslon-M radar, which can simultaneously detect and track up to 24 targets to a distance of 320 km. The MiG-31BM variant is the only aircraft in the world which can intercept and knock out low-flying cruise missiles. The extremely fast combat aircraft was the only interceptor able to detect and repel the US SR-71 Blackbird from the Russian skies during the Cold War.

Specifications

Length: 22.62 m

Wingspan: 13.45 m

Wing area: 61.6 m²

Height: 6.4 m

Empty weight: 21,850 kg

Maximum speed: 3,000 km/h (Mach 2.83)

Range: 3,100 km

Crew: 2

Below, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-31 in flight in November 1982

Below, MiG-31 at a military base near Moscow

 

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 'Foxbat' was a Russian supersonic interceptor aircraft in service with the Soviet Air Force during the Cold War years. Not only was it the fastest aircraft of the late 1960s and early 1970s but it was also capable of flying at extremely high altitudes. The prototype, the Ye-155P-3, flew for the first time in 1966. The Mikoyan MiG-31 would be developed from this impressive aircraft.

The Russian pilot Viktor Belenko deserted the Soviet Air Force as he flew the MiG-25 during a routine mission and escaped to Japan, where he landed at Hokadate Airport, in 1976. This is how it became known to the general public in the Western world, because, until then, it was only known to Western countries secret services as the 'Foxbat'.

Technical Characteristics

Developed and manufactured by the State-run firm Mikoyan-Gurevich, the MiG-25 was fitted with cropped delta wings, which were mounted high on the fuselage, over the engines air intakes and with twin tail fins. The main version, which was the interceptor, was a one-seat aircraft, while the reconnaissance variant was a two-seat military aircraft. Its fuselage and wings were made of nickel alloy, reinforced with titanium in some areas. Powered by two Tumansky R-15B-300 after-burning turbojet engines, it could fly at the top speed of Mach 3.2 (3,470 km/h). It featured a powerful RP-25 Smerch radar, and an RV-UM radar altimeter.

Specifications

Type: Interceptor/reconnaissance

Length: 19.75 m (65 ft)

Wingspan: 14 m (45 ft 11.5 in)

Height: 6.1 m

Power Plant: two Tumansky R-15B-300 turbojet engines.

Maxium Speed: Mach 3.2

Combat Range: 1,730 km

Service Ceiling: 20,700 m

Armament: 4 air-to-air missiles: radar-guided R-40R, and/or infra-red-guided R-40T.

Below, the MiG-25 Boxbat in 1970

Below, a front view photo of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 at a Soviet airbase in 1969.

 

 The Foxbat in flight. You can see its large wings.

Below, the MiG-25's tailfins and the engines' exhausts.

 

WW2 German Fighters

The WW2 German fighters used by the Luftwaffe were maneuverable and reliable aircraft. Although five models were developed, only two of them were massively produced as they became the frontline workhorses and the backbone of the Luftwaffe in the aerial battles in the skies over the British channel, northern France, Russia, and North Africa. One of them was the fastest piston-engine aircraft of the war.

Messerschmitt Bf 109. When WW2 broke out, it was the only modern monoplane in the arsenal of the Luftwaffe. It was widely used and the most massively built. It was reliable and fast but it would be match of the British Supermarine Spitfire. Therefore, the Germans would have to develop a faster aircraft.

Focke-Wulf Fw 190. It was faster and more maneuverable than the Spitfire and it was the second in production, with over 22,000 built.

Dornier do 335. Known as the Pfeil (arrow), it was powered by two engines that were mounted in tandem; one in the fore portion of fuselage, the other in the tail section. It was the fastest piston-engine fighter of the war; however, it was introduced late in the war and it also saw limited production.

Focke-Wulf Ta 152. It was developed from the Fw 190. It also saw limited production. It was a high-altitude fighter and interceptor.

Heinkel He 51. It was the only biplane fighter used by Germany in that period. It was also the first effective fighter that entered service with the Luftwaffe in the 1930s. It saw combat action in the Spanish Civil War. However, when WW2 broke out it would relegated as a trainer.

Below, the Dornier Do 335, 'Pfeil'. Photo taken after the war.

Focke-Wulf Ta 152

The Focke-Wulf Ta 152 was a one of the fastest fighter aircraft of World War II. Used by the Luftwaffe, it was developed in 1944 from the Fw 190D-9 version, which had been conceived for high-altitude dogfights and interception missions. This combat plane variant was fitted with a pressurized cockpit and powered by a Junkers Jumo 213 engine, which would be replaced by a more powerful one. The result of this upgrade gave the new aircraft a longer fuselage.

The prototype of Focke-Wulf Ta 152 first flew in late March 1944. It was the Ta 152A, which was one that began the series of prototypes. Although the test flights were acceptable, this program would be dropped as new prototypes would be created; thus, the Ta 152B would be followed by the Ta 152C/E/ and H. The latter one, the Ta 152H-0 was the most numerous prototype built, with 20 units produced at Cottbus plant, near Berlin. They were fast and very maneuverable, but they never entered mass production as Germany was already losing the war and her factories were being bombed day and night. A total of only 65 Focke-Wulf Ta 152 were built and some of them saw combat action in early April 1945.

Specifications (Ta 152H

Type: Fighter

Length: 10.82 m (35 ft, 6 in)

Wingspan: 14.44 m (47 ft, 5 in)

Wing Area: 23.5 sq. meters

Height: 3.36 m (11 ft)

Power Plant: one Junkers Jumo 213E/B, 12-cylinder, inverted 'V', inline piston engine.

Maximum Speed: 718 km/h

Ceiling: 14,800 m high

Armament: one 30mm Rheinmetall-Borsig MK-108 cannon; two 20mm Mauser MG151 guns, with one mounted in each wing.

Below, the Focke-Wulf Ta 152H. Photo taken in late May, after the war.

Focke-Wulf Fw 190

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was a fighter aircraft used by Germany during World War II. It was the Luftwaffe's second fastest combat plane, right after the Dornier Do 335 Pfeil. It had been designed by Kurt Tank in 1937 to replace the obsolete Heinkel He 51 and to complement the Messerschmitt Bf 109. It flew for the first time on June 1, 1939, entering service in August 1941, with the Jagdgeschwader 26, II Gruppe. It would be massively produced, as about 23,000 aircraft had been made by 1945, with the Fw 190A-8 and Fw 190F being the most widely employed.

This formidable and capable German aircraft first saw combat action in late August 1941, in the skies over the English Channel and northern France. It would achieve considerable success against the RAF aircraft in dogfights, specially against the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire V. Its efficiency came to a point that the British found it extremely difficult to counter the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in the spring and summer of 1942 as more of them entered frontline operation. Therefore, the British pilots would have to wait for the introduction of the Spitfire IX, which had a more powerful engine, a Merlin-61, with a two-stage supercharger, to be able to match the Fw 190A-1/2/3 variants.

In September 1942, to overcome the relative low performance at high altitude of the BMW 801 engine, which powered the first production versions, the German engineers replaced it with the Junkers Jumo-213, V-12 engine, which put out 1,800 HP. Thus, the new variant was called Fw 190D-0. Meanwhile, the Fw 190F and Gs were ground-attack versions of the fighter, as they were fitted with racks and hard points to carry 250 and 500-kg bombs. These versions would be used more intensely on the Eastern Front. Fitted with a new, even more powerful engine, a Junkers Jumo 213E, with 2,000 HP, it would be developed into the Focke-Wulf Ta 152.

Below, two Fw-190A-8 in flight as they dive down sharply.

 

Technical Description

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was a single-seat, single-engine monoplane. It was fitted with straight low wings, which were built around two spars. This through-spar construction made it very strong. Its large wings also made it very agile, especially during rolling maneuvers in dogfights; however, it showed some lack of aileron control at high-speed dive. The tailplane was a variable incidence unit driven by a small motor in the base of fin. Fuel was held in two self-sealing tanks situated under the pilot's seat.

Its fuselage was all-metal, with aluminum. It featured armor plates attached behind the pilot and the sides of fuselage. The cockpit was well laid out, offering excellent visibility in flight, but its broad nose and tail-down stance made ground visibility poor. The canopy slid back for ingres and egress and it could be jettisoned with explosive cartridges in case of emergency. Its main landing wheels retracted inwardly to lie in the wing roots.

Specifications (Fw 190A-8)

Type: fighter

Length: 8.84 m (29 ft)

Wingspan: 10.50 m (34 ft, 5 in)

Wing Area: 18.3 sq. meters (196.98 sq. ft)

Height: 3.96 m (13 ft)

Power Plant: one BMW-801D-2, 14-cylinder, radial piston engine, delivering 2,100 HP.

Maximum Speed: 654 km/h (408 mph)

Range: 810 km

Armament: four 20-mm MG-151 cannons; two 7.92-mm machine guns; one 500-kg or two 250-kg bombs.

Below, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 at a military airbase in France in 1943.

 

Below, the Fw 190D-9 version, from which the Ta 152 would be developed.

Dornier Do 335

The Dornier Do 335 'Pfeil' was a fast fighter-bomber aircraft used by the Luftwaffe during the last year of World War II. Designed by Prof. Claudius Dornier in 1942, it first flew as a prototype (Do 335-V1) on October 26, 1943. After several months of trials and nine prototypes, it entered service in early November 1944. Since Germany was already losing the war, with factories being bombed by the Allies, the Luftwaffe received only 40 aircraft.

Despite the stringent limit to mass production, the Dornier Do 335 did see combat action in January 1945, during Operation Bodenplatte, which was a Luftwaffe massive air raid against Allied aircraft designed to provide the German armored units with a protective umbrella during the Battle of the Bulge. In seven encounters with Allied fighters, three Pfeils (arrow) managed to shoot down four P-51 Mustangs and two Supermarine Spitfires, with one of the German fighters being damaged.

Below, the fastest piston-engine aircraft of WW2

Technical Description

The Do 335 had a unique design, which set it apart from the rest of WW2 aircraft. It was a two-engine monoplane but it had its power plants mounted in tandem, one in the nose and the other one in the tail. It was also the first plane in history to feature an ejection seat. Technically, it was a cantilever monoplane, with an all-metal fuselage.

It featured straight dihedral wings, which were mounted low on the fuselage and had a leading edge with a sweep of 13 degrees. It had a cruciform tail unit, with the conventional dorsal tail fin augmented by an extra ventral fin. The cantilever tailplane was also of stressed skin construction but the vertical fin had wooden leading edges. Landing gear was retractable and hydraulically actuated.

Specifications

Type: fighter-bomber; night/day fighter.

Length: 13.85 m

Wingspan: 13.80 m

Wing Area: 38.5 sq. meters

Height: 5 m

Power Plant: two Daimler-Benz DB-603E-1, 12-cylinder, inverted "V", liquid-cooled engines, delivering 1,800 HP each.

Maximum Speed: 763 km/h (474 mph).

Range: 1400 km

Armament: one, engine-mounted, 30mm MK-103 cannon; two 15mm cannons in fuselage grooves; two 250-kg bombs in internal bay and other two 250-kg bombs on two hard-points.

Below, A Do 335 V1, the first prototype on the tarmac of a Luftwaffe airbase.

Below, the Dornier Do 335 parked at a military airbase on the West after a dogfight with Allied fighters. You can see the enemy machine gun round holes in the back portion of fuselage.

The Pfeil Do-335A-0, the seventh prototype to be built.

Messerschmitt Bf 109

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the main, frontline, fighter aircraft used by the Luftwaffe in World War II. It performed its first flight as a prototype in September 1935 and first saw combat action in early 1938 as part of the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. It was also the most massively produced German fighter of WWII, with more than 33,000 aircraft being produced, while the Bf 109E and the Bf 109G were the main versions used by the Germans on every front.

Being the backbone of the Luftwaffe fighter aircraft force, it was piloted by the top most aces of the war, like Erich Hartmann, Gerdhard Barkhorn, and Adolf Galland. Although its production stopped at the end of the war, it would continue to be in service with foreign nations air forces. Even Israel would make use of this fighter during their war of independence in 1949.

However, it was not as maneuverable and fast as the British Supermarine Spitfire Mk. X version, which had played a key role in the British victory in the Battle of Britain for air supremacy of the skies over England. With the emergence of the American P-51 Mustang, it would come to the brink of obsolescence as it would partially be replaced and fully complemented with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, which was faster and even more maneuverable.

Specifications (Bf 109E)

Type: fighter

Technical Features: Single-Seat, single-engine monplane, with straight wing.

Length: 8.74 m (28 ft, 8 in)

Wingspan: 9.86 m (32 ft, 4 in)

Wing Area: 16.16 sq. meters (174 sq. ft)

Height: 3.40 m (11 ft, 2 in)

Power Plant: 1,200 HP, Daimler-Benz DB-601N, inverted 'V', 12 cylinder, liquid-cooled engine.

Maximum Speed: 578 km/h (359 mph)

Armament: one 20mm cannon, mounted in engine hub; four 7.92mm MG-17 machine guns, mounted in nose and wings.

 Three Bf 109Gs of Jagdgeschwader 27. flying over the Mediterranean off the coast of southern Italy.

Below, the Messerschmitt Bf 109B used by the Condor Legion in Spain.

One Bf 109F parked on a military base on the Eastern Front.

Condor Legion

The Condor Legion was a large German military unit, which was created by the Third Reich in 1936 to fight in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Their mission was to provide combat and fire support to General Francisco Franco's forces fighting against the Stalin-backed socialist government. Although it was essentially a military aircraft unit of the Luftwaffe, it also included ground troops and armored vehicles, using the Wehrmacht's field weapons. Some of the armament had newly been designed and manufactured as this armed conflict would be an opportunity to test them.

The first military unit of the Condor Legion was the Luftwaffe Sonderstab 'Wildberg', which carried out their first mission from July 28 to August 10, 1936. They conducted Unternehmen Feurzauber (Operation Magic Fire) from July 28 to August 10, 1936. This was a troop transport operation as they had to air ferry General Francisco Franco's army from North Africa (Spanish Morocco) to Spain, where they would join the other Spanish rebels. To transport the Spanish troops, the Germans employed the Junkers Ju 52. This reliable three-engine cargo plane had been in service since 1931. Meanwhile, the first fighter aircraft employed by the Germans in Spain was the Heinkel He 51, which was a very maneuverable biplane. By mid 1937, the most effective bomber of the Condor Legion would be introduced; it was the Junkers Ju 87, which was a dive bomber, an important fire support weapon of the Franco's Nationalist Army. At the beginning of 1938, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 arrived in Spain, a fast monoplane used in the fighter role.

The German Army's component of the Condor Legion was the armored unit called "Imker", whose men were equipped with Panzer I, II, and III as well as with anti-tank guns and other infantry weapons. This unit was called sometimes Panzergruppe 88. A large group of German military instructors went to Spain alongside this unit to give the Franco's soldier combat instructions and German armament operation lessons. There was also a small German naval component deployed with this German unit in Spain; it was the Gruppe Nordsee.

Commanders

All the Condor Legion's commanders were Luftwaffe's officers. The first commander was General Major Hugo Sperrle, who was replaced in late 1937 by Helmuth Volkmann. While the first chief of staff was Alexander Volle, who was replaced by Wolfram von Richthofen. Hermann Plocher was the last chief of staff until 1939.

Uniforms

Before the Condor Legion was formally and adequately organized and established, German volunteers in Spain wore only civilian clothing. At the beginning, the air crews wore the Lufthansa summer uniform, while the tank crews wore workers overalls. By the end of October 1936, however, the uniforms and rank badges of the Condor Legion had been standardized. They had been designed to allow the Germans to pass unnoticed and blend in with the Nationalist Army's troops. Their pilots wore leather jacket, short cloth jacket, and boots. Tank crews wore uniforms similar to the pilots' but they put on a black cap.

Condor Legion Aircraft

Junkers Ju 52 transport plane

Junkers Ju 87 'Stuka' dive bomber

Heinkel He 51 biplane fighter

Heinkel He 111 bomber

Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter

Below, the Junkers Ju 87s, Stuka, in Spain

 

 

 Below, a very maneuverable biplane fighter: the Heinkel He 51, which was useful in the Spanish Civil War

Condor Legion's ground troops wearing the Nationalist Army's uniform in late 1936.

Heinkel He 51

The Heinkel He 51 was a very maneuverable fighter aircraft used by the Luftwaffe in the Spanish Civil War. However, when World War II broke out, it was already an obsolete plane to keep playing the role of a front line fighter; therefore, during the war, it was relegated to carry out reconnaissance missions and also for training young pilots. It had been designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter, who were the chief engineers of Heinkel workshop in Rostock. Approximately a total of 850 aircraft were produced in different versions.

It had made its first flight, as the prototype He 49a, in December 1932. Mass production began in July 1934, being officially designated: He 51A-1. Meanwhile, the He 51B version was introduced in early 1936. It would be followed by the He 51B-1, 51B-2, and the 51C. The first ones were structurally strengthened variants, with lengthened fuselage. The 51C was produced for export. About 80 of them were shipped to fight in Spain as part of the Condor Legion.

Technical Characteristics

The Heinkel He 51 was single-seat, single engine biplane. The straight wings were joined by steel tube struts and the fuselage was steel air frame, with hardened plywood and canvas. It was fitted with fixed landing gear, except for the He 51A-2 variant, which had a pair of large floats for operations from the sea coast. It was powered by one 12-cylinder, inverted "V", BMW-VI 7.3Z piston engine, capable of putting out 750 horse power.

Below, the Heinkel He 51C in 1938, in Spain.

Specifications

Type: fighter/reconnaissance

Length: 8.40 m (27 ft, 6 in)

Wingspan: 11 m (36 ft, 1 in)

Wing Area: 27.2 sq. meters (292.79 sq ft)

Height: 3.2 m (10ft, 6in)

Maximum Speed: 330 km/h (205 mph), at sea level.

Range: 570 km

Crew: 1

Below, two Heinkel He 51Bs. Photos taken around 1936.

 

Akaflieg Berlin B9

The Akaflieg Berlin B9 was an experimental dive bomber, which was designed and tested in 1943. This aircraft had a unique feature; the cockpit, in which the pilot lay in the prone position instead of be sitting like in ordinary plane a pilot did. With pilot's legs stretched out backwards and his head looking down and forward, it was a special design to enable the pilot to overcome the G forces. Today, he is fitted with a G-suit, which is inflated through a pump so that the blood does not flow away from his head, and avoid him getting fainted.

Akaflieg Berlin was a non-profit student research group, which was absorbed and controlled by the Luftwaffe when Adolf Hitler rose to power. In this radical design, the pilot had excellent visibility around him, being able to perfectly look at the ground below him and at the space in front of him, because the aircraft fuselage had a glass nose and canopy. The pilot had a chin rest, so that he did not strain his neck muscles as well as arm rests. He used his feet to control the rudder and brake of the aircraft. The control panels, with the speed and fuel gauges, were set up behind him, on both sides and he checked it through two rear view mirrors.

The Akaflieg Berlin B9 fuselage was made up of trapezoidal steel air frame, which was covered by hardened plywood and canvas. It was fitted with straight wings, which were mounted low on the fuselage. The aircraft was powered by two piston engines, delivering 110 HP each. Its maximum speed was 170 miles per hour. The project was abandoned because it was not practical as there were better and more powerful conventional planes that played the role of dive bombers. It was better and more practical to build more Junkers Ju 87 aircraft than to invest more money and time in a strange plane.

Above, the Akaflieg Berlin B9 experimental dive bomber. Photo taken in the Summer of 1943.

Above, front view of the B9. The engines were underpower and the whole structure was not strong enough to carry a heavy payload of bombs.

WW2 Italian Aircraft

Contrary to what most people think, the WW2 Italian aircraft were advanced monoplanes built with reliable engines and fitted with the best armament of the time. Fast and maneuverable, the Italian fighters were superior to the French, Russian, and even to the Japanese fighters, including the Zero. However, they were produced in limited numbers as Italy lacked enough industrial infrastructure to massively produce them, like the Russians, Germans, and Americans did. The Italian Royal Air Force also had excellent bombers, which carried out bombing raids over Greece, in the Mediterranean theater, and North Africa.

List of WW2 Italian Aircraft

Fighters

- Macchi C.205 Veltro. Max speed: 650 km/h (400 mph). Armament: two Mauser MG151 20mm cannons, two Breda SAFAT 12.7mm machine guns. Number built: 262.

- Ambrosini SAI.207. Max speed: 642 km/h (399 mph). Armament: two 20mm cannons, two 12.7mm machine guns. Number built: 14.

- Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario. Max speed: 630 km/h (390 mph). Armament: three Mauser MG151 20mm cannons, two Breda SAFAT 12.7mm machine guns, 160-kg of bombs. Number manufactured: 50.

- Fiat G.55 Centauro. Max speed: 623 km/h (387 mph). Armament: one Mauser MG151 20mm cannon, four Breda SAFAT 12.7mm machine guns. Number produced: 350.

- Macchi C.202 Folgore. Max speed: 600 km (372 mph). Armament: four machine guns (two 12.7mm and two 7.7mm).

- Reggiane Re.2001 Falco II. Max speed:542 km/h (337 mph). Armament: two 12.7mm and two 7.7mm machine guns. Number built: 252.

- Reggiane Re.2000 Falco I. Max speed: 530 km/h (329 mph). Armament: two 12.7mm machine guns. Number produced: 180.

- Macchi C.200 Saetta. Max speed: 504 km/h (313 mph). Armament: two Breda SAFAT 12.7mm machine guns. Number built: 1,153.

- Fiat G.50 Freccia. Max speed: 470 km/ (300 mph). Armament: two 12.7-mm machine guns. Number built: 791. Service: 1938-1945.

- Breda Ba.27. Max speed: 380. Armament: two 12.7mm machine guns. Number built: 14.

- Fiat CR.42 Falco. Fastest biplane of WWII. Max speed: 441 km/h. Armament: four 12.7mm machine guns. Number built: 1,810.

Medium and Heavy Bombers

- IMAM Ro.57. Two engines. Max speed: 501 km/h (311 mph). Two 12.7mm machine guns. Bombload: 300 kg. Number built: 60.

- Piaggio P.108. Four engines. Max speed: 430 km/h. Range: 3,520 km. Bombload: 3,500 kg. Number built: 35.

- Savoia-Marchetti SM.79. Three engines. Max speed: 460 km/h (290 mph). Range: 2,600 km (1,620 miles). Armament: three machine guns. Bombload: 1,200 kg, two 450mm torpedoes. Number pruduced: 1,350.

- CANT Z.1007. Two engines. Max speed: 458 km/h (285 mph) Range: 1,800 km. Armament: four machine guns. Bomb payload: 1,200 kg, or two 800-kg torpedoes. Number built: 660.

- Savoia-Marchetti SM.81. Three engines. Max speed: 347 km/h. Range: 2,000 km (1,240 miles). Bombload: 2,000 kg. Number built: 535.

- Breda Ba.65. It was a single-engine ground-attack aircraft, capable of flying at 430 km/hour, which was fast for a bomber.

- Breda Ba.88. Two engines. Max speed: 490 km/h (304 mph). Range: 1,640 km (1,020 miles). Armament: seven 12.7mm machine guns. Bombload: 1,000 kg. Number built: 149.

- Caproni Ca.135. Two engines. Max speed: 275 km/h. Range: 1,200 km. Bombload: 1,500 kg. Number built: 140.

- Fiat BR.20 Cicogna. Two engines. Max speed: 440 km/h. Bomb payload: 1,600 kg. Number built: 560.

Below, an Italian fighter, the C.205 developed by Macchi. It was one of the fastest of the war.

 
Below, the Savoia Marchetti SM.79, a reliable and flexible medium-sized bomber. It carried out many sorties in the skies over North African and the Mediterranean Sea.

Savoia Marchetti SM.79

The Savoia Marchetti SM.79 'Sparviero' was a medium bomber aircraft, which first saw combat action in the Spanish Civil War. Then it would also be employed in World War II, carrying out sorties in North Africa and the Mediterranean Theater. It had been designed and developed by the Italian firm Savoia Marchetti between 1932 and 1934 as an 8-passanger civil aeronautic plane, with its prototype flying for the first time in late September 1934. However, when it was converted into a military aircraft by the Italian Air Force (Regia Aeronautica), it turned out to be an excellent and reliable bomber as it was called the 'Sparviero' (Italian for sparrowhawk).

The SM.79 was a fast and efficient bomber which carried out successful and effective missions in Spain, flying with 8th and 11th Wing of the Italian Legionary Aviation, organized and sent over to the Iberian peninsula by Benito Mussolini. When Italy entered World War II, the Sparviero was used also in the torpedo-bomber role, sinking Allied merchant ships in the Mediterranean sea. During this armed conflict, it was also employed as an strategic reconnaissance aircraft. This reliable bomber remained in service with the Italian Air Force until 1952. It was also in service with the Romanian and Spanish Air Force, from which it was retired in 1954.

Technical charesteristics

The SM.79 was a medium-sized monoplane. It was fitted with straight wings, which were mounted low on the fuselage. The lower surface of the fuselage was made of aluminum, while the upper part was thick, hardened plywood. Well-built, with a lot of internal steel pipes, it was sturdy and could take a beating and keep flying. It was equipped with retractable landing gear. On the dorsal side of the fuselage, it had a characteristic protrusion, for which it was also nicknamed the hunchbacked. The SM.79III variant was powered by three Alfa Romeo 126 RC.34, 9-cylinder, air-cooled engines, each delivering 780 HP.

Specifications

Wing span: 20.20 m

Length: 15.62 m

Height: 4.4 m

Wing area: 61.7 sq. m

Maximum speed: 428 km/h

Range: 2,000 km (loaded)

Crew: 6

Weapons: up to 1,250 kg of bombs/torpedoes; two 12.7-mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns; two 7.7-mm Breda machine guns.

Below, the Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 prototype in the skies over Italy in 1934.

The Sparviero in an aerodrome in Spain in 1938

 

Fiat G.55 Centauro

The Fiat G.55 'Centauro' was an Italian fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the firm Fiat. Used by the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force), it was one of the fastest and maneuverable fighters of World War II, faster than the British Hawker Hurricane and the Spitfire. Its first test flight took place on April 30, 1942, and it was introduced in early 1943. It first saw combat action on June 5, 1943, in the skies over Sardinia as it also carried out sorties in the Mediterranean and Italy. By the end of this armed conflict, 285 Centauro aircraft had been produced.

Combat and Technical Characteristics

High-altitude maneuverability and heavy-armament were the combat characteristics of the Fiat G.55 as it was used both as a day and night fighter and interceptor, intercepting American B-17 bombers. It was a single-seat monoplane, which was fitted with straight, low wings. It had a streamlined, all-metal fuselage, which made it resemble the German Messerschmitt Bf 109. It was powered by a 1,475 HP, Daimler-Benz DB-G05A radial engine, which was manufactured by Fiat under license.

Armament

The G.55 Series I was fitted with three 20-mm Mauser MG 151 guns, with one being mounted on the engine and two on the wings; it was also equipped with 12.7-mm machine guns and it could carry up to two 160-kg bombs for ground-attack missions.

Specifications

Wingspan: 11.85 m

Length: 9.37 m

Height: 3.13 m

Wing area: 21.11 m²

Maximum speed: 620 km/h

Range: 1,650 km

Crew: one

Below, the Fiat G.55 flying a combat mission over Southern Italy in late 1943

The Centauro parked in an air base in 1944

Below, drawing of the G.55 prototype front profile