Deciding on the greatest fighter plane of World War II is much harder than simply ranking them by speed, armament, or the sheer quantity of aircraft produced. Each of the major nations entered the war with different military priorities, technological base, and ground conditions to deal with. Aircraft ranged from interceptors intended to intercept high […]
Problematic Planes: A Look at the US Navy’s Worst Aircraft
For years the United States Navy has been known as one of the top naval aviation organisations in the world; they have operated aircraft that made aviation history, and implemented technology that brought aviation into the future. From devastating fighters, to cutting edge recon platforms, the U.S. Navy has manufactured aircraft that gained renown in […]
Britain’s 10 Best Fighter Aircraft of World War II
The outcome of the World war II was influenced by numerous factors both on the fronts and in the seas, but the battles above the cities, harbors, and military objectives were not inferior to them. British fighters were engaged in defending cities, ports, and attacking enemy planes, as well as protecting their own bombers. The […]
Legendary Aircraft That Defined World War II
A History Of WWII Planes and Technology In World War II, an entirely new level of aviation came to pass. Airplanes that had previously been pretty simplistic and fairly rudimentary vehicles were quickly engineered to become formidable, campaign-deciding weapons. The sky became a deadly battlefield as planes fought above Europe, the Pacific, North Africa and […]
WWII’s Eyes in the Sky: 10 Reconnaissance Planes of Great Significance
World War II is often associated with the battles fought in the skies, where the best dogfighters met in the most spectacular clashes. However, there is another category of aircraft that made significant contributions to the war effort and served in even greater numbers. They carried out reconnaissance missions over enemy territory, photographing and gathering […]
P-47 Thunderbolt: 10 Facts About WWII’s Flying Juggernaut
Most of us think about America’s legendary fighter planes from World War II as the P-51 Mustang. But another plane gained almost the same historic status by virtue of its sheer power, robustness, and effectiveness. It was called the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, or “Jug” to its pilots, due to its similarity to a “Juggernaut.” Although […]
Unsung Giants: The Key Transport Aircraft of WWII
When one thinks about the airplanes used in WWII, fighter planes and bombers are the first to come to mind. Their powerful armaments, exciting dogfights, and overall glamour made them famous. However, there are other aircrafts used in military operations that are no less important. They provided a country with all the necessities, although they […]
An Engineer Explains 10 Reasons for the P-51 Mustang’s Success
The North American P-51 Mustang remains one of the most admired fighter aircraft ever built. Even decades after World War II ended, the Mustang still represents the perfect balance between beauty, speed, engineering, and battlefield effectiveness. Pilots respected it, enemies feared it, and historians continue to study it because very few aircraft combined so many […]
SR-71 Blackbird: Stories and Tech Behind an Aviation Legend
For those who flew the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird it was a different experience. It was a machine that needed precision and focus operating at the edge of the atmosphere. As retired pilot Brian Shul said, “fun” was not the word he would use to describe flying the SR-71. He described it as intense and deeply […]
Inside the USS Gerald R. Ford, the World’s Largest Aircraft Carrier
The USS Gerald R. Ford is one of the greatest military initiatives ever carried out by the U.S. Navy. It was to replace the aging Nimitz class of aircraft carriers, and was designed to be a giant leap in naval aviation. The ship, which is over 1,100 feet across and has state-of-the-art nuclear power plants, […]