Aircraft from 1900-1909 The era of heavier-than-air manned flight officially begins

1

Bleriot XI The Bleriot XI was one of the first notable monoplanes to achieve any level of fame. Primitive by today's standards, the system became a standard all its own in the early 1900s. The type served in a limited capacity during th...

1909

2

Wright Flyer (Series) Though the prospect of manned flight had been around for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years, it would be the Wright Brothers - Orville and Wilbur - that would put theory to practice and produce the first in a series of h...

1903

Aircraft from 1910-1919 Covering the War to End All Wars and flying for the love of it.

1

AEG C.IV The C.IV was a twin-seat biplane aircraft produced by the German firm of Allgemeine Elektrizitats-Gesellschaft (or simply "AEG"). The type was primarily fielded as reconnaissance platform from 1916 onwards though it also serv...

1916

2

AEG G.IV The AEG G.IV was another successful product of the Allgemeine Elektritzitats Gesellschaft aircraft corporation and was an amalgam of what made the G.I, G.II and G.III successful aircraft in their own right. The system was pro...

1916

3

Aeromarine 39 The Aeromarine 39 was a two-seat plane for land-based or seaplane training ordered by the US Navy in 1917. The versatile aircraft was built by the Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company of Keyport, New Jersey. The design was a s...

1916

4

Aeromarine 40 The Aeromarine Model 40 (or simply "Aeromarine 40") was a two-seat floatplane trainer aircraft serving the United States Navy. The aircraft was produced by the Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company of Keyport, New Jersey, and ha...

1918

5

Aerowerke Gustav Otto AGO C.II The C.II was the product of the Aerowerke Gustav Otto aircraft firm, abbreviated as AGO in the designation, and is often regarded as one of the best reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War. Serving just a short span, t...

1915

6

Airco / de Havilland DH.4 With production numbering over 6,000 total units, the Airco / de Havilland DH.4 was another one of Geoffrey de Havilland's successful aircraft designs of the First World War (his legacy would later be solidified with the deve...

1918

7

Airco DH.2 Though not much to look at by today's fighter aircraft standards - let alone World War One-era aircraft standards, the Airco-produced DH.2 would prove to be a rugged and reliable platform. The DH.2 was the product of one Geof...

1916

8

Airco DH.5 With the view afforded the pilots of the DH.2, famed aircraft designer Geoffrey de Havilland set out to create a similar, yet more than capable in terms of performance, off-shoot in the form of the DH.5. The end result would ...

1917

9

Airco DH.9 The AirCo / de Havilland DH.9 was a further revision of the DH.4 bomber. Design was accomplished by the de Havilland company with production handled by the Aircraft Manufacturing Company ("AirCo" or "Airco"). The series was f...

1917

10

Albatros B.II The Albatros B.II was a reconnaissance biplane used in the early years of the First World War, particularly on the German side. The product of design of one Ernst Heinkel, a name that would appear on a variety of aircraft typ...

1914

11

Albatros C.I The Albatros C.I series of aircraft was the next evolution in the brand's reconnaissance aircraft line. Stemming from the development of the production Albatros B.II, the C.I shared many of the common characteristics in the i...

1915

12

Albatros C.III Continuing in the long line of short-term reconnaissance biplane designs, the German Air Force fielded the Albatros C.III in an effort to improve upon the successes of the C.I design. Appearing outwardly nearly identical to t...

1915

13

Albatros C.V The Albatros C.V can, in some ways, be approached as a step backwards in the progression of the C-series as a whole. Though the intent to produce a top-notch reconnaissance biplane aircraft, the system fell short of expectati...

1916

14

Albatros C.X The Albatros production of the C.X model continued the firm's commitment to producing capable reconnaissance biplane aircraft. Supplanting the earlier C-series types before it, the C.X model looked to improved upon an already...

1917

15

Albatros D.I The Albatros series of aircraft is a good study in how aircraft design evolved throughout World War One. The "D" series saw no fewer than five in the D.I, D.II, D.III, D.V and ultimately the D.Va. Such was the newfound weapon...

1916

16

Albatros D.II The Albatros D.II became a further development of the successful Albatros D.I series. The D.I was instrumental in winning back air superiority to the side of the Germans, with their powerful engines and dual-synchronized mach...

1916

17

Albatros D.III Having already found successes in the Albatros D.I and D.II models, designer Robert Thelen sought for more in the way of maneuverability when tackling the new Albatros D.III. This was accomplished by a new unstaggered wing la...

1917

18

Albatros D.V The Albatros D.V series is often regarded as the best of th bunch in regards to the preceding D.I, D.II and the D.III models. By the latter years of 1917, the improved D.III was already showing signs that it had become outcla...

1917

19

Albatros D.Va The Albatros D.Va was a further development in the “D” series and a continuation of the successful D.V series. As with all of the preceding Albatros D models, the D.Va featured only minor improvements in the hopes that the ai...

1917

20

Ansaldo A 1 Balilla (Hunter) The Ansaldo A 1 Balilla ("Hunter") was the first aircraft fighter design of Italian origins. Italian forces consistently used French-designed aircraft in the early years of the war, leading the Ansaldo Italian firm to create ...

1918

21

Armstrong Whitworth FK.8 The Armstrong Whitworth FK.8 model series was an aircraft conceived of by aircraft designer Frederick Koolhoven of Dutch origins. The system turned out to be a most versatile platform used throughout the First World War and p...

1917

22

Aviatik B.I The Aviatik B.I series handled reconnaissance duties for Germany in the early years of the war, serving up to about early 1916 before being replaced by more improved contemporaries. The system was sufficient in the role and w...

1914

23

Aviatik C.I Aviatik (Automobil und Aviatikwerke) of Germany was already involved in aircraft designs from the outset of the war, graduating from the copying of French designs to producing their own new design in the Aviatik B.I. Followin...

1915

24

Avro 504 Without knowing it from the outset, the Avro Type 504 series of aircraft would become one of the most produced and influential biplane designs for the United Kingdom, being fielded from 1913 all the way through the early 1930...

1913

25

Blackburn R.T.1 Kangaroo The Kangaroo was the product of the Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Company, Limited. The design began as a venture in 1916 to which two complete prototypes were produced. These prototype aircraft, known collectively as the Bla...

1918

26

Breguet Br.M5 The Breguet Br.M5 series of biplane bomber was developed from the Breguet Br.M4. The Br.M5 was operated by a crew of two with the pilot seated in the middle of the aircraft and the gunner/observer to the front. Defensive arma...

1915

27

Breguet Bre.14 French aviation design triumphed with the arrival of the Breguet Bre.14 series (sometimes written as Breguet Br.XIV). The aircraft proved to be of the utmost reliability and lethality upon entering the war front in 1916 and w...

1917

28

Bristol F.2 The Bristol F.2 fighter series operated throughout the British Empire for decades, serving through World War 1 and through the interwar years. The system proved a viable fighter platform despite its origination as a reconnais...

1917

29

Bristol Scout The Bristol Scout is a good World War One aircraft study in the "what might have been" category. Born from the pedigree of a racing plane, the Bristol Scout was used in the beginning of the war as an unarmed flying scout, uti...

1914

30

Caproni Ca.36 The Caproni Ca.36 represented the definitive model in the C-bomber series debuted in 1914 as the C.31. The Ca.36 was a tremendous asset to allied operations against Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire and were put into ac...

1917

31

Caudron G.4 The Caudron G.4 series was a twin-engine bomber platform introduced in the early years of World War 1 by the French. The system served initially with the French air force but was put to good use in the hands of British, Itali...

1915

32

Caudron R.11 The Caudron R.11 was initially intended as a reconnaissance platform for the French Air Force but went on to serve the role of fighter escort instead. The system was fielded with a crew of three, was of a large two engine des...

1918

33

Coanda 1910 This invention by Romanian inventor Henri Coanda amazingly appeared in 1910 as the world's first jet-propelled aircraft - just seven years after the Wright Brothers historic first flight and four years before the great air ba...

1910

34

DFW C.V The DFW C.V series of biplane aircraft was of German design in World War 1. The system was particularly noted for its good handling characteristics, power derived from its Benz engine and strong dogfighting capabilities even ...

1916

35

Fokker D.VII The Fokker Dr.VII is now regarded as the best German fighter of the First World War. This biplane design entered development and production towards the end of the war but aircrews still managed some very impressive kill-to-lo...

1918

36

Fokker D.VIII The Fokker D.VIII was a monoplane design and is regarded as one of the best fighters produced by the Germans during the First World War. It combined survivability, firepower and adaptability in a sturdy airframe. The syst...

1918

37

Fokker Dr.I (Dreidecker) Triplane The Fokker Dr.I ("Dr" for "Dreidecker" meaning "triplane") series is most closely associated with Manfred von Richthofen (aka "the Red Baron") as the triplane aircraft was his chosen mount in the final months of his life, acc...

1917

38

Fokker E (Eindecker) Monoplane As with most aircraft developed during the First World War, the Eindecker series enjoyed a relatively short period of time at the front lines. Aviation technology was ever changing to the point that aircraft designs could be ...

1915

39 Friedrichshafen G.III ...

1916

40

Halberstadt CL.IV The CL.IV was a further development of the CL.II design, both aircraft a product of Halberstadt Flugzeugwerke of Germany. The CL.II was found to be a perfect platform when used in the close-support role and, as such, the CL.I...

1918

41

Handley Page H.P. O/400 The O/400 model series by Handley Page aircraft firm was the principle heavy bomber of the RAF by the end of the First World War. The O/400 was directly descended from the previous O/100 model series with the "100" and "400" ...

1918

42

Junkers CL.I The Junkers CL.I was a break-through aircraft design produced in limited quantities in the final year of World War One. The system was an all-metal design proposed and accepted at a time when wood and fabric-constructed plane...

1918

43

Martin MB-1 / Glenn Martin Bomber The Martin MB-1 (also known as the "Glenn Martin Bomber") became the first heavy bomber type to be purchased in quantity in the First World War, becoming the mainstay of the United States Army Air Service (USAAS) for a time. ...

1918

44

Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard The Martinsyde F.4 "Buzzard" was a biplane aircraft appearing in the late stages of World War 1 and saw service most notably with the Royal Air Force. The aircraft proved to be of sound design and was regarded as one of the f...

1918

45

Morane-Saulnier Type N The Moraine-Saulnier Type N (or simply "Moraine-Saulnier N") was a French fighter aircraft of the First World War. It appeared in limited production numbers (just 49 total aircraft) and was quickly replaced by more advanced p...

1915

46

Nieuport Nie.11 (Bebe) The Nieuport 11 "Bebe" (or "Baby" - officially as the Nieuport 11 C1) was in some regards the first "true" Allied fighter of the First World War. Developed from the Bebe racer competition monoplane aircraft, the militarized v...

1915

47

Nieuport Nie.17 The Nieuport 17series of aircraft was the weapon of choice for World War One aces such as Rene Fonck, Albert Ball and Billy Bishop. The XVII was directly developed from the existing and successful 11 "Bebe" platform and would...

1916

48

Nieuport Nie.27 The Nieuport Nie.27 (or simply Nieuport 27) was designed by Gustave Delage and became an advanced trainer and fighter, serving with units of the Aeronautique Militaire, the Royal Flying Corps and the Corpo Aeronatico Militair...

1917

49

Nieuport Nie.28 The French-built Nieuport 28 fighter was the third of the successful trilogy of "Nieuport Fighting Scouts" that included the original Nieuport 11 and 17 models. The 28 model would become the aircraft of choice for aces such a...

1917

50

Pfalz D.III The Pfalz D.III was an exceptional aircraft produced in large numbers by Bavaria for Bavarian forces and; later, Imperial German air forces. The D.III biplane was a agile fighter capable of high-speed diving attacks and excel...

1917

51

Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 The F.E.2 series of aircraft were produced by the Royal Aircraft Factory and had their origins in the F.E.1, a 1910 design by the Farman Brothers of France. Geoffrey de Havilland joined the Royal Aircraft Factory and brought ...

1915

52

Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8 The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8 ("F.E." for "Fighter Experimental") was developed in 1915 and released as an operational aircraft in 1916. Designed in much the same way as the F.E.2 series before it, the F.E.8 placed the eng...

1916

53

Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 ("S.E." for "Scout Experimental") was designed from the outset as an aircraft with a "green" pilot in mind. Additionally, care in the design of the aircraft was taken to make sure it was a pla...

1917

54

Siemens-Schuckert D.I Siemens-Schuckert D.I aircraft were in fact reverse-engineered copies of the French-made Nieuport 11. So desperate was Germany at finding a contender for the Nieuport 11 that it resorted to capturing Nieuport 11's and learni...

1916

55

Siemens-Schuckert D.III The Siemens-Schuckert D series of fighters evolved from captured French-made Nieuport 11 aircraft. The D.III appeared as an improved D.I - a design which arrived too late to be of much use and was therefore relegated to train...

1917

56

Siemens-Schuckert D.IV The Siemens-Schuckert D.IV was a further development of the D-series brand, itself a copy of the spectacular French Nieuport 11. Development of the D.IV stemmed from the D.IIc short wing span prototype ordered after productio...

1918

57

Sikorsky Ilya Mourometz (Series) The Sikorsky Ilya Mourometz series of aircraft were the world's first four-engine bombers in operational service. Igor Sikorsky, his name synonymous in the modern world for the company's line of American helicopters, was alre...

1915

58

Sopwith 1-1/2 Strutter The Sopwith 1-1/2 (one and one half) Strutter was a successful aircraft design fielded in the First World War. The aircraft was principally produced by the British (1,439) but more so by the French to the tune of some 4,200 t...

1916

59

Sopwith Camel Though the Sopwith Camel (the official designation being Sopwith Biplane F.1) was designed as a replacement for the Sopwith Pup, the Camel was in fact a further development of the type. The single-seat biplane fighter provide...

1917

60

Sopwith Dolphin The Sopwith Dolphin was yet another fighter design in the long line of Thomas Sopwith production aircraft during World War 1. The system was produced with the fighter pilot in mind and offered up an unobstructed view from out...

1917

61

Sopwith Pup The Sopwith Pup appeared in 1916 at a time when the Allies were coming up against what would be known as the "Fokker Scourge" - air supremacy by Germany and her allies across the front. The Pup was based on the Sopwith Strutt...

1916

62

Sopwith Snipe The Sopwith Snipe took all of the components that had made the Sopwith Camel a legend in the middle years of World War 1 and introduced several new features that made this new design the most formidable Allied fighter. Appear...

1917

63

Sopwith Triplane The Sopwith Triplane (dubbed the "Triplehound" by her pilots) was a three wing design built upon the successes of the Sopwith Pup series. The aircraft strayed from the normal aircraft design techniques of the time, where mono...

1916

64

SPAD S.VII (S.7) The SPAD S.VII (or S.7) became one of France's best fighter designs during World War 1. The S.VII was known for many of the elements that made a great dogfighter in the conflict including a sound structure, the ability to wit...

1916

65

SPAD S.XII (S.12) French flying ace Georges Guynemer pushed the idea of a cannon-armed fighter plane after his experiences in aircraft such as the SPAD S.VII. This led the Societe Pour l'Aviation et ses Derives (SPAD) company to develop such a...

1917

66

SPAD S.XIII (S.13) The SPAD S.XIII (S.13) was a further development of the successful SPAD S.VII (S.7) design, the latter eventually becoming outclassed by the newer and better German aircraft designs of World War 1. The S.XIII would prove a su...

1917

67

Standard J-1 The Standard J-1 appeared in the First World War and served the United States Army Air Service in the role of trainer. The system featured two cockpits in tandem, each with an equal set of simple controls on wooden panels for...

1917

68

Vickers FB.5 The FB.5 (also known as the "Gunbus") was of a biplane type design for the scouting role. What set the system apart from earlier examples was that this aircraft was the first scout type to be armed. In that way alone, one cou...

1915

69

Voisin Type 5 The French Voisin Type 5 bomber was developed from the proven Voisin III series and saw action in the First World War. Though the III series accomplished what was expected from it, it soon became apparent that aircraft with l...

1915

70

Vought VE-7 Bluebird In 1917 Mr. Birdseye B. Lewis formed an aircraft business with the Vought group, becoming the Lewis & Vought Corporation in the United States. The Vought VE-7 Bluebird, named for Lewis himself, was a biplane designed that sa...

1917

Aircraft from 1920-1929 The interwar years, barnstormers, and the pursuit of speed

1

Aero A.11 The Aero A.11 was a highly successful multi-faceted performer for the Czech Army Air Force in the interwar years between World War One and World War Two. Equally respected for its adaptability and capability, the A.11 was des...

1923

2ANF Les Mureaux 4 The ANF les Mureaux series of light observation aircraft first appeared in the inter-war years, specifically in the late 1920's and developed further into the 1930's. The Mureaux served as an important arm to the French milit...

1928

3 Armstrong Whitworth Atlas ...

1927

4

Armstrong Whitworth Siskin The Armstrong Whitworth Siskin (a siskin being a smallish yellow-tinged finch) was the primary air mount of many-a-Royal Air Force pilot in her heyday. She represented one of the earliest aircraft designs for the British in t...

1924

5

Boeing F4B The Boeing-produced F4B series of aircraft was produced in large quantities for the United States Army and the United States Navy (as the P-12). The aircraft was of simple biplane design with open cockpit, a static undercarri...

1929

6Boeing PW-9 The Boeing PW-9 series was based on the Model 15 aircraft. When evaluated by the US Army, the system was found to be quite the aircraft and ordered into a developmental stage with the XPW-9 series (a total of three were produ...

1924

7

Breguet Bre.19 The French-designed and produced Breguet Bre.19 was designed to replace the Bre.14 but was actually developed and produced at the same time as the Bre.14 (and limited to use near the populated French cities). The Bre.19 sh...

1923

8

Bristol Bulldog In 1926, the British Air Ministry put forth a specification for a radial-piston engine fighter design that could operate in daytime and nighttime with armed with twin Vickers-type machine guns and capable of engaging the top ...

1929

9Consolidated PT-1 Trusty The "Trusty" was a product of the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation (though designed under the brand of the Dayton-Wright Company, itself a company under parent General Motors) and accepted for service as a primary trainer of...

1924

10

Curtiss F6C HAWK The Curtiss F6C Hawk series of aircraft was in fact the US Navy/Marine model of the US Army's P-1 Hawk series. The US Navy found the P-1 attractive enough to begin fielding it as a carrier-based aircraft whilst the US Marines...

1924

11

Curtiss P-6 Hawk Originally based on the existing P-1B series of aircraft, the P-6 Hawk series was a first-line pursuit aircraft for the United States in the early 1930s. The Hawk became the last of the fighter biplanes built in quantity for...

1929

12

Martin MB-2 / NBS-1 The Martin MB-2 series of twin-engine bombers holds a distinct footnote in the history of United States bomber production as it was the first such system to be mass-produced with US origins. During the First World War, it was...

1920

13

Nieuport Nighthawk The Nieuport Nighthawk began as a design showing great promise. Development began in 1918, the final year of World War 1, and was the product of the Nieuport & General Aircraft firm - a British-based company started during th...

1923

14

Witteman-Lewis XNBL-1 (Barling Bomber) The Witteman-Lewis XNBL-1 (popularly known as the "Barling Bomber") was an ambitious heavy bomber design from Walter Barling, an engineer with the United States Army Air Service. The aircraft was designed to a US Chief of Sta...

Aircraft from 1930-1939 The threat of war forces changes and the aircraft truly evolves.

1

Airspeed Oxford The Airspeed Oxford was an important British and Commonwealth aerial trainer that served through World War Two. The system appeared in two notable forms as the Oxford I and the Oxford II with a few subvariants sprinkled in be...

1937

2Amiot 143 The Amiot 143 of the French Air Force represented an evolution in the Amiot piston-engine bomber series that replaced the Amiot 140 of 1931. First flying in 1935, the Amiot 143 system was an unspectacular design whose time ha...

1935

3

Arado Ar 195 The Arado Ar 195 was prototype design intended for operations from Germany's first aircraft carrier known as the Graf Zeppelin. The aircraft was developed to a requirement for a carrier-based torpedo bomber, to which some thr...

1937

4

Arado Ar 196 The Arado Ar 196 was the principle floatplane of the German Luftwaffe throughout World War 2. The aircraft was showcased in quantity on nearly every front that Germany was threatened - or was threatening - and fared well agai...

1939

5

Arado Ar 68 The Arado-production of the Ar 68 signaled a stepping stone for fighter design in the German Luftwaffe. With the air force branch still held in secret from the rest of the world, the Luftwaffe quietly set about building up th...

1934

6

Arado Ar E.500 The E.500 was a proposed heavy fighter design put forth by Arado Flugzeugwerke of Germany. The system was designed as early as 1936 and featured a crew of four consisting of a pilot, co-pilot, dorsal turret gunner and ventral...

1936

7Arado Ar E.561 The Arado Ar E.561 was on the drawing boards as early as 1937. Classified as a heavy fighter, the type would have lived and died via its combination of firepower and performance. World War 2 brought about the need for purpose...

1937

8

Armstrong Whitworth AW.27 Ensign The impressive Armstrong Whitworth Ensign AW.27 series was made originally designed to a 1934 British government requirement for an air mail service transport to spearhead an improved method of correspondence to all points of...

1936

9

Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Continuing in the tradition of ugly yet robust and reliable heavy bombers, the British Armstrong Whitworth Whitley was the heavy bomber of choice during the early war years and up through 1942. The massive unappealing design ...

1937

10

Avia B.534 The Czechoslovakian Avia B.534 series of biplane was a highly regarded though often forgotten product of the European nation. Some reports make it the best aircraft of its category during its early run through the 1930s. Such...

1934

11Avions Fairey Fox Avions Fairey was set up in Belgium as an offshoot of the Fairey Aviation Company of Britain. The production facility was initially created for the local production of the Fairey Firefly, to which the facilities were later us...

1933

12Avro 621 Tutor The Avro 621 Tutor was a primary component of RAF and RN pilot training in the interwar years. Developed from the World War 1 era Avro 504 series, the 621 type proved to be a follow-up success. Built to some 852 examples, the...

1933

13

Avro Anson The Avro Anson was a militarized version of the commercial passenger transport Avro 652. The Anson itself was produced to fulfill Specification 18/35 brought about by the British Air Ministry and originally intended for use a...

1936

14

Bell P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is yet another in the long line of aircraft studies stemming from World War 2 in the "what-might-have been" category. The system had all the looks of a top performer, armament that could go head to hea...

1938

15Beriev Be-2 / MBR-2 The Beriev Be-2 was one of the few floatplanes of note fighting for the Soviet Union throughout World War Two as very little in the way fo attention to the type was given. The floatplane was utilitarian by nature with pedestr...

1935

16

Boeing 314 Clipper (C-98) The Boeing Model 314 "Clipper" was a floatplane primarily developed by the Boeing Aircraft Company to fulfill a Pan American requirement for a long-range passenger floatplane. The system saw only 12 examples produced in two v...

1939

17

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Though the Consolidated B-24 Liberator was built in greater numbers, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is often regarded as the more important heavy bomber for the American Allies in the Second World War, accounting for over 29...

1937

18

Boeing P-26 Peashooter The P-26 became the first all-metal fighter design for the United States. Appearing similar to the later "Gee Bee" series of racers, the P-26 replaced the P-12 to which the newer P-26 outclassed in nearly every way. The P-...

1932

19Boulton Paul Defiant The inter-war years saw a vast shift to more modern and potent aircraft platforms. The Boulton Paul Defiant followed as only the RAF's third such monoplane aircraft and, amazingly enough, the Defiant also became the RAF's fir...

1937

20

Brewster F2A Buffalo The stubby F2A Buffalo series became the United States Navy's first operational aircraft of monoplane design. Despite this honor, the system as a whole failed to live up to expectations set forth by technology and combat tact...

1937

21Bristol Beaufighter Serving until the 1960s with the Royal Air Force, the Bristol Beaufighter (or simply "Beau") became a national hero through her service in the Battle of Britain, World War Two and beyond. The Beaufighter became the world's fi...

1939

22Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim billed as a bomber though when it was officially installed into operational active service, the aircraft was quite capable of outrunning some fighters. The twin-engine, 3-person aircraft would equip the f...

1935

23

CANT Z.501 Gabbiano (Gull) The CANT Z.501 Gabbiano (meaning "Gull") was a floatplane aircraft developed in Italy and shared a resemblance to the successful American Consolidated PBY Catalina series. By the time of the Second World War, the design shoul...

1936

24

Consolidated PBY Catalina Maritime aircraft play an understated role, especially in that of war time. Fly boats came to pass, first in peace-time development as early as 1901, and ultimately in the First World War. Their development, with experience g...

1936

25

Curtiss A-12 (Shrike) The A-12 was an inter-war product of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company first appearing in 1933. The type became the first quantitative monoplane aircraft in service with the United States Army Air Corps upon its incepti...

1933

26

Curtiss P-36 Hawk / Mohawk The P-36 Hawk aircraft produced by Curtiss was a widely accepted and operated weapon system. From its initial appearance once can see the influence that the P-36 had in the design of the P-40 Warhawk of "Flying Tigers" fame. ...

1935

27

Curtiss XP-42 The Curtiss XP-42 was a further development of the Curtiss P-36 Hawk model though it would share some initial outward similarities to Curtiss' most well known aircraft - the P-40 Warhawk. Later in its development, the XP-42 w...

1939

28

de Havilland D.H.82 Tiger Moth The Tiger Moth series produced by the UK firm of de Havilland went on to become one of the more beloved trainers of all time, sending many a British and Commonwealth nation pilot in the inter-war years and through World War T...

1931

29

Dewoitine D.500 The D.500 series, as a whole, was merely a stop-gap design for France - bridging a gap between two eras of aviation resulting from post-World War One design and preceeding World War, commonly known as the interwar years. The ...

1936

30Dewoitine D.520 The Dewoitine D.520 was a single seat piston-engine fighter designed and built for the French Air Force. Developed from lessons learned in their ill-fated D.513 design, Dewoitine produced a fighter of sleek design and accepta...

1939

31

Dornier Do 17 The Dornier Do 17 (sometimes referred to as "the Pencil" due to its fundamental shape) was a respect medium bomber class utilized by the German Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain and throughout the Second World War. Initia...

1934

32Dornier Do 18 Though a serviceable flying boat with a successful pedigree, the Dornier Do 18 was highly outclassed and outdated at the start of World War 2 and was subsequently used in limited numbers, relegated mostly to air and sea rescu...

1938

33

Dornier Do 215 The Dornier Do 215 was originally intended for export, beginning life as a redesignated version of the Dornier Do 17 light/medium bomber. Three prototypes were initially produced from the Do 17K - the V1, V2 and V3 - each wit...

1939

34Dornier Do 217 The Dornier Do 217 was a multi-faceted performer for the German Luftwaffe that ended up fulfilling various roles from bomber to reconnaissance aircraft, aerial test bed to torpedo bomber. The twin-engine 4-man aircraft appear...

1938

35

Dornier Do 22 The Dornier Do 22 was a German-designed and produced three-man floatplane. It was produced in Germany and Switzerland for the export market despite the fact that the aircraft proved a winning design for the Germans. The Do 22...

1938

36

Dornier Do 24 The Dornier Do 24 was a capable flying both serving in limited numbers both Allied and Axis powers in World War 2. The system was classified as a flying boat, capable of operations on both land and sea, and was the product of...

1937

37 Douglas B-18 Bolo ...

1936

38Douglas SBD Dauntless The Douglas DBS Dauntless dive bomber was a key cog in the America Navy war effort throughout the Pacific during World War 2. Though a product of the middle-to-late 1930's, the type continued to soldier on even as more advanc...

1938

39Fairey Swordfish The Fairey Swordfish was one of the unsung heroes of the Second World War. With Britain seemingly fighting the world war all on its own, much pressure fell upon its air force and navy branches to produce results. The Swordfis...

1936

40

Fiat BR.20 Cicogna (Stork) The Fiat BR.20 Cicogna (translated to "Stork") was a medium bomber in service with the Italian Air Force in the late inter-war years and early years of World War Two. Much like other inter-war designs however, the Cicogna was...

1936

41

Fiat CR.32 Arguably the best biplane fighter of Italian design before the start of the Second World War. The plane was also built for export for Spain and Sweden air defence. The Fiat CR.32 saw air combat service with Spain in the Spani...

1938

42Fiat CR.42 Falco (Falcon) Despite its by-gone era appearance, the Fiat CR.42 Falco (meaning "Falcon") played a crucial role in the early war years for Italy, serving as the primary fighter for the Italian air force (Regia Aeronautica. The system was f...

1939

43Fiat G.50 Freccia (Arrow) The Fiat G.50 Freccia (meaning "Arrow") series provided the Italian Air Force with a then-modern monoplane fighter featuring a retractable undercarriage, all-metal construction and an enclosed cockpit. During this period in a...

1938

44

Fieseler Fi 156 Storch (Stork) The seemingly fragile Fieseler Fi 156 Storch(or "Stork") does not seem to have a home in a global conflict as World War 2 was yet the little machine became a spectacular multi-purpose airframe to which the Third Reich put to ...

1937

45

Focke-Wulf Fw 187 Falke (Falcon) Despite demonstrating some impressive performance statistics from underpowered engines, the Focke-Wulf product Fw 187 Falke (or "Falcon") never materialized into a production quantity models. Similar in design and reach to th...

1937

46

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Wurger (Shrike) The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 single-seat fighter is held by some to be the best German piston fighter of the Second World War - and with good reason as the weapon system accounted for hundreds of Allied bomber and fighter losses thr...

1939

47

Focke-Wulf Fw 200 (Condor) The German Fw 200 Condor was initially a trans-Atlantic passenger and cargo (mail) aircraft developed by Focke-Wulf and legendary designer Kurt Tank in 1936. Early prototypes were fitted with the Pratt & Whitney Hornet radial...

1938

48

Fokker D.XXI Designed by Anthony Fokker in 1935, the Fokker D.XXI first flew on March 27th, 1936. The system was originally intended to fill the ranks of the Netherlands East Indies Army Air Service but the arrival of World War 2 eventual...

1938

49

Gloster Gauntlet Gloster Gauntlet origins lay in a Gloster design appearing in the late 1920's for the Royal Air Force and served throughout the 1930's with several local and foreign-based air groups. The aircraft was designed as a fighter an...

1935

50

Gloster Gladiator The Gloster Gladiator was a product of the Gloster Aircraft Company and a design of one Henry Phillip Folland. Achieving first flight on September 12th, 1934, the system was officially introduced into Royal Air Force service ...

1937

51Granville Gee Bee (Series) The Gee Bee (deriving its name from a shortened form of "Granville Brothers") racers became the unofficial symbol of the "Golden Age" of flight during the interwar years. Its unique design and high-speed performance allowed i...

1931

52Grumman F2F Leroy Grumman designed this portly biplane fighter for the United States Navy. Grumman had already made a steady image for his company with the design of the FF-1, a similar two-seat biplane fighter that proved quite the spee...

1935

53Hawker Fury (I & II) The Hawker Fury was the mainstay of Britain air defense throughout the 1930's until being replaced by the Gloster Gladiators. The Fury's design was in all actuality, a stop-gap design while the Hawker Hurricane was being desi...

1931

54

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane was indeed the true star of Britain's march against the Third Reich. Often overshadowed by the sleeker and sexier Supermarine Spitfire, the Hurricane system evolved from the Hawker "Fury Monoplane" as it ...

1937

55

Heinkel He 111 Though the base He 111 was arguably the most important bomber of the Third Reich during the Second World War, the idea of bombers winning the war was lost on German warplanners - in particular Adolph Hitler - whom envisioned ...

1936

56

Heinkel He 112 The Heinkel He 112 was the only serious threat (next to the Messerschmitt Bf 109) to becoming Germany's first modern monoplane design in operational service. The aircraft exhibited potential right from the start but was ultim...

1935

57

Heinkel He 178 The Heinkel-produced He 178 has the distinct honor of becoming the world's first aircraft to fly solely with a turbojet engine. The aircraft was already in the design stage in 1936, eventually hitting the skies before the war...

1939

58

Heinkel He 51 The He 51 was a product of the German Heinkel firm and a design of the Gunter twins, Walter and Siegfried. The Gunters became part of the Heinkel firm in 1931 and made the He 49 their first product with the company. The He 49...

1935

59 Heinkel He 59 ...

1931

60

Henschel Hs 123 The Henschel-produced Hs 123 aircraft became the last operational biplane for the German Luftwaffe during World War two. Born from a German requirement for a dive-bomber aircraft as early as 1933, several Henschel Hs 123 test...

1936

61Ilyushin IL-4 In many ways the Ilyushin-brand IL-4 was a "forgotten" bomber of the Second World War - at least in the West - though it formed the majority of Soviet bomber wings and was produced in excess of 5,000 examples. The system perf...

1937

62

Junkers Ju 87 (Stuka) Before the Allies would gain air superiority over the skies of France and Germany, the Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bomber would reign supreme. The system, for a time, became the terror of both civilian and soldier alike, as th...

1937

63

Junkers Ju 88 The Junkers Ju 88 represented one of the better and more successful bomber designs attributed to the German Luftwaffe. The system performed on a variety of levels, achieving success with most every role and saw production rea...

1939

64

Kawanishi H6K (Mavis) Though looking very much the part of a German-produced Dornier series flying boat, the Kawanishi brand H6K series (codenamed "Mavis" by the Allies) had more in common with Western flying boat designs if anything. Interestingl...

1938

65

Lockheed P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning (often called the "Fork-Tailed Devil" from the German perspective) was the brainchild of aviation engineer Kelly Johnson. The name "Lightning" itself is believed to be derived from the designation ...

1939

66Macchi MC.200 Saetta (Lightning) The Macchi M.C.200 Saetta (or "Lightning") was the main production fighter in the Italian military when Italy entered the Second World War. Overall, a most basic of fighter designs, armed with 2 x 12.7mm machine guns and dece...

1938

67

Martin B-10 The Martin B-10 medium bomber was a breakthrough design for American military aviation when it appeared on the scene in 1932. Though made obsolete at the outbreak of hostilities in World War Two, the type persevered in other ...

1932

68 Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun (Typhoon) ...

1934

69

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the quintessential fighter for the Third Reich throughout the Second World War. Clandestine German involvement in the Spanish Civil War allowed Bf 109 pilots to develop tactics and responses that ...

1935

70Messerschmitt Bf 110 Zerstorer (Destroyer) The twin-engine Messerschmitt Bf 110 Zerstorer (or "Destroyer" or even "Heavy Fighter" in some sources) was initially designed to meet a German specification for a "high-speed bomber and heavy fighter". The result was the les...

1939

71 Mitsubishi A5M (Claude) ...

1937

72Mitsubishi Ki-21 (Sally) The Mitsubishi Ki-21 (codenamed "Sally" by the Allies) was a successful medium bomber in service with the Japanese Air Force since 1939, seeing combat action up until 1945 despite the fact that the aircraft was already outcla...

1939

73Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 The Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 was a single engine, piston-powered, single-seat fighter appearing just before the outbreak of hostilities between France and Germany. Though a solid design by 1930's standards, the system did not ...

1938

74Nakajima Ki-27 (Nate / Abdul) The Nakajima Ki-27 "Nate" (known early on as "Abdul") was a successful low-monoplane, all-metal with stressed skin fighter design employed by the Empire of Japan throughout the Second World War. Initially conceived of as a pr...

1937

75Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa (Oscar) The Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa (meaning "Peregrine Falcon" and codenamed "Oscar" by the Allies) was a mass-produced fighter for the Imperial Japanese Army in World War 2. Next to the Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" types, the Oscar was th...

1932

76

North American T-6 Texan The T-6 Texan was and is a world famous single-engine aircraft primarily known for its use as a trainer. A product of the North American Aviation Company, the T-6 Texan appeared during the years spanning World War 2, survived...

1936

77 Polikarpov I-15 Chaika ...

1935

78Polikarpov I-16 The Polikarpov I-16 fighter proved to be quite the little aggressor before and throughout the Second World War. Initially seeing combat in the Spanish Civil War, the system would go on to see more during the Soviet invasion o...

1935

79 Potez 630 / 631 ...

1938

80 PZL P.11 ...

1934

81PZL.23 Karas The PZL.23 "Karas" (meaning "the crucian carp") series of aircraft was a conventional - yet outdated - monoplane light bomber / reconnaissance platform of Polish design in World War 2. The system was wholly inadequate in spee...

1936

82 Saro A27 London ...

1936

83 Saro A36 Lerwick ...

1939

84Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero (Sparrowhawk) The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero series of tri-engined bombers was the best bomber for the Italian Axis power in the Second World War. Aptly named the "Sparrowhawk", the system was double-effective in the anti-shipping ro...

1934

85

Short Sunderland The Short Sunderland was the premiere flying boat of World War Two for the British. Often regarded as the best flying boat of the war, the Sunderland played up to some great strengths including potent self-defense armament an...

1937

86 Sikorsky JRS-1 (S-43) ...

1935

87

Supermarine Spitfire The legendary Spitfire earned fame through its exploits in the Battle of Britain, often shadowing the equally successful Hawker Hurricanes. The Spitfire's image of a sleek and fast fighter with firepower to boot captured the ...

1938

88 Supermarine Stranraer ...

1936

89 Supermarine Walrus ...

1936

90Tupolev SB-2 The Tupolev SB-2 (the "SB" in the designation standing for "skorostnoi bombardirovschik" meaning "fast bomber") was a light-to-medium class bomber in service with Soviet forces in the Second World War. At the time the system ...

1936

91

Vickers Wellington The Vickers-produced Wellington medium-class bomber was a principle bomber of the Royal Air Force at the start of the Second World War, serving up until late 1943 when it was relegated to maritime support roles. The Wellingto...

1938

92

Vultee BT-13 Valiant The BT-13 Valiant was a stellar trainer aircraft used for basic flight training and for blind instrument training throughout World War 2. The rear cockpit was equipped with a curtain that could be moved forward to cover the s...

1939

Aircraft from 1940-1949 Full-scale war throughout the globe brings the aircraft to new heights

1Aichi B7A Ryusei (Grace) The Aichi-produced B7A Ryusei (translated to "Shooting Star" and nicknamed "Grace" by the Allies) was a limited-production torpedo bomber in service with the Empire of Japan during the latter years of World War Two. Unfortuna...

1944

2

Aichi D3A (Val) The D3A series of aircraft (dubbed "Val" by the Allies) were thought to be all but extinct when the war in the Pacific began. The rude awakening came in the form of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii - home to the ...

1940

3Aichi E13A (Jake) Based on number alone, the Aichi production E13A series of floatplanes (dubbed "Jake" by the Allies) was the most important such aircraft type for the Japanese Navy during the Second World War. The system was fielded in quant...

1941

4

Aichi E16A Zuiun (Paul) The E16A Zuiun (translated into "Auspicious Cloud" and codenamed "Paul" by the Allies) was a dedicated reconnaissance floatplane and part-time dive-bomber for the Empire of Japan in World War Two. The system was an excellent ...

1944

5

Aichi M6A Seiran This oft-forgotten Aichi design was classified as an attack floatplane that was designed to be carried aboard the Japanese Navy I-400 class submarines. The aircraft was held in water-tight containers until implemented into fl...

1945

6Amiot 354 The Amiot 354 bomber and reconnaissance platform was a quite capable aircraft when war broke out over France. The system had its origins based on the unarmed fast transport mail carrier to which some further development would...

1940

7

Arado Ar 232 Tausendfussler (Millipede) The Arado aircraft firm produced one of the more identifiable transport aircraft of the Luftwaffe during the Second World War in the form of the Ar 232. Known unofficially as the "millipede" (or "Tausendfussler") thanks to th...

1941

8Arado Ar 234 Blitz (Lightning) The Arado Ar 234 "Blitz" (or "Lightning") was part of the German success with turbojet development in the latter years of World War Two. The system was the world's first purpose-built jet bomber to ever enter service, and did...

1944

9

Arado Ar 240 The Arado Ar 240 was designed to an RLM 1938 response to replace the twin engine, two seat Messerschmitt BF 110 Zerstorer heavy fighter, being made obsolete by the changing face of war. The Arado firm and the Messerschmitt fi...

1940

10Arado Ar E.340 The Arado-produced Ar E.340 was designed to a German requirement for a twin-engined bomber to replace the aging Junkers Ju 88 and Dornier Do 217's currently in service. The design offered up the potential for multirole capabi...

1943

11

Arado Ar E.381 The Ar E.381-series of prototypes was submitted in 1944 for review by the German Air Ministry. Whilst a plethora of companies (including Messerschmitt and Sombold) were competing to fulfill the role of what was to be dubbed "...

1944

12

Arado Ar E.530 The idea of twin fuselage aircraft was always in the minds of military aircraft engineers throughout the Second World War. Conceivably, these systems would offer up double the performance and capabilities of their single fuse...

1940

13

Arado Ar E.555 Arado proposed this E.555 flying wing concept towards the end of 1943 as a high-speed long-range bomber. The flying wing concept had eluded aircraft engineers for decades but it was seen as a potentionally stable design allow...

1943

14

Arado Ar E.560 The Arado E.560 series of developmental high-speed jet bombers saw a large evolution on paper. Design of the platform centered around the closing days of the Second World War and showed the extent to which the Germans were pl...

1945

15

Arado Ar E.580 Once the Volksjager competition came around in 1944, Arado Flugzeugwerke went back to a 1943 design it had had and touched it up some, producing the E.580 design model. This aircraft was to be a single-seat, single-engine jet...

1944

16Arado Ar E.581.4 The Arado Ar E.581.4 was conceived of as a single-seat jet fighter utilizing a delta-wing shape. The system was not a "true" flying wing design in that it made use of twin vertical tail surfaces at the trailing edges. The sys...

1944

17

Arado Ar E.654 (Kampfzerstorer / Skorpion) The Arado Ar E.654 was proposed as a heavy fighter / destroyer platform designed from another Arado product - the Ar 240. Though the Ar 240 model eventually saw operational service with the Luftwaffe (albeit in limited numbe...

1943

18Arado Ar Projekt II The Arado Ar Projekt II was a proposed jet-powered fighter of considerable size. It carried a basic classification of nightfighter / all-weather fighter and appeared in paper form towards the end of the European Campaign. The...

1945

19

Arado Ar TEW 16/43-13 The Arado Ar TEW 16/43-13 was a design concept envisioned as a rocket-propelled interceptor for the German Luftwaffe. The design was put forth by Wilhelm van Nes as one of three possible developments that also included a twin...

1943

20 Arado Ar TEW 16/43-15 ...

1943

21 Arado Ar TEW 16/43-19 ...

1943

22 Arado Ar TEW 16/43-23 ...

1943

23

Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle The Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle became one of those aircraft designs that evolved into a role not initially envisioned. The system came from an earlier Bristol-designed reconnaissance aircraft that went to nowhere and was d...

1941

24

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is regarded by many as the best bomber of either side in the Second World War. The system proved quite capable from the outset and was put into production the same year that the prototype had flown. From th...

1941

25Avro Manchester The Avro Manchester was a semi-successful attempt by the Avro firm to fulfill Air Ministry Specification P.13/36. The specification called for a twin engine heavy bomber that could sport a multi-purpose payload of bombs or to...

1940

26

Bachem Ba 349 Natter (Viper) The Bachem Ba 349 Natter (or "Viper") was another of the ingenious - if desperate - German designs in the ultimate defense of Germany against Allied bombers. The Natter design put to use the ever-developing study of rocketry ...

1945

27 Beech AT-10 Wichita ...

1940

28 Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor ...

1941

29Beechcraft XA-38 Grizzly / Destroyer (Model 28) The XA-38 was a developmental twin-engine heavy fighter produced by the Beech Aircraft firm. By all accounts, she was a stable and fast aircraft comparable to even the single engine speedsters of her day. As promising as her ...

1944

30Bell P-59 Airacomet The Bell-produced P-59 Airacomet series is one of those aircraft that becomes more of a study in American jet pioneering than anything else. The aircraft itself was a very average to below average performer, even when compare...

1942

31

Bell P-63 Kingcobra At its core, the Bell P-63 Kingcobra proved a modest improvement over the relative failure that was the P-39 Airacobra. Though the P-39 developed into a useable platform, she never lived up to the original specifications than...

1943

32

Bell X-1 The Bell X-1 was an advanced technology demonstrator that became the first aircraft in the history of aviation to break the speed of sound. Specifically designed to be airdropped from a B-29 Superfortress, the X-1 would then ...

1947

33

Bell XFL Airabonita The XFL "Airabonita" was a Bell Aircraft Company product developed in parallel with the P-39 Airacobra, a land-based USAAF design that eventually achieved operational status. In essence, the Airabonita was a "navalized" versi...

1940

34

Bell XFM-1 Airacuda In the same way that the XFM-1 Airacuda was a "different" sort of aircraft, the Bell company itself was "different sort" of aircraft maker. Know more for its unique elements in the P-39 Airacobra piston-engine fighter of Worl...

1940

35

Blackburn Firebrand The Blackburn Firebrand was a carried-based strike fighter aircraft developed by Blackburn Aircraft of the United Kingdom. She was a design of G.E. Petty and went on to live a troubled development before reaching operation st...

1945

36

Blohm & Voss Bv 138 The Blohm and Voss Bv 138 was a German floatplane that saw quantitative production in the Second World War. Initially conceived of as early as 1936, the system would enter service by 1940 and play the most pivotal role of mar...

1940

37Blohm & Voss Bv 222 Wiking (Viking) The Blohm & Voss Bv 222 Wiking (translated to "Viking") was a large German floatplane design of the Second World War. The system was fielded in limited numbers and served the primary role of transport aircraft with some recon...

1941

38

Blohm & Voss Bv 238 The mammoth Blohm & Voss Bv 238 was the next evolution in the Blohm & Voss flying boat series for Germany during World War Two. The system was built as the largest aircraft ever produced by any of the Axis powers and was to p...

1944

39Boeing B-29 Superfortress B-29 Superfortress status is often relegated to the aircraft that dropped the atomic bombs (“Fat Man” and “Little Boy”) on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war in the Pacific for the Allies. The fact that there were in fact ...

1943

40

Boeing B-47 Stratojet The swept-wing B-47 produced by Boeing was a milestone in bomber design in many ways. The system pioneered the traditional bomber layout found on many of todays systems and offered up capabilities unheard of before then. As a...

1947

41Boeing B-50 Superfortress Though looking every bit the identical twin of the World War Two-era B-29 Superfortress (also produced by Boeing), the B-50 incorporated enough new elements to deem it an all new aircraft - retaining just 25 percent of the B-...

1948

42Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter A post-war design, Boeing developed the C-97 as the Model 367 - a military transport based on the success of the design of the B-29 Superfortress. The Model 777 Stratocruiser was the civilian transport version of the Model...

1944

43

Boeing L-15 Scout The L-15 Scout was a light and small observation liaison aircraft produced in limited numbers by the Boeing Aircraft Company following World War 2 - only twelve of the type were produced with the United States Army becoming i...

1947

44Boeing-Stearman PT-17 Kaydet When The Boeing Company acquired the Stearman company in 1939, it also acquired the design and production rights to the promising Model 75 series, which itself was flow as the X-70 as early as 1933. The two-seat biplane would...

1941

45

Bristol Beaufort The Bristol Beaufort enjoyed a strong run between the war years of 1940-1943 as the primary British torpedo bomber in service. Designed as the successor to the aged biplane Vildebeest design by Vickers, the Beaufort saw succe...

1940

46

Caproni-Campini N1 (CC.2) With the introduction of the N1 (may also be known as the CC.2), Italy became only the second nation in the world to achieve jet-powered flight (Germany being the first), though the development of this particular aircraft did...

1940

47

Chance Vought F4U Corsair The F4U Corsair series of aircraft was one of the finer fighter developments of the Second World War, primarily seeing combat in the Pacific Theater of War. The uniquely designed bent-wings and ever-improving powerplant assur...

1942

48

Commonwealth (CAC) Boomerang The Commonwealth Boomerang (also known as the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation - or "CAC" - Boomerang) was of completely Australian indigenous design. Based on the CAC Wirraway, which in turn was spawned from the American NA...

1942

49

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator became a major player for Allied forces during World War 2. Its exploits ranged the world over - as did her users- and she saw action in a variety of roles in all major theaters. Designed to ov...

1941

50Consolidated B-32 Dominator The Consolidated B-32 Dominator was a limited production four-engine heavy bomber requested by the United States Air Force as a fail-safe design to the complicated, technology-laden Boeing B-29 Superfortress in development. T...

1945

51

Consolidated PB2Y Coronado By the middle of the 1930's America was no longer blind to the real possibility that the war would sooner or later be waged along it's shores. As such, the United States Navy took action in the requirement for a new generatio...

1940

52

Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer The Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer was a further development of the United States Navy's PB4Y-1 anti-submarine warfare aircraft which, itself, was a further variant based on the successful Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber ai...

1943

53

Convair B-36 Peacemaker If developed a few years sooner and the B-36 could have very well taken part in the Second World War. The initial designed was put forth from a United States Army Air Corps requirement for a large intercontinental bomber capa...

1947

54Curtiss P-40 Warhawk / Kittyhawk / Tomahawk The P-40 Warhawk / Kittyhawk / Tomahawk series of aircraft was the further development of the P-36 Hawk platform (detailed elsewhere on this site). The Warhawk would become synonymous with the American Volunteer Group fightin...

1941

55

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was a rather unassuming dive bomber / reconnaissance aircraft serving throughout the Second World War. Originally designed in a competition to replace the aging SBC biplane series, the SB2C faced of...

1943

56Curtiss XP-46 The smallish XP-46 was to be the answer for the deficiencies encountered in the P-40 Warhawk platform. Unfortunately for Curtiss, the XP-46 would be doomed by underperformance and sluggish capabilities - essentially dooming t...

1941

57

Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando The United States Air Force utilized the C-46 Commando series as their primary transport workhorse in the Pacific Theater of War during the Second World War. The system was initiated to replace the Douglas series of DC-3 tran...

1942

58

Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender The XP-55 Ascender was an unorthodox attempt by the Curtiss-Wright company that produced just three prototype models. Answering a United States Army Air Corps call for unconventional aircraft designs, the XP-55 fit the bill w...

1943

59Curtiss-Wright XP-87 / XF-87 Nighthawk The XF-87 was a failed proposal attempted by the Curtiss-Wright aircraft design bureau to meet an Air Force requirement for the world's first dedicated radar interceptor aircraft crewed by two personnel and operating under je...

1948

60

de Havilland D.H.100 Vampire The de Havilland-produced jet fighter holds two key distinctions in the history of aviation. Firstly, the system was the first jet-powered aircraft to successfully land on a movie aircraft carrier (the Sea Vampire) and second...

1946

61de Havilland D.H.103 Hornet / Sea Hornet From the outset, the de Havilland D.H.103 "Hornet" was designed to a British requirement of a twin-engine, long-range fighter-bomber capable of operations in the Far East. With the specification having been drawn up by 1943, ...

1946

62

de Havilland D.H.98 Mosquito Few can find much fault in the de Havilland design of its Mosquito series of nightfighters featured so prominently in the Battle of Britain and throughout the entire World War Two campaigns across Europe. The twin-engine nigh...

1942

63Dornier Do 335 Pfeil (Arrow) The Dornier Do 335 Pfeil (or "Arrow") was one of the more unique prop-driven designs of the Second World War. Designed and patented by Doctor Claudius Dornier as early as 1937, the Do 335 utilized a concept in which one engin...

1945

64

Douglas A-1 Skyraider The mammoth Skyraider series would have been a major player in the Second World War if it were designed and produced a few years earlier than it had. Regardless, the system would prove itself quite a capable close-support air...

1946

65

Douglas A-20 Havoc / Boston The Douglas A-20 Havoc served Allied forces through most of World War 2, fighting for British, American and Soviet forces. The type saw extensive use, proving itself a war-winner capable of withstanding a great deal of punish...

1941

66

Douglas A-24 Banshee The Douglas A-24 "Banshee" dive bomber fit the requirement of the United States Army for a capable dive bomber-type aircraft. After witnessing successes of this type by Germany throughout its European offensives, the US Army ...

1941

67Douglas A-26 / B-26 Invader The Douglas A-26 Invader was a distinguished twin-engine light bomber whose origins were well-placed in the Second World War. The system proved adept at day and night flying, attacking targets with a bevy of machine guns or d...

1944

68

Douglas B-26K Counter Invader / A-26A Nimrod The B-26K Counter Invader was based on a highly modified World War Two-era A-26 Invader aircraft. What set the Counter Invader apart from it's predecessor was that the Counter Invader was featured without any turret systems, ...

1948

69Douglas C-47 Skytrain / Dakota The C-47 Skytrain was a product of the Douglas Aircraft Company and is regarded as the best transport of World War 2. Interestingly enough, the Skytrain was first born as a civilian passenger airliner in the DC-3 model and be...

1940

70

Douglas C-54 Skymaster (DC-4) Derived from the commercial DC-4 airliner, the C-54 Skymaster was a workhorse transport aircraft for both the United States Army and the United States Navy branches of service. Planned as a technologically superior successor ...

1942

71English Electric / Martin B-57 Canberra The British-produced Canberra was originally conceived of as a high-altitude, high-level nuclear-capable medium bomber. The fuselage features would be dominated by a large rounded-wing structure housing two turbojet engines. ...

1949

72

Fairchild AC-119 Shadow / Stinger The AC-119 series was a modified "G" model of the successful C-119 "Flying Boxcar" transport aircraft. The AC-119's would see service throughout the Vietnam War fulfilling a dual-role capability based on model type. "Shado...

1945

73Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar Fairchild Corporation produced a winner in the post-war world with the introduction of the C-119 "Flying Boxcar". The Boxcar was derived from the C-82 "Packet" transport - looking ever more like the identical to the final C-1...

1947

74

Fairey Firefly The Fairey Firefly was a hugely successful, two-seat, carrierborne fighter aircraft serving with the Royal Fleet Air Arm through the latter half of the Second World War, eventually seeing service up until the mid-1950's. The ...

1943

75Fieseler Fi 103R (Reichenberg) The Fiseler Fi 103R was, in essence, the piloted form of the successful V-1 rocket that terrorized London citizens throughout the Second World War. The piloted system was to be a type of suicide missile that the pilot could a...

1944

76

Fisher XP-75 / P-75 Eagle General Motors became a major player in the American manufacturing realm when World War 2 arrived for the United States. With its automotive plants adept at mass-production, it was only fitting that the US military look to su...

1943

77Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu (Owl) The Focke-Wulf brand Fw 189 Uhu (translated to "Owl") was of the most peculiar aircraft design for the German Luftwaffe in the Second World War, but by no means made less lethal by it's appearance. The system accounted for a ...

1940

78Focke-Wulf Ta 152 Leistungsdaten The Focke-Wulf Ta 152 aircraft design was intended for use as a high-altitude interceptor for the German Luftwaffe and appeared in the later years of the war. Now managing a defensive type campaign, German warplanners were lo...

1945

79Focke-Wulf Ta 154 Moskito (Mosquito) The Ta 154 Moskito ("Mosquito") was another product of the Focke-Wulf aircraft design firm operating for the Third Reich. The design was classified as a night fighter and appeared most promising until a series of delays and l...

1944

80

Focke-Wulf Ta 183 Huckebein By this time in the war, Germany had already made a stout commitment to the production of fighter designs over bombers. Seeing it that she would be fighting a defensive war for some time to come, models such as the Messerschm...

1945

81

Gloster / Armstrong Whitworth Meteor The Gloster Meteor became Britain's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. It reached operational status in the latter years of World War 2 and saw limited action in the conflict though it never faced off against any...

1944

82Grumman F4F Wildcat The Grumman F4F Wildcat was the unsung hero of the Allied Pacific Theater campaign in the early years of World War 2. Often overshadowed by the upcoming Grumman F6F Hellcats and Vought F4U Corsair hotrods, the stubby Wildcat ...

1940

83

Grumman F6F Hellcat The F6F Hellcat was the successor to - and a logical evolution of – the capable F4F Wildcat series of carrier-borne aircraft fielded by the United States Navy in the Pacific Theater of World War 2. In the conflict, the Hellca...

1943

84

Grumman F7F Tigercat The F7F Tigercat was another carrier-borne aircraft development in Grumman's long line of "cat" named fighters. The system was originally designed as a twin-engine fighter for use off of the decks of US Navy Midway-class airc...

1944

85

Grumman F8F Bearcat In many ways, the Grumman F8F Bearcat was the pinnacle of United States piston-engine fighter design. The aircraft arrived within the waning months of World War 2, missing combat action in all theaters altogether, but still m...

1945

86

Grumman HU-16 Albatross The Grumman HU-16 Albatross platform made appearances all across the globe with United States military forces, rescuing downed US airmen in need. The system was an amphibious platform, allowing for operation from land and / o...

1949

87Grumman TBF Avenger The TBF Avenger became a classic warfighter thanks to its resilience in the ongoing battle over the Pacific in the Second World War. Able to deliver payloads of torpedoes, drop bombs and rockets, the system was also capable (...

1941

88Grumman XP-50 Skyrocket Firmly entrenched as an aircraft supplier to the United States Navy, the Grumman aircraft company set about to supply an equally lucrative deal with the US Army to produce a hybrid high-speed pursuit fighter and light bomber ...

1941

89

Handley Page Halifax While the Lancaster Heavy Bomber will always be more identifiable in terms of the British night bombing campaigns of World War Two, the Handley Page Halifax series of bombers should be remembered as being just as equally impo...

1940

90Hawker Sea Fury / Fury The Hawker Sea Fury was developed out Hawker's Typhoon and Tempest aircraft designs utilized by Britain during World War 2. Though not without their limitations, the Typhoon and Tempest platforms had substantial inherent bene...

1945

91Hawker Sea Hurricane The Hawker Sea Hurricane appeared in 1941 in an effort to protect British merchant ships from German naval attacks. Basically modified versions of the successful Hawker land-based Hurricane fighters, Sea Hurricanes were at fi...

1941

92Hawker Tempest The Hawker Tempest originally appeared as an improved Hawker Typhoon, the war-winning aircraft that effectively failed in its intended role as an interceptor but went on to star as a low-level fighter-bomber. The Tempest bega...

1944

93

Hawker Typhoon The Hawker Typhoon (affectionate known as the "Tiffie") was initially intended as a dedicated interceptor and set to succeed the 1930's-era Hawker Hurricane and was first drawn up in 1937. The system was designed to a British...

1941

94

Heinkel He 111 Z (Zwilling) The He 111 Z (or "Zwilling") was an interesting, albeit bizarre, joining of two He 111 medium bombers (detailed elsewhere on this site). In an attempt to bring together existing designs to produce a large enough transport cap...

1942

95

Heinkel He 162 Volksjager (Peoples Fighter) The He 162 Volksjager (the "People's Fighter") was developed as a quick solution to stem the tide of the major Allied advances witnessed by German forces in the latter years of the war. The plan was to produce these inexpensi...

1945

96

Heinkel He 177 Greif (Griffin) The Heinkel He 177 Greif (or "Griffin") was a bomber produced in limited numbers for the German Luftwaffe. By any standard, the aircraft should have made more of an impact on the war for Germany's sake but structural flaws an...

1942

97

Heinkel He 219 Uhu (Eagle-Owl) The Heinkel He 219 Uhu (meaning "Eagle-Owl") was designed in response to a German need for a dedicated nightfighter type to thwart the advances being made the British nighttime bombing raids on German interests. The He 219 wa...

1943

98Heinkel He 280 Though never produced in any operational format, the Heinkel He 280 series was the world's first turbojet fighter aircraft designed from the start as a fighter. German scientists were on the cutting edge of turbojet developme...

1941

99

Henschel Hs 129 The Henschel Hs 129 fighter-bomber was built to a 1937 German specification for a twin-engine close-support aircraft with considerable armor protection for pilot and crew and the ability to field twin 20mm cannons at least. T...

1942

100Henschel Hs 132 The Henschel Hs 132 was another of the ambitious German jet-powered designs under development in the closing years of the Second World War. Developed in response to the mounting losses inherent with the plodding - yet still d...

1945

101Horten Ho IX / Horten Ho 229 The Horten Ho IX (or "Horten Ho 229" - sometimes wrongly designated the "Gotha Go 229") maintains a certain level of celebrity status in the world of military aviation, essentially becoming the first production-worthy form of...

1945

102Hughes H-4 Hercules The famed Hercules aircraft produced and flown only one time by Howard Hughes himself. It was commonly known as the 'Spruce Goose' and termed a failure in the eyes of most but not Mr. Hughes. The idea behind the craft was to ...

1945

103

Hughes XR-11 / XF-11 Though only achieving prototype form, the XF-11 was one of the darling designs of famed American aviator Howard Hughes. Looking very much like an oversized Lockheed P-38, the twin-boom XF-11 was designed to fulfill a United S...

1946

104

IAR 80 / IAR 81 When first unveiled in 1938, the Romanian-produced I.A.R. 80 (IAR = Industria Aeronautica Romana) piston engine, single-seat fighter was a promising performer even when compared to her contemporaries. The aircraft served with...

1941

105

Ilyushin IL-10 The Ilyushin IL-10 was a follow-up design to the classic IL-2 "Shturmovik", an armored ground attack aircraft that won the air war for the Soviets in the East Front of World War 2. Visually similar to its predecessor, the new...

1944

106

Ilyushin IL-2 Sturmovik The Il-2 Sturmovik (or "Shturmovik") was designed as a low-level close-support aircraft capable of defeating enemy armor and other ground targets. Hardly the fighter, the system was exclusively engineered to take an enormous ...

1941

107

Ilyushin IL-28 (Beagle) The Ilyushin IL-28 (codenamed "Beagle" by NATO) holds many distinctions in the annals of aviation history - some combat related and others more political. The IL-28 became the first jet-powered bomber in service with the Sovi...

1949

108Junkers Ju 188 Racher (Avenger) When the new Junkers Ju 288 - a design meant to replace the Junkers Ju 88 series of bombers - ran into developmental issues with its engines, Junkers set about producing an in-between utilizing the Ju 88's airframe. The Ju 88...

1943

109

Junkers Ju 287 The Junkers Ju 287 was arguably the most unique design of all of the German jet-powered projects in development during and up until the end of World War Two. The system was designed as a high-speed heavy bomber which strayed ...

1944

110Junkers Ju 390 (New York Bomber) The Junkers Ju 390 long range heavy bomber aircraft design was intended to be able to strike at locations along the east coast of the United States of America. The Ju 390 itself was a further development of the Junkers Ju 290...

1943

111Kawanishi H8K (Emily) The Empire of Japan seemed to be producing its best aircraft designs of the war towards the end of the conflict. The Kawanishi H8K (codenamed "Emily" by the Allies) was such an example. Bred to take the reigns of the similar ...

1942

112

Kawanishi N1K-J Shiden (George) Despite some early setbacks in design, the Kawanishi N1K1-J "Shiden" (or "violet lightning" - codenamed "George" by the Allies), was an exemplary fighter that was capable of going head-to-head with even the fabled American F6...

1943

113

Kawasaki Ki-100 Despite being produced in severely limited numbers (thanks in large part to the Allied bombing campaigns in the Pacific), the Kawasaki Ki-100 is often regarded as one of the best Japanese production fighters available in the ...

1945

114Kawasaki Ki-45 KAIc Toryu (Nick) Despite serving in limited numbers, fielded with no search-finding radar and appearing as the only Imperial Japanese Army night-fighter of the Second World War, the Kawasaki-brand Ki-45 KAIc night-fighter platform proved a su...

1944

115

Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu (Nick) By 1937, interest in a twin-engine fighter had peaked for the Imperial Japanese Army so much so that a requirement was put forth for the nation's first. Kawasaki entered into the fray successfully and presented the Ki-45 seri...

1942

116Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (Tony) The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (meaning "Swallow" and codenamed "Tony" by the Allies) was another of the oft-forgotten yet impressive Japanese-brand fighter designs of the Second World War, joining the equally impressive Kawanishi N...

1943

117

Lavochkin La-11 (Fang) The Lavochkin La-11 was designed from the successful Lavochkin La-9 series of piston engine fighters with the difference being that the La-11 was to be a long-range bomber escort. The system was under development in the closi...

1947

118

Lavochkin La-5 Design of the Lavochkin La-5 series of low-to-medium altitude fighters was spurred on by a need for equipment capable of matching or exceeding anything the German Luftwaffe was fielding. Initially caught by surprise by the Ge...

1940

119Lavochkin La-9 (Fritz) The Lavochkin La-9 series (codename “Fritz” by NATO) was a direct development of the Lavochkin La-126 prototype. In essence, the La-9 represented the La-7 but with all-metal construction as opposed to wood used in the with mo...

1946

120Lavochkin LaGG-3 The LaGG-3 piston-engine pursuit fighter (the LaGG in the designation coming from "Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Goudkov") was one of the earlier successes of modern aircraft design for the Soviet Union in World War 2. Basically an impr...

1940

121

Lockheed C-69 Constellation The Lockheed Constellation series of aircraft was a successful design that initially began as a militarized transport, appearing in limited numbers towards the end of World War two, that gained more fame in the civilian trans...

1945

122

Lockheed P2V Neptune The P2V Neptune series of aircraft was one of the more successful post-war designs for America, with service that spanned decades for a handful of American-friendly countries. The system was designed by Lockheed Corporation f...

1947

123

Lockheed P-80 / F-80 Shooting Star The Shooting Star was a Lockheed creation initially started as early as 1941. As with other jet designs of this type, many early models suffered from the lack of capable powerplants and thus the Shooting Star program was shel...

1945

124

Lockheed XP-49 The XP-49 was a development of the Lockheed Corporation and a possible replacement for its successful line of P-38 Lightning aircraft. The XP-49 was to be a high-altitude performer with the capabilities of a well-designed fig...

1942

125Lockheed XP-58 Chain Lightning The XP-58 "Chain Lightning" was initially envisioned as a larger version of the successful Lockheed P-38 Lightning twin-boom design capable of downing hordes of enemy bomber formations in single burst shots. The fear covering...

1944

126 Macchi C.202 Folgore (Thunderbolt) ...

1941

127

Martin B-26 Marauder The Martin B-26 Marauder overcame a rocky start to become one of the finest medium bombers of World War 2. The aircraft was designed with speed from the outset and, as such, a few problems emerged from that approach. The Mara...

1941

128

Martin Baltimore (A-30) The Martin-produced Baltimore was a light-to-medium class bomber whose design was based highly on the Martin "Maryland" A-22 aircraft. The twin-engine, four-crew system was fielded en masse by forces of the United Kingdom thr...

1941

129

Martin Maryland (A-22) The Martin-produced Maryland series was classified as a light bomber and saw action as a photographic reconnaissance plane throughout the Second World War. Originally drawn up as a response to a United States Army Air Corps (...

1940

130Martin PBM-3 / PBM-5 Mariner The Martin PBM-3 / PBM-5 Mariner was a World War 2-era flying boat used in the maritime reconnaissance role. Martin designed and marketed the type in direct competition with Consolidated, which had already made a "splash" wit...

1941

131

McDonnell F2H Banshee The twin-engine, single-seat F2H Banshee was based on the successes that the McDonnell company found with the F1H Phantom series of jet aircraft. Even appearing similar to the aforementioned craft, the F2H Banshee was in fact...

1947

132

McDonnell FH-1 Phantom The FH-1 Phantom served with the United States Navy as their first jet-powered carrer-based aircraft up until 1950 and was in design as early as 1943. The system featured a straight wing design, twin Westinghouse engines, a c...

1948

133

McDonnell XF-85 Goblin The XF-85 Goblin was an attempt by the McDonnell bureau to realize the dream of a "parasite fighter" program that was actually feasible for use in a wartime environment. The basic theory revolving the parasite fighter was not...

1948

134

McDonnell XF-88 Voodoo World War 2 proved to American warplanners that the importance of escort fighters for their bombers could not be overstated. The value added by such systems as the P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt and P-38 Lightning systems was...

1948

135McDonnell XP-67 Bat / Moonbat The XP-67 was the first attempt by the McDonnell corporation to build a fighter for the United States Military. The same corporation would go on to built the superb F-4 Phantom II, F-15 Eagle and F-18 Hornet air superiority a...

1943

136

Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet (Comet) The Me 163 Komet was perhaps the most unique aircraft design of the Second World War. German scientists, always on the cutting edge of evolving war technology, developed a rocket-powered aircraft based on testing completed wi...

1944

137

Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe (Swallow) The Me 262 Schwalbe (or "Swallow") is a good case study in the "what if" category centering around poor production design and the bureaucracy inherent in a dictatorship like that of the Third Reich. With the unrealized capabi...

1944

138

Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse (Hornet) The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse ("Hornet") was, in effect, a further development of the unstable Me 210 system. Though improved to some extent by the Hungarians in the Me 210C model, the Me 410 was fitted with a new designa...

1943

139 Messerschmitt Me P.1101 ...

1944

140Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1 / MiG-3 Despite being one of the fastest Soviet piston-engine designs in the early years of the war, the MiG-3 was dogged by less-than-stellar handling characteristics and was genuinely still outclassed by German counterparts in the ...

1941

141Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (Fagot) The MiG-15 (codenamed "Fagot" by the United Nations in reference to a "hastily bundled pile of sticks") became the Soviet Union's first true turbojet-powered fighter design of consequence and the first swept-wing aircraft of ...

1949

142

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9 (Fargo) The MiG-9 (NATO codename of "Fargo") was only the second attempt by the Soviet Union at designing and producing a viable jet-powered fighter platform. Design was undertaken by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Bureau and - though hardly a...

1946

143

Mitsubishi A6M Reisen (Zeke / Zero) With a design history beginning as early as 1937, the A6M series (commonly referred to as the "Zero" or by the Allied codename of "Zeke") became the first carrierborne fighter aircraft to supercede all other land-based counte...

1942

144Mitsubishi G4M (Betty) Like most of Imperial Japan's aircraft in the early stages of World War 2, the Mitsubishi G4M (codenamed "Betty" by the Allies) was a potent performer in operation as a land-based naval bomber. The system was of a strong desi...

1941

145

Mitsubishi J2M Raiden (Jack) The J2M Raiden (meaning "Thunderbolt" and codenamed "Jack" by the Allies) was primarily used as a local defense fighter by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The system was designed to combat the growing threat of the high-flying Bo...

1942

146

Mitsubishi Ki-109 The Mitsubishi Ki-109 was a specialized derivative of the Mitsubishi Ki-67 heavy bomber. The Ki-109 was designed specifically to deal with the growing threat posed by the high-attitude American Boeing B-29 Superfortress over ...

1944

147 Mitsubishi Ki-46-III (Dinah) ...

1941

148Mitsubishi Ki-67 Hiryu (Peggy) The Mitsubishi-designed Ki-67 Hiryu (translated to "flying dragon" and dubbed "Peggy" by the Allies) is oft-regarded as the best bomber fielded by Japan in the Second World War. The system was of a twin-engine design, armed w...

1944

149

Nakajima B5N (Kate) By 1941, the B5N series of torpedo bombers were considered the best of their type anywhere in the world. The system was initially designed from 1935 onwards and was in full operational use at the outbreak of the Second World ...

1941

150Nakajima B6N Tenzan (Jill) The Nakajima B6N Tenzan (translating to "heavenly mountain") series was a capable torpedo bomber fielded by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in the Second World War. The system performed capably and would stay in operational ...

1942

151

Nakajima G8N Renzan (Rita) The Nakajima G8N Renzan (or "Mountain Range" - codenamed "Rita" by the Allies) was a heavy bomber design put forth by the Nakajima Aircraft Company in the latter stages of World War 2. The system saw a severely limited produc...

1945

152Nakajima J1N1-S The Nakajima J1N1-S series was a dedicated nightfighting aircraft based on the J1N1 Gekko ("moonlight") reconnaissance aircraft platform also of the Nakajima brand. The system found success for a time, particularly against th...

1943

153

Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki (Tojo) The Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki (meaning "Demon Queller" and codenamed "Tojo" by the Allies) was a single engine monoplane interceptor appearing in production throughout the war years. The system was designed with performance in min...

1941

154

Nakajima Ki-49 Donryu (Helen) The Nakajima Ki-49 Donryu (meaning "storm dragon" and codenamed "Helen" by the Allies) heavy bomber was intended as a replacement for the out-classed Mitsubishi Ki-21 series of medium bomber. In reality, the newer Ki-49 desig...

1941

155Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (Frank) Out of the many fine fighters available to the Japanese Army in the closing months of World War 2, none were of greater import than the arrival of the Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (meaning "gale" and known as "Frank" to the Allies. ...

1944

156

North American A-36 Apache (Invader) The A-36 Apache was a United States Army version of the successful North American P-51 Mustang piston-engine fighter. The original Mustang itself was developed to a British specification but the Mustang went on to see its glo...

1942

157

North American AJ (A-2) Savage The AJ Savage series of aircraft was a product of the North American Aviation Company for the United States Navy following the Second World War. North American had already made a name for itself by this time with memorable Wo...

1949

158

North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell series of medium bombers went on to become one of the classic American aircraft designs to emerge during World War Two. Designed as early as 1939, the series was built to specifications as req...

1940

159

North American B-45 Tornado Development of the XB-45 began in 1944 and continued into 1945, representing the later years of the Second World War. With reports that Germany had already succeeded in development of production-quality jet bomber designs, th...

1948

160North American F-82 / P-82 Twin Mustang The F-82 Twin Mustang was a purposely-designed aircraft charged with the purpose of providing the United States Air Force with a potent long-range fighter escort while allowing the pilot a much needed break with the addition ...

1946

161

North American F-86 Sabre The F-86 Sabre was the product of the North American Aviation Company based in the United States of America. The aircraft served a pivotal role in the Korean War by winning back air superiority for the NATO allies, going toe-...

1949

162

North American FJ-1 Fury The North American FJ-1 Fury aircraft system appeared for a limited time with United States Naval air forces but was instrumental in the design of another North American classic warfighter - the F-86 Sabre. The FJ-1 Fury spaw...

1947

163

North American P-51 / F-51 Mustang The North American P-51 Mustang proved an invaluable addition to the Allied cause in the latter half of World War 2. The system was designed and flown in a matter of months and made such an impact that it could clearly be con...

1940

164

Northrop F-89 Scorpion The F-89 Scorpion offered up a solid ten years of service for the United States Air Force, charged with the defense of the upper North from Soviet bomber incursions during the Cold War. The F-89 was a large aircraft and desig...

1949

165

Northrop P-61 / F-61 Black Widow The Northrop P-61 Black Widow became the United States' first aircraft specifically designed from the outset as a platform dedicated to the fine art of night-fighting. Enabled by its complex through highly-effective nose-moun...

1943

166

Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet The XP-56 "Black Bullet" was designed by the Northrop company to an Army Air Corps proposal known as the R-40C. The XP-56 stood out as yet another radical design and focused on the flying wing concept while incorporating push...

1943

167Northrop XP-79 The XP-79 was another of Northrop's flying wing attempts with the initial project being conceived as a rocket-propelled model. The design was dominated by the large horizontal wing surface area with twin vertical tail surface...

1945

168 OQ-2A Aerial Target ...

1941

169Petlyakov Pe-2 The Petlyakov Pe-2 began arriving in small numbers on the East Front in the summer of 1941. The system owed its pedigree from the developmental Petlyakov-designed VI-100 high-altitude interceptor that featured a pressurized c...

1940

170 Petlyakov Pe-3 ...

1941

171Piper L-4 Grasshopper The Piper L-4 Grasshopper evolved from the successful Piper Cub series that took to the air as early as 1930. By 1941, the US Army was in the market for such a light observation and liaison aircraft with rugged reliability, p...

1941

172Reggiane Re.2000 Sagittaro (Archer) The Reggiane 2000 series of aircraft was very reminiscent of American interwar designs appearing between 1930 and 1940. The Reggiane maintained a stout profile centered around a large engine, rounded edge wings and traditiona...

1943

173

Republic F-84 Thunderjet / Thunderstreak / Thunderflash The Republic F-84 Thunderjet appeared as an American post-war design and played a pivotal role in the early years that was the Cold War. The nimble little system provided many an Allied nation with a nuclear-capable deterrent...

1947

174Republic P-47 Thunderbolt The P-47 Thunderbolt (commonly called the "Jug" or "Juggernaut" for its stout appearance) was another example of an American-produced classic warbird. The design of the P-47 held many challenges but the end-result would produ...

1942

175Republic XF-12 Rainbow The Republic XF-12 "Rainbow" was envisioned as the USAAF's new dedicated strategic reconnaissance platform in the latter years of World War 2, going head-to-head with Howard Hughe's XF-11 creation. Unfortunately for both, the...

1946

176

Republic XP-72 Super Thunderbolt The XP-72 Wasp Major Thunderbolt was intended to be an "ultimate" design of the highly successful P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber as produced by Republic. The XP-72 was to incorporate the successful P-47 airframe and mate it ...

1944

177Saab J 21 The Saab 21 series of fighter aircraft was of a most unique design - in more ways then one. The system was drawn up to a 1941 response for an indigenous fighter aircraft intended to replace the outdated airframes Sweden was c...

1945

178

Saab J 29 Tunnan (Barrel) The Saab-produced J 29 Tunnan (meaning "barrel" due to its stubby-like barrel appearance) was the second jet-fighter design produced in Sweden following the Second World War. Following along with other nations at the time, Sw...

1949

179

Short S.45 Solent The Short Solent was a passenger transport "flying boat" designed in the years following World War 2, when a burgeoning passenger market was apparent. Many wartime flying boats were immediately converted to commercial air tra...

1946

180

Short Stirling The gangly-looking Short Sterling formed the backbone of heavy bomber groups for the RAF from the Battle of Britain on through the end of the war, though by then deemed obsolescent and relegated to transport duties. Designed ...

1940

181

Short Sturgeon SB.3 The Short Sturgeon SB.3 was a set of prototypes ordered as anti-submarine warfare systems. The SB.3 was based highly on the well-performing World War 2-era Sturgeon S.A.1 torpedo bomber, with the SB.3 appearing to help the sy...

1949

182

Supermarine Seafire With the successful conversions of Hawker Hurricanes to carrier-operation roles, it was decided to take the successful land-based Supermarine Spitfires and attempt the same modifications. The resulting design was the Supermar...

1942

183 Tupolev Tu-4 (Bull) ...

1949

184

Vought F7U Cutlass The Chance Vought F7U Cutlass was an interesting aircraft in many ways. For one, the aircraft was the direct result of American research into the jet designs and technologies of the Arado company - the German aircraft firm th...

1949

185Vought OS2U Kingfisher The OS2U Kingfisher was a product of the Vought aircraft firm, appearing initially as the VS.310 design to which the United States Navy accepted as a prototype in the XOS2U-1. The prototype would be airborne for trials by 193...

1940

186

Vultee A-35 Vengeance The A-35 Vengeance was a dive bomber produced by the Vultee Aircraft Company and resulted in over a thousand examples being used by foreign forces under the Lend-Lease Act. Originally ordered for French use as the V-72, some ...

1941

187

Vultee XP-54 Swoose Goose The Vultee XP-54 was one of the more distinct aircraft creations designed during World War 2. Produced through the essentially "empty canvas / blank check" approach by an Army Air Corps initiative (the specification was known...

1943

188Vultee XP-81 The Consolidated Vultee XP-81 was a proposed long-range, high-altitude fighter design that was to be the answer for bomber escorting in Europe but, more importantly, throughout the island hopping campaign of the Pacific. The ...

1945

189

Westland Welkin With its origins in the Westland Whirlwind, the Westland Welkin (meaning "Vault of Heaven") was a twin-engined fighter designed as a high-altitude interceptor to defend against another possible Luftwaffe bombing campaign agai...

1944

190

Westland Whirlwind The Westland Whirlwind was a most capable design that might have seen even better service numbers were it not for the choice of engines. Originally slated to utilize the Rolls-Royce brand Merlin engines, the Whirlwind platfor...

1940

191Yakovlev Yak-1 (Krasavyets) Often overshadowed by its contemporaries in the West (to include the Supermarine Spitfire, North American P-51 Mustang, Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190) the early production Yakovlev fighter aircraft were some ...

1940

192

Yakovlev Yak-17 The Yak-17 was a solid operator in service with the Soviet Union. As a post-World War Two design, the system had its roots in the Yak-3 piston-engine fighter which spawned the jet-powered Yak-15 - of which the Yak-17 was a di...

1947

193

Yakovlev Yak-23 The Yakovlev Yak-23 was the final iteration of the post-war turbojet designs beginning with the Yak-15 and continuing in the Yak-17 aircraft series. The Yak-23 was similar to the Yak-17 but differed in the utilization of high...

1947

194

Yakovlev Yak-3 The Yakovlev Yak-3 was a further development of the Yak-1 series of fighters (detailed elsewhere on this site) and was well renowned for possessing an impressive rate of climb and unmatched maneuverability. The system appeare...

1944

195

Yakovlev Yak-9 (Frank) In line with other classic wartime fighters of World War Two, the Yakovlev-produced Yak-9 is no exception. Initially conceived from a developmental version of the Yak-7 that featured a combined construction of wood and metal,...

1943

196Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (Judy) The Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (translating to "Comet" and nicknamed "Judy" by the Allies) was a capable dive bomber serving the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Second World War. The system saw some reliability issues in early pre...

1942

197

Yokosuka MXY7-K1 Ohka (Cherry Blossom) The Yokosuka MXY7-K1 Ohka (translated to "Cherry Blossom") was a single-seat pilot-guided suicide fighter proposed and produced by the Imperial Japanese Navy in a new attempt to thwart the ever-increasing advances by Allied f...

1945

Aircraft from 1950-1959 The jet becomes king of the skies as nations are at it again over Korea.

1 Aerospatiale SA 313 / SA 318 Alouette II ...

1957

2

Antonov An-12 (Cub) The Antonov An-12 "Cub" was a product of requirement by the Soviet Union during the Cold War years. With more land area to defend than any other superpower of the time, the Soviet military was faced with the daunting prospect...

1957

3

Antonov An-24 (Coke) The An-24 "Coke" was yet another in the long line of military transport aircraft produced during the Cold War by the Antonov bureau. The An-24 differed from earlier Antonov products in that it was designed and built to strict...

1959

4

Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck The Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck is an often overlooked indigenous Canadian aircraft design that performed admirably well throughout a bulk of the Cold War years. The system, partnered with America in the NORAD program, was char...

1952

5

Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow The Avro CF-105 "Arrow" appeared at a time when the Soviet Union was consistently developing higher-flying and longer range bombers capable of nuclear strikes virtually anywhere within reach. As a result, the Arrow was develo...

1958

6

Avro Shackleton The Avro Shackleton was derived from the Avro Lincoln bomber (the Lincoln itself designed from the Avro Lancaster), a four-engine aircraft appearing too late to see action in World War 2. The Shackleton featured a similar (th...

1951

7

Avro Vulcan The Avro Vulcan formed the second point on the triangle in the British "V-Bombers" collection - a series of three high-altitude, long range, nuclear-capable systems developed during the Cold War from a post-World War 2 Britis...

1956

8

BAC TSR-2 Much in the vain of the North American XB-70 Valkyrie system for the United States, the TSR-2 was to be England’s super Cold War bomber. The system was to provide the United Kingdom with a supersonic low-level bomber capable ...

1959

9

Bell UH-1 Iroquois (Huey) The UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" became an important part of American military actions beginning in 1960 and expanding throughout the latter part of the Cold War years. The ubiquitous system became synonymous with the American effort...

1959

10

Bell X-5 The X-5 was a developmental prototype model aircraft produced by the Bell Aircraft company of the United States of America. X-5 development was initiated through the capture of a German Messerschmitt fighter design (powered b...

1951

11

Boeing 707 The 707 model series for The Boeing Company proved to be the catalyst for their commercial market successes to come. The 707 introduced a model design that was initially conceived of as a private venture, targeting both milit...

1955

12

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress The B-52 has been the preeminent American heavy bomber of the last 54 years. The massive aircraft served throughout the heightened periods of the Cold War as a nuclear deterrent, as a dedicated bomber and reconnaissance platf...

1955

13

Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker The KC-135 Stratotanker proved to be a monumental product for the Boeing corporation in more ways than one, firstly solidifying its position as the premiere airliner manufacturer throughout the world and secondly offering the...

1956

14 Boeing VC-137 Stratoliner ...

1959

15

Breguet Br.1050 Alize (Tradewind) The Breguet Br.1050 "Alize" (meaning "tradewind") was a French production aircraft suitable for carrier-based anti-submarine warfare (ASW) tactics. The system was fielded in limited quantity throughout the Cold War and proved...

1956

16 Cessna T-37 Tweet ...

1957

17

Chance Vought F-8 Crusader The Vought-produced F-8 Crusader was a direct response to a Navy need for a supersonic carrier-based fighter platform. Utilizing nearly the identical powerplant of the F-100 Super Sabre, the F-8 Crusader became the world's fi...

1956

18

Convair F-102 Delta Dagger The F-102 Delta Dagger was a prototypical American aircraft design in the years following the Korean War, particularly doing away with the smooth lines and straight wing features commonplace in the years following World War T...

1958

19

Convair F-106 Delta Dart The Convair F-106 Delta Dart began its production life as a direct successor to the interim F-102 Delta Dagger (detailed elsewhere on this site). Like the F-102 before it, the F-106 was designed to meet and "greet" high-flyin...

1959

20

Dassault Etendard The base Dassault-produced Etendard (meaning "Standard") was a private venture that was initially greeted without much fervor. When the French Navy came looking for a lightweight carrier-capable platform, the Etendard series ...

1958

21

Dassault Mirage III Though now outclassed by the latest in Next Generation aircraft, the Mirage III - for a time - was the best European fighter in operation. The delta-wing system, a design proving quite capable early pioneering developments, o...

1956

22

Dassault Mystere / Super Mystere The Dassault-produced Mystere series of turbojet aircraft appeared just when the French nation was in the rebuilding stages following World War Two. The owner of Dassault, himself a captive of one of the many German concentra...

1955

23

de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou The Caribou series proved to be such an effective battlefield transport aircraft that more than a few were pressed into service as captured C-7's in the hands of the North Vietnamese. The type continues to serve in limited nu...

1959

24

de Havilland D.H.110 Sea Vixen In the 1950's, the de Havilland production of the Sea Vixen became the Royal Navy's first swept wing fighter design and Britain's first all-missile aircraft. The Sea Vixen was selected to replace the Sea Venom and became a fo...

1958

25 Dornier Do 28 / Do 128 Skyservant ...

1959

26

Douglas A-4 Skyhawk The A-4 Skyhawk (nicknamed "Heinemann's Hot Rod" and the "Scooter") came about as a private venture when the Douglas corporation was seeking to replace the aging AD Skyraider (A-1 Skyraider) piston-engine aircraft. The succes...

1956

27

Douglas B-66 Destroyer The Douglas-produced B-66 Destroyer was a light bomber designed by Ed Heinemann to replace the aging A-26 Invader in service with the United States Strategic Air Command (SAC). Based highly on the existing United States Navy ...

1956

28

Douglas C-124 Globemaster II With the close of World War 2 and the accompanying Berlin Airlift, the United States military saw a need to replace its aged C-74 "Globemaster I" systems with a newer and more capable platform. The C-124 was put forth as a pr...

1950

29 Douglas DC-8 ...

1959

30 Douglas EA-3B Skywarrior ...

1956

31

Douglas F3D / F-10 Skyknight The Douglas F3D series of aircraft holds several distinctions in the world of aviation history and in the circle of United States military aviation. To start off, the F3D became the world's first jet-powered carrier-based nig...

1950

32

Douglas F4D Skyray / F-6 Skyray The F4D Skyray (affectionately nicknamed the "Ford" for its "F", "Four" and "D" used in the designation) stemmed from a 1947 United States Navy requirement to field a competitive Mach 1-capable, high-altitude interceptor. Not...

1956

33 Douglas F5D Skylancer ...

1956

34 Douglas X-3 Stiletto ...

1952

35

Fairchild C-123 Provider The C-123 Provider was a four engine military transport aircraft utilized to good effect in the Vietnam War. Design of the aircraft was of particular note in that the system was powered by both conventional propellers and by ...

1952

36 Fairey Gannet ...

1953

37 Fiat / Aeritalia G.91 ...

1958

38

Folland / Hawker-Siddeley Gnat The Folland Gnat was a swept-wing, jet-powered fighter of British origins appearing in the middle of the 1950's. Designed as a light-weight, cost-effective aircraft with impressive performance specifications, the diminutive G...

1959

39

Fouga CM.170 Magister It's easy to lose track of French military prowess following World War 2 but the Fouga Magister was a product of the years that followed. Developed towards closing years of the 1940's, the Magister became a principle jet-powe...

1956

40

Gloster Javelin The Gloster Javelin was the first twin-engine delta-wing jet fighter design to take up service with any one air force. The system would also become the United Kingdoms first all-weather day or night fighter and the very final...

1956

41

Grumman F11F / F-11 Tiger The Grumman-produced F11F Tiger was designed at about the time the Grumman Cougar was already close to production. The program goal of the Tiger series was to produce a highly-capable daytime fighter with exceptional dogfight...

1957

42

Grumman F9F Cougar The F9F Cougar was a direct and further development of the F9F Panther (detailed elsewhere on this site. The similarities between the two were limited to just the forward fuselage of the Panther being used in the Cougar desig...

1952

43

Grumman F9F Panther The Grumman F9F Panther series saw extensive combat in the Korean War for the United States Navy, accounting for over 78,000 combat sorties. The system was primarily utilized as a close-support strike aircraft but could hold ...

1950

44 Grumman TF-1 / C-1A Trader ...

1952

45 Grumman WF-2 / E-1 Tracer ...

1958

46

Handley Page Victor The Handley Page Victor formed the last part of the RAF's "V-Bomber" triangle also consisting of the Vickers Valliant and the Avro Vulcan. All three would make up the British strategic nuclear strike arm (given life through t...

1957

47 Hawker / Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk ...

1953

48

Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter was the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy jet fighter of choice for decades since its inception, becoming the longest serving British jet-powered fighter of her time. Outwardly, the Hunter was of a most convent...

1956

49

Lockheed C-130 Hercules The arrival of the Lockheed-produced C-130 Hercules series of transport lay down the foundation of transport design for decades since its inception. The series ushered in standards such as the high-mounted monoplane wing desi...

1956

50

Lockheed F-104 Starfighter The Lockheed F-104 was in many ways an engineering marvel whose legacy suffered terribly due to several internal and external circumstances, so much so, in fact, that the aircraft was dubbed the unflattering name of "Widowmak...

1958

51

Lockheed F-94 Starfire The F-94 (nicknamed "Starfire" in the "C" model only) was developed from the successful twin-seat Lockheed trainer aircraft known as the T-33 Shooting Star, which in itself was based on the single-seat P-80 / F-80 Shooting St...

1950

52

Lockheed Martin U-2 Dragon Lady The U-2 spyplane was a pivotal player during the peak years of the Cold War between the United States of America and the Soviet Union, charged with photographing key installations for the safety of the American homeland and i...

1955

53

McDonnell F-101 Voodoo The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was affectionately called the "One-oh-Wonder" and known moreso early on for its many record-setting achievements in the early years of use. The twin-engine fighter-bomber was a design that nearly w...

1957

54

McDonnell F3H Demon The F3H Demon series of aircraft produced by McDonnell Aircraft was a further development of the company's expertise with carrier-based turbojet-powered aircraft. Ever since the arrival of the Japanese "Zero" to the war front...

1953

55

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (Fresco) / Chengdu J-5 As impressive as the later versions of the MiG-15 fighter were (detailed elsewhere on this site), the MiG-17 "Fresco" was a vastly improved development based on lessons learned in the formers design. With the MiG-15 represent...

1952

56

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 (Farmer) The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 "Farmer" was an entirely new aircraft design though it shared many external similarities with the existing MiG-15 and MiG-17 models. Building upon lessons learned on those former designs, the MiG-1...

1955

57

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (Fishbed) The MiG-21 was undoubtedly the most successful Cold War fighter in terms of reach, operating in over 50 air forces around the globe and seeing production well past the 10,000 example mark. The aircraft was developed with less...

1959

58

Mil Mi-4 (Hound) The broad-reaching Mil Mi-4 series of helicopter (known to NATO as "Hound") first appeared in 1952 and was designed within the Soviet Union as a direct response to the American H-19 Chickasaw helicopter debuting in the Korean...

1953

59

Myasishchev M-50 / M-52 (Bounder) The M-50 and M-52 bombers were two prototype intercontinental supersonic strategic bombers proposed by the Soviet firm of Myasishchev as early as 1956. Though the project and its design is some fifty years old, very little in...

1959

60

North American / Boeing T-2 Buckeye The North American (now Boeing) T-2 Buckeye was responsible for the training of thousands of American naval aviators from 1959 onwards. The system was fielded as an intermediate budget trainer designed to give United States N...

1959

61

North American F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre was developed as the successor to the F-86 Sabre, another North American product. The F-86 Sabre proved a war winner for the Americans in the Korean War, tangling with the likes of the new...

1954

62 North American X-10 ...

1953

63 North American X-15 ...

1959

64

North American YF-107 Ultra Sabre The YF-107 "Ultra Sabre" prototype represented the final foray into military aviation for the North American Aircraft Corporation. The company that was responsible for such memorable airframes as seen embodied by the P-51 Mus...

1957

65

Republic F-105 Thunderchief The F-105 Thunderchief was a Cold War product of the Republic Aviation Corporation and became the company's last production aircraft before its merger with Fairchild. The platform was developed as a successor to the F-84 seri...

1958

66

Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw The Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw was an excellent multipurpose transport helicopter that saw use in various roles on a global scale. The system proved to be a tremendous replacement for the US Army H-5 Dragonfly series and went on...

1950

67

Sikorsky H-34 / CH-34 Choctaw The H-34 Choctaw was a multi-purpose, turbine-powered utility helicopter produced by Sikorsky in the United States. It was developed as a replacement for the similar Korean War-era UH-19 Chickasaw series of helicopters and de...

1954

68

Sud-Ouest SO 4050 Vautour These limited-production aircraft served with little distinction in French hands but were better served as night fighters and attack aircraft by the Israeli Air Force in later years. The aircraft is oft-noted for its design s...

1953

69

Supermarine Attacker The Supermarine Attacker was an unspectacular aircraft that was most notably used by the British Royal Navy. The system was initially designed for the Royal Air Force to take advantage of an already existing piston engine fig...

1951

70 Supermarine Scimitar ...

1957

71

Supermarine Swift The Supermarine Swift series of aircraft was initially designed to supplant the aging and outclassed post-World War Two Gloster Meteor turbojet fighters and was a further development of the Supermarine Attacker. The system wo...

1954

72

Tupolev Tu-142 (Bear) The Tupolev Tu-142 "Bear" aircraft was a further development of the massive and successful Tu-95 Bear design popularized by its many appearances along the airspace border between the Soviet union and NATO allies during the Co...

1957

73

Tupolev Tu-16 (Badger) The Tupolev Tu-16 (codenamed "Badger" by NATO) owed its success story to the Cold War and its own versatility. Throughout its production life, the Tu-16 would go on to become arguably the best medium-type bomber platform in s...

1954

74

Tupolev Tu-95 (Bear) The Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" was the Soviet symbol of Cold War prowess, consistently breaking across into American and Canadian airspace to test defensive response times and gather intelligence. The many forms of the Tu-95 produc...

1957

75

Vickers Valiant The Valiant was the beginning design in the series of 'V' strategic bombers for the RAF. The Valiant originated as a response for a high-level strategic bomber that could carry nuclear ordinance as well as conventional weapon...

1955

76

Yakovlev Yak-25 (Flashlight / Mandrake) The Yak-25 (NATO codename of "Flashlight") was yet another jet fighter design introduced by the Soviets during the early decades of the Cold War. The system was designed to patrol the vast northern-most portions of the Soviet...

1955

Aircraft from 1960-1969 The Cold War goes hot in a blink of an eye as both sides rattle their sabres.

1

Aermacchi MB.326 The Aermacchi MB.326 series of aircraft has become one of the most successful blends of operational trainer and light attack capabilities. Developed during the Cold War in 1957, the Aermacchi-produced two-seat trainer was alr...

1962

2

Aero L-29 Delfin (Dolphin) / Maya The Czech designed and produced Aero L-29 Delfin (translating to “Dolphin”; NATO designation of “Maya”) series was a highly utilized Cold War jet trainer aircraft for the Soviet Union and its satellite states. The twin-seat a...

1963

3

Aerospatiale / British Aerospace Concorde One of the great aviation stories to come out of a post-Cold War world, the British and French-made Concorde stands as the only supersonic passenger transport ever designed and flown on a regular basis. The system offered upp...

1969

4

Aerospatiale SA 316 / SA 319 Alouette III The Aérospatiale Alouette III, is French for Skylark having a single-engine and to be used as a light utility helicopter and was developed by Sud Aviation and manufactured by Aérospatiale of France. The first version of the A...

1960

5

Aerospatiale SA 321 Super Frelon (Super Hornet) The SA 321 Super Frelon is a French-produced multirole helicopter falling under the Aerospatiale brand. The mammoth design became the largest production helicopter designed and built in Europe in any number when it went into ...

1964

6

Antonov An-22 Antei (Cock) The Antonov An-22 Antei (or "Cock") was another in the long line of Antonov transports designed and produced throughout the Cold War, with each design seemingly becoming progressively larger in scope. The An-22 was no excepti...

1965

7

BAe / Hawker Siddeley Nimrod The Nimrod aircraft came about as a replacement for the aging and World War Two-era piston-engine Avro Shackleton. Charged with maritime patrol of coastal waters and reconnaissance, the Nimrod had its beginnings on the civili...

1968

8

Bell 204 / UH-1B/C Iroquois (Huey) The UH-1 Iroquois was designed to fit a need developed by the United States Army for a utility helicopter capable of MedEvac duty. The UH-1 series would go on to have a prolonged life in both military and civil functions and ...

1962

9

Bell 205 / UH-1D/H Iroquois (Huey) Based on the successful UH-1B Huey model, the UH-1D was an improved and more powerful version that included increased cabin space for up to 14 passengers. As the YUH-1D (taken from the base Bell 205 airframe), the system firs...

1963

10

Bell 206 JetRanger The Bell 206 was derived from the unsuccessful OH-4 bid by the Bell company to fulfill a US Army need for a light-weight, turbine-powered, four-seat observation helicopter in 1960. It would not be until 1967 when delays in th...

1967

11

Bell AH-1 HueyCobra / Cobra (Bell 209) Based on the private venture Bell 209 helicopter, the AH-1 Cobra series of helicopters is many a military's primary light attack helicopter. As early as the 1950's Bell corporation was experimenting with armed versions in the...

1967

12

Beriev Be-12 Tchaika (Mail) The Beriev Be-12 "Mail" was a successful floatplane aircraft for the Soviet Union during the Cold War, fulfilling the role of maritime patrol and reconnaissance. The twin-engine system was designed to replace the other Beriev...

1961

13

Blackburn / Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer The Blackburn Buccaneer was a highly-respected low-level carrier-borne strike aircraft utilized by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. The Buccaneer featured a crew of two seated in tandem, an internal weapons bay to comp...

1962

14 Boeing 727-200 ...

1963

15 Boeing 737 (series) ...

1968

16 Boeing 747 ...

1969

17

Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight The CH-46 Sea Knight is similar in design and role to the CH-47 Chinook series of transport helicopters. Both offer up unobstructed access to the aircraft by keeping engine components mounted above the design. Both also utili...

1964

18

Boeing CH-47 Chinook The Chinook series of medium-lift helicopters has been a mainstay utility service system for the US Army (among others) for decades since its design and inception. The series featured the highly identifiable twin-tandem rotor...

1962

19

Boeing OH-6 / MD 500 / MH-6 (Little Bird) The OH-6 series of helicopters is a successful light observation and light attack system fielded with the US Army and special forces since the mid-1960's. The aircraft proved nimble enough to operate in close-support of groun...

1964

20

Cessna A-37 Dragonfly The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly was born out of a need for close-support aircraft to assist in the Vietnam War. As such, the T-37 jet trainer was converted for the role and became the A-37 series of aircraft. The system would go on...

1967

21 Cessna T-41 Mescalero ...

1964

22

Convair B-58 Hustler The delta-wing Convair B-58 Hustler was the first United States Air Force supersonic operational bomber. The system was designed to be capable of high-altitude flight, which was a popular design concept during the early years...

1960

23

Dassault Mirage IIIV The Mirage IIIV was designed to a NATO requirement for a supersonic VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) fighter aircraft. The Mirage IIIV was a further development of the successful Mirage III fighter series but featured a s...

1965

24

Dassault Mirage IV The Dassault Mirage IV series was designed to a French requirement for a supersonic aircraft platform capable of delivering an atomic weapon. The resulting Mirage IV became just that, offering up Mach 2 capabilities and a cei...

1963

25

Dassault Mirage V (5) / Mirage 50 The Dassault Mirage V / Mirage 50 series of French-built multi-role aircraft stands as the last further development of the successful Mirage III airframe. The Mirage V appeared in 1967 and was intended solely for export, find...

1967

26

English Electric / BAC Lightning The English Electric Lightning was an impressive engineering feat for the British people. She was the first (and only) Mach 2-capable platform ever developed for the island nation and itself the fastest British fighter of all...

1960

27 FalconJet HU-25 Guardian ...

1965

28

General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark The General Dynamics F-111 "Aardvark" was purposely-designed as a variable geometry "swing wing" platform from the outset. The variable swing-wing philosophy would allow the aircraft to utilize three pre-determined geometric ...

1967

29

Grumman / Northrop Grumman C-2 Greyhound The Grumman C-2 Greyhound was developed from the successful Grumman E-2 Hawkeye. Whereas the latter was a dedicated carrier-based Airborne Early Warning platform, the Greyhound was evolved into a carrier-based transport featu...

1967

30

Grumman A-6 Intruder The Grumman A-6 Intruder series of strike aircraft was designed to a United States Navy specification drawn up covering an attack aircraft capable carrying and delivering large payloads over distance and in any weather. The i...

1968

31

Grumman E-2 Hawkeye The E-2 Hawkeye series serves carrier battle groups (principally in the United States Navy) and is called upon as an all-weather airborne command and control battle space management system. The Hawkeye became operational in 1...

1964

32

Grumman OV-1 Mohawk Development of the OV-1 Mohawk platform stemmed from a joint requirement fielded by both the United States Army and the United States Marine Corps for a "battlefield surveillance aircraft" displaying rugged and versatile qual...

1961

33

HAL HF-24 Marut The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd HF-24 Marut was the first Indian attempt at an indigenous aircraft design since separating from British rule. The Marut - or "Spirit of the Tempest" - was the first design that was produced for t...

1962

34 Harbin Z-5 The Z-5 is the Chinese-built version of the Soviet Mi-4 Hound medium-lift transport helicopter....

1965

35

Hawker Siddeley Harrier / AV-8A The subsonic British Harrier "jump jet" became the world's first practical VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft after the perfection of its vectored thrust turbofan engine. While other aircraft manufacturers of the t...

1969

36

Kamov Ka-25 (Hormone) The Kamov Ka-25 (NATO codename of "Hormone") was developed from the Ka-20, which itself was a response to a Soviet Navy requirement for a ship-borne helicopter to replace the aging Mil Mi-4 platforms. The Ka-25 became a mains...

1966

37

Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne The AH-56 Cheyenne was Lockheed's first and only foray into development of a production helicopter. In many respects, however, the Cheyenne was neither a true helicopter nor was it a true airplane - in many ways that today's...

1967

38

Lockheed C-141 Starlifter The C-141 Starlifter appeared in 1965 - interestingly enough without a prototype preceding its inception - and became the workhorse transport aircraft for the United States Air Force. The aircraft was developed to a Military ...

1965

39 Lockheed HC-130 Hercules ...

1965

40

Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion The P-3 Orion aircraft is a product of Lockheed Martin, designed and accepted at a time when Lockheed could do little wrong in the way of earning government contracts. The P-3 was a direct requirement for a United States Navy...

1962

41

Lockheed MC-130 Combat Talon I / II The MC-130 series is represented by the MC-130E Combat Talon I and the MC-130H Combat Talon II systems. Both utilize the hugely successful C-130 Hercules airframe and were designed specifically for use with special forces ope...

1966

42

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird The sleek SR-71 Blackbird spyplane reached an all new plateau in supersonic high-level flight for the Lockheed Corporation. Developed from the YF-121-A interceptor program which spawned the A-12 program which in turn generate...

1966

43

LTV A-7 Corsair II The middle-weight Vought-produced A-7 Corsair II was designed as a replacement for the A-4 Skyhawk light-weight fighter / bomber, and was based on the engineering successes of the F-8 Crusader. Owing its general visual appear...

1967

44 McDonnell Douglas C-9 Nightingale ...

1968

45

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II Arguably one of the finest combat fighters of the 20th Century, the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II series was produced in larger numbers since the end of World War 2 than any other Western fighter of the time. The Phantom II grew i...

1960

46

McDonnell Douglas F-4G Wild Weasel The F-4G represented the "Wild Weasel" off-shoot of the successful F-4 Phantom II line. Wild Weasel aircraft represented (and continue to do so) specially modified platforms utilized to hunt enemy air defense systems such as ...

1963

47 Mil Mi-6 (Hook) ...

1962

48

Mil Mi-8 (Hip) Numbering well over 12,000 production examples, the Mil Mi-8 (NATO reporting name of "Hip") can be viewed as one of the most successful helicopter designs of all time. It has seen use as a passenger transport, troop transport...

1967

49 Mitsubishi Mu-2 ...

1965

50

North American A-5 Vigilante The A-5 Vigilante bomber actually began as a private venture by the North American Aviation Company as early as 1953. This development centered around the design of an all-weather, high-level, long range bomber capable of car...

1961

51

North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco The Bronco was developed through the United States Marine Corps Light Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft (LARA) program to provide the service branch with a multi-faceted performer that could handle armed reconnaissance and light ...

1966

52

North American XB-70 Valkyrie The XB-70 Valkyrie was intended to be the USAF 'super bomber' for decades to come and was tabbed as the eventual successor to the B-52 Stratofortress in support of the United States Strategic Air Command. Developed with the l...

1964

53

Northrop Grumman EA-6 Prowler The Prowler series of carrierbased aircraft are dedicated electronic warfare systems based on the Vietnam-era A-6 Intruder strike models. Since their introduction, the Prowler series has seen action up through the present Ame...

1963

54 Northrop T-38 Talon ...

1961

55

Saab J 35 Draken (Dragon / Kite) The Saab J 35 Draken (translated in English to "Dragon" but carrying the meaning of "Kite" based on the aircraft's angular resemblance to a kite) was one of the more excellent aircraft designs to emerge from the Cold War. The...

1960

56

Saab JA 37 Viggen (Thunderbolt) The Saab Viggen proved to be yet another milestone in the indigenous design theories put forth by the nation of Sweden. The system was designed from the outset to be a battlefield friendly alternative to its opponent counterp...

1968

57 SH-2F Seasprite ...

1962

58 Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion ...

1966

59 Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe / Skycrane ...

1962

60

Sikorsky HH-3 Jolly Green Giant The HH-3E series is no longer in service with the United States Air Force but gained considerable fame in the Vietnam War for its many rescues of downed aircrews in the conflict. The system featured a stretched fuselage and w...

1963

61 Sikorsky HH-3 Pelican ...

1961

62

Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King At its peak, the Sikorsky SH-3 series of naval aircraft was a widely used and successful platform utilized in anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue operations. Development stemmed from a United States Navy 1957 contrac...

1961

63

Sud Aviation / Aerospatiale SA 330 Puma The Puma began life as a product of Sud Aviation designed to meet an French Army requirement for an all-weather, medium-lift, multi-purpose utility helicopter to replace the aging set of Sikorsky S-58 systems in French servic...

1969

64

Sukhoi Su-11 (Fishpot) The Su-11, by any regard, is considered a potent fighter. Based on a further development of the inferior and limited Su-9, the Su-11 featured an improved and more powerful turbojet engine capable of 22,046lbs of thrust with a...

1962

65

Sukhoi Su-15 (Flagon) The Su-15 (NATO codename of "Flagon") series of aircraft was designed by the Sukhoi firm as a true interceptor with the sole purpose of defending Soviet airspace NATO bomber incursions during the Cold War. The system was desi...

1967

66

Sukhoi Su-7 (Fitter) Though not in service with the Russian Air Force in any capacity these days, the Sukhoi Su-7 (NATO designation of "Fitter") can still be found in a few inventories around the world - mostly in former Soviet-supported states a...

1966

67Transall C-160 An alliance between France and Germany resulted in the development and production of the Transall C.160 transport plane....

1967

68 Tupolev Tu-126 (Moss) ...

1962

69

Tupolev Tu-28 / Tu-128 (Fiddler) The Tupolev-produced Tu-28 (NATO codename of "Fiddler") was a large intercept-capable aircraft built for the simple role of air defense and anti-bomber incursion. Developed at a time when both sides of the Cold War were seeki...

1963

70

Yakovlev Yak-28 (Brewer / Firebar / Maestro) Nearly an exact copy of the Yak-25 (and the Yak-26 and Yak-27 for that matter), the Yakovlev Yak-28 was initially thought of as a multi-role fighter-bomber but eventually fulfilled the role of interceptor, reconnaissance and ...

1965

Aircraft from 1970-1979 Vietnam forces a re-thinking in tactics as dogfighting makes a comeback.

1

Aeritalia G.222 The G.222 was a medium transport produced by the Aeritalia corporation that saw some modest successes. The aircraft was designed to fit the need for short runway take-off and landings from rough airstrips and to provide the I...

1978

2

Aermacchi MB.339 The Aermacchi MB.339 was the successor to the Aermacchi MB.326 in the advanced trainer and light strike duty roles. This twin-seat trainer proved equally adept at either role and went on to also replace the Fiat G.91T trainer...

1978

3

Aero L-39 Albatros (Albatross) The L-39 series of advanced jet trainer and light strike aircraft followed along the same lines as its predecessor - the L-29 Delphin (detailed elsewhere on this site) - in terms of development. Designed actually just three y...

1972

4

Aerospatiale / Eurocopter AS350 / AS355 / Astar The AS350 was originally designed to replace the aging Sud Aviation / Aerospatiale Alouette II light utility helicopter series. The AS350 appeared first under the Aerospatiale brand label but is now known under the Eurocopter...

1975

5

Aerospatiale SA 341 / SA 342 Gazelle A popular light reconnaissance and attack helicopter for export order, the Aerospatiale Gazelle systems are a common site all over the world. Operating in the multirole mode, the system has the capabilities to undergo duties ...

1971

6 AgustaWestland MH-68A Stingray / AW109 / A109 ...

1976

7

Airbus A300 The A300-600 and A310 share a high percentage of commonality in terms of airframe design and construction (decreasing maintenance and repair costs somewhat), with the A300 maintaining the wider cross section - a full 222 inch...

1972

8

Antonov An-32 (Cline) The An-32 "Cline" was offered up by the Antonov bureau as an improved An-26 model. In essence, the system was quite similar to the preceding An-26 with newer and more powerful engines but offered up better performance in trop...

1977

9

BAe Sea Harrier The arrival of the land-based Hawker Siddeley Harrier revolutionized the British military approach upon its inception in 1969. The system allowed for vertical take-offs and landings by providing the hovering capabilities of a...

1978

10 Boeing 757-200 ...

1978

11 Boeing CT-43 / T-43A ...

1973

12 Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS ...

1977

13 Boeing E-4 Airborne Command Post ...

1975

14 Dassault Falcon 50 ...

1979

15

Dassault Mirage F1 The Dassault Mirage F1 series was designed to replace the successful Dassault Mirage III series. With a host of new features added to this new aircraft, the Mirage F1 would be a substantial upgrade to the whole Mirage family ...

1973

16

Dassault Super Etendard (Standard) The Dassault Super Etendard ("Standard") was a further development of the base Etendard platform that performed well in service with the French Navy. The system saw deliveries start from the late 1970's onward and by the end ...

1978

17

Dassault-Breguet Mirage 2000 The Mirage 2000 was developed as a replacement for previous versions of the Mirage airframe platform. This new version incorporated many design, engineering and production elements learned from the post-war years of aircraft ...

1979

18

Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet The Alpha Jet series of aircraft was a joint Franco-German initiative to produce a highly-advanced tactical trainer with close-support capabilities. The French firm of Dassault-Breguet generated the initial evaluation model u...

1978

19

Eurocopter BO 105 The Bo 105 is a light utility helicopter system recognized around the globe for its versatility, performance and safety record. The system has served (and continues to do so) in a military and civilian capacity in nations thr...

1970

20

Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog) The uniquely-designed A-10 Thunderbolt II (its namesake derived from the World War II piston-engine fighter/bomber - the P-47 Thunderbolt) was specifically developed as a close-support anti-tank killing machine. The A-10 woul...

1976

21

FMA IA-58 Pucara (Fortress) The impressive-looking, two-seat IA-58 Pucara (meaning "Fortress") was produced by the Fabrica Militar de Aviones of Argentina. The aircraft was classified as a counter-insurgency ground-attack system capable of rough-field o...

1975

22

General Dynamics / Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon The F-16 Fighting Falcon can officially go down as one of the most successful aircraft designs of the Cold War. The system was designed in a head-to-head competition with the Northrop YF-17 Cobra and successfully defeated it ...

1979

23

Grumman F-14 Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat-series of variable-geometry wing carrier-capable interceptors is one of the true living success stories of Cold War aircraft design. The system was popularized by the Hollywood motion picture "Top Gun"...

1970

24

IAI Kfir The Israeli Aircraft Industries Kfir (Lion Cub) series is considered by many to be the ultimate version of the French-made Dassault Mirage 5 series. The system was produced locally from existing French-made Mirage III series ...

1975

25 Ilyushin IL-76 (Candid) ...

1975

26

Kamov Ka-27 (Helix) The Ka-27 Helix was designed and built as a replacement for the aging Soviet-era Ka-25 navy helicopter - also built by Kamov. The Ka-27 is designated as an anti-ship helicopter for the Russian Navy but fulfills a variety o...

1975

27

Lockheed / Vought S-3 Viking The S-3 Viking series of carrier-borne aircraft was a joint production effort from the Lockheed and Vought aircraft firms. Selected from no fewer than five proposals from various other companies an including the two aforement...

1974

28

Lockheed AC-130H Spectre / AC-130U Spooky Since the advent of the airplane as an instrument of war, warplanners have relied on the power of mobile aerial attacks to keep an enemy on its toes. From the simple dropping of flechettes on entrenched enemy positions in Wor...

1972

29

McDonnell Douglas / Boeing F-15 Eagle For a time, the F-15 Eagle series was the pinnacle of American air superiority incorporating technolgy and design that produced a highly manuervable and performanced enhanced multi-role fighter platform. The F-15 was designed...

1974

30

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (Flogger) Original models designed to replace the short-range yet successful MiG-21 Fishbed were accepted and reviewed by the Soviet military powers. One such version was actually an enlarged model of the base MiG-21 whilst the other w...

1973

31

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 (Foxbat) The MiG-25 Foxbat was designed as a high-speed pure interceptor to combat the developing XB-70 Valkyrie American bomber capable of Mach 3. Though the Valkyrie never materialized for US war planners, the MiG-25 was kept in pro...

1972

32

Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-27 (Flogger) The MiG-27 (NATO designation of "Flogger"), like the MiG-23 before it, was a stop-gap measure until the full arrival of the Sukhoi Su-25 "Frogfoot". The MiG-27 stood as a strike-fighter derivative to the highly-acclaimed swin...

1970

33

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-31 (Foxhound) The Mikoyan-Gurevich produced MiG-31 was the culmination of work that began with the development of the MiG-25 Foxbat series of high-altitude, high-speed interceptors challenged with taking out the new generation of long-rang...

1979

34

Mil Mi-14 (Haze) The Mil Mi-14 (NATO codename "Haze") was a dedicated naval anti-submarine helicopter appearing in limited production numbers throughout the Cold War beginning in 1975. The system was a further development of the Mil Mi-8 seri...

1975

35

Mil Mi-24 / Mi-25 / Mi-35 (Hind) The Mil-produced series of "Hind" helicopters was a favorite Cold War-relic and continues (albeit modernized) in many of today's armies including Russias. The heavy helicopter is capable of commanding various battlefield role...

1973

36

Mitsubishi F-1 The Mitsubishi F-1 fighter aircraft was a milestone design for the small island country as it represented the nations first all-Japanese design and produced fighter since the closing days of World War 2. Based highly on the e...

1977

37

Nanchang Q-5 (Fantan) With China already in possession of what was essentially the Soviet-built Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 "Farmer" in the Chinese copy known as the Shenyang J-6, it was decided upon developing a ground attack version of the aircraft ...

1970

38

Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter / F-5 Tiger II The Northrop-produced F-5 Tiger series was intended as a low-cost, low-maintenance alternative for Allies of the United States during the Cold War years. The initial model was the F-5 "Freedom Fighter", which in turn spawned ...

1976

39

Northrop YF-17 (Cobra) The YF-17 Cobra was a Northrop Aviation creation through NASA to support further testing and research of aircraft at transonic speeds (meaning just underneath the speed of sound, or 700-780mph / 1,127-1,255kph). The YF-17 Cob...

1972

40

Panavia Tornado GR.1 The Panavia Tornado GR.1 (or GR.Mk 1) is a slightly differing variant of the Tornado IDS base model. The Tornado is produced by an international consortium of European countries that include Germany and Italy all of which ope...

1979

41

Panavia Tornado IDS / ECR The Panavia Tornado was produced from a consortium of companies in the UK, Germany and Italy. The weapon system was designed from the beginning to operate from extremely short or battle-damaged runways, with the assumption be...

1979

42

Rockwell XFV-12 The XFV-12 aircraft was a proposed Rockwell International design to a United States Navy requirement for a VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft system. Though a promising concept from the beginning, the XFV-12 was te...

1977

43

SEPECAT Jaguar The Jaguar became the first ever international aircraft joint development product when Britain and France expressed interest in a similar multi-role supersonic performer. The British were in the market for an advanced jet tra...

1972

44

Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk has become a workhorse for the United States and other military forces the world over. Its capabilities have increased her roles to include Special Operations assignments, assault, MedEvac, Comma...

1979

45

Sukhoi Su-17 / Su-20 / Su-22 (Fitter) The Su-17 "Fitter-C" series of aircraft was a variant of the successful Su-7 "Fitter-A" fighter program. Though sharing similarities with the aforementioned system, the Su-17 was in fact a swing-wing derivative of the fixed-w...

1971

46

Sukhoi Su-20 (Fitter-C) The Su-20 "Fitter-C" is nothing more than the export version of the Su-17 "Fitter-B" and "Fitter-C" series of swing-wing aircraft which, themselves, are derivatives of the fixed-wing Su-7 "Fitter-A" series. The Su-20 is based...

1970

47

Sukhoi Su-24 (Fencer) The Su-24 (NATO series name of "Fencer") was a successful Sukhoi product requested by the Soviet government to replace their aging IL-28 and Yak-28 medium-class bombers. Though initial research resulted in a delta-wing design...

1974

48 Tupolev Tu-144 (Charger) ...

1975

49

Tupolev Tu-22 (Backfire / Blinder) The Tupolev Tu-22 "Backfire" series is a variable-geometry swing-wing aircraft classified as a medium bomber - of the only true remaining modern "medium bomber" designated aircraft currently flying. The system was originally ...

1975

50

Westland / AugustaWestland Lynx The Westland Lynx (AugustaWestland since 2000) was designed to a British Army requirement and initially consisted of four planned projects that included an army, navy, 2-seat attack and civilian passenger versions. The main i...

1978

51

Yakovlev Yak-38 (Forger) The Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger became the first (and last) VTOL service aircraft for the Soviet Union / Russian Federation. Attempting to fulfill the same role as did the British Aerospace Harrier VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Land...

1971

Aircraft from 1980-1989 The Cold War ends with a wimper as the age of the digital battlefield begins.

1

Aerospatiale / Eurocopter AS 332 Super Puma / AS 532 Cougar The Super Puma was developed by French-based Aerospatiale (formerly Sud Aviation) form the successful AS 330 Puma series of medium-lift utility helicopters. The newer Super Puma design was essentially a base Puma with an impr...

1982

2

AIDC AT-3 Tzu-Chiang The AIDC AT-3 series of advanced weapons trainer aircraft was the second design produced by the Aero Industry Development Center of Taiwan (in conjunction with the American firm of Northrop), succeeding the Chung Tsing T-28 T...

1984

3

Airbus A310 The Airbus A310-300 was produced as a budgeted alternative to the based A300-series (detailed elsewhere on this web site) at a time when Airbus was still awaiting official order placement from potential customers. This interi...

1983

4

Antonov An-124 Ruslan (Condor) The Antonov-produced AN-124 was the world's largest aircraft before the Russian AN-225 made it's debut, but it remained the largest to go into production nonetheless. The AN-124 was developed foremost as a military transport ...

1986

5

Antonov An-225 Mriya (Cossack) As of this writing, the Antonov An-225 "Mriya" maintains the title of "largest aircraft ever built". The system eclipsed the previous Antonov design attempt in the form of the An-124 Ruslan "Condor" (detailed elsewhere on thi...

1989

6

Antonov An-72 (Coaler) The An-72 "Coaler" was another Antonov Design Bureau creation designed to assist the Soviet military in logistical sorties as a tactical transport. The design was of a unique and very identifiable nature, placing the powerful...

1986

7

Atlas (Denel) Cheetah The Denel (formally Atlas) Cheetah came about through a need by the South African Air Force to update / replace its series of aging fighters while its bordering neighbors were receiving updated Soviet Bloc aircraft. Unfortuna...

1987

8 Beechcraft C-12 Huron ...

1984

9

Bell AH-1 SuperCobra The AH-1W and AH-1J SuperCobra series of helicopters are an updated and slightly modified version of the AH-1 HueyCobra (or simply "Cobra") detailed elsewhere on this website. Much like the base Cobra, the SuperCobra is a...

1986

10

Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior / 406CS Combat Scout The Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior was a further development of the successful Bell OH-58 Kiowa. Intended to be fielded alongside the Apache Longbow and provide scouting and observation capabilities in an offensive support capacit...

1985

11

Boeing / McDonnell Douglas / Hughes AH-64 Apache / Apache Longbow Originally a Hughes-based design, the YAH-64 faced off against a Bell YAH-63 system in the United States Army's search for an advanced attack helicopter. The system was to field the latest in technology, maneuverability and b...

1984

12

Boeing / McDonnell Douglas / Northrop F/A-18 Hornet The F/A-18 Hornet is a twin-engine carrier-based attack fighter currently in frontline service with a variety of forces worldwide. Derived from the failed YF-17 Cobra attempt at a new USAF lightweight fighter (the F-17 lost o...

1983

13 Boeing 767-300 ...

1981

14 C-23 Sherpa ...

1985

15

Dornier Do 228 The Dornier Do 228 appeared in the early 1980's and served as a utility transport and maritime patrol aircraft for several global military branches. The high-wing monoplane was a versatile and steady performer, powered by two...

1981

16 E-6A Mercury TACAMO ...

1989

17

General Dynamics / Grumman EF-111 Raven The EF-111 Raven was developed from a United States Air Force need for an Electronic Warfare Aircraft (EWA) to replace its aging fleet of EB-66 platforms. The EF-111 was born directly from the airframe of the existing F-111 A...

1981

18

General Dynamics F-16XL Though appearing very much like the F-16 Fighting Falcon base model, the F-16XL was designed as a very different aircraft. The F-16XL was a conversion model development designed to study the effects of laminar airflow at supe...

1982

19

Grumman X-29 The Grumman X-29 aircraft was a developmental technology demonstrator appearing in the latter years of the Cold War. The design was of a most unique shape - made notable by the forward-swept wings - and was the first aircraft...

1982

20 Gulfstream II / III / C-20 / SRA-1 ...

1983

21

IAI RQ-2 Pioneer The RQ-2 Pioneer series of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) was one of the first operational entries into the United States Military family of UAVs. In its early form, the system served battleship vessels with artillery spottin...

1986

22

Lockheed C-5 Galaxy At one time the Lockheed-built C-5 Galaxy was the largest aircraft ever produced, being able to field a compliment of 350 troops, 10 LAV-type systems, 5 Humvee vehicles, 2 M1 Abrams main battle tanks or a single CH-47 Chinook...

1980

23 Lockheed EC-130H Compass Call ...

1986

24

Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk (Stealth Fighter) Aptly-named, the Lockheed-produced F-117 Nighthawk became the world’s first operational stealth aircraft in the world. Conceived of and developed from the late 1970’s, the Nighthawk was the subject of much speculation before ...

1982

25

Lockheed MC-130 Combat Shadow The MC-130 platform has served special forces operations since the Vietnam War and is based on the successful Lockheed C-130 cargo aircraft platform. The MC-130P Combat Shadow specifically serves as an inflight refueling vehi...

1986

26

Lockheed MQM-105 Aquila TADAR The MGM-105 Aquila (Eagle) TADAR (Target Acquisition, Designation and Aerial Reconnaissance) was the first United States Army attempt at securing a reusable Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) capable of conducting a range of missi...

1982

27

Lun Ekranoplan The Lun-class Ekranoplan floatplane was one of the most distinct designs to emerge from the Cold War. The aircraft was designed around the idea known as "wing-in-ground" effect, which basically allowed for an increased weight...

1987

28

McDonnell Douglas / BAe Systems AV-8B Harrier II The AV-8B Harrier II was a follow up design undertaken by the McDonnell Douglas corporation with the junior partner being the British Aerospace Corporation (BAe). The system built upon the successes encountered during use of ...

1985

29

McDonnell Douglas / Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle The F-15E "Strike Eagle" is a dual-role version of the highly successful base F-15 air superiority fighter. The Strike Eagle is intended to fulfill both roles of air-to-air superiority and ground strike with the capability to...

1988

30 McDonnell Douglas / Boeing MD-11 ...

1988

31 McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender ...

1981

32

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 (Fulcrum) The MiG-29 Fulcrum was and continues to be a highly prized and respected multirole fighter in service with Russia and a plethora of countries worldwide. The system has proven very robust, flexible and highly maneuverable in t...

1984

33

Mil Mi-26 (Halo) At the time of its inception, the Cold War-era Mi-26 (codenamed "Halo" by NATO) was - and still remains - the most powerful operational helicopter in the world. Intended to replace the aging Mil Mi-6 series, the Mi-26 accompl...

1983

34

Mil Mi-28 (Havoc) The Mi-28 (NATO reporting name of "Havoc") was a product of the Cold War designed as an anti-tank attack platform similar in nature to the American-produced AH-64 Apache series. Like the Apache, the Mi-28 featured an armored ...

1983

35

Northrop F-20 Tigershark The F-20 Tigershark appeared on August 30th, 1982, as an "improved" version of the F-5E model in the Tiger II series. Visually, the F-20 shared many of the same qualities as the F-5 including its low-mounted monoplane wings, ...

1982

36

Panavia Tornado ADV The Panavia Tornado series of strike aircraft was developed through a consortium featuring the nations of Britain, Germany (West) and Italy. Each country would be responsible for the design and construction of a specialized p...

1984

37

Rockwell / Boeing B-1 Lancer The Rockwell B-1 Lancer series was a variable sweep wing low-altitude penetration aircraft capable of delivering nuclear free-fall bombs at high speeds. The system was designed from a Cold War initiative in 1965 by the United...

1985

38

Shenyang J-8 / J-8 II (Finback) The Shenyang J-8 series (NATO codename of "Finback") was an indigenous Chinese multi-role fighter design appearing in 1980. As China was already in the habit of purchasing Soviet equipment during the Cold War years, it was on...

1980

39 Sikorsky CH-53 Super Stallion ...

1981

40 Sikorsky HH-60J Jayhawk ...

1986

41

Sikorsky MH-53 (Pave Low) The MH-53 was a series of large transport helicopters operated by the United States Air Force in the special operations role. The MH-53 designation breaks down as "M" standing for Multi-Mission and "H" standing for helicopter...

1981

42 Sikorsky SH-60 Sea Hawk ...

1984

43 Sikorsky VH-60 Whitehawk ...

1989

44

Sukhoi Su-25 (Frogfoot) The Sukhoi Su-25 "Frogfoot" series of aircraft harkened back to the successes of the Soviet IL-2 Sturmovik close-support fighter-bombers. The Su-25 was quite a departure from traditional jet aircraft designs of the time and i...

1981

45

Sukhoi Su-27 (Flanker) The Su-27 "Flanker" series of aircraft is regarded by most airplane aficionados as the ultimate in Russian fighter design. The Su-27 first appeared in the middle of the 1980's, completely taking NATO and American warplanners ...

1984

46

Tupolev Tu-160 (Blackjack) At the time of it's inception, the Tupolev-produced Tu-160 "Blackjack" was the largest swing-wing bomber ever produced also mounting the most powerful engines to an aircraft platform ever. Developed as a direct counter to the...

1989

47 Yakovlev Yak-141 (Freestyle) ...

1987

Aircraft from 1990-1999 A decade of limited but constant warfare perfects the use of digital battlefield components.

1

Ababil (Swallow) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) were once considered primarily the domains of Israel and the United States Military. Throughout the 1990's, however, every major military power has seen fit to fund their own UAV developments f...

1995

2

AgustaWestland A 129 Mangusta (Mongoose) The A 129 Mangusta ("Mongoose") was developed as a variant of the A 109 series of helicopters. The newly design aircraft proved to be larger and so different than its predecessor that the system was designated as the A 129 an...

1990

3

AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo The F-CK-1 "Ching-Kuo" was an ambitious and indigenous multirole fighter design in the vein of the F-16 Fighting Falcon as undertaken by the island-nation of Taiwan in the early 1980's. A US-imposed embargo forced the Taiwane...

1994

4

Airbus A340 The Airbus A340 series was already in design and development alongside the similar A330 series. In that respect, the two systems share a commonality in design and internal components. The major visual difference between the t...

1993

5

AMX International AMX (Ghibli) The AMX International AMX is the result of cooperation between two Italian (Aeritalia - now Alenia - and Aermacchi) and one Brazilian (Embraer) aircraft firms. Development of the system began with just the two Italian compani...

1990

6 BAe / Boeing T-45 Goshawk ...

1991

7

BAe Sea Harrier FA2 The Sea Harrier F/A.2 represents an upgrade to the existing Sea Harrier FRS.1 system (the FRS designation was later dropped in favor of the F/A depicted here). Among the improvements to the base Sea Harrier system are a redes...

1993

8

Beriev Be-42 / A-40 Albatross (Mermaid) The Be-42 / A-40 Albatross (designated by NATO as "Mermaid") was asuprise discovery for Western intelligence sources when it was first spotted in 1988. It was, and still continues to be, the largest amphibious aircraft ever ...

1990

9

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III The Boeing-produced C-17 Globemaster III represents one of the latest additions to the United States Air Force mobile airlift fleet. On the modern battlefield, mobility is key to any advancing effort and systems like the C-17...

1993

10

Boeing VC-25 (Air Force One) The VC-25 is used to usher the President of the United States and his staff on various journeys around the globe. The VC-25 is essentially a highly-modified Boeing 747-200B series model featuring state-of-the-art communicatio...

1990

11

Boeing X-32 The X-32 STOVL (Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing) technology demonstrator was the Boeing Company's response to the Department of Defense's "Joint Strike Fighter Program" beginning in 1994....

1996

12

Dassault Rafale The Dassault Rafale, when released into operational service in the late 1990's, was the pinnacle of French aircraft engineering. The system incorporated the latest in fly-by-wire technology, composite materials and aerodynami...

1998

13

Denel AH-2 Rooivalk (Kestrel) The Denel (then Atlas) AH-2 Rooivalk (translating to "Kestrel") was an ambitious and indigenous undertaking by the nation of South Africa. At the time of its development, the Rooivalk was heralded as one of the top performing...

1999

14

General Atomics RS-1 / MQ-1 Predator At a cost of about $40 million dollars per system, the RQ-1/MQ-1 Predator is a pricey yet integral part of US Air Force operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Operating by remote control, the Predator can cover a section of terr...

1996

15

IAI / TRW RQ-5 Hunter The Hunter is a large Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and was first introduced in 1996 in limited numbers with the United States Army. The system performed admirably well in support of Operation Allied Force over Kosovo where i...

1996

16 KAMAN K-1200 K-Max ...

1994

17

Kamov Ka-50 Chernaya Akula (Black Shark) (Hokum) The Kamov Ka-50 Chernaya Akula (or "Black Shark" and Codenamed "Hokum" by NATO) series of attack helicopter was developed in the latter years of the Cold War and did not enter operational service with Russian military forces ...

1995

18

McDonnell / BAE QF-4 (Phantom II) The QF-4 represents a full-size unmanned target drone version of the successful Cold War-era F-4 Phantom II aircraft. QF-4's are operated by the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron (itself under the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group of ...

1997

19

Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit (Stealth Bomber) The B-2 Spirit (generically known as the "Stealth Bomber") was the pinnacle of tail-less flight designs beginning in the mind of Jack Northrop, founder of the Northrop aircraft company. Not only was the B-2 groundbreaking in ...

1997

20

Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS (JSTARS) A product of the Northrop Grumman Corporation, the E-8 "Joint Stars" series of aircraft provides the United States Air Force with electronic "eyes" over the battlefield in the way of aerial surveillance. The aircraft is based...

1996

21

Northrop Grumman YF-23 Black Widow II The YF-23 Black Widow II was Northrop Grumman's (along with McDonnell Douglas Corporation) answer to the American ATF (Advanced Tactical Fighter challenge as proposed by the US Air Force. The YF-23 faced off directly with the...

1990

22

Saab JAS 39 Gripen (Griffin) As with all of Sweden's locally-produced military hardware, the JAS 39 Gripen is no exception to the attention paid to the needs of the nation's military. Regarded as the first of the Fourth Generation series of fighters anyw...

1996

23

SATIC A300-600ST (Beluga) Produced by a consortium consisting of Deustche Aerospace Airbus and Aerospatiale (as SATIC - Special Aircraft Transport International Company) the Beluga appeared on the scene in the middle 1990's as one of the most distinct...

1994

24

Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk The HH-60 Pave Hawk series of all-weather day/night transport helicopters is an Air Force version of the successful UH-60 Black Hawk series. The HH-60 in Air Force service is charged - though not limited to - with the rescue ...

1991

25

Sukhoi Su-30 (Flanker-C) The Sukhoi Su-30 (NATO codename of "Flanker-C") is an air superiority and strike fighter version of the Su-27 "Flanker" series. The aircraft is essentially a multi-role aircraft based on the Su-27PU two-seat, long range inter...

1996

26

Sukhoi Su-33 (Flanker-D) The Su-33 (NATO designation of "Flanker-D") represents the naval equivalent to the land-based Russian-produced Su-27 Flanker series of air superiority aircraft, which in itself was produced to rival the American F-15 during t...

1994

Aircraft from 2000-2009 The future is now as aircraft of unparalleled performance take to the skies - with or without pilots.

1

AAI Corporation RQ-7 Shadow 200 Tactical The AAI Corporation RQ-7 Shadow is an unarmed tactical reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle currently in active service with the United States Army and Marine Corps. The system serves as a day-night, target acquisition, sur...

2001

2

Aerospatiale / Eurocopter HH-65 Dolphin The HH-65 Dolphin replaced the Sikorsky HH-52A Sea Guards then in service with the United States Coast Guard (USCG). The HH-65 is based on the French-made Eurocopter Dauphin (AS 365N) and carries the same - albeit translated ...

2002

3 AgustaWestland EH-101 Merlin ...

2000

4 Bell ARH-70 / Bell 407 ...

2008

5

Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey The tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey helicopter was designed form the Bell-produced XV-15 demonstrator, a design looking to produce the next generation in helicopter design. The system is unique in the use of the tilt-rotor assemblies,...

2007

6

Boeing / McDonnell Douglas / Northrop F/A-18 Super Hornet The Super Hornet is the latest, and most likely the ultimate, evolution in the F/A-18 Hornet series of precision strike aircraft covering carrierborne operations. Produced by a consortium of contractors that includes Boeing a...

2002

7

Boeing / Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche The RAH-66 Comanche helicopter was to be the next generation answer for the United States Army in replacing its aging series of UH-1, AH-1 Cobra, OH-6 and OH-58 Kiowa helicopters in full. The RAH-66 was designed as the world'...

2004

8

Boeing ScanEagle The ScanEagle is a joint production UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) by The Boeing Company and The Insitu Group. As a whole, the program is based highly on the Insitu SeaScan UAV aircraft but coupled with Boeing's expertise in t...

2004

9

CAIC WZ-10 The CAIC WZ-10 (Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation / Wuzhuang Zhisheng) is a new addition to the global family of attack helicopters, with this particular model being produced for use by the People’s Republic of China. T...

2008

10

Chengdu J-10 (Vigorous Dragon) / F-10 Vanguard The Chengdu Jian-J10 (also "J-10" and "Annihilator" but known to the West as "Vigorous Dragon") was originally designed as an air-superiority fighter for China but was later revised to become an all-weather, day/night multiro...

2005

11

Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano / A-29 The EMB 314 "Super Tucano" (also "A-29") represents a locally-produced Brazilian aircraft product falling under the then-government run EMBRAER banner. The aircraft is a turboprop-powered light attack, reconnaissance and surv...

2003

12

Eurocopter Tiger (EC 665) The Eurocopter Tiger (EC 665) is a relatively new attack helicopter initially designed and developed through a joint venture between the governments of France and Germany. Comparatively, the Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter...

2003

13

Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota The UH-72 Lakota was accepted into service with US forces in late 2006 and will form a major portion of the United States Army National Guard's air arm, replacing the aging family of UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. The Lakota ca...

2007

14

Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon The Eurofighter Typhoon program could be the call of the future in Europe in terms of how military programs progress. With the cost and production sharing between the nations of Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy (France was a...

2003

15

General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper The MQ-9 "Reaper" ("M" = multirole; "Q" = Unmanned Aerial Vehicle; "9" = series designation) offers the United States Air Force a high-level remotely-piloted weapons platform capable of instant action and precise engagement. ...

2004

16

KAI / Lockheed Martin T-50 / TA-50 / FA-50 Golden Eagle The T-50 / A-50 "Golden Eagle" is an advanced supersonic trainer and light strike-capable aircraft platform produced jointly by the South Korean firm of Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) and the American firm of Lockheed Mart...

2005

17

Kamov Ka-60 Kasatka (Orca / Killer Whale) The Kamov Ka-60 series of medium transport multi-role helicopters is intended to replace the aged Mil Mi-8 series. The Ka-60 was designed with multi-role capabilities in mind as well as survivability and adaptability so vario...

2004

18

Lockheed Martin / Boeing F-22 Raptor The F-22 Raptor series of aircraft reportedly represents the most advanced aircraft design in the world to date. The system utilizes technology, design and experience to field a system that is designed to be the most potent f...

2005

19 McDonnell Douglas EA-18G Growler ...

2009

20

Mikoyan MiG-35 (Fulcrum-F) The Mikoyan MiG-35 is the latest incarnation of the successful light-weight MiG-29 Fulcrum series. With an increase to its MTOW as much as 30 percent, the MiG-35 is now considered in the medum weight class. The aircraft is co...

2007

21

Mitsubishi F-2 The Mitsubishi F-2 fighter was initially to be a completely indigenous Japanese design, looking to replace their aging fleet of F-1's. With design work already underway, the United States stepped in with a considerable amount...

2000

22

Northrop Grumman / Ryan Aeronautical RQ-4 Global Hawk The Global Hawk is an unmanned aerial vehicle utilized by the United States Air Force and Navy for intelligence gathering and reconnaissance of enemy movements and positions. Despite being one of the larger in the American UA...

2001

23

Raytheon T-6 Texan II Based on the Pilatus PC-9 aircraft, the Raytheon-built T-6 Texan II series was the product of a Department of Defense initiative to consolidate pilot training among the Air Force and Navy branches, doing away with the older g...

2000

24

Sikorsky MH-60 (Knighthawk) The MH-60S Knighthawk is the United States Navy's newest multi-mission helicopter. Originally designated as the CH-60S to signify its primary vertical replenishment role, the Knighthawk has since had its designation revised t...

2002

25

Sukhoi Su-34 (Fullback) The Su-34 (NATO reporting name of "Fullback") is a dedicated two-seat fighter-bomber/strike fighter version of the successful Su-27 "Flanker" fighter series. The aircraft is a product of the Sukhoi Design Bureau that has alre...

2007

26

Sukhoi Su-35 (Flanker-E / Super Flanker) The Su-35 (and similar Su-37) is known as the "Super Flanker" (NATO reporting codename of "Flanker-E"). The Su-35 is based on the Su-27 Flanker air-superiority fighter developed in the 1980's with the Su-35 representing a "mo...

Aircraft from 2010-2019 The future is now as aircraft of unparalleled performance take to the skies - with or without pilots.

1

Boeing P-8 Poseidon The Boeing P-8 Poseidon Multimission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) is currently in development and on order for the United States Navy and represents a replacement for the Lockheed P-3 Orion series of aircraft. The P-8 is expected ...

2012

2

Lockheed F-35 Lightning II / X-35 JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) The F-35 Lightning II is a next generation multi-role platform appearing in three variants. It is a single-seat fighter offering up some of the most advanced technology and avionics systems available and incorporates new stea...

2011