10 Best Combat Planes?

JC,


"The P-51 soldiered on for many years the last being retired in 1984."

In the American inventory?

David

 

No. IIRC it was in foriegn service. The Indonisian Air force. The last use of the Corsair in combat was during the "Football War" of 1969. The P-51 in modified form was used as a COIN aircraft in the 1970's.

 

Then I'll have to check my source.

 

of World War 1 ?

Fokker D.VII

Fokker Dr.I Triplane

S.E.5a

Nieuport 17

Spad XIII

Albatros D.V

Nieuport 28

Bristol F.2b

Sopwith Camel

Pfalz D.III

 

Care to note, my list is I just like them. OK, in no general order and nuts to this top 10 stuff.

WW2
Hurricane
Lancaster
P51-D
Yak 9
FW109-A
B17G
A6M2
F4U
ME 262
Spitfire

Post WW2
Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig 15
Boeing B52H
Fairchild Republic A10A Thunderbolt II
General Dynamics F16D Falcon
Grumman A-6 Intruder
Grumman EA-6 Prowler
Lockheed F-117 Night Hawk
Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-21bis
Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-29M
Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-31
Sukoi SU-24
Sukoi SU-25TK
Sukoi SU-27

Helicopters
Aerospatiale AS.332 Super Puma
Aerospatiale SA.342 Gazelle
Bell Model 209 (AH-1 HueyCobra)
Boeing Vertol Model 114 (CH-47 Chinook)
Kamov Ka-50 Hokum (Werewolf)
McDonnell Douglas AH-64 Apache
Mil Mi-10 Harke
Mil Mi-24P
Mil Mi-28 Havoc
Sikorsky S-80 (CH-53E Super Stallion)
Sikorsky S-70 (UH-60A Black Hawk)
Westland Lynx AH.Mk7
Westland Lynx Sea King Mk.3

 

I knew I could count on you naming some Russian aircraft... Jesus, I was beginning to think that Russia didnt have any!

And no one named the Mig-15! A virtual predecessor to all of future swept wing aircrafts which every country with airpower would eventually posses......

 

In no particular order...........

Hawker Typhoon
Hawker Fury
DH Mosquito
Avro Vulcan
Dornier Do17
EE Lightning
Gloucester Javelin
Mig 15
FW 190
Saab Viggen

 

Forget the planes go with kites. Now that would make for some really good dogfights.

 

I don't think it qualifies as a combat plane, but I have developed a liking for this thing:

(SR-71 Blackbird)

 

SIGH!


Has NOBODY here even heard of the de havilland 'Mosquito'.

I am AMAZED!


OJ

 

Oorah Harrier.

 

think the original poster flew the coup .........

 

Funny that HUH? Seems to be the pattern for a few posters here LOL.

 

Im sorry I can't help but notice that you dont have my favorite plane mentioned. There is a contraversy on which plane was better the Hellcat, or my favorite; considered the cadillac of airplanes, the "F4U Corsair", It did have a kill ratio of 11 to 1. Thats gotta mean something. 11 to 1!

 

Gang:



- Set me strait: All I hear on The Discovery Military Channel is how great the P51 Mustang was with the Supercharged Merlin engine in it: It had the longest range and could accompany the bombers all the way to the target and back, faster, higher altitude ... ...yada, yada


- My questions are these:


-- Couldn’t a supercharger be put in the Allison engine? I believe the P38 had
them.


-- According to my book on WWII aircraft, other USA fighter airplanes of the same or earlier era had a range as good as the Mustang, couldn’t they have been used?


-- Why not the P38?


- Is the P51 and Merlin a old wives tail or what? Sorry P51 fans, Brits.


Mike

 

One was. The P-51H and P-82 twin Mustang both ended up with Allisons that were supercharged. It only took GM like 5 years to figure out how to put one on that really worked well.....

Book figures are a poor indicator of actual combat range. There is more involved.

For what? At or below 15,000 feet the P-38 had serious shortcomings as a fighter against their German opposites. The P-38 also had aerodynamic issues, was a bit slower than the Mustang and late model P-47's and, in the J series had issues in Europe with the engine intercoolers working too efficently. Aside from those issues it was a pricey plane to build.

Old wives tale? In what sense?

 

Wha....hang on...controversy?? Whilst Grumman IS my favourite aircraft company, the cats of WW2 were ALL inferior...The first decent/modern aircraft they built (Not a barrel spin off) was the Bearcat. The FU4 was the fifth best fighter of the war, behind the Me262, FW190-D9, then P-51D, Spitfire (late models). It was still superior to the Hellcat....most aircraft were. (The only thing it had over a zero was a smaller turning circle....and that was because it was slower! - And could take a bit of damage) I don't care what John Wayne says, i wouldn't be in one for quids! Pilots loved the corsair - and allied pilots envied it - becasue of the shear ROOM inside the cockpit...one could have a picnic in there! Sat nice and high, the pilots could see all too.

 

I have read a report from a Test Pilot who, at the end of the war, tested all of the above fighters one after the other and gave his verdict...I won't say what it was....but the Corsair DID score pretty highly (better than fifth...) I have my own opinion.

 

7 of 10 are American.


YAWN!