A rather obscure plane, Northrop's YB-49 Flying Wing, may be the precursor of today's stealth aircraft. :camera:
F-22 Raptors are goign to see an end to further development and production if common sense
prevails, and Rumsfeld's deference to the airforce is stamped upon. The F-22 is way overbudget
and really hasn't met the expectations laid out for it. There's a much lower budget replacement waiting
i assume for the next round of military spending/budget debates.
~bulls
prevails, and Rumsfeld's deference to the airforce is stamped upon. The F-22 is way overbudget
and really hasn't met the expectations laid out for it. There's a much lower budget replacement waiting
i assume for the next round of military spending/budget debates.
~bulls
Did I say I was smart? And where did I say "the p51 won the war".
Yes, the P51 was a good aircraft. At least we agree on that. Now...of course the Me-262 is better..but how many were produced? Honestly, comparing a jet aircraft to a prop is retarded when the p51 vastly outnumbered the Me-262 and saw much more time during WW2. The P51 was extremely fast, had a great range, and at high speeds was more maneuverable than any other prop-plane with a decent pilot.
GagHalfrunt
Lifer
- Apr 19, 2001
- 25,284
- 1,998
- 126
As the topic is "most important" and not "best" there are only 4 Candidates:
1) P-51 Mustang - Allowed B-17's to have fighter escorts, got more bombers to the target and ultimately defeated German industry. The plane that won the war in Europe.
2) F6F Hellcat - A flying tank. The first US plane that could perform as well as the Zero. The plane that won the war in the Pacific.
3) Supermarine Spitfire - Saved England. Without the Spitfires England likely would have fallen before US industry could have turned the tide in Europe. If Germany had won the Battle of Britain things would have been a lot different.
4) A-10 Warthog - Modern airpower is very little about plane vs plane, but more plane vs ground targets. There's not a plane on earth better suited for it's task than the A-10
In WWI airpower was limited. Planes fought each other, but they had no strategic value and what happened in the air was not important to the outcome. Korea and Vietnam had some spirited air battles, especially the Mig15 vs F-86 Sabre fights in Korea, but those wars were won and lost on the ground, not in the air. Like in WW1 the planes fought each other, but that's all they were doing. Modern planes like the F-15 and F-16 have accomplished very little. All the F-15's ever produced have shot down fewer planes than many WW2 aces did themselves. They've had big impact as a deterrant, but have done little in combat.
In WW2 and the Gulf War things were different. Tanks and troops took and held the ground, but air superiority won the day. Airpower replaced seapower in the Pacific and airpower won the industrial war in Europe. Those are the only wars in which plane vs plane combat was critical to the outcome, in every other conflict air combat was a footnote.
My vote goes to the Spitfire. Without the Hellcat US manufacturing would have eventually ground down the Japanese. It would have been longer and bloodier, especially to Eastern Asia, but we would have won. The same with the Mustang. Getting the materials from the US to England was a chore, but Germany at that point was overextended and doomed. The Eastern Front was bleeding them dry and they were trapped between two numerically superior forces. The war was over at that point, the Mustang just sped it up. But the Spitfire was absolutely critical for the survival of it's country and maybe the whole continent. At that point Europe was gone. Germany had it all except for England. If England fell quickly the war could have been over. With no beachhead, the US would have had a real hard time taking it back and likely would have tried to negotiate a peace. The Spitfires won the Battle of Britain and the Battle of Britain was ultimately the turning point of the war in Europe. It was the most important plane ever produced because it's the one that had the greatest impact on the outcome. It truly did stand on the knife edge of winning and losing an entire war. It's the only plane in history with that distinction.
1) P-51 Mustang - Allowed B-17's to have fighter escorts, got more bombers to the target and ultimately defeated German industry. The plane that won the war in Europe.
2) F6F Hellcat - A flying tank. The first US plane that could perform as well as the Zero. The plane that won the war in the Pacific.
3) Supermarine Spitfire - Saved England. Without the Spitfires England likely would have fallen before US industry could have turned the tide in Europe. If Germany had won the Battle of Britain things would have been a lot different.
4) A-10 Warthog - Modern airpower is very little about plane vs plane, but more plane vs ground targets. There's not a plane on earth better suited for it's task than the A-10
In WWI airpower was limited. Planes fought each other, but they had no strategic value and what happened in the air was not important to the outcome. Korea and Vietnam had some spirited air battles, especially the Mig15 vs F-86 Sabre fights in Korea, but those wars were won and lost on the ground, not in the air. Like in WW1 the planes fought each other, but that's all they were doing. Modern planes like the F-15 and F-16 have accomplished very little. All the F-15's ever produced have shot down fewer planes than many WW2 aces did themselves. They've had big impact as a deterrant, but have done little in combat.
In WW2 and the Gulf War things were different. Tanks and troops took and held the ground, but air superiority won the day. Airpower replaced seapower in the Pacific and airpower won the industrial war in Europe. Those are the only wars in which plane vs plane combat was critical to the outcome, in every other conflict air combat was a footnote.
My vote goes to the Spitfire. Without the Hellcat US manufacturing would have eventually ground down the Japanese. It would have been longer and bloodier, especially to Eastern Asia, but we would have won. The same with the Mustang. Getting the materials from the US to England was a chore, but Germany at that point was overextended and doomed. The Eastern Front was bleeding them dry and they were trapped between two numerically superior forces. The war was over at that point, the Mustang just sped it up. But the Spitfire was absolutely critical for the survival of it's country and maybe the whole continent. At that point Europe was gone. Germany had it all except for England. If England fell quickly the war could have been over. With no beachhead, the US would have had a real hard time taking it back and likely would have tried to negotiate a peace. The Spitfires won the Battle of Britain and the Battle of Britain was ultimately the turning point of the war in Europe. It was the most important plane ever produced because it's the one that had the greatest impact on the outcome. It truly did stand on the knife edge of winning and losing an entire war. It's the only plane in history with that distinction.
Originally posted by: Walleye
i did, but i hadnt finished reading yet.
our first jet-fighter.
Swept wing maybe. But P/F80, and possibly the P/F84 were in service before.
GagHalfrunt
Lifer
- Apr 19, 2001
- 25,284
- 1,998
- 126
Originally posted by: Walleye
i did, but i hadnt finished reading yet.
our first jet-fighter.
No, our first effective jet fighter. The F-80 "Shooting Star" was first, but it sucked seeds. In jet technology we were a full generation behind the rest of the world and we had to play catch-up for a while.
Originally posted by: NFS4
Originally posted by: DieHardware
Originally posted by: Walleye
i did, but i hadnt finished reading yet.
our first jet-fighter.
Swept wing maybe. But P/F80, and possibly the P/F84 were in service before.
It was our first jet fighter that didn't SUCK!
Yes, kinda like 128k Celerons .
Lithium381
Lifer
- May 12, 2001
- 12,455
- 7
- 81
NFS4
No Lifer
- Oct 9, 1999
- 72,636
- 48
- 91
Not even in full combat service yet. I still think that the F-16 should be pretty near the top too. It's like the Toyota Camry of Airplanes. They get the job done, they're relatively cheap, and everybody and their grandma has one.
The F-16 also ushered in a lot of new technology that fighters today use (fly-by-wire, the steeply reclined pilot chair, side-arm HOTAS, etc)
Also Interesting is that the russians coppied 3 B-29's that landed in the USSR during WWII, and made hundreds of them in all sores of variants (the tu-4, I believe) for decades, they were part of the russian answer to the B-52. (the real Russain counterpart was the tu-95 Bear)
All in all, the B-17 was probably the single most important plane to winning WWII, since it pummled Germany so well.
In the Cold War, the KC-135 was a key element of the air force, allowing us to strike anywhere, any time. But I'm a little Biased, I'm an air force brat, and my dad was a KC-135 crew chief. F-16's are pretty, but they have a nickname in the AF: "Lawn Darts", since aparantly they loose a lot of them in training.
PK
All in all, the B-17 was probably the single most important plane to winning WWII, since it pummled Germany so well.
In the Cold War, the KC-135 was a key element of the air force, allowing us to strike anywhere, any time. But I'm a little Biased, I'm an air force brat, and my dad was a KC-135 crew chief. F-16's are pretty, but they have a nickname in the AF: "Lawn Darts", since aparantly they loose a lot of them in training.
PK
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 25K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes + WCL Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 24K
-
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread- Started by TheF34RChannel
- Replies: 23K
-
-
Facebook
Twitter