Aircraft
Curtiss C-46 Commando
Art by Romain Hugault In service the Curtiss C-46 Commando proved reliable and able to carry much greater loads than the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, and the large-diameter cabin allowed awkward items to be carried. The cabin floor was strengthened to allow the airlift of light vehicles and artillery, The C-46 entered service in mid-1942 and was used initially on local…
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Three Cats! I
Wildcat The US Navy’s requirement of 1936 for a new carrier-based fighter resulted in the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation receiving an order for a prototype of its Model 39 under the designation XF2A-1. This became the US Navy’s first monoplane fighter in squadron service, but so tentative was the US Navy…
Three Cats! II
Operations – 1943 Fighting Squadron Nine (VF-9) took delivery of the first Hellcats in January, 1943. As they were flying from the Long Island factory to their Norfolk base, one crashed near Cape May, New Jersey. VF-6, commanded by Butch O’Hare, also received early deliveries of the F6F. The Hellcat’s…
Bristol Bombay
Although the twin-engine Bristol Bombay was designed as a troop transport carrier in 1931, the economic conditions of the Great Depression delayed production until early 1939. While only 51 were produced, the Bristol Bombay, which was capable of carrying up to 24 troops or a payload of 7,200 lb, saw…
Lotfernrohr 7
Until late 1943, the Norden bombsight was always protected by exceptionally heavy security. Sights were normally stored in air-conditioned, dustproof vaults that were patrolled by armed guards. During training, USAAF bombardiers had to swear a solemn oath to guard the secret weapon with their lives, and they were responsible for…
LOCKHEED CL-400 SUNTAN
Typical CL-400 mission included a cruise to target speed of Mach 2.5 at an altitude of 90,000 feet. These were impressive figures for the late-1950s In 1956, the United States Air Force was unpleasantly surprised to learn that the Soviets were able to track U-2s during their high-altitude overflights, in…
Lockheed A-12
The Lockheed A-12 was a reconnaissance aircraft built for the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) by Lockheed’s Skunk Works, based on the designs of Clarence “Kelly” Johnson. The aircraft was designated A-12, the 12th in a series of internal design efforts for “Archangel”, the aircraft’s internal code name. In…