Aircraft

Boeing F/A-18E

Aircraft 3 Min Read

Two U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets of Strike Fighter Squadron 31 fly a combat patrol over Afghanistan, Dec. 15, 2008. The Navy had originally hoped to replace the F/A-18 with a navalized version of the USAF’s advanced tactical fighter (ATF), but as events turned out, the winning entry, the Lockheed YF-22, proved to be too costly to supply the numbers…

Newsletter

Get the latest from Weapons and Warfare right to your inbox.

Follow Us

Most Recent

Aircraft Naval History 20 Min Read

Fairey Swordfish

When British naval intelligence determined that a large number of Italian warships lay at anchor in Taranto harbour in November 1940, an attack was organized, to be carried out by 21 single-engine carrier-based biplanes. The operation was a huge success — three battleships were severely damaged, a cruiser and two…

Aircraft 18 Min Read

Early Vietnam Service – F-101 Voodoo

After the end of the Second World War the USAF needed a suitable escort fighter for the long-range bomber fleet of Strategic Air Command. The F-101, developed in the mid-1950s by the McDonnell Aircraft Company from their prototype XF-88 Voodoo, fitted the bill. The maiden flight took place on 29…

Aircraft Japan 14 Min Read

Mitsubishi A6M Zero (1939)

Popularly known as the ‘Zero’, the Mitsubishi A6M was the world’s most capable carrier-based fighter at the time of its appearance, out-performing all land-based contemporaries. Latterly outclassed, it remained in service until the end of the war. This A6M2 was on strength with the 2nd Sentai, 1st Koku Kentai and…

Air Warfare Aircraft 24 Min Read

Douglas AD (BT2D, A-1) Skyraider 1945–1972/5 Part I

Too late for World War II, the Douglas AD series went on to achieve a stunning combat record in both Korea and Vietnam during a career that stretched over two decades. Its story began in September 1943, when BUAER circulated the new requirement for a single-seat bomber-torpedo (BT) aircraft intended…

Air Warfare Aircraft 20 Min Read

Douglas AD (BT2D, A-1) Skyraider 1945–1972/5 Part II

USAF Skyraiders If you thought that USAF Skyraiders were the same as US Navy Skyraiders except for their exterior colour schemes, you would be wrong. Two A-1Es on loan from the US Navy (BuNos 132417 and 132439) were evaluated by Tactical Air Command’s Special Air Warfare Center (SAWC) at Eglin…

Air Warfare Aircraft Russia 8 Min Read

The S-500 Prometheus

The S-500 Prometheus is touted as being capable of intercepting stealth warplanes. Air defence missile battery: Image for illustration. S-400 air defence system in Syria Russian S-500 air defence system (ADS) the future development of the popular S-400 will enter serial production next year following its recent successful test in…

Most Popular

Focke Wulf Fw 190D-9 Dora

Arguably, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 evolved into wartime Germany’s most effective fighter, offering the Luftwaffe…

American Medium Bombers of WWII Part I

Douglas A-20 Havoc Douglas Aircraft developed the Model 7B twin-engine light attack bomber in the…

Spitfire XIVs versus Bf 109Ks

Final Encounter (Spitfire v Messerchmitt) by Michael Turner. Wing Commander J E Johnnie Johnson, Spitfire…

Post-war Spitfire XIV

The final Spitfire variant, the Mk 24, was similar to the Mk 22 except that…