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88-481: The Westland Welkin was a British twin-engine heavy fighter from the Westland Aircraft Company , designed to fight at extremely high altitudes, in the stratosphere ; the word welkin meaning "the vault of heaven" or the upper atmosphere. First conceived in 1940, the plane was built in response to the arrival of modified Junkers Ju 86 P bombers flying reconnaissance missions, which suggested

176-587: A Yak-11 kill. The Twin Mustang was increasingly out-classed by jet aircraft, and was eventually replaced in Korea by Republic F-84 Thunderjets and North American F-86 Sabres . The F-82 would end its life as the last operational American piston-engined interceptor. Primarily stationed in Alaska out of Adak Island (and later out of Ladd Air Force Base ) as part of the 449th Fighter (All-Weather) Squadron (F(AW)S),

264-506: A bomber destroyer , and was comparable to early models of the German Messerschmitt Bf 110. The G.I was formidably armed relative even to other early heavy fighters; with twin 23 mm (.91 in) Madsen cannons, and a pair of 7.9 mm (.31 in) Madsen machine guns (later up-armed to eight machine guns) in the nose. For defensive purposes, a single Madsen 7.9 mm machine gun was mounted in a rear-facing turret, manned by

352-551: A "normal" stall, any increase causing a shock-stall due to the aircraft's limiting critical Mach number . This reduction of the speed envelope is a problem common to all subsonic high-altitude designs and also occurred with the later Lockheed U-2 . When W.E.W. Petter came to design his next high-altitude aircraft, the English Electric Canberra jet bomber, the required wing area was distinguished by noticeably short wings, with thickness-to-chord ratio (t/c) at

440-532: A German mechanized column near Tongeren . Six to eight were shot down by German flak, two more 693s were lost while attempting to return to base, and of those that made it home safely, one was written off (most of the twenty four crewmen survived or were captured alive, although three died during the attack and some of the survivors were badly wounded). As the fighting drew to a close the French attempted to fly as many 693s as possible to North Africa, but only three made

528-755: A costly mistake. In practice the Bf 110 was capable of using this combination of features for only a short time, until the late summer of 1940. It served well against the Hawker Hurricane during the Battle of France , but was easily outperformed by – and up to 50 km/h (31 mph) slower in top speed than – the Supermarine Spitfire during the Battle of Britain. Eventually Bf 110s were converted to interceptors , and were particularly successful in

616-418: A fast light bomber. Although not always contemporaneously referred to explicitly as “heavy fighters,” nearly every single combatant of WWII fielded or experimented with twin-engine multi-role combat aircraft . The Fokker G.I was a private venture design by Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker in 1936. The G.I was designed to serve on the heavier end of the spectrum of heavy fighters, as a jachtkruiser or

704-505: A high altitude fighter. The most obvious feature was the enormous high aspect ratio wing, with a span on the production aircraft of 70 feet (21 m). The compact but troublesome Rolls-Royce Peregrine engines of the Whirlwind were replaced by the more powerful two-stage Rolls-Royce Merlin Mk.76/77. The most significant feature was a pressurised cockpit, which took the majority of effort in

792-491: A larger number of air-to-air missiles than their smaller brethren. They typically also have more capable and complex radar and electronic systems, with the result that in older air-superiority fighters such as the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II or Grumman F-14 Tomcat , a second dedicated crew member was carried to manage radar and weapon-systems. Subsonic aircraft A subsonic aircraft

880-681: A long-ranged fighter. Prior to the war, it was considered by the German Luftwaffe more important than their single-engine fighters. Many of the best pilots were assigned to Bf 110 wings , specifically designated as Zerstörergeschwader ("destroyer squadron", Zerstörer being the same word as used for naval destroyers ) wings. While lighter fighters were intended for defense, the destroyers were intended for offensive missions: to escort bombers on missions at long range, then use its superior speed to outrun defending fighters that would be capable of outmaneuvering it. This doctrine proved to be

968-524: A pre-flight check of this system. The wings were so large that the high lift Fowler flaps of the Whirlwind were not needed, and were replaced by a simple split flap. The extra wing area also required more stability, so the tail was lengthened to provide a longer moment arm. The armament − four Hispano 20 mm cannon − was the same as the Whirlwind's, but the Welkin carried the guns in a tray in its belly, which facilitated loading. In that position, muzzle flash

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1056-496: A rapid increase in drag. The wings of fast subsonic craft such as jet airliners tend to be swept in order to delay the onset of these shock waves. In theory, induced drag is at its minimum when the span wise distribution of lift is elliptical. A number of factors influence induced drag, however, and as a practical matter a wing of elliptical planform, like that of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter of World War II,

1144-515: A rearward-facing machine gun for defensive purposes. This was relatively very heavy armament for a fighter in 1934, with most contemporary aircraft mounting one or two light machine guns. In response, French aircraft manufacturer Potez developed the Potez 63 series . The basic design was close to the original specification; that of either a 2 or 3 seat, dual-engine heavy fighter, armed with two 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannons in gondolas under

1232-669: A requirement for a fighter with 40mm cannon, got no further than the prototype. Due to the different requirements for naval fighter aircraft, the British put into service some heavyweight single-engine fighters such as the Fairey Firefly . The US military never officially designated an aircraft as a "heavy fighter," but from the 1930s through to the immediate post-WWII period there were a slew of American designs that were twin-engined, relatively heavy in weight, and designed in line with other nations’ heavy fighter philosophy. During

1320-424: A shorter span and, consequently a less efficient wing. Small, low-altitude general aviation planes typically have aspect ratios of six or seven; airliners of 12 or more; and high-performance sailplanes of 30 or more. At speeds above the critical Mach number, the airflow begins to become transonic , with local airflow in some places causing small sonic shock waves to form. This soon leads to the shock stall , causing

1408-564: A single mockup. Another bomber destroyer was the Beechcraft Model 28, also bearing a 75 mm cannon, with twin turrets mounting .50 in (12.7 mm) Browning AN/M2 heavy machine guns for defence. The design was re-designated the XA-38 Grizzly and was repurposed as a ground attack aircraft intended to be able to defeat enemy tanks and ground fortifications with its heavy cannon. However, for reasons including need of

1496-643: A torpedo. Although Grumman designed and developed the aircraft during World War II, it entered service too late to see action before VJ Day . It served in the Korean War and retired in 1954. During the interwar period the USSR set about developing heavily armed twin-engine fighters to function in the heavy-fighter role, particularly as interceptors and bomber destroyers. Uniquely, the Soviets experimented with recoilless rifles as primary armament, but abandoned

1584-512: A twin-engine dedicated zerstörer (eschewing the usual German wartime practice of assigning multiple roles to heavy fighters), designed with a relatively unique push-pull configuration , which placed its fuselage-mounted twin DB 603 engines' propellers on opposing ends of the fuselage, and potentially allowed much better maneuverability, while essentially using the same engines as the conventional-layout twin-engine Me 410. The centre-line thrust design of

1672-432: A valve ensured the pressure was controlled automatically. Moreover, the pilot also had to wear a high altitude suit as he might have been required to bail out at altitude. The Welkin required a sophisticated electrical system. This was to minimise the number of seals and points of entry in the cockpit for the controls and instrumentation. It took an electrician experienced in the features of the Welkin four hours to undertake

1760-546: A winterized variant, known as the F-82H was developed specifically for this task. The winterized Twin Mustang would perform long-range aerial patrols over the extremes of American airspace around Alaska, with the area being viewed as a possible ‘back door’ for Soviet strategic bombers. The F-82H was slowly supplemented by the Lockheed F-94 Starfire all-weather interceptor , and by 1953, it had completely replaced

1848-603: Is an aircraft with a maximum speed less than the speed of sound ( Mach 1). The term technically describes an aircraft that flies below its critical Mach number , typically around Mach 0.8. All current civil aircraft, including airliners , helicopters , future passenger drones , personal air vehicles and airships , as well as many military types, are subsonic. Although high speeds are usually desirable in an aircraft, supersonic flight requires much bigger engines, higher fuel consumption and more advanced materials than subsonic flight. A subsonic type therefore costs far less than

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1936-431: Is not necessarily the most efficient. The wings of jet airliners, which are highly optimized for efficiency, are far from elliptical in shape. The ratio of tip chord to root chord is called the taper ratio. Taper has the desirable effect of reducing the root bending stress by shifting the lift inboard, but it has been argued by some noted designers, including John Thorp and Karl Bergey, that an untapered rectangular planform

2024-489: Is related to the production of lift , and the profile drag , largely due to skin friction which is contributed to by the whole wing area. It is therefore desirable for a wing to have the least area compatible with the desired lift characteristics. This is best achieved with a high aspect ratio, and high-performance types often have this kind of wing. But other considerations such as light weight, structural stiffness, manoeuvrability, ground handling and so on often benefit from

2112-559: The Heinkel He 177 Greif heavy bomber . Twelve airframes, designated " He 177 A-1/U2", carried twin 30 mm MK 101 cannon in an enlarged ventral gondola and was intended for ground attack, train busting, and possibly long-range anti-shipping raids. They also were intended for use in a bomber destroyer role, intercepting Allied long-range bombers and maritime patrol aircraft threatening the Kriegsmarine ' s submarines. In

2200-591: The Luftwaffe after the German invasion of the Netherlands. Before the war the British sought both twin-engined fighters with turret-mounted and nose-mounted (cannon) armament. The former because it was expected to give greater opportunity for attack at higher speeds compared to the biplane era; the latter because of loss of accuracy expected with heavy weapons installed in wings. One example of an aircraft to meet

2288-436: The Luftwaffe might attempt to re-open the bombing of England from high altitude. Construction was from 1942 to 1943. The threat never materialised; consequently, Westland produced only a small number of Welkins and few of these flew. Westland put forward their P.14 , essentially an adaptation of Westland's Whirlwind fighter layout (and a more experimental twin, the P.13) to meet Air Ministry Specification F.4 of 1940 for

2376-517: The Luftwaffe on Dutch airfields, and overwhelming German air superiority, the G.I suffered heavy losses. At the conclusion of hostilities , several G.Is were captured by the Germans, and utilized as heavy-fighter trainers for Bf 110 crews at Wiener Neustadt . For the next two years, Flugzeugführerschule (B) 8 flew the G.I until attrition grounded the fleet. On 5 May 1941, a Fokker test pilot, Hidde Leegstra, accompanied by engineer (and member of

2464-478: The "Five-day War", the available G.I fighters were mainly deployed in ground attack missions, strafing advancing German infantry units, but were also used to attack Junkers Ju 52 transports . Although reports are fragmentary and inaccurate as to the results, G.I fighters were employed over Rotterdam and the Hague, contributing to the loss of 167 Ju 52s, scoring up to 14 confirmed aerial kills. With relentless attacks by

2552-610: The Airacuda was plagued with design flaws; only 13 prototypes were built, none of which participated in World War II. The US would enter WWII with one of the most effective heavy fighters in history, the Lockheed P-38 Lightning . It was designed as a twin-engine bomber interceptor to climb quickly and carry heavy armament at high speed, with the lighter Bell P-39 Airacobra meeting the single-engine version of

2640-634: The Beaufighter was potent in the anti-ship and ground attack role in the Pacific and Europe. With the addition of radar , it was one of the Royal Air Force 's main night fighters. Similarly, the successful de Havilland Mosquito fast bomber was simultaneously adapted for both day and night fighter use. A parallel single-seat twin Merlin engine fighter the de Havilland Hornet entered service in

2728-624: The Bf 110, but also could not outrun contemporary single-engine fighters, with the Me 210 having serious aerodynamic problems from mistakes in the design of its wing planform and the initial design of its rear fuselage. Aside from the Bf 110 and Me 210/410, the Luftwaffe also utilized various light bombers , medium bombers , and Schnellbombers (German; literally "fast bomber") in the heavy fighter role. Due to their relatively large size, these were mostly used as night fighter-bomber destroyers, as there

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2816-531: The Do 335, the first-ever front-line combat fighter to use it, did allow dramatically higher speeds (just over 750 km/h or 465 mph) than many other twin-piston-engine aircraft of its era, but was never produced in quantity. Following the example set by the Bf 110, the Japanese built the broadly similar Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu . Likewise neutral Netherlands built the twin-boom Fokker G.I, only to be seized by

2904-609: The F-4 and F-5 variants of which over 1,200 were built), night fighter (as the radar -equipped P-38M variant), and as a fighter-bomber . In the escort fighter role, the P-38 accompanied Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress raids deep into German-held Europe. The P-38 and the much lighter North American P-51 Mustang were the first two American fighters over Berlin in March 1944. The only other American heavy fighter to serve in great numbers during WWII

2992-515: The Fokker Board of Directors) Dr. Piet Vos, managed to fly a G.I to England from the occupied Netherlands . After landing in England, the G.I was conscripted by Phillips and Powis Aircraft . The company had designed an all-wooden fighter-bomber, and was interested in the G.I wing structure and its resistance to the rigours of a British climate. Despite being left outdoors for the remainder of

3080-653: The French government, or via use of captured aircraft. In French service the series saw action during the Battle of France , and post- armistice within both the Vichy French Armée de l'air de l'Armistice , and the Free French Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres . On 20 May 1940, the light bomber variant, the Potez 633, took part in a ground attack against German troops near Arras . Three 633s took part in

3168-584: The German night bombing raids of Moscow in 1941, the People's Commissariat of Defense of the Soviet Union (NKO) sought to rapidly correct this deficiency. In order to create a fighter that would fill the needed specifications quickly, it was determined that it would utilize a pre-existing airframe. The NKO selected the Petlyakov Pe-2 – a twin-engined light bomber – to be modified, and within 4 days

3256-620: The Grushin Gr-1, Mikoyan-Gurevich DIS , Polikarpov TIS , and the Tairov Ta-3 ; were proposed, but never moved beyond test stages. Like other military types, piston-engine heavy fighters such as the de Havilland Hornet and Sea Hornet , as well as the North American F-82 Twin Mustang continued in service in the years immediately after the war. All were developed at the end of World War II for use in

3344-609: The Pacific theatre, though none reached operational squadrons until after VJ day, the Hornet in 1946, the Sea Hornet in 1947 and the Twin Mustang in 1948. 4th-generation and 5th-generation air superiority fighters are designed to wrest air superiority from the enemy in hostile territory, and thus usually have greater range than tactical fighters or interceptors. They therefore typically have two engines, and often carry

3432-668: The Petlyakov Design Bureau switched production over to a Pe-3bis with further minor modifications; no name or designation change was made. A reconnaissance variant, with an onboard camera system and greater range was also produced in small numbers; This variant was often referred to as either the Pe-3R or Pe-3F. The Pe-3 and Pe-3bis would serve as the only widely fielded heavy fighter of the Soviet Air Forces during WWII . Other heavy fighter designs; such as

3520-660: The Potez 631 was the Flottille F1C of the French Naval Air Arm . Between 10 and 21 May 1940, aircraft of the flottille shot down 12 enemy aircraft in exchange for 8 of their own losses prior to its withdrawal from active combat. The reconnaissance variants, the Potez 637 and 63.11, equipped numerous Groupes de Reconnaissance of the French Air Force, with more than 700 reconnaissance Potez 63.11s having been delivered. The Potez 63.11 suffered

3608-593: The RAF's first night fighters. More successful was the Bristol Beaufighter , started in 1938 as an interim aircraft to cover for delays in introduction of a cannon-armed fighter (the Westland Whirlwind). The Beaufighter design reused major portions of the earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber . Armed with six .303 inch (7.7 mm) machine guns, four 20 mm cannon and rockets, bombs or torpedoes,

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3696-442: The Twin Mustang. Apart from the P-38 and P-61, other mid-WWII projects included the proposed Curtis XP-71 . It was an exceptionally large heavy fighter, intended to serve as a long-range escort fighter and bomber destroyer. Its design was based around a 75 mm cannon capable of destroying large heavy bombers with one hit, but interest in the project waned and the 83 ft (25 m)- wingspan aircraft did not progress beyond

3784-738: The USAAF to compete for the contract ; the Curtiss-Wright XP-87 Blackhawk and the Northrop XP-89 Scorpion . While the XP-89 would eventually emerge as the winner, due to multiple issues with both competing aircraft, the first Scorpions would not reach operational Air Defense Command interceptor units until 1951. With no other night interceptors to call on from 1945 to 1951, the P-61 Black Widow

3872-480: The United States. The Twin Mustang, while appearing to be simply a ‘ twinned ’ P-51 Mustang, actually only shared less than 20% commonality of parts with the original Mustang. Initially intended as a long-range escort fighter for Boeing B-29 Superfortress strategic bombers attacking the Japanese home islands , it would become operational only after the Japanese surrender . Originally designed in 1943, it

3960-645: The Welkin was never used operationally by the RAF. Data from British Aircraft of world War Two : Westland Welkin, RAF Fighters, Part 3 General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Heavy fighter The heavy fighter was a major design class during the pre- World War II period, conceived as long-range escort fighters or heavily-armed bomber destroyers . Most such designs failed in this mission, as they could not maneuver quickly enough against single-engine fighters. Most notable among such designs

4048-406: The air cause the air to flow away from areas of high dynamic pressure to areas of lower dynamic pressure, leaving the static pressure and density of the surrounding air constant. At high subsonic speeds, compressibility effects begin to appear. The propeller is one of the most efficient sources of thrust available and is common on subsonic aeroplanes and airships . Sometimes it is enclosed in

4136-422: The aircraft's forward-facing armament at night temporarily blinded the pilots, crews complained about a lack of frontal armor, and heavier armament in general was requested. Ground crews would rectify two of these issues on their own; flash-hiders were installed on the forward armament, and RS-82 and RS-132 rocket launchers were sometimes mounted for ground-attack missions, while a DAG-10 aerial grenade launcher

4224-479: The attack. This was the type's only operational mission over France as two days later the 633 was withdrawn from front-line service. The day/night fighter variant, the Potez 631, had quickly proved to be an ineffectual interceptor; it was slower than some German bomber aircraft and 130 km/h (81 mph) slower than the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-variant fighter. Perhaps the most successful unit operating

4312-625: The belief that " The bomber will always get through ", Britain lagged behind in heavy fighter development. Apart from the Westland Whirlwind and the high-altitude Welkin , both built only in modest numbers (the former due to lack of engines, the latter due to changed requirement), the Royal Air Force 's wartime twin-engined fighters were all adapted from contemporary bombers . During the Battle of Britain, Bristol Blenheim bombers were fitted, as an interim measure and in utmost secrecy, with radars and ventral gun packs, turning them into

4400-486: The building of two P.14 prototypes DG558 & DG562. The F.4/40 specification was revised into F.7/41 that year. The Welkin design was now in competition with the Vickers Type 432 with Merlin 61 engines. The pressurisation system was driven by a Rotol supercharger attached to the left-hand engine (this was the difference between the Merlin 76 and 77), providing a constant pressure of 3.5 psi (24 kPa) over

4488-657: The chosen powerplant for B-29 bombers it did not enter service. Post-war, the Grumman F7F Tigercat was the first twin-engine fighter aircraft to enter service with the United States Navy, using two Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp radial engines, achieving a top speed of 460 mph (740 km/h). It was among the fastest piston-engine aircraft ever built, and heavily armed with four 20mm M2 cannon and four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) Browning AN/M2 heavy machine guns, with hard points for bombs or

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4576-662: The decision was made by the Air Force to re-designate the Bréguet 690 as the Bréguet 691, and to utilize it as a ground-attack aircraft. The 691's engines proved unreliable in testing, and the decision was made to mount new engines on the design, which was finally designated as the Bréguet 693. Few 693s were completed before the Nazi German invasion , however, enough were completed to see some action. The 693 made its combat debut on 12 May 1940 when twelve 693s were sent to attack

4664-486: The design. After extensive development a new cockpit was developed that was built out of heavy-gauge duraluminium bolted directly to the front of the main spar. The cockpit hood used an internal layer of thick perspex to hold the pressure, and an outer thin layer to form a smooth line. Heated air was blown between the two to keep the canopy clear of frost. In January 1941, the Ministry of Aircraft Production authorised

4752-695: The effort as impractical in the late 1930s. Twin-engine designs such as the Tupolev ANT-29 or Petlyakov VI-100 were proposed, but never made it past the prototype stage, and the USSR entered World War II without a viable heavy fighter. With the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, the Soviet Air Forces were caught off-guard; with only lighter, single-engined, relatively lightly armed fighters to intercept Luftwaffe bombers, and no dedicated night fighters (a role typically filled by heavy fighters). After

4840-410: The equivalent supersonic design, has greater range and causes less harm to the environment. The less harsh subsonic environment also allows a much wider range of aircraft types, such as balloons , airships and rotorcraft , allowing them to fill a much wider range of roles. Subsonic flight is characterised aerodynamically by incompressible flow, where dynamic pressure changes due to motion through

4928-405: The exterior pressure. This resulted in an apparent cabin altitude of 24,000 feet (7,300 m) when the aircraft was operating at its design altitude of 45,000 ft (14,000 m). This cabin altitude was still too high for normal breathing, so the pilot had to wear an oxygen mask during flight. A rubber gasket filled with the pressurized air sealed the canopy when the system was turned on, and

5016-444: The field, a small number of He 177 A-3s were also equipped with the 50 mm Rheinmetall BK-5 cannon in the undernose gondola. This unofficial modification was intended for use in flak -suppression attacks. A never-built A-3/R5 variant was also planned to mount a 75 mm Bordkanone BK 7,5 cm cannon. Five A-5 variants were built, armed with up to 33 spin-stabilized 21 cm (8¼ in) calibre rockets obliquely mounted (firing upwards) in

5104-587: The flight, and none were used by the Vichy Air Force in North Africa. In November 1942 with the German occupation of Vichy France , the remaining Bréguets were seized. Some had their engines removed for use in German aircraft, while others were passed on to the Italians, who used them as training aircraft. The Messerschmitt Bf 110 was a pre-war German fighter design to meet a RLM specification for

5192-409: The form of a ducted fan . At higher subsonic speeds and at high altitudes , such as attained by most airliners , the turbojet or turbofan becomes necessary. Pure jets such as the turbojet and ramjet are inefficient at subsonic speeds and not often used. The span and area of a wing are both important to the lift characteristics. They are related by the aspect ratio , which is the ratio of

5280-513: The fuselage and a rearward-facing machine gun for defense. Numerous variants and sub-variants of the 63 series would be designed and produced, including day fighter , night fighter, reconnaissance , and light bomber variants. While the 63 series was primarily developed for the French Air Force and French Naval Air Arm , they would serve with numerous other nations, both Axis and Allied powers , via either pre- armistice sales by

5368-463: The fuselage, designed to break up and destroy the combat box defensive formations used by USAAF daylight bombers over Germany. Limited operational test flights were conducted with this variant, but they never made contact with the enemy; with the ever-increasing threat of Allied escort fighters, the variant was abandoned. Towards the end of the war, the Dornier Do 335 Pfeil was developed as

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5456-516: The immediate post-war period and served until 1955. When there appeared to be a threat from German high-altitude bombers, the Westland Welkin was developed. This was a twin engine design with wide wings (70 ft (21 m)) to be able to intercept at 45,000 ft (14,000 m). The threat never materialised and Welkins did not see combat service. A contemporary design the six cannon armed Vickers Type 432 , which itself descended from

5544-591: The large-scale use of jet aircraft becoming commonplace, the United States Army Air Forces put forward technical specifications to the US aerospace industry, requesting both day and night interceptors . While the night interceptor technical specification did not specifically require jet power, it did place a minimum speed requirement of 503 mph (810 km/h) on the project, effectively necessitating jet power. By 1946, two aircraft were chosen by

5632-494: The late 1930s, Bell Aircraft of the United States designed the YFM-1 Airacuda "bomber destroyer". The design was heavily armed, particularly for a pre-WWII design, mounting two 37 mm (1.46 in) M4 cannons as her primary armament along with two .30 in (7.62 mm) M1919 Browning machine guns and two .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning heavy machine guns for defense. A very large and unique airframe,

5720-430: The later marks of the Bf 110G series from 1942 to 1943 onwards as night fighters, serving as the primary aircraft of the Luftwaffe Nachtjagdgeschwader night fighter wings, using various versions of the Lichtenstein radar for nocturnal interception of RAF Bomber Command heavy bombers, as well as finding some use as ground-attack aircraft. The Me 210 and Me 410 Hornisse were all-new aircraft designs meant to replace

5808-465: The latter was the Gloster F.9/37 ; later development into a night-fighter was curtailed in 1941 so that Gloster's design team could concentrate on British jet fighter projects . The limitations of pure turret fighters (though the single engine Boulton Paul Defiant was successfully adapted as a nightfighter) and aerodynamics of multiple cannon installations in turrets (such as Boulton Paul P.92 ) curtailed introduction of designs into service. Perhaps in

5896-400: The more losses than any other French type. One factor contributing to the high losses was the near-complete lack of spares, rendering 70 63.11s unserviceable even prior to the German invasion; many aircraft were destroyed on the ground by enemy bombing and strafing attacks, and entire units were wiped out without conducting a single mission. In addition to the Potez 63 series, another aircraft

5984-518: The newly minted Petlyakov Pe-3 took flight. Numerous issues were identified with the Pe-3, primarily stemming from the added gun and cannon armament. Various improvements, workarounds, and modifications were tested to address these issues. The aircraft was placed under further scrutiny when it was issued on a trial-basis to the 95th High-Speed Bomber Regiment within the Moscow Military District in late 1941. The Regiment's experiences revealed further deficiencies not found during initial testing; Firing

6072-413: The root of 12%, a t/c ratio which delays compressibility effects to an aircraft speed of about Mach 0.85. Information on the Welkin was only released at the end of the war. A two-seat radar-equipped night fighter version known as the Welkin NF.Mk.II for specification F.9/43 was developed but only one was eventually produced as the variant was not ordered into production. By the time the Welkin Mk.I

6160-437: The same requirement. An advanced design crewed by a lone pilot, the P-38 performed best in the Pacific theater where its long-range proved a pivotal advantage. This range allowed a team of sixteen early P-38 models to intercept and kill Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto while he was traveling aboard a transport aircraft. The P-38 proved adaptable enough to undertake multiple roles including escort fighter, reconnaissance (as

6248-400: The same round with minimal change in weight or size) compared to the AN/M2's 750-850 rounds per minute, a roughly 60% increase in rounds per minute. The first XP-82 prototype was equipped with a removable centerline gun pod housing eight additional .50 caliber M3 Brownings, but this did not feature on production aircraft. A separate centerline gun pod containing a 40 mm (1.6 in) cannon

6336-419: The second crew-member. Prior to the Nazi German invasion of the Netherlands , the G.I was actively involved in air-border patrols in order to ensure neutrality and the integrity of Dutch airspace. On 20 March 1940, a G.I forced down an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley from No. 77 Squadron RAF when it strayed into Dutch air space. On 10 May 1940, when Nazi Germany invaded, 23 G.I aircraft were serviceable. In

6424-412: The span, measured from tip to tip, to the average chord , measured from leading edge to trailing edge. The aerodynamic efficiency of a wing is described by its lift/drag ratio , with a wing giving high lift for little drag being the most efficient. A higher aspect ratio gives a higher lift/drag ratio and so is more efficient. The drag of a wing consists of two components: the induced drag , which

6512-715: The strategic bomber force, the 27th FEW was to fly these missions in F-82Es. During the start of the Korean War , the F-82 replaced the F-61 Black Widow as the USAF's night interceptor in the Far East Air Forces . The Twin Mustang was utilized in the night fighter-interceptor and fighter-bomber role early in the war, and it scored the first US aerial victory, with Lt. William G. "Skeeter" Hudson, USAF, scoring

6600-760: The war, the G.I survived only to be eventually scrapped after 1945. There are no surviving G.Is today, although a replica has been built, and is now displayed at the Dutch Nationaal Militair Museum (National Military Museum). In 1934, the French Ministry of Air issued a specification for a new two or three-seat multi-role fighter, capable of functioning as a bomber escort and night fighter, as well as providing fighter direction (leading formations of single-engine fighters to their targets). The specification also required, at minimum, two forward-facing 20 mm cannons, as well as

6688-442: Was also less likely to dazzle the pilot. The Welkin was seriously handicapped by compressibility problems caused by its long, high aspect-ratio wing which needed to be thick at the root ( thickness-to-chord ratio of about 19%) for strength reasons. Compressibility caused the flight envelope (flyable speed range) between high-incidence stall and shock-stall to become very small at high altitudes – any decrease in airspeed causing

6776-457: Was ample room to install airborne intercept radar systems as well as heavy armament. Bombers utilized in such a role included the Junkers Ju 88 and Ju 388 ; the Heinkel He 219 ; and the Dornier Do 215 and Do 217 . In addition to light and medium bombers, the Luftwaffe experimented with the concept of a Grosszerstörer ("large destroyer"). Different armament packages were tested on

6864-493: Was charged with protecting American airspace from the growing threat of Soviet strategic bombers . The P-61 would be re-designated as the F-61 in 1948. With F-61s no longer in production post-war, they were usually replaced with the newer F-82 Twin Mustang once they became unserviceable. The F-82 Twin Mustang was America's last heavy fighter design as well as being the last American piston-engined fighter ordered into production by

6952-583: Was complete and in production, it was apparent that the Luftwaffe was no longer conducting high altitude missions, due largely to successful interceptions by specially modified Supermarine Spitfires . Only 77 complete Welkins were produced, plus a further 26 as engine-less airframes. Although two Welkins served with the Fighter Interception Unit based at RAF Wittering from May to November 1944, where they were used to gain experience and formulate tactics for high altitude fighter operations,

7040-549: Was considered, but was never built. The outer wings were reinforced to allow the addition of hard points for carrying additional fuel or 1,000 lb (450 kg) of ordnance. The F-82E was the first operational model and its initial operational assignment was to the Strategic Air Command 27th Fighter Wing (later re-designated the 27th Fighter-Escort Wing, or 27th FEW) at Kearney Air Force Base , Nebraska in March 1948. With no long-range jet fighters to escort

7128-467: Was developed from the original 1934 heavy fighter specification. This was the Bréguet 690 , designed and manufactured originally by Bréguet Aviation . While the Bréguet 690 was not selected to serve as France's primary heavy fighter, the French Air Force's command staff was still intrigued by the sturdy and versatile design. By 1938, with France falling behind in ground-attack/close-air support aircraft,

7216-643: Was occasionally mounted in the tail. Most of the problems found during trials and operational field-testing would be rectified by the Petlyakov Design Bureau with the introduction of the Pe-3bis (Pe-3 'Improved'). Pe-3bis production began in April 1942, although 207 standard Pe-3s were produced in the intervening months. However, additional issues were again discovered with the Pe-3bis, and in May 1942

7304-462: Was officially accepted into USAAF service in August 1945. The design carried six .50  in (12.7 mm) heavy machine guns (HMGs) on the ‘center’ wing, between each fuselage, with three on each outboard wing as on the original Mustang design. The HMGs were also AN/M3s instead of the original Mustang's AN/M2 HMGs. The AN/M3 increased the rate of fire to around 1,200-1,300 rounds per minute (firing

7392-590: Was one of the most heavily armed aircraft in American service during the WWII-period. The P-61 was unofficially credited with the last Allied air victory before VJ Day . The P-61 was also modified to create the unarmed F-15 Reporter , a specialized photo-reconnaissance aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces and subsequently used by the United States Air Force . The F-15 Reporter

7480-641: Was the Messerschmitt Bf 110 , which suffered great losses during the Battle of Britain . An exception was the American Lockheed P-38 Lightning , which proved an effective heavy fighter; even against smaller, lighter, single-engine aircraft and particularly in the Pacific theater . Many twin-engine heavy fighters found their niche as night fighters , especially in the bomber-destroyer role; or as fighter-bombers , roughly analogous to modern strike fighters . Among such conversions

7568-603: Was the Northrop P-61 Black Widow , which was also the United States’ first dedicated night fighter, in addition to being the first aircraft designed to utilize radar . Armed with four forward-firing 20 mm (.79 in) AN/M2 cannons mounted in the lower fuselage and four .50 caliber (12.7 mm) Browning AN/M2 machine guns mounted in a remote-controlled dorsal gun turret (capable of firing forwards as well as rearwards for defense), it

7656-454: Was the Bf 110, which served as a relatively successful night fighter, ground attacker , and fighter-bomber for most of the war; and the Bristol Beaufighter , which emerged as a major anti-shipping strike fighter of the Royal Air Force . Some heavy fighters did find success; the de Havilland Mosquito , simultaneously developed as a light bomber , twin-engine fighter and photo-reconnaissance aircraft, excelled in its originally proposed role as

7744-554: Was the last piston-powered photo-reconnaissance aircraft designed and produced for the United States Air Force. The Reporter was also responsible for producing most of the aerial reconnaissance photographs of North Korea during the Korean War . The P-61 — redesignated as the F-61 in June 1948 — would also serve as a night/all-weather interceptor with the USAF's Air Defense Command (ADC) until 1951. In 1945, with

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