The Record (Bergen County, NJ) December 17, 2003
Birds of prey
SOURCE: North Jersey Media Group
World War I
SPAD S.VII
Although hampered by poor forward and downward views from the cockpit, the French biplane was fast, durable, and difficult to shoot down.
*-Wingspan: 25 ft. 7 3/4 in.
*-Maximum speed: 119 mph
*-Armament: One .303-caliber machine gun
Fokker D.VII
Widely considered the best single-seat fighter of World War I, this German plane was durable and easy to fly. When equipped with a BMW engine, it could outclimb any Allied opponent.
*-Wingspan: 29 ft. 3.5 in.
*-Maximum speed: 124 mph
*-Armament: Two 7.92mm machine guns
Sopwith Camel
The agile, highly maneuverable British biplane accounted for more aerial victories than any other Allied aircraft during World War I.
*-Wingspan: 28 ft.
*-Maximum speed: 118 mph
*-Armament: Two .303-caliber machine guns
World War II
Supermarine Spitfire
Undoubtedly the most famous British combat aircraft of the war, the Spitfire served, and continued to be built, throughout the war. It flew in many theaters, and with many Allied nations, including the United States and the Soviet Union.
*-Wingspan: 36 ft. 10 in.
*-Maximum speed: 369 mph
*-Armament: Eight 7.7mm machine guns.
Grumman Hellcat
An extremely robust, powerful, and maneuverable plane, it was credited with more than 75 percent of the U.S. Navy's aerial kills in the war.
*-Wingspan: 42 ft. 10 in.
*-Maximum speed at 23,500 ft.: 380 mph
*-Armament: Six .50-caliber wing-mounted machine guns
Two 1,000-lb bombs or six 5-inch rockets
Mitsubishi Zero
Fast, maneuverable, and flown by highly skilled pilots, the Zero-Sen was the most famous Japanese plane of World War II. As the war progressed, it remained an important factor in the Pacific. Loaded with explosives and flown by kamikaze pilots, the Zero became a flying bomb aimed at American ships.
*-Wingspan: 36 ft. 1 in.
*-Maximum speed: 346 mph
*-Armament: Two 20mm cannons and two 7.7mm machine guns.
B-29 Superfortress bomber
The first combat aircraft to carry and drop atomic bombs, first on Hiroshima and then on Nagasaki, becoming, in effect, the first - and only - aircraft to end a war.
*-Wingspan: 141 ft. 3 In.
*-Maximum speed: 357 mph
*-Armament: Two (.50-caliber machine guns in each of four remote-controlled turrets, plus three .50-caliber machine guns, or two .50-caliber machine guns and one 20mm cannon in the tail turret.
Korean War
MiG-15
The Soviet-made MiG-15 could outclimb, outturn, and fly higher than the U.S.-built F-86 Sabre.
*-Wingspan: 33 ft. 0.75 in.
*-Maximum speed at sea level: 668 mph
*-Armament: One 37mm cannon, two 23mm cannons, and up to 1,100 pounds of mixed explosive ordnance on underwing hardpoints
F-86 Sabre
Better-equipped aircraft and better-trained pilots allowed the Allies to prevail against the MiG.
*-Wingspan: 37 ft. 1 in.
*-Maximum speed at sea level: 707 mph
*-Armament: 24 2.75-inch air-to-air rockets
Cold War
U-2 spy plane
Combining equally impressive range and operational ceiling with the still-classified, extremely high-clarity lens attached to its high-speed camera, this was the perfect aircraft for reconnaissance missions from after the Korean War to Operation Desert Storm.
*-Wingspan: 80 ft. 2 in.
*-Maximum speed: 430+ mph
Vietnam War
Bell UH-1 "Huey" helicopter
The most widely used military helicopter, "Hueys" were used for MedEvac, command and control, and air assault missions, transport of personnel and materiel, and as gun ships.
*-Rotor diameter: 48 ft. 0 in.
*-Armament: Could be fitted with rockets and machine guns
*-Crew: One or two
Maximum speed: 140 mph.
*-Cruising speed: 115 mph.
Persian Gulf war
UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter
A utility tactical transport helicopter that replaced the UH-1, the Blackhawk first entered Army service in 1978.
*-Cruise speed: 160 mph
*-Crew: 4 (2 pilots; 2 crew chiefs)
*-Armament: Two 7.62mm machine guns
F/A-18 Hornet
An all-weather, dual-mode aircraft, Hornets are used as fighter escorts and fleet air defense in fighter mode and for force projection, interdiction, and close and deep air support in attack mode.
Crew: One or two
*-Wingspan: 40 ft. 5 in.
*-Max. speed: 1,275 mph
*-Armament: One 20mm Vulcan cannon;various general purpose bombs and rockets.
F-16 Falcon
The most numerous fighter in the West, its maneuverability and combat radius (distance it can fly to enter air combat, stay, fight, and return) exceed that of all potential enemy aircraft.
*-Crew: one or two
*-Wingspan: 32 ft. 8 in.
*-Max. speed: 1,500 mph
*-Armament One 20mm multibarrel cannon with 500 rounds; external stations can carry up to six air-to-air missiles, conventional air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions, and electronic countermeasure pods.
F-117 Nighthawk
The first true "stealth" aircraft, it can employ a variety of weapons and is equipped with sophisticated navigation and attack systems.
*-Wingspan: 43 ft., 4 in.
*-Performance speed: High subsonic
*-Armament: Cancarry a wide array of bombs in an internal bomb bay.
SOURCES: NASA; warbirdalley.com; theaerodrome.com; wfu.edu; blackbirds.net; globalaircraft.org; allstar.fiu.edu; www.army.mil; pbs.org; globalsecurity.org; www.airshipsonline.com; about.com; airdisaster.com; centennialofflight.gov; sprucegoose.org; lindberghfoundation.org; goremeballoons.com; flyingmachines.org; fiddlersgreen.net; "The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Book Of Flight"; American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc.; "100 Years of Flight," by Bill Sweetman.
RESEARCH BY DOROTHY FERSCH, LEN IANNACCONE, MADELEINE NASH, AND PAUL WILDER / STAFF LIBRARIANS
© Copyright 2003, Bergen Record Corporation
