Aug
31
2009
The SBD Dauntless was a US World War II, carrier-based dive bomber which was used by the US Navy and the USMC in the Pacific Theater of Operations. The SBD was partially replaced by the SB2C Helldiver at the end of 1943. Despite its limitations in design, the SBD Dauntless was a resilient aircraft whose fuselage rendered it able to take a lot of enemy gun fire without plummeting down and make it back to the aircraft carrier. It was also fielded by the US Army Air Corps.
The SBD Dauntless was designed and built by the American firm Douglas. The prototype performed its first flight on May 1, 1940. From 1940 until 1944 around 5,900 units were manufactured in different variants, the first and second being the SBD-1 and SBD-2. The US Army Air Corps had its own variant, the SBD A-24 Banshee. The SBD was a single-engine, low-winged dive bomber which was designed to launch torpedoes from a low-level pass. It saw action for the first time on December 7, 1941, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. But the first major battle it was involved in was the Battle of the Coral Sea, which took place between May 4 and May 8, 1942; during that naval battle the SBD dive bombers sank the Japanese aircraft-carrier Shoho.
Specifications
The Douglas SBD Dauntless was powered by one Wright R-1820-60, 1,200 hp, radial engine. Its maximum speed was 255 mph. It had a range of 775 miles and a service ceiling of 25,500 ft. Its wingspan measured 41 ft 6 inches and its length 33 ft 1 inch. Its crew was composed of a pilot plus gunner. The SBD Dauntless was armed with two 12.7 mm Browning M2 machine guns mounted in engine cowling, and one 7.62 mm Browning machine gun mounted in the back of the cockpit to shoot backward. This dive bomber could carry up to 2,250 lb of bombs.
Aug
30
2009
The F4U Corsair was a US carrier-based fighter aircraft which saw action in World War II and the Korean War. The F4U was used by the US Navy, US Marines, the Royal Navy, and the French Navy Aeronavale. It was a low-winged, single-engine aircraft and, despite its initial problems at landing on deck, it was the most capable carrier-based fighter of the Second World War.
The F4U Corsair was designed and manufactured by the American firm Chance Vought. Its first flight took place in May 1940 and entered active service in December 1942. Approximately a total of 12,500 units were produced. The F4U had an inverted gull wing design, which was a solution to accomodate its stout and retracting landing gear. This design was similar to the German Junkers Ju 87 wing design. It began to fly combat missions in February 1943 from the Guadalcanal island and other bases in the Solomon islands.
Specifications
The F4U Corsair was powered by one Pratt & Whitney R-2800-8W, 2,250 hp, radial engine. It could fly at the maximum speed of 425 mph and had a range of 1,500 miles. Its service ceiling was 36,900 ft and its rate of climb 3,180 ft/minute. It had a wingspan of 41 ft and a length of 33 ft 4 inches. The F4U was armed with six 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns mounted in the wings, four 20 mm AN/M2 cannons, and eight high-velocity rockets. It could carry up to 2,000 lb of bombs. This fighter aircraft was also fitted with a radar dome, which was mounted in the right wing.
Aug
29
2009
The P-61 Black Widow was a World War II fighter aircraft fielded by the US Army Air Corps during the last phase of the Second World War. The P-61 was a twin-engine, twin-boom heavy fighter used to execute night operations and it was the first operational American military plane fitted with radar from the start. The Black Widow had a slightly better rate of climb than the British-made Mosquito fighter, and could also turn tighter.
The P-61 Black Widow was designed by John Northrop in November 1940. It flew for the first time as a prototype in May 1942. It entered active service in 1944 and was phased out by the end of 1952. The P-61 was manufactured by Northrop Co. 740 units of this aircraft were built at a cost of U$D 190,000 per unit. It was flown in the European and Pacific Theaters of Operations during the Second World War, but it was also used during the Korean War as a photographic reconnaissance plane with the variant name of F-15 Reporter.
Specifications
The Northrop P-61 was powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-65W Double Wasp, 2,250 hp radial engines. Its maximum speed was 366 mph, its range 1,650 miles, and the service ceiling 33,000 ft. It had a wingspan of 66 ft and a length of 49 ft 7 inches. Its crew consisted of a pilot, radar operator/navigator, and the gunner. The P-61 was armed with four 20 mm Hispano M2 cannon mounted in ventral fuselage, and four 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns mounted in full-traverse upper turret. It could carry four bombs of 1,600 lb each.
Aug
28
2009
The de Havilland Mosquito was a British twin-engine bomber aircraft which was fielded by the Luftwaffe during World War II in the European and Pacific Theaters of Operations. Although it was primarily designed as a bomber, the Mosquito was a very versatile aircraft which could play different roles, such as long range reconnaissance, night fighter, day time bomber, and night heavy fighter aircraft. Among the many missions it accomplished during the war, the Mosquito also carried out night time fighter operations, flying as escort of RAF Bomber Command’s bomber fleets to reduce RAF bomber losses in 1944 and 1945.
The de Havilland Mosquito was designed by the British engineer Ronald Bishop between 1938 and 1939. The prototype flew for the first time in november 1940, entering active service in 1941. The Mosquito was manufactured by the British firm de Havilland Aircraft Company. Between 1939 and 1945, aproximately a total of 7,780 units were built in different variants. It was a fast, twin-engine, mid-winged bomber whose fuselage was made entirely of plywood.
Specifications
The de Havilland Mosquito F Mk II was propelled by two Rolls-Royce Merlin 21/21, liquid-cooled V12 engines, rating 1,480 hp each. It had a range of 900 miles and could reach a maximum speed of 370 mph at 21,000 ft. It had a rate of climb of 1,700 ft/minute and a service ceiling of 29,000 ft. This aircraft wingspan measured 54 ft 2 inches and the length 41 ft 2 inches. The crew consisted of pilot plus navigator. The armament of the Mosquito consisted of four 20 mm Hispano Mk II cannons, and four 7.7 mm Browning machine guns which were mounted in the nose. It could carried 4,000 lb of bombs.
Aug
27
2009
The Hawker Tempest was a British World War II fighter aircraft fielded by the Royal Air Force in the European Theater of Operations. The Tempest was a low-winged, single-engine fighter which was developed from the Hawker Typhoon. The thick, rugged wings of its predecessor were replaced for thinner laminar flow wings, which had been used to build the new US P-51 Mustang. In combat, the Tempest was used as a low-level attack aircraft.
The Hawker Tempest was designed by Sydney Camm in 1942. The prototype, the Tempest Mark V, flew for the first time on September 2, 1942 and was introduced in January 1944. It was manufactured by the British company Hawker Aircraft Limited. Approximately 1,700 units were built. This fighter performed better at low altitude.
Specifications
The Hawker Tempest was powered by a Napier Sabre IIA liquid-cooled H-24 sleeve-valve engine, rating 2,180 hp. Its maximum speed was 432 mph and its range 740 miles. It had a service ceiling of 35,000 ft and a rate of climb of 4,700 ft per minute. Its wingspan measured 41 ft and its length 33 ft 8 inches. The Tempest was armed with four 20 mm Mark II Hispano cannons and could carry up to 1,000 lb of bombs.
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