The F8F Bearcat was a carrier-based fighter aircraft used by the US Navy until 1955. Designed and manufactured by Grumman, the F8F performed its first flight on August 21, 1944, entering service with the US Navy in 1945. Grumman built 1,266 units of this aircraft. The Bearcat was also used by the French Air Force during the First Indochina War to strike Viet Minh targets.

Engine: one Pratt & Whitney R-2800-30W two-row radial engine with 2,250 hp
Maximum speed: 455 mph
Range: 1,105 miles
Length: 28 ft 3 in (8.61 m)
Wingspan: 35 ft 10 in (10.92 m)
Rate of climb: 6,300 ft/min (32.0 m/s)
Weapons: four 20mm M3 cannons; four 5 inch unguided rockets; up to 100 lb of bombs

The F7F Tigercat was a US Navy twin-engined fighter aircraft which saw action in the Korean War. The F7F was a piston-engined, straight-winged aircraft which could reach a top speed well in excess of the US Navy’s piston-engined aircraft; it was 71 mph faster than a Grumman F6F Hellcat at sea level. Since the Tigercat was too big and heavy to take off and land from carriers, the initial production series was only used from land bases by the USMC, as night fighters fitted out with APS-6 radar.

Engine: two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W Double Wasp radial engines, 2,100 hp each.
Maximum speed: 460 mph (740 km/h).
Range: 1,200 mi (1,900 km).
Service ceiling: 40,400 ft (12,300 m).
Length: 45 ft 4 in (13.8 m).
Wingspan: 51 ft 6 in (15.7 m).
Crew: two (pilot, radar operator).
Avionics: APS-6 radar.
Weapons: four 20mm (0.79 in) M2 cannons; four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns; two 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs under wings.

The F3D Skyknight was a carrier-based, straight-wing jet fighter aircraft used by the US Navy and Marine Corps during the Korean War. The F3D was designed by Edward Heinemman and manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company. The Skyknight performed its first flight as a prototype on March 23, 1948, with the first batch being delivered by Douglas to the US Navy in June 1951. The F3D successfully replaced the Vought F4U Corsair and F7F Tigercat aircraft.

Engine: two Westinghouse J34-WE-36 turbojets.
Maximum speed: 529 mph (852 km/h).
Range: 1,374 mi (2,212 km) (with two 150 gal/568 l tanks).
Length: 45 ft 5 in (13.85 m).
Wingspan: 50 ft 0 in (15.24 m).
Avionics: Westinghouse AN/APQ-36 radar system.
Crew: two (pilot and radar operator).
Weapons: four 20mm Hispano-Suiza M2 cannons; 2,000 lb (900 kg) of bombs.

The F-94 Starfire was a jet, all-weather interceptor aircraft which was developed and manufactured by Lockheed for the US Air Force. The YF-94 prototype first flew on April 16, 1945, using seventy-five percent of the parts used in the earlier F-80 and T-33A aircraft. It was the first US production jet with an afterburner as it was equipped with an Allison J33-A-33 centrifugal-type turbojet on the F-94A, and a Pratt & Whitney J48-P-5 turbojet on the F-94C.

Engine: one Pratt & Whitney J48-P-5 turbojet.
Maximum speed: 640 mph (1,030 km/h).
Range: 805 mi (1,300 km) combat.
Length: 44 ft 6 in (13.6 m).
Wingspan: 42 ft 5 in (12.9 m).
Avionics: AN/APG-40 radar.
Crew: two
Weapons: twenty four 2.75 in (70 mm) Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets; four .50 in (12.7mm) M3 Browning machine guns mounted in the fuselage.

The U-2 Dragon Lady was a single-engine, spy plane used by the US Air Force and the Central Intelligence Agency during the Cold War. It was designed by American engineer Clarence Johnson and manufactured by Lockheed. The U-2 made its first flight on August 1, 1955, at the Groom Lake test site (Area 51), entering service in 1957. Lockheed built a total of 86 U-2 aircraft, of which only 25 are still active. Because of the high operating altitude, the pilot had to wear the equivalent of a space suit. The suit delivered the pilot’s oxygen supply and emergency protection in case cabin pressure was lost at high altitude.

Engine: one General Electric F118-101 turbofan.
Maximum speed: 500 mph (805 km/h).
Service ceiling: 70,000 ft (21,300 m).
Range: 6,405 mi (10,300 km).
Length: 63 ft (19.2 m).
Wingspan: 103 ft (31.4 m).
Crew: One

U-2 Spy Plane (Video)

The F7U Cutlass was a carrier-based fighter and ground-attack aircraft developed and produced by Chance Vought for the US Navy. The F7U performed its first flight on September 29, 1948; it was piloted by Vought’s Chief Test Pilot, J. Robert Baker. The aircraft entered service with the US Navy in July 1951. The F7U never saw action and was retired in March 1959, being replaced by the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk.

Engine: two Westinghouse J46-WE-8B turbojets.
Maximum speed: 680 mph (1,095 km/h).
Thrust/weight: 0.29
Range: 660 mi (1,060 km).
Length: 44 ft 3 in (13.49 m).
Wingspan: 38 ft 8 in (11.79 m).
Crew: one.
Weapons: four 20mm (0.787 in) M3 cannons above inlet ducts; AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missiles; 5,500 lb (2,500 kg) of bombs.

The F4D Skyray was a carrier-based, supersonic, fighter aircraft which was used by the US Navy during the Cold War. The F4D was designed by the American engineer Edward Heinemann in 1950, and manufactured by Douglas. The Skyray made its first flight on January 23, 1951, and was delivered to the United States Navy VC-3 Squadron in 1956. It was retired from service in 1964.

Engine: one Pratt & Whitney J57-P-8, -8A or -8B turbojet.
Maximum speed: 730 mph (1,250 km/h-Mach 1.05).
Range: 700 mi (1,100 km) combat.
Length: 45 ft 3 in (10.21 m).
Wingspan: 33 ft 6 in (13.8 m).
Crew: one
Avionics: APQ-50A radar; Aero 13F fire-control radar.
Weapons: four 20mm (0.79 in) Mk 12-0 cannons; six pods of 7 × 2.75 in (70mm) unguided rockets; two AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles; 2,000 lb (907 kg) of bombs.

The AC-47 Spooky was a twin-engine ground-attack aircraft used by the US Air Force during the Vietnam War. The AC-47 gunship development was based on the C-47 Skytrain transport plane airframe. The company that redesigned and manufactured it was the Douglas Aircraft Company. It entered service with the United States Air Force in Vietnam in 1965.

Engine: two Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radial engines, 1,200 hp each.
Maximum speed: 230 mph (375 km/h).
Range: 2,175 mi (3,500 km).
Length: 64 ft 5 in (19.6 m).
Wingspan: 95 ft 0 in (28.9 m).
Crew: eight (pilot, copilot, navigator, flight engineer, loadmaster, two gunners and a South Vietnamese observer).
Weapons: three 7.62mm General Electric GAU-2/M134 miniguns; ten .30 in Browning AN/M2 machine guns.

AC-47 Gunship in Action in Vietnam (Video)

The AC-119 gunship was a heavily-armed, ground-attack, twin-engine aircraft which was used by the US Air Force during the Vietnam War. The AC-119 was produced in two variants by Fairchild Aircraft Company: the AC-119G Shadow and the AC-119K Stinger. In Vietnam they flew alongside the AC-130 Spectre gunship, replacing the outdated AC-47 Spooky. The Shadow entered service in 1968 and was retired in 1971, but it continued in service with the South Vietnamese Air Force until 1975.

Engine: two Wright R-3350-85 "Duplex Cyclone" radial piston engines, 3,500 hp each.
Maximum speed: 210 mph (335 km/h).
Range: 1,930 mi (3,100 km).
Service ceiling: 23,300 ft (7,100 m).
Length: 86 ft 5¾ in (26.36 m).
Wingspan: 109 ft 3¼ in (33.31 m).
Crew: eight (night)
Weapons: four GAU-2/A 7.62mm (0.30 in) miniguns; two M61 Vulcan 20mm cannons; sixty Mk 24 flares in an LAU-74/A flare launcher.

AC-119 Gunship in Vietnam (Video)

The AC-130 gunship is a four-engine ground-attack aircraft used by the US Air Force for supporting ground troops, escorting convoys, and flying urban operations. The AC-130 gunship was developed from the C-130 Hercules transport plane. The aircraft airframe is built by Lockheed, while Boeing is responsible for the conversion into a gunship and for aircraft support. The AC-130 first flew in 1966 and entered active service with the United States Air Force in 1968. Variants in active service: AC-130E Pave Aegis, AC-130H Spectre, and AC-130U Spooky II.

Engine: four Allison T56-A-15 turboprops, 4,910 shp each.
Maximum speed: 300 mph (480 km/h).
Range: 2,530 mi (4,070 km).
Service ceiling: 30,000 ft (9,100 m).
Length: 97 ft 10 in (29.8 m).
Wingspan: 132 ft 7 in (40.4 m).
Crew: fourteen
Weapons: two 20mm M61 Vulcan cannons; one 40mm (1.58 in) L/60 Bofors cannon; one 105mm (4.13 in) M102 howitzer.

AC-130 Spectre Gunchip in Action (Video)