The US Air Force first deployed in the war zone the P-80 Shooting Star, which was a straight-winged jet fighter; it was lethal against Soviet-made piston-engine fighters of the North Korean Air Force, but it was not fast enough to effectively engage the MiG-15 in dog fights. Thus, to counter this Soviet threat over the Korean sky, the USAF began deploying the F-86 Sabre; like the Soviet, it also had swept wings and was very fast; developed by North American, it was powered by one General Electric J47-GE-27 turbojet engine and could fly at the top speed of 687 mph (1097 km/h); the Sabre was armed with six .50 M2 Browning machines guns, plus rockets and bombs. Both the US and Soviet jet fighters were very maneuverable and it was up to the pilot’s skills to get the best out them, with the Americans having an edge over their enemies, for their Soviet counterpart was mostly flown by Chinese pilots, who had not been trained enough.

In Korea, the US Navy used the F9F Panther, a carrier-based, straight-winged jet fighter produced by Grumman. Although it was not as fast as the Sabre, it was very maneuverable and reliable. However, piston-engine fighter aircraft were also used in Korea. There, the US Air Force used a World War II veteran, the P-51 Mustang; a fighter which was used in the anti-tank and ground attack role to support the UN troops. Although it was not as fast as a jet aircraft, the P-51 was maneuverable and had a long range, almost 1,700 miles. The US Navy used the F4U Corsair, the best carrier-based fighter of World War II; it was a low, inverted-gull-winged fighter used in the ground attack role in Korea.

List of Fighters used in Korea

The Avrò Anson Mk I was powered by two Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX radial piston engines, delivering 350 horsepower each. Jacobs and Wright-powered Anson Mk III and Anson Mk IV aircraft were shipped to Canada to equip the growing numbers of flying schools under the Commonwealth Air Training Scheme. Canadian manufacturers also producing the Anson Mks II, V and VI. Light transport conversions from the Anson Mk I resulted in the Anson Mks X, XI and XII.

Specifications

The Breda Ba.88 Lince (lynx) was a sleek shoulder-winged monoplane with all-metal fuselage. It was powered by two Piaggio P. XI RC.40 radial piston engines, delivering 1,000 horsepower. It was armed with three fixed forward-firing 12.7mm (.50) Breda-SAFAT machine guns in nose and one 7.7mm (.303) Breda-SAFAT machine-gun in rear cockpit, and could carry up to 1,000 kg of bombs in fuselage bomb bay. In 1942, three Ba.88s were modified by the Augusta plant; wing span was increased by 2.00m (6ft 6.75 in) to alleviate wing loading problems, their engines were replaced by Fiat A. 74s, nose armament was increased to four 12.7mm (.50) machine guns, and dive brakes were installed. These Breda Ba.88Ms were delivered to the 103° Gruppo Autonomo Tuffatori (independent dive-bombing group) at Lonate Pozzolo on September 7, 1943.

Specifications

In the early stages of the war, the UK and her fast diminishing European Allies were thrown almost entirely on the defensive, and such campaigns were not conducive to the use of fighter aircraft in the ground attack role, but rather in disputing enemy air superiority. Only when the Allies were ready to take the initiative, at first in isolated operations, such as at Dieppe, and later in major campaigns in North Africa and ultimately throughout Europe, did the ground attack aircraft really come into its own. All manner of specialist support tasks were undertaken, including bombing, rocket-firing, smoke-laying, tactical reconnaissance, anti-tank attack, and so on. What had euphemistically been termed the ‘army co-operation’ by the RAF for 20 years was now deemed a major strike element of the ground offensive.

The Beaufort was a mid-wing monoplane powered by two Bristol Taurus VI radial piston engines, delivering 1,130 horsepower. It had retractable landing gear and a dorsal turret that mounted a 7.7mm machine gun. Only one torpedo could be carried, but the aircraft possessed bombing and mine-laying capability. By the end of 1943, more than 2,000 Beauforts had been built in four main variants: Mk I, Mk II, Mk U, Mk V.

Specifications

The emergence of the maritime strike role after the outbreak of hostilities brought about the demand for adaptation of obsolescent aircraft (fighters, bombers and even transports) to meet the operational requirements. The parameters of the requirements themselves were so broad that no single aircraft could be considered ideal: the equation involving long-range navigation accuracy over featureless oceans, precision of attack equipment and a wide assortment of weapons which included cannon, depth charges, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. Ignoring the relatively fruitless efforts by Bristol Blenheims and Avrò Ansons in the early months, the RAF began to achieve worthwhile successes when such aircraft as the Vickers Wellington, Bristol Beaufort and Bristol Beaufighter arrived at Coastal Command, while in the Axis air forces the Dornier Do 217 and Junkers Ju 88 proved fairly effective, particularly in operations against the Allied North Cape convoys, in which the Heinkel He 111 also participated. In the Savoia-Marchetti S.M.789 the Italians also possessed an excellent torpedo bomber which was flown to good effect against British shipping in the Mediterranean.

Specifications

Seemingly an anachronism in World War II, the Swordfish remained unmatched by any other British naval aircraft in terms of battle honors. At the heart of this was the aircraft’s immense sturdiness and basic good design. Throughout the later months of the war, Swordfish were used on general attacks against German shipping in the North Sea. These were often small vessels and their light defenses proved inadequate against the tough Swordfish. Rockets were the favored weapon for these strikes. Among the memorable military engagements in which this British biplane participated was the action at Tarante on November 11, 1940, when Swordfish aircraft from HMS Illustrious severely damaged three Italian battleships; the crippling of the Bismarck in the Atlantic; and the suicidal attack on the German warships, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen during their famous escape up the English Channel in February 1942.

Production of the Swordfish was undertaken largely by Blackburn. The Swordfish Mk II version had a strengthened lower wing to allow eight rocket projectiles to be mounted; the Swordfish Mk III was fitted with ASV radar between the landing legs; and the Swordfish Mk IV (conversion of the Mk II) had a rudimentary enclosed cabin. By August 1944, a total of 2,396 Swordfish had been built.

Specifications

Carrier-borne air power reached such a peak in World War II that several battles which took place over the Pacific were fought solely with carrier-borne aircraft. Elsewhere the carriers were protecting convoys, fighting submarines and covering beach assaults. The demands made by this new form of warfare were considerable, especially upon the aircraft used and upon the young pilots who flew them. The ‘controlled crash’ of a carrier landing demanded strong nerves and a strong aircraft. If the sea itself was anything other than calm (which unfortunately it so often was), the motion of the waves would cause the deck to pitch and roll alarmingly, making landings rather tricky.

The Kawasaki Ki-100 was a single-seat, low-winged monoplane, powered by a Mitsubishi Ha-112-1114-cylinder radial piston engine, delivering 1,500 hp. The Ki-100-Ib introduced a cut-down rear fuselage over the original Ki-61 shape, which improved pilot vision. Its weapons consisted of two fuselage-mounted 12.7mm(.50) Ho-103(Type 1) machine-guns and two wing-mounted 20mm Ho-5 cannons, plus two 250-kg (551 lb) bombs. Although it was considered a reliable and maneuverable fighter, it could match the faster and sturdier American fighters, such as the Air Force P-51 Mustang or the Navy F4U Corsair.

Specifications