1. WAR MACHINES 57
SPAD S.XII
The first military aircraft were used for
surveillance purposes, scouting behind enemy
lines to gather information. When these scout
planes’ pilots began carrying pistols, rifles,
grenades, and even bricks as weapons in 1914,
the fighter plane was born.
What differentiates a fighter plane:
1 Smaller size than its bomber or transport
counterparts
2 A limit of two passengers
3 A higher thrust-to-weight ratio than other
aircraft
4 Onboard weapons
The French company Societe Anonyme Pour
l’Aviation et ses Derives, known as SPAD, was
one of the first makers of military aircraft
during the First World War. Throughout
dogfighting’s infant stages, bombs were
dropped over the sides of planes designed
for commercial purposes. By 1916, however,
SPAD had upgraded their S.VII model to
include a mounted cannon and increased
maneuverability, creating the first fighter plane,
the S.XII. It debuted on the battlefield in 1917,
when Capitaine Georges Guynemer piloted his
S.XII up to 23,000 feet.
FOKKER E.I
Aircraft innovation from both the Allied
and Central powers spiked dramatically
during World War I. The synchronization
gear—which allowed for a machine gun
to fire between the rotations of a plane’s
propeller—was invented by Anthony Fokker’s
firm in Germany in 1915. By the end of WWI,
the evolution of military aircraft had forked
into fighters and bombers. Dogfighting
became commonplace but was regarded by
officers as unimportant to the war effort.
GRUMMAN F4F WILDCAT
A single-seat, mid-wing
monoplane, the Wildcat was the
U.S. Navy’s primary fighter of the
early 1940s. Its Pratt Whitney
Twin Wasp engine made it the most
successful foil to the infamous
Japanese Mitsubishi Zero. One of
the most important innovations
of the Wildcat, however, was the
introduction of folding wings, which
allowed more of the aircraft to fit
aboard Navy carriers.
True Classic P-51MUSTANGConsidered by many to represent the high point of the development of
piston-engined fighters, the Mustang is the most iconic American aircraft
of World War II. With an extensive range that made it perfect for escorting
U.S. bombers deep behind enemy lines and an ability to perform well at all
altitudes, the Mustang was instrumental in the final years of the war.
MESSERSCHMITT BF 109
The standard fighter aircraft of the
Luftwaffe during the Second World War,
the Bf 109 was the aerial linchpin in the
Nazis’ Blitzkrieg strategy. Debuting in
1935 and utilizing a relatively simple,
single-passenger design, the Bf 109 was
able to set a new world speed record
of 380 mph. The plane first saw service
in the Spanish Civil War—during which
Hitler’s Germany sent weapons and
troops to fellow fascists under General
Franco—and was used by the Germans
throughout World War II.
THEFIGHTER
PLANEOVERTHEIRCENTURYINWARFARE,FIGHTERPLANES
EVOLVEDFROMANOVELTYTOANECESSITY.ByB.D.Smith
T H R O U G H T H E A G E S
BREWSTER F2A BUFFALO
After WWI, rotary engines were replaced by radial
and in-line engines to increase horsepower and
fuel efficiency. Bigger planes with twin engines and
larger fuselages were designed for longer bombing
missions. At the same time, single-engine planes
became sleeker and faster, and weapons were
moved away from the propeller toward the wings.
Biplanes were replaced by monoplanes like the
Brewster F2A Buffalo—the U.S. Navy’s first single-
wing aircraft, designed in 1935.
WWI
WWII
SOPWITHCAMEL
Perhaps the best-remembered Allied fighter plane of the First World
War, the British Sopwith Camel had impeccable maneuverability
unmatched by any enemy plane. It did, however, demand great skill on
the part of the pilot. The Camel, according to a dark joke amongst British
airmen, meant one of three things for its daring pilots: a wooden cross,
a Red Cross, or a Victoria Cross.
AIR
MITSUBISHI A62M
Designed for breakneck
speed and uncompromising
maneuverability, the A62M—
better known as the Zero—was
the Japanese Navy’s first
monoplane fighter. Small,
quick and deadly, the Zero later
became infamous as the vehicle
in which kamikaze pilots took
their dives, turning the fighter
planes into guided bombs.
Clockwisefrombottomright:U.S.AirForce;PublicDomain(3)
Clockwisefromtop:NASA;U.S.Navy;U.S.AirForce(2);D.Miller
56 WAR MACHINES

2. WAR MACHINES 59
SUKHOI SU-27SKM
As the Soviet Union
collapsed, military
information was kept under
a heavy veil of secrecy.
By the 1990 Paris Air Show,
however, Russia was
sufficiently open to the
West for a demonstration
of its Su-27SKM jet, by then
almost 5 years old. The
introduction of the plane
to Western military experts
was a shocking one. No
new NATO plane could
come close to the level of
maneuverability achieved a
generation earlier by their
Soviet adversaries.
NORTHAMERICAN F-86D SABRE
Combining American and German developments to create the
quintessential Western fighter jet of the Cold War, the F-86D Sabre is
known as the most important American fighter plane of the postwar
generation. Some of the most intense fighting of the Korean War took
place between F-86D Sabres and Chinese MiG-15s over what became
known as MiG Alley.
GRUMMAN F9F PANTHER
Deployed as a fighter/bomber during the Korean War, the F9F Panther
was the first turbojet aircraft built by Grumman for the U.S. military.
The first air victory of the Korean War was achieved when a Panther
piloted by Ensign E. W. Brown shot down an enemy Yak-9 aircraft near
Pyongyang. Later generations of the Panther were dubbed Cougars
because of their increased speed and engine capacity.
MIG-15
Together with the F-86D Sabre, the Soviet-made MiG-15 jets represented
a giant leap forward in fighter jet technology. When the plane was
unveiled on May 1, 1949, in Moscow, it was an unsettling announcement
for governments across the West. None had expected such immediate
progress from the Soviet Union, which had just been decimated during
World War II.
GRUMMAN F-14 TOMCAT
When it was introduced in the mid-1970s, the F-14 Tomcat was the
pinnacle of carrier-borne, multipurpose aircraft—a two-seat “swing
wing” aircraft, because its wing can be used for low or high speed. The
final version of the Tomcat, the F-14D, was removed from service in
September 2006, but its acceleration, dogfighting prowess, and heavy
armaments made it the most iconic American fighter of the Cold War.
The newest American fighter jet will make its debut in the field in 2015—the F-35A
Lightning II. The plane will eventually be used in combat situations by the U.S. Navy,
Marines, and Air Force, as well as the U.K.’s Royal Air Force. Designed to perform ground
attacks, reconnaissance, and air defense missions with almost complete stealth, it has
a touch screen in the cockpit to put more information than ever at pilots’ fingertips.
LOCKHEED F-35A LIGHTNINGII
FIGHTERPLANE
TOPSPEEDS
F-14D TOMCAT 1,544MPH
F-35A LIGHTNINGII 1,300MPH
MIG-15 668MPH
fighter jet combat data
F-16 FIGHTING FALCON
The Falcon is the first mass-produced fighter jet in which steering is controlled entirely by electronics. It was
conceived at the end of the 1970s as a relatively low-cost, compact jet that could keep American pilots as safe as
possible while still delivering a speedy, stealthy punch to the enemy. During the course of its working life, now well
into its fourth decade, the Falcon has proven itself to be one of the most useful aircraft in the American arsenal.
Modern Miracle
Mid-Century Muscle
WORKHORSE
KOREATOCOLDWAR
MODERNERA
1
2
3
4
2
1
3
4
Number of years—the longest of any fighter—the
F-86D Sabre was in continuous use, from 1949–94
58 WAR MACHINES
Clockwisefrombottomright:Lockheed/U.S.AirForce;MasterSgt.JohnR.Nimmo/U.S.
AirForce;DmitriyPichugin;StaffSgt.CherieA.Thurlby/U.S.AirForce
Fromtop:U.S.AirForce;U.S.Navy;AleksandrMarkin;Tech.Sgt.RobTabor/U.S.AirForce