14 Best Fighter Planes And Jets Of All Timeranchorunner/ShutterstockBY JUSTIN OWEN/APRIL 12, 2023 3:04 PM ESTIn the 100+ years of aviation history, aircraft have evolved with great speed as both militaries and private industry produce increasingly advanced and impressive engineering. Almost from the beginning, military leaders saw the potential to use aircraft to bolster a country’s strength by augmenting ground forces with aerial weapons. That potential soon gave rise to the fighter plane. While the earliest military airplanes were only used for reconnaissance purposes, it was not long before Armies found ways to arm them with machine guns and bombs. This triggered the beginnings of aerial combat, indelibly changing war forever.
The fighter jets of the modern age are marvels of engineering and the merging of science and engineering. They have become symbols of a nation’s strength and objects of wonder to millions worldwide. Produced only in the countries with the most advanced economies and the manufacturing base capable of such advanced manufacturing, the range of fighter jets and planes is quite impressive. Bearing in mind the continuous advancements of all the craft engaged in defense and countless armed conflicts over the years, here are 14 of the best.
Grumman F6F Hellcatcpaulfell/ShutterstockWWII put on display the mechanical might of the world’s greatest militaries. The American effort contributed dozens of models of aircraft and thousands of individual units to the fight, but chief among the fighters was the Grumman F6F Hellcat.
In just 18 months, the Hellcat went from an idea to operational aircraft and was ready to enter into service by 1943. It was a carrier-based plane flown by a single pilot and propelled by a 2,000-horsepower Pratt and Whitney “Double Wasp” engine. The engine was an 18-cylinder air-cooled radial design with 45.9 liters fed by a Stromberg pressure carburetor and supercharger. It quickly became the Navy’s primary front-line fighter and saw significant battles over the Pacific. The Hellcat boasts of the destruction of 5,203 Japanese aircraft while losing only 270 of the 12,275 total Hellcats built. It was also known for being the plane to produce the most “Ace” pilots, who were the most s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed and decorated dogfighters of the war.
The Navy accounts for up to 75% of aerial victories to the Hellcat. Its maximum speed of 376 mph along with excellent aerial maneuvering ability and a pair of .50 caliber cannons made it a formidable foe and helped to ensure the defeat of fascism, authoritarianism, and tyranny. It is also fitting as the inspiration for one of the most powerful production American cars ever built, the Dodge Hellcat.
Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
Mikoyan MiG-15
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-22 Raptor
Spad XIII
F/A-18 Super Hornet
Sukhoi Su-27
Mitsubishi A6M Zero
Sources:slashgear.com
