Discovery Channel Top Tens Fighter Aircraft VS The Greatest Ever Fighters

mmc

Ini Last Yang Boleh Compare dalam series Discovery Ini...Ini list Top Tens dulu tapi tak jumpa lagi full review version

1. P51D MUSTANG

2. F15C EAGLE

3. F-4 Phantom

4. F86 Sabre

5.MIG 15

6. Spitfire

7. ME 262 "Svalan"

8. Sopwith Camel

9. Sea Harrier FA2

10. Raptor F-22

[ Last edited by  mmc at 11-7-2006 05:06 PM ]

mmc

the greatest ever list pulak

Fighter Planes
Fighter planes are the sharp-end of the world's air forces. Over time they have evolved into the most sophisticated, eye-catching killing machines ever designed by man. There's something cruel and mean and nasty about fighter planes, but they're also balletic, superb and beautiful.



Lockheed F-117

No 10. Lockheed F-117 Stealth Nighthawk.

The Nighthawk has seen action in Panama, Bosnia and Iraq. Many facts about the Stealth are still top secret, it has an unconfirmed top-speed that's close to the speed of sound and it can carry some 5,000lbs of bombs. First impressions of this intimidating jet can be misleading, even for pilots. "It has so many odd features you would not think it able to fly".

Unlike other fighters there is nothing smooth or streamlined on the Stealth, it is all radar deflecting angles. The engines for the F-117 came from the F-18 while the navigation system came from the B-52. A typical fighter has a radar cross-section of about 54 sq ft while the Stealth has less than 0.1 sq ft making almost invisible to radar.



Focker DR1 Triplane

No. 9. Focker DR1 Triplane

Perhaps the classic World War I fighter, noted for the successes chalked up by Baron Manfred von Richthofen better known as the Red Baron. Single-winged fighters were still in their infancy during World War I, biplanes were the design of choice as they could take the harsh gravitational forces of aerial combat. But if two wings were good, engineers reasoned that three should make the DR1 even better, and they were right. The extra wing allowed the plane to climb higher and to climb faster.

When the DR1 was rolled out in 1917 it wasn't just the superb wings and the top speed pf 115mph that made it an awesome fighter, it also had machine guns that fired through the propellor arc, a revolutionary World War I innovation.



Mitsubishi A6M Zero

No. 8. Mitsubishi A6M Zero

This fighter made a spectacular and infamous appearance on Dec 7th 1941 at Pearl Harbour. It was America's first real look at this lethal dogfighter, and it hurt. The Zero could outfly and outfight anything the allies had. This carrier-based plane could also fly further on a tank of fuel, some 1900 miles, than any other fighter.

Professor James DeLaurier, an aeronautical engineer, describes the Zero: "The power to weight ratio was very good, a very manoeuvrable, elegant design with excellent aerodynamics and excellent stability". No wonder the Zero was nimble and quick. The Zero had an astonishing vertical climb-rate of 4,500 feet per minute, almost double that of the competition.



Harrier Jump Jet

No. 7. Hawker Siddeley Harrier Jump Jet

It hovers like a helicopter and flies like a fighter. Squadron Leader Al Pinner says of the Harrier: "It's a trend-setter, a traditional jet fighter needs 10,000 feet to put down, the Harrier can land almost anywhere. That's got to make it one of the greatest fighters in the world." First flown in the 1960's it continues to see service to this day. During the Falklands War Harriers shot down 24 Argentinian jets without a single air-to-air loss.

The reason this plane is so successful is it's versatility. It has a decent top speed of 660mph but, more importantly, it can hover. The reason it hovers, one very powerful Rolls Royce jet engine and four rotating nozzles that can blast an amazing 22,000lbs of thrust.



F-86 Sabre

No. 6. McDonnell Douglas F-86 Sabre

The swept winged, shark-nosed F-86 Sabre was the superstar of the Korean War. It was in this war that the Sabre forged it's formidable reputation where it out-flew and out-fought the comparable MIG 15 on an almost daily basis and earned the nickname "Ace Maker". The Sabre has a top speed of 688mph

It's sleek design and swept back wings gave rise to the rumour that the F-86 was the first aircraft to go supersonic, earlier than Chuck Jaeger. This was backed up by ex-pilot General Boots Blesse who remembers the plane achieving these speeds but only in a full-power dive.



Messerschmitt ME 109

No. 5. Messerschmitt ME 109

The allied nemesis and the pride of the German Luftwaffe, the Messerschmitt ME 109. Tom Clancy describes it as "A good gun platform, it could perform well, turn well and climb well". The ME-109 saw action from The Battle of Britain to the Russian Front, from North Africa to Norway.

The 109's top speed of 347mph was close to that of the Spitfire, but for many allied pilots, having a 109 on their tail was a potential death warrant. Lloyd Berryman, an ex Spitfire pilot remembers: "The 109 had a great respect, but by the same token anything with black crosses on it had our respect and certainly this was an excellent fighter aircraft".



F-18 Super Hornet

No. 4. McDonnell Douglas F-18 Super Hornet

If Darwin had a favourite aircraft it would be the evolutionary and revolutionary F-18 Super Hornet. It is probably the leading conventional fighter of the modern era. Some planes are fast, this fighter is ballistic. It's two after-burning jet engines give it a top speed of 1.8 mach or almost 1200mph. The F-18 has been in combat for over 25 years, armed with a 20mm cannon, bombs and missiles the Hornet has proved itself during both Gulf wars and Afghanistan and Bosnia.

During operation Desert Storm the F-18 flew some 5,000 strikes against the Iraqis losing only two jets to enemy fire.



MIG 21

No. 3. MIG 21

The MIG 21 is described as a rocket ship, it first appeared in the late 1950's. Named after it's inventor Mikoyan Gurevich the MIG 21 is, today, the most produced jet fighter in the world. A staggering 10,000+ Mig 21's serving in over 40 countries. During the cold war and over Vietnam the MIG 21, NATO codenamed Fishbed, was the jet to watch out for.

The MIG 21 is capable of a searing 2.3 mach or 1,400mph. Besides being fast the MIG was also resilient and typically Russian. Tom Clancy points out: "By American standards, it was crudely built and the pieces don't fit together very well". It's small wing span limited it's mobility in dogfighting and it had a limited range.



Spitfire

No. 2. Supermarine Spitfire

The Battle of Britain starlet. Flying the Spitfire has been described as dancing with the most beautiful girl at the ball. A perfect combination of form and function. A champion pf the air-to-air duel, the Spitfire helped turn the tide during the Battle of Britain in 1940. Armed with 8 machine guns it knocked Luftwaffe fighters and bombers from the skies.

The Spifire's performance and aerial supremacy is all down to it's wings, these elliptical or oval shaped wings made this fighter instantly recognisable from below and deadly from above. The reason behind the beautiful wing design: room for the guns. It also produced a very efficient wing that allowed this fighter to turn on a dime.



P-51 Mustang

No. 1. P-51 Mustang

The Mustang had a blistering top speed of 445mph over 50mph faster than the ME 109. No other fighter could touch it's ability to go the distance, 1500 miles - the Spitfire MKIV was lucky to make 500 miles. The Mustang accounted for nearly 5,000 air kills and created over 280 fighter aces.

The Mustang made it's name escorting bombers deep into Germany. Hermann Goering is reported as saying upon seeing the Mustang "He knew then, that the war was lost". So what gave the Mustang it's advantage? It's wing design is what resulted in it's unequal speed, manoeuvrability and range. Originally fitted with the Allison engine it really came good when later fitted with the Merlin unit.

P-51 Mustang! The Greatest Ever Fighter!

alphawolf

Sebut pasal Dreidecker ni...Dr1 bukan fighter pertama yang ada tiga set sayap...that honor goes to Sopwith Triplane. In fact, Dr1 dibuat sebagai direct response kepada Sopwith tadi. Interrupter gear yang membolehkan MG ditembak tanpa mengenai kipas dah dipasang terlebih dahulu pada Fokker E.1

Anyway kalau aku jadi panel geratest ever ni, aku tendang Bf 109 dan masukkan Fw 190.

mmc

yes focke wolf!...tak glamor fasal jarang cross the puddle tapi bila allies cross the puddle, diaorang paling takut menate ni

ko remember tak model junkers ke stuka yang politically lost out to BF109 waktu fighter selection walaupun the lufwaffe test pilots rated it much better..

alphawolf

Originally posted by mmc at 11-7-2006 16:32
yes focke wolf!...tak glamor fasal jarang cross the puddle tapi bila allies cross the puddle, diaorang paling takut menate ni

ko remember tak model junkers ke stuka yang politically lost out  ...

Heinkel..Heinkel He 100. Heinkel somehow tak digemari top brass Luftwaffe

mmc

just goes to show..zaman tu pun dah ada syt jerung perkasa...anyway this was just one of the tactical mistakes yang hitler made that contributed to his strategic defeat since Bf109 went on to become a notorius pilot killer

RainbowSix

I couldnt believe the Greatest Ever listed the F/A-18 as a top four. The Superhornet is new, but untested fully as those of the F-15 and F-16. The older Hornet didnt have such an impressive record in A2A and was used so profoundly for ground pounding. Its ridiculous. The show was so skewed and bias to another segment of military analysts. I think Boeing paid Discovery Channel to promote the plane for overseas sales!

Furthermore, the DR-1 triplane. It only served in the 1st World War! It gained fame because of the Red Baron, thats all. And this plane is categorized as one of the greatest! Nonsense European rubbish.

alphawolf

The Dr1 is actually an average fighter aircraft. It was the skills of the pilots such as the Red Baron and Werner Voss that makes it so dangerous to the enemy. Heck, even Anthony Fokker expresses surprise when he was told that pilots like the DR1!

alien7749

most of the judge are british. So, the quote is quite biased. See the best fighter planes. The spitfire is put very high because it is the most beautiful fighter. Man, like looks can kill. One of the judge is Bruce Dickinson, ex-Iron Maiden rock singer.

mentosonline

Well, I agree to Spitfire being very high. It was one of the best fighters at the start of world war 2 and remained that way throughout the war, no mean feat that is. And it is really beautiful... I'd rather have a Spitfire than a Cessna. Assuming I have enough money. Assuming I get a flying license.

alien7749

Spitfire do not even has the range to cross the channel. So they have to wait the enemy to come to fight it. And at that time, the spitfire is the latest british fighter.

I would like to have the F4U Baa Baa Black Sheep.

alphawolf

Are you sure? So, how would the RAF mount Rhubarb and Circus fighter sweeps in Northern France?

As for BoB, I believe it's better to fight over your own turf.

mentosonline

Not so sure about Spitfire's range, but at the Battle of Britain, there simply was no point crossing the channel because the Brits were getting 'blitzed'. Besides, by early 1945, Spitfires would have been based at France if Spitfire's range is really that short.

RainbowSix

I think perhaps because Spitfires did not escort bombers to Berlin. They're short legged.

mentosonline

Maybe. But by 1945 the Luftwaffe was so restricted Mustangs and the new jets were enough.

alien7749

When they designed the spitfire, they never envisaged the invasion from the German and the range is only about 1000miles, depending on the version. Thus, the air raid to Germany by the Lancaster is without fighter escort, resulting the lost half of the lancaster air crews. The arrival of the Mustang changed everything.

alphawolf

Wo...this is wayy off topic! Anyway the Spits do have 'short' legs. Their range is only enough to cover distances to the german border only, hence they are not really useful escort fighters. This causes the RAF to resort to night bombing missions. Whilst the Americans who believe in self-protection of the combat boxes continue to fly in daylight. With heavy losses, until the Mustangs arrive in-theatre.