The best combat aircraft (photo)

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

It's safe to say that every country should have combat aircraft at its disposal in case of an invasion. Land by land, sea by sea, but all this means nothing if the enemy can cross the border by air. Let's take a look at the combat aircraft of the world with you, which are the best. This technique has been around for a long time. However, a huge number of modifications, new models - all this is still there today.

General information

Quite difficult to rate military aircraft. This is due to the fact that there are promising developments or ready-made fighters and bombers, which, fortunately, have not yet been tested in combat. The main factor affecting the rating of a combat vehicle is experience. That is why almost all the models that will be presented in this article participated in the battle. Let's try to make our own rating, paying attention to the technical characteristics of the machines, as well as consider the unique aspects of each of them andweapons that allow you to intercept bombers, destroy enemy fighters, etc.

Combat aircraft of the world: TOP-10

As strange as it sounds, the world's most advanced fighter ranks last on our list. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the F-22 Raptor has no combat experience. This aircraft has repeatedly become the object of disputes between technologists. Some spoke about the relevance and effectiveness of technology, others about the unreasonably high cost ($66 billion).

Experts note that a deep modernization of the same F-15 and F-16 could give an equivalent effect, while the cost of improvement would be several times less. Nevertheless, this fighter is the only one of its kind in terms of technical characteristics. During its development, the principle "first saw - first shot" was used. However, without experience it is difficult to say something concrete, so let's go further.

German Swallow from World War II

Today, few have heard of the Messerschmitt Me.262 Schwalbe fighter. But during World War II, every Soviet and German soldier knew about this creation. Yes, yes, it is creations, because otherwise it is difficult to call this car. This is due to the fact that for 1943 it was a real breakthrough to achieve a maximum speed of 900 km / h, which, in fact, the German designers succeeded.

"Swallow" was very technologically advanced and had quite a few flaws. The aircraft was equippedfour 30mm cannons and 100 rounds of ammunition. Also on board were more than 2 dozen unguided missiles. In general, this is a proven military technique. The aircraft could be used as an interceptor, marker and blitz bomber. By the end of the war, about 1900 pieces of equipment were made, but only 300 pieces took off into the air. What did the Soviet pilots first of all pay attention to when they got such a trophy, you ask? On excellent radio communication, which gave a good advantage in battle.

Russian combat aircraft

The eighth place in our rating is occupied by the MiG-25. This is a Soviet high- altitude fighter-interceptor that has gone through a huge number of modifications. We will talk about its improvements a little later. So, it is this machine that has about 29 records on its account. The combat capabilities of this unit were never in demand, but as a scout, he showed himself on the good side.

It was the MiG-25 that opened the entire defense line of Bar-Lev during the Arab-Israeli conflict. This was achieved due to the fact that the aircraft flew at an altitude of 18-23 km at maximum speed. In this mode, the combat vehicle burned about 500 liters of fuel every minute. Note that the aircraft can accelerate to a speed of Mach 2.8, at which the skin heats up to 300 degrees Celsius. According to the pilots, even the canopy in the cockpit had a high temperature, and it was impossible to touch it with a bare hand. We can say that these are worthy combat aircraftworld, which at one time attracted a lot of attention.

British Aerospace Sea Harrier and Mitsubishi A6M

It is easy to guess from the name that this aircraft comes from Britain. He appeared back in 1967. In fact, it was the first vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Despite the fact that this is a subsonic unit, it proved to be excellent in combat. A vivid example of this is the 23 downed Argentine aircraft, while not a single Harrier was lost.

As for the Mitsubishi A6M, which occupies the 6th position, this is a real mystery. Of course, today all the secrets of this unit are already known, but at one time it was simply irreplaceable. As experts noted, the engineers managed to combine what is very difficult to combine. High flight range - 2600 km. These are impressive numbers for a carrier-based aircraft. In addition, these combat aircraft, the photos of which you can see, had excellent maneuverability and powerful weapons - and all this with a maximum curb weight of 2500 tons. All this was achieved due to the lack of armor and protectors on the fuel tanks.

Fifth place: F-16

For many years, aviation experts have been debating which is better: the F-16 or the MiG-29. So, on this occasion, you can talk endlessly, but let's just take a closer look at the American creation. The F-16, compared to the MiG-29, has a better optical view, which is the main thing during an air battle - the one who first detects the enemy,has a significant advantage.

In terms of speed and agility, the MiG-29 leads, but not significantly. A good pilot can compensate for small deviations. Although at the same time, an ace can make even a small advantage a huge plus in battle, which should not be forgotten. F-16 is famous for its weapons. There are both guided and unguided bombs, anti-radar missiles, etc. on board. At the same time, the aircraft's carrying capacity is 7.5 tons, while the MiG-29 can take off only from 2.5 tons. Such a significant difference is due to the fact that the American has one engine, and the Soviet front-line fighter has two.

Russian combat aircraft: MiG-15

This unit was in service with 40 countries around the world. Agree, this at least speaks of its effectiveness. The aircraft was developed back in 1949. Until that time, many in the West thought that Soviet designers were making bulky, heavy and obsolete fighters, but when the MiG-15 appeared, this opinion immediately disappeared. Fast, light and deadly - this is the whole MiG. It was with its appearance that the probability of a nuclear strike on the USSR completely disappeared, since the B-29 bomber could not, under any circumstances, break through the MiG barrier. In general, this is an excellent fighter that has earned recognition for a reason, but for its uniqueness.

Messerschmitt Bf.109 and MiG-21

Messerschmitt Bf.109 is perhaps the most famous fighter aircraft of World War II. And not in vain. After all, it is thisthe car was a favorite of the German aces. The fact is that the Messerschmitt Bf.109 was incredibly maneuverable, fast and deadly. German designers have developed four modifications of the aircraft. By the way, each of them was successful in its own way. So E (Emil) became the hero of the battles for England, and F (Friedrich) on June 22, 1942 broke the silence over the Soviet sky. There were also modifications of the G and K class. It was the Messerschmitt that was the most deadly.

It is impossible not to mention the 2nd generation fighter from Soviet designers. The MiG-21 had a huge potential, which was never fully revealed. As practice has shown, Soviet engineers had an erroneous opinion about weapons. The fact is that the main competitor of the MiG was the Phantom 2. The Americans relied on electronic equipment, and the USSR - on maneuverability. As practice has shown, neither one nor the other had success. The Phantom did not have cannons on board, which immediately manifested itself during the battle, and the MiG had only 2 air-to-air missiles, which turned out to be extremely small.

First place goes to…

Here we are with you and looked at almost all the best combat aircraft. There is only one left, and this is the F-15. It is this aircraft that is the best, according to many experts. For the most part, this is due simply to vast combat experience. Just imagine, 104 air battles (victories) without a single loss! It is unlikely that we are talking about luck here, rather, about the professionalism of the pilots and the perfection of the aircraft.

Impressive is the armament of the "eagle", which allows you to fire asfor air and ground targets. The US Air Force plans to put into service ste alth fighters based on the F-15 modification of the F-15SE by the end of 2015. In addition to the fact that the machine will be more inconspicuous, weapons will be slightly improved, as well as automatic navigation systems. By the way, the Americans have always paid the most attention to the safety of their crew. This applies to tanks, aircraft and ships. For example, Soviet combat aircraft and tanks were not famous for this.

Your attention was presented to the most famous combat aircraft of Russia and other countries that were included in our list. All these machines once terrified the enemy. Of course, we would like aviation to be used as rarely as possible, and military conflicts to be resolved through diplomacy. But when this fails, fighters and bombers come to the rescue, ready to take to the air at any moment.