Official Information of American Fighters by the Site Owner
American Fighters
P51 Mustang
The North American P-51 Mustang was a long-range single-seat fighter aircraft that entered service with Allied air forces in the middle years of World War II and became one of the conflict's most successful and recognizable aircraft.The P-51 flew most of its missions as a bomber escort in raids over Germany, and helped ensure Allied air superiority after 1944. It also saw service against Japanese air forces in the Pacific War.The definitive version of the single-seat fighter was powered by a single two-stage supercharged V-12 Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and armed with six .50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2 machine guns.Rolls-Royce rapidly realized that re-engining the Mustang with a Merlin 61 would result in a phenomenal improvement in performance.It had a maximum speed of 437mph
P-38 Lightening
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was one of the most important American fighters of the Second World War. Although its operational record was somewhat mixed, in general the P-38 was a fast, powerful and capable aircraft that performed well in a wide range of roles.The aircraft had twin booms with the engines mounted forward, and a single, central nacelle containing the pilot and armament. The engine sounds were a unique, rather quiet "whuffle," because the exhausts were muffled by the turbochargers of the twin Allison V12s. The canopy could not be opened without severe buffeting, so pilots were often too hot in the tropics. In northern Europe, the distance of the engines from the cockpit prevented effective heating of the cockpit. Thus it was always either too hot or too cold. However, late variants of the P-38 received modifications that removed this problem, giving the pilot full control of the powerful aircraft.It had a top speed of 360 mph.It was armed with 1x Hispano M2(C) 20 mm cannon with 150 rounds and 4x Colt-Browning MG53-2 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns with 500 rounds per gun
4x M10 three-tube 4.5 in (112 mm) rocket launchers or:
10x 5 in (127 mm) HVAR's (High Velocity Aircraft Rocket) and/or:
either 2x 2,000 lb (908 kg) or 2x 1,000 lb (454 kg), 4x 500 lb (227 kg) or 4x 250 lb (114 kg) bombs
Curtis P-40
The Curtiss P-40 was a U.S. single-engine, single-seat, low-wing, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft which first flew in 1938, and was used in great numbers in World War II. When production ceased in November 1944, 13,738 P-40s had been produced; they were used by the air forces of 28 nations.Warhawk was the name the US Army Air Corps (USAAC; known later in the war as the US Army Air Forces) adopted for all models, making it the official name in the US for all P-40s. British Commonwealth air forces gave the name Tomahawk to models equivalent to the P-40B and P-40C, and the name Kittyhawk to models equivalent to the P-40E and all later versions.It was armed with
6x .50 cal (12.7 mm) Browning M2 machine guns, 281 rounds/gun
Up to 1,500 lb (680 kg) of bombs on three hardpoints
Republic Thunderbolt
The USAAF refused to give Republic any money for the development of the new XP-47B, so Republic paid for the construction of the first mock up, reusing the cockpit area of the P-43. By the time the prototype was ready for testing it weighted over 12,550 lb., 900 lb. over the Army's limit for the new fighter design, and far more than any single engine fighter ever developed. It also could carry only 298 gallons of fuel, 17 gallons less than the requirement, but the Army was generally pleased with its performance, achieving speeds of 412 mph at 25,800 ft, and overlooked these issues.
The U.S. entry into the war in December, 1941 rapidly increased the need for the XP-47B, and work on the plane progressed quickly. In June, 1942 the Army took delivery of its first P-47B's. They soon placed an order that required Republic Aviation to quadruple the size of their factory, and build three new runways at the Farmingdale, New York factory. Eventually this proved inadequate, and in November, 1942 the Army authorized the construction of a new factory adjacent to the Evansville, Indiana airport.
Throughout the war the P-47 would undergo constant development. A bubble canopy was added to increase backward visiability. The final version of the P-47 would be the P-47N. A long range version with longer wings, and fuselague, and an increased fuel capacity. The P-47N was designed to escort B-29's on long missions to Japan for a planned invasion of the Japanese homeland that never came. Production of all versions ended in November, 1945. By then 15,660 P-47's had been built, making it the most produced U.S. fighter of the war. 1,816 would be the long range P-47N model. This model would continue to serve with Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units until the mid 1950's.It was armed with
8x 0.5 in (12.7 mm) Browning M2 machine guns
Up to 2,000 lb (907 kg) of bombs
10x 5 in (127 mm) unguided rockets
Grummen Hellcat
The Grumman F6F Hellcat started development as an improved F4F Wildcat, but turned into a completely new design sharing a family resemblance to the Wildcat but with no shared parts. The Hellcat and the Vought F4U Corsair were the primary United States Navy carrier fighters in the second half of World War II.
The Hellcat was also used by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm where it was initially known as the "Gannet" (continuing the British tradition of alliterative aircraft names such as Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane and even the unfortunate Brewster Buffalo and Short Seamew) However, this name was discontinued in early 1944 and the Hellcat name used instead. After the conclusion of the Second World War, the Hellcat was found to be the most successful aircraft in naval history, destroying 5,163 aircraft with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, plus 52 with the Fleet Air Arm. The aircraft was then rapidly phased out of combat service, finally retiring as a night-fighter in composite squadrons in 1954, at least with U.S. fleets.It was armed with
6× .50 cal (12.7 mm) Browning M2 machine guns (400 rpg); or, in some aircraft:
2× 20 mm cannon (minimum rpg of 220) and
4× .50 cal (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns (400 rpg)
3× 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs, or
6× 5 in. (127 mm) HVARs, or
2× Tiny Tim unguided rockets
Brewster Buffalo
The Brewster Buffalo, or Brewster F2A, was a U.S. fighter plane which saw extensive service with both Allied and Axis air forces during World War II. In spite of an undeserved reputation for poor performance, it was relatively successful in air combat. The F2A was the first monoplane fighter aircraft used by the United States Navy. Brewster fighters saw their longest and most intensive service with the Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force), during 1940-48.It was armed with
1 x 0.30 cal (7.62 mm) machine gun + 1 x 0.50 cal (12.7 mm) machine gun in the fuselage plus optional 2 x 0.50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns in the wings. In Finnish service: 4 x 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns.
Please Post if i have missed any USA fighters out
skipperjjt
just a couple that spring to mind P39 Airacobra,F4 Grumman Wildcat,Vought Corsair do you want people to add the imfo for you or do you want to research yourself?
luke481
P-39 Airacobra!
The Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service at the start of World War II. Although its mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the lack of an efficient turbo-supercharger, limiting it to low-altitude work, although the type was used with great success by the Soviet Air Force. Together with the derivative P-63 Kingcobra, these aircraft would be the most successful mass-produced, fixed-wing aircraft manufactured by Bell.
It was used by
United States Army Air Force
Soviet Air Force
Royal Air Force
General characteristics
Crew: One
Length: 30 ft 2 in (9.2 m)
Wingspan: 34 ft 0 in (10.4 m)
Height: 12 ft 5 in (3.8 m)
Wing area: 213 ft² (19.8 m²)
Empty weight: 5,347 lb (2,425 kg)
Loaded weight: 7,379 lb (3,347 kg)
Max takeoff weight: lb (kg)
Powerplant: 1× Allison V-1710-85 liquid-cooled V-12, 1,200 hp (895 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 376 mph; (605 km/h; Redline dive speed=525 mph.)
Range: 1,098 miles (1,770 km)
Service ceiling: 35,000 ft (10,700 m)
Rate of climb: 3,750 ft/min (19 m/s; 15,000'/ 4.5 min @ 160 mph.)
Wing loading: 34.6 lb/ft² (169 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.16 hp/lb (0.27 kW/kg)
Armament
1x 37 mm M4 cannon firing through the propeller hub at the rate of 140 rpm with 30 rounds of HE ammo.
4 x .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns. Rate of fire was 750 rpm x 1 gun in each wing, only 300 rpm each x 2 guns synchronized in the cowl. Ammo: 200 rounds per nose-gun, 300 per wing-pod.
Up to 500 lb (230 kg) of bombs externally
luke481
The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter that began service with both the United States Navy and the Fleet Air Arm in 1940. Although first used in combat by the British in Europe, the Wildcat would become the primary carrier fighter for the first year and a half of the United States Navy's involvement in World War II in the Pacific Theater. The FM Wildcat, an improved version built by General Motors, remained in service throughout the remainder of the war on escort carriers, where larger and heavier fighters could not be used.
It was used by
United States Navy
United States Marine Air Corps
Fleet Air Arm!
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 28 ft 9 in (8.8 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft 0 in (11.6 m)
Height: 9 ft 2.5 in (2.8 m)
Wing area: 260 ft² (24.2 m²)
Empty weight: 5,760 lb (2,610 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 7,950 lb (3,610 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-1830-86 double-row radial engine, 1,200 hp (900 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 320 mph (290 knots, 515 km/h)
Range: 770 mi (670 nm, 1,240 km)
Service ceiling: 39,500 ft (12,000 m)
Rate of climb: 1,950 ft/min (9.9 m/s)
Armament
Guns: 6× 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns, 240 rounds/gun
Bombs: 2× 100 lb (45 kg) bombs
luke481
F4U Corsair
The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was an American fighter aircraft that saw service in World War II and the Korean War (and in isolated local conflicts). Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and Brewster-built aircraft F3A. The Corsair served in some air forces until the 1960s, following the longest production run of any piston-engined fighter in history (1940 - 1953). During World War II, it was the fighter the Japanese feared the most. The US Navy counted the average kill-rate as for every F4U shot down, 11 enemy aircraft were shot down.[2] It had a turbocharged engine, which made a whistling sound when it was in the air. The Japanese nicknamed it "Whistling Death
Iyt was used by
US Navy
US Marine Air Corps
Fleet Air Arm
RNZAF
Aeronavale
General characteristics
Crew: 1 pilot
Length: 33 ft 4 in (10.1 m)
Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.5 m)
Height: 16 ft 1 in (4.90 m)
Wing area: 314 ft² (29.17 m²)
Empty weight: 8,982 lb (4,073 kg)
Loaded weight: 14,000 lb (6,300 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-8 radial engine, 2,000 hp (1,500 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 417 mph (362 knots, 671 km/h)
Range: 1,015 mi (882 nm, 1,634 km)
Service ceiling: 36,900 ft (11,200 m)
Rate of climb: 2,890 ft/min (14.7 m/s)
Armament
Guns:
4× 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns, 400 rounds per gun
2× 0.50 in Browning M2 machine guns, 375 rounds per gun
Rockets: 4× 5 in (12.7 cm) High Velocity Aircraft Rockets and/or
Bombs: 2,000 lb (910 kg)
General characteristics
Crew: 1 pilot
Length: 33 ft 8 in (10.2 m)
Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.5 m)
Height: 14 ft 9 in (4.50 m)
Empty weight: 9,205 lb (4,174 kg)
Loaded weight: 14,669 lb (6,653 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W radial engine, 2,100 hp (1,565 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 446 mph (388 knots, 718 km/h)
Range: 1,005 mi (873 nm, 1,618 km)
Service ceiling: 41,500 ft (12,649 m)
Rate of climb: 3,870 ft/min (19.7 m/s)
Armament
Guns:
6× 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns, 400 rounds per gun or
4× 20mm AN/M2 cannons
Rockets: 8× 5 in (12.7 cm) High Velocity Aircraft Rockets and/or
Bombs: 4,000 lb (1820 kg)
