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Typhoon Mk-1

Brief biography: Typhoon was created in 1940 by a British company Gloster Aircraft Company.This single-engined fighter, one of the largest at the time, was equipped with a powerful motor and four 20-mm cannon.

Great expectations: Typhoon was created for the “Battle of Britain” as a means of combating Nazi bombers, filled bombs British cities and industrial centers. Common sense suggests that a combination of high capacity and well-armed Typhoon should make a powerful weapon against the Luftwaffe.

The stark reality: The first surprise was that the bomber aircraft coped surprisingly bad. It was so heavy that while he gained altitude and speed, the Germans had had time bombed. The cause was a side effect of good armament. British Typhoon moved into the category of storm troopers. On the plane we made holders for bombs, pylons for rockets, put additional armor and sent to attack German columns and vessels. Seemed career Typhoon in a new capacity should be held successfully, but then discovered a surprising fact: weighted plane got a bad habit during sharp maneuvers to discard the tail like a lizard. Only unlike lizards plane could not grow a tail. Airplane finalized, the tail is enhanced and Typhoon began their battle path. But – many times! - Revealed yet another unpleasant feature of the Typhoon: he was too much like a Stuka – German dive bomber Ju-87, so the anti-aircraft gunners and fighter allies sometimes confused.This made the profession of pilot Typhoon extremely unpopular. And those who flew on it and survived, were quick to forget him after the war as a terrible dream.

Life lesson: Positioning the aircraft is important. Appearance – too!

Messerschmitt Bf-110

Curriculum vitae: Heavy two-engined fighter, manufactured by Messerschmitt, equipped with a whole battery of cannon and machine guns, in 1938 he was the most secretive flight to Germany, and a potential favorite Reich Marshal Goering. The car liked and other Parteigenosse, for example, Goebbels, who made a Bf-110 one of the main characters of the legend of invincibility of the Luftwaffe.

Great expectations: In the design stage Bf-110 was Schnellebomber – «fast bomber. But already strategic born fighter that became a new word in the distribution of aircraft parts. According to the plan must be accompanied by a strategic fighter bombers as a strategic and protect them at great distances from enemy fighters. By the beginning of the war was made a park Bf-110.

level reality: Even during the Polish company plane plunged generals and engineers in some reverie, as he was repeatedly the victim of antediluvian Polish etazherok. And, although the planes from the Poles quickly ended, the precipitate remained. Bf-110 finalized and thrown into a “battle for Britain”. Daily reporting of the dozens of pilots shot down by British machine, and soon the German High Command believed that the enemy aircraft almost no … But Luftwaffe continued to suffer losses, not only from anti-aircraft fire … The investigation revealed that the German aces were engaged in the usual postscripts, while brisk English fighter butchered heavy and unwieldy Bf-110. It came to that for strategic fighter escorts became detach other fighters – lighter and more mobile Bf-109. But then, recollecting himself, subordinate Goering began to invent Bf-110 with new challenges.

The car tried as a light bomber, reconnaissance, attack aircraft, but in any role he does not take root because it was not enough altitude, maneuver and secure. In the end, it was possible to adapt a certain amount of rental under the night-fighter, but by 1944 the Allied bombers began to fly over Germany and in the afternoon, seeking the remains of the German Air Force – including the recent Bf-110 – right on the ground.

Life lesson: “Interspecific crossing gives the results, but most of the country.

Martin B-26 Marauder

Brief biography: The plane was designed before the Second World War the firm Glenn L. Martin Company. Highest level of design and production forced the U.S. military believe the company, as themselves. No wonder that when Martin suggested that the American generals speed bomber medium-range, they immediately happy podmahnuli contract. Moreover, the car had adopted early in the design – an unprecedented event!

Great expectations: Martin has created a plane with streamlined contours, the two most powerful at that time, Pratt & Whitney engines and good avionics. To bomber flew as quickly as possible, it set a minimum machine guns, and most importantly – his wings have very narrow and thin. In tests the new machine gives speed over 500 km / h – more than most fighters of the time ..

The stark reality: The first battle showed that the B-26 is unable to escape even from relatively not quick Japanese fighters, not to mention Europe. Therefore, the car had to install extra machine guns, which increased the weight of the aircraft and, accordingly, reduced his speed.But it’s so bad! B-26 often broke during takeoff and landing. Reason had narrow wings, which increases not only speed, but the landing speed … if the first was good, the second sharply increased demand for the skill of piloting bomber. Beginning pilots – whom the war became more and more – all too often could not cope with the management. In addition, a B-26 were very weak landing gear, which can easily break under too much with a sharp blow on the runway …

Managed by experienced pilots of the aircraft behaved well, was reliable and tenacious. But his reputation – and the plane was nicknamed “factory of widows” – nothing could save him. Once the fighting ended, all the Marauder, not even of finite resources, sent under the knife.

Life lesson: What is created for professionals, is ineffective in the hands of beginners.

Yak-38

Brief biography: born by the Yakovlev Design Bureau in 1981. By the time the British fashioned quite successful aircraft vertical takeoff and landing Harrier, Land of the Soviets had to somehow respond to this blatant challenge to Western military. The more that just been built the first Soviet aircraft carrier (again, in response to the North Atlantic ships of this class), and equip them was nothing, but rather the helicopters, which can not solve all the combat missions at sea.

Great expectations: The Yak-38 had hoped to not only the Navy, and Army. The latter implies that the light attack aircraft will take off from the combat formations of infantry. For example, as part of military convoys moving vehicle to which the trailer hooked to the Yak-38. If necessary, trailer stops, the plane takes off, causing the bomb attack, stroke, and returned to the column continues its way.

The harsh reality: Despite the fact that Soviet engineers have embodied the idea, already implemented in the West, this time successful “adaptation” to the realities of Russia failed.Unlike the Harrier, who has worked as both an engine for a vertical takeoff and horizontal flight, the Soviet machine was equipped with three engines, one of which was the main (providing actual flight), and two subsidiary were involved in the case of vertical take-off or the samelanding. More engines – more weight of the aircraft, therefore, the car requires more fuel and it can carry less armament.

Yak-38 could take a couple of dozen bombs or unguided rockets, and flying with only 250 kilometers.

But low effectiveness was not the worst of its weakness. Worse was the extreme capriciousness of the machine during takeoff and landing. To avoid an unnatural loss of personnel, the Yak-38 set a system of forced ejection in case of technical problems or equipment. But the system worked … the box. For example, during one of the tests under a vertical take-off at a height of 70 meters Automatic catapulted the pilot, after which the aircraft continued its flight alone, and after the establishment of fuel landed safely on the collective field.Yak-38 quickly became the leader of the Soviet Air Force in the number of accidents, although the victims, due to ejection, was not so much. And soon came to light helicopter Ka-29 – rugged and heavily armored machine. Compared with weakly armed Yak-38, the helicopter was a real flying fortress, and besides had almost twice the radius of action. Practicality prevailed over ambition and the production of Yak-38 closed down.

Life lesson: A copy is almost always worse than the original.

Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk

Brief biography: Born on the efforts of Lockheed in 1981. Almost five years flew only at night, because the degree of secrecy was extraordinary. In 1982, the aircraft have adopted an equally secret tactical formations 4450, and in 1986 he himself declassified, crashed during a test flight.

Great expectations: Do you know why the missiles were far more popular among the military aircraft? Just after the bomber are recorded by air defense, the remaining time is just enough for the crew ejection. Technology Stealth, which caused F-117A, is extremely difficult to detect the radar. Being invisible to radar, the plane was supposed to penetrate the enemy positions, destroying radar, command posts and anti-aircraft guns. Then the usual bombers over enemy territory to feel like home.

But the hull shape, complicating radiation reflected radar, and cover with several layers of devious colors, and absorbing radiation, did not help aerodynamics …

But the hull shape, complicating radiation reflected radar, and cover with several layers of devious colors, and absorbing radiation, did not help aerodynamics …

after the accidental declassification aircraft quickly became the star fighters and magazine covers: custom exterior car Pentagon decided to use the chance to intimidate potential enemies. Almost every American movie about the war “appeared silhouette Nighthawk. As a result, F-117A has amassed quite a reputation nesbivaemogo aircraft, which lasted until the operation in Yugoslavia, when the Belgrade Serbs shot down Nighthawk and showed the wreckage around the world.

The Americans at first quick to say that the Stealth fell and because of engine failure … and then admitted that the plane was shot down, but a victory attributed to the latest anti-aircraft missile system S-300, which Russia ostensibly put Yugoslavia in sanctions-busting. The reality was sadly: “piled» F-117 old anti-aircraft missile system S-125, manufactured back in the fifties.The scandal was epic: a program for Stealth, which invested billions of dollars, have been unable to mask the aircraft from the radar, issued during the Soviet period. Therefore, 22 April 2006 the last copies of the Nighthawk flew the last flight and went to the museum.