Aerospatiale SA 313 / SA 318 Alouette II
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Aerospatiale SA 316 / SA 319 Alouette III
The Aérospatiale Alouette III, is French for Skylark having a single-engine and to be used as a light utility helicopter and was developed by Sud Aviation and manufactured by Aérospatiale of France. The first version of the A...

Aerospatiale SA 321 Super Frelon (Super Hornet)
The SA 321 Super Frelon is a French-produced multirole helicopter falling under the Aerospatiale brand. The mammoth design became the largest production helicopter designed and built in Europe in any number when it went into ...

Avro Anson
The Avro Anson was a militarized version of the commercial passenger transport Avro 652. The Anson itself was produced to fulfill Specification 18/35 brought about by the British Air Ministry and originally intended for use a...

Bell 206 JetRanger
The Bell 206 was derived from the unsuccessful OH-4 bid by the Bell company to fulfill a US Army need for a light-weight, turbine-powered, four-seat observation helicopter in 1960. It would not be until 1967 when delays in th...

Bell AH-1 HueyCobra / Cobra (Bell 209)
Based on the private venture Bell 209 helicopter, the AH-1 Cobra series of helicopters is many a military's primary light attack helicopter. As early as the 1950's Bell corporation was experimenting with armed versions in the...

Bell UH-1 Iroquois (Huey)
The UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" became an important part of American military actions beginning in 1960 and expanding throughout the latter part of the Cold War years. The ubiquitous system became synonymous with the American effort...

Boeing / McDonnell Douglas / Hughes AH-64 Apache / Apache Longbow
Originally a Hughes-based design, the YAH-64 faced off against a Bell YAH-63 system in the United States Army's search for an advanced attack helicopter. The system was to field the latest in technology, maneuverability and b...

Boeing 707
The 707 model series for The Boeing Company proved to be the catalyst for their commercial market successes to come. The 707 introduced a model design that was initially conceived of as a private venture, targeting both milit...

Boeing 737 (series)
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Boeing VC-137 Stratoliner
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Bristol Beaufighter
Serving until the 1960s with the Royal Air Force, the Bristol Beaufighter (or simply "Beau") became a national hero through her service in the Battle of Britain, World War Two and beyond. The Beaufighter became the world's fi...

Dassault Mirage III
Though now outclassed by the latest in Next Generation aircraft, the Mirage III - for a time - was the best European fighter in operation. The delta-wing system, a design proving quite capable early pioneering developments, o...

Dassault Mystere / Super Mystere
The Dassault-produced Mystere series of turbojet aircraft appeared just when the French nation was in the rebuilding stages following World War Two. The owner of Dassault, himself a captive of one of the many German concentra...

Dornier Do 28 / Do 128 Skyservant
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Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
The A-4 Skyhawk (nicknamed "Heinemann's Hot Rod" and the "Scooter") came about as a private venture when the Douglas corporation was seeking to replace the aging AD Skyraider (A-1 Skyraider) piston-engine aircraft. The succes...

Fouga CM.170 Magister
It's easy to lose track of French military prowess following World War 2 but the Fouga Magister was a product of the years that followed. Developed towards closing years of the 1940's, the Magister became a principle jet-powe...

General Dynamics / Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon
The F-16 Fighting Falcon can officially go down as one of the most successful aircraft designs of the Cold War. The system was designed in a head-to-head competition with the Northrop YF-17 Cobra and successfully defeated it ...

Gloster / Armstrong Whitworth Meteor
The Gloster Meteor became Britain's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. It reached operational status in the latter years of World War 2 and saw limited action in the conflict though it never faced off against any...

Grumman E-2 Hawkeye
The E-2 Hawkeye series serves carrier battle groups (principally in the United States Navy) and is called upon as an all-weather airborne command and control battle space management system. The Hawkeye became operational in 1...

Grumman OV-1 Mohawk
Development of the OV-1 Mohawk platform stemmed from a joint requirement fielded by both the United States Army and the United States Marine Corps for a "battlefield surveillance aircraft" displaying rugged and versatile qual...

IAI Kfir / F-21A
The Kfir (translated to "Lion Cub") was a semi-indigenous Israeli fighter development designed to fulfill an IAF (Israeli Air Force) requirement for a ground strike fighter. While Israel had purchased and was awaiting deliver...

IAI RQ-2 Pioneer
The RQ-2 Pioneer series of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) was one of the first operational entries into the United States Military family of UAVs. In its early form, the system served battleship vessels with artillery spottin...

Lockheed C-130 Hercules
The arrival of the Lockheed-produced C-130 Hercules series of transport lay down the foundation of transport design for decades since its inception. The series ushered in standards such as the high-mounted monoplane wing desi...

McDonnell Douglas / Boeing F-15 Eagle
For a time, the F-15 Eagle series was the pinnacle of American air superiority incorporating technolgy and design that produced a highly manuervable and performanced enhanced multi-role fighter platform. The F-15 was designed...

McDonnell Douglas / Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle
The F-15E "Strike Eagle" is a dual-role version of the highly successful base F-15 air superiority fighter. The Strike Eagle is intended to fulfill both roles of air-to-air superiority and ground strike with the capability to...

McDonnell Douglas / Boeing MD-11
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McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
Arguably one of the finest combat fighters of the 20th Century, the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II series was produced in larger numbers since the end of World War 2 than any other Western fighter of the time. The Phantom II grew i...

McDonnell Douglas F-4G Wild Weasel
The F-4G represented the "Wild Weasel" off-shoot of the successful F-4 Phantom II line. Wild Weasel aircraft represented (and continue to do so) specially modified platforms utilized to hunt enemy air defense systems such as ...

Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the quintessential fighter for the Third Reich throughout the Second World War. Clandestine German involvement in the Spanish Civil War allowed Bf 109 pilots to develop tactics and responses that ...

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (Fagot)
The MiG-15 (codenamed "Fagot" by the United Nations in reference to a "hastily bundled pile of sticks") became the Soviet Union's first true turbojet-powered fighter design of consequence and the first swept-wing aircraft of ...

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (Fishbed)
The MiG-21 was undoubtedly the most successful Cold War fighter in terms of reach, operating in over 50 air forces around the globe and seeing production well past the 10,000 example mark. The aircraft was developed with less...

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (Flogger)
The Mach 2-capable MiG-23 "Flogger" became the first "swing-wing" fighter to enter service with the Soviet Union and went on to become a primary mount of the Soviet air services (replacing the range-limited MiG-21 "Fishbed") ...

Mil Mi-8 (Hip)
Numbering well over 12,000 production examples, the Mil Mi-8 (NATO reporting name of "Hip") can be viewed as one of the most successful helicopter designs of all time. It has seen use as a passenger transport, troop transport...

North American P-51 / F-51 Mustang
The North American P-51 Mustang proved an invaluable addition to the Allied cause in the latter half of World War 2. The system was designed and flown in a matter of months and made such an impact that it could clearly be con...

North American T-6 Texan
The T-6 Texan was and is a world famous single-engine aircraft primarily known for its use as a trainer. A product of the North American Aviation Company, the T-6 Texan appeared during the years spanning World War 2, survived...

Piper L-4 Grasshopper
The Piper L-4 Grasshopper evolved from the successful Piper Cub series that took to the air as early as 1930. By 1941, the US Army was in the market for such a light observation and liaison aircraft with rugged reliability, p...

Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion
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Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw
The Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw was an excellent multipurpose transport helicopter that saw use in various roles on a global scale. The system proved to be a tremendous replacement for the US Army H-5 Dragonfly series and went on...

Sikorsky H-34 / CH-34 Choctaw
The H-34 Choctaw was a multi-purpose, turbine-powered utility helicopter produced by Sikorsky in the United States. It was developed as a replacement for the similar Korean War-era UH-19 Chickasaw series of helicopters and de...

Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk has become a workhorse for the United States and other military forces the world over. Its capabilities have increased her roles to include Special Operations assignments, assault, MedEvac, Comma...

Sud-Ouest SO 4050 Vautour
These limited-production aircraft served with little distinction in French hands but were better served as night fighters and attack aircraft by the Israeli Air Force in later years. The aircraft is oft-noted for its design s...

Supermarine Spitfire
The legendary Spitfire earned fame through its exploits in the Battle of Britain, often shadowing the equally successful Hawker Hurricanes. The Spitfire's image of a sleek and fast fighter with firepower to boot captured the ...