Arado Ar E.340
The Arado-produced Ar E.340 was designed to a German requirement for a twin-engined bomber to replace the aging Junkers Ju 88 and Dornier Do 217's currently in service. The design offered up the potential for multirole capabi...

Arado Ar E.555
Arado proposed this E.555 flying wing concept towards the end of 1943 as a high-speed long-range bomber. The flying wing concept had eluded aircraft engineers for decades but it was seen as a potentionally stable design allow...

Arado Ar E.654 (Kampfzerstorer / Skorpion)
The Arado Ar E.654 was proposed as a heavy fighter / destroyer platform designed from another Arado product - the Ar 240. Though the Ar 240 model eventually saw operational service with the Luftwaffe (albeit in limited numbe...

Arado Ar TEW 16/43-13
The Arado Ar TEW 16/43-13 was a design concept envisioned as a rocket-propelled interceptor for the German Luftwaffe. The design was put forth by Wilhelm van Nes as one of three possible developments that also included a twin...

Arado Ar TEW 16/43-15
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Arado Ar TEW 16/43-19
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Arado Ar TEW 16/43-23
The single-seat, jet-powered Arado Ar TEW 16/43-23 design was penciled sometime in 1943. Categorized as a fighter, the type might have been an impressive addition to the ranks of the Luftwaffe where jet-powered aircraft were ...

Bell P-63 Kingcobra
At its core, the Bell P-63 Kingcobra proved a modest improvement over the relative failure that was the P-39 Airacobra. Though the P-39 developed into a useable platform, she never lived up to the original specifications than...

Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer
The Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer was a further development of the United States Navy's PB4Y-1 anti-submarine warfare aircraft which, itself, was a further variant based on the successful Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber ai...

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was a rather unassuming dive bomber / reconnaissance aircraft serving throughout World War 2 beginning in 1943. Originally designed in a competition to replace the aging SBC biplane series, the SB2C...

Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender
The XP-55 Ascender was an unorthodox attempt by the Curtiss-Wright company that produced just three prototype models. Answering a United States Army Air Corps call for unconventional aircraft designs, the XP-55 fit the bill w...

Fairey Firefly
The Fairey Firefly was a hugely successful, two-seat, carrierborne fighter aircraft serving with the Royal Fleet Air Arm through the latter half of the Second World War, eventually seeing service up until the mid-1950's. The ...

Fisher XP-75 / P-75 Eagle
General Motors became a major player in the American manufacturing realm when World War 2 arrived for the United States. With its automotive plants adept at mass-production, it was only fitting that the US military look to su...

Heinkel He 219 Uhu (Eagle-Owl)
The Heinkel He 219 Uhu (meaning "Eagle-Owl") was designed in response to a German need for a dedicated nightfighter type to thwart the advances being made the British nighttime bombing raids on German interests. The He 219 wa...

Junkers Ju 188 Racher (Avenger)
When the new Junkers Ju 288 - a design meant to replace the Junkers Ju 88 series of bombers - ran into developmental issues with its engines, Junkers set about producing an in-between utilizing the Ju 88's airframe. The Ju 88...

Junkers Ju 390 (New York Bomber)
The Junkers Ju 390 long range heavy bomber aircraft design was intended to be able to strike at locations along the east coast of the United States of America. The Ju 390 itself was a further development of the Junkers Ju 290...

Kawanishi N1K-J Shiden (George)
Despite some early setbacks in design, the Kawanishi N1K1-J "Shiden" (or "violet lightning" - codenamed "George" by the Allies), was an exemplary fighter that was capable of going head-to-head with even the fabled American F6...

Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (Tony)
The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (meaning "Swallow" and codenamed "Tony" by the Allies) was another of the oft-forgotten yet impressive Japanese-brand fighter designs of the Second World War, joining the equally impressive Kawanishi N...

McDonnell XP-67 Bat / Moonbat
The XP-67 was the first attempt by the McDonnell corporation to build a fighter for the United States Military. The same corporation would go on to built the superb F-4 Phantom II, F-15 Eagle and F-18 Hornet air superiority a...

Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant (Giant)
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Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse (Hornet)
The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse ("Hornet") was, in effect, a further development of the unstable Me 210 system. Though improved to some extent by the Hungarians in the Me 210C model, the Me 410 was fitted with a new designa...

Nakajima J1N1-S
The Nakajima J1N1-S series was a dedicated nightfighting aircraft based on the J1N1 Gekko ("moonlight") reconnaissance aircraft platform also of the Nakajima brand. The system found success for a time, particularly against th...

Northrop P-61 / F-61 Black Widow
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow became the United States' first aircraft specifically designed from the outset as a platform dedicated to the fine art of night-fighting. Enabled by its complex through highly-effective nose-moun...

Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet
The XP-56 "Black Bullet" was designed by the Northrop company to an Army Air Corps proposal known as the R-40C. The XP-56 stood out as yet another radical design and focused on the flying wing concept while incorporating push...

Reggiane Re.2000 Sagittaro (Archer)
The Reggiane 2000 series of aircraft was very reminiscent of American interwar designs appearing between 1930 and 1940. The Reggiane maintained a stout profile centered around a large engine, rounded edge wings and traditiona...

Vultee XP-54 Swoose Goose
The Vultee XP-54 was one of the more distinct aircraft creations designed during World War 2. Produced through the essentially "empty canvas / blank check" approach by an Army Air Corps initiative (the specification was known...

Yakovlev Yak-9 (Frank)
In line with other classic wartime fighters of World War Two, the Yakovlev-produced Yak-9 is no exception. Initially conceived from a developmental version of the Yak-7 that featured a combined construction of wood and metal,...