A history of the Caudron C.714, a French lightweight fighter of wooden construction which was beset by many problems in the period immediately before WWII; some of planes were flown by Polish pilots who had escaped to France during WWII.
Category Archives: Military Aviation
Wooden fighters of World War II – the Bloch MB.700
A history of the Bloch MB.700, a French warplane designed with non-strategic materials to help to maintain France’s supply of steel and light alloys in the period leading to WWII.
Wooden fighters of World War II – the Ambrosini SAI.207 and SAI.403
A history of the Ambrosini SAI.207 which was a lightweight interceptor designed for the Italian Air Ministry during WWII; the improved variant of the plane was the SAI.403.
Wooden fighters of World War II – the Miles M.20
At the time of the Munich Crisis in September 1938, when the start of World War II was less than one year distant, it was unclear to the British authorities, in the government, the services and industry, whether or not production of the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire fighters could be accelerated sufficiently to allow …
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Right idea, wrong execution – the Focke-Wulf Ta 154
A history of the Focke-Wulf Ta 154, a German night-fighter prototype developed during WW2, and the problems which beset the development and production that class of fighters.
Defending the bomber – The Briggs Sperry Model 13 Gun Turret
A history of the Briggs Sperry Model 13 ball turret which was integrated into the design of the B-17 and B-24 aircraft during WW2, including specifications for two of the models.
Defending the bomber – The Nash & Thompson FN121 Gun Turret
A history of the British FN121 Gun Turret which utilised radar-aiming and was fitted onto some Avro Lancaster bombers during WWII, including developments which came about from the experience of turrets being used in service.
The UK’s lost supersonic opportunity – The Miles M.52
A history of the development of the Miles M.52 prototype, a turbojet powered supersonic aircraft, and the lost opportunity for Britain’s first supersonic plane.
First-generation ‘modern’ monoplane fighters – The Soviet Polikarpov I-16
A history of the Soviet Polikarpov I-16, the monoplane fighter that featured strongly in WW2, the Sino-Japanese War, the Battle of Khalkhin Gol and the Spanish Civil War.
First generation ‘modern’ monoplane fighters – The Japanese Nakajima Ki-12
A history of the Japanese Nakajima K-12, a prototype fighter which eventually evolved into the highly successful Ki-27 some years later.