The Long Pendulum

The Polikarpov I-16 was the first cantilever monoplane fighter with retractable undercarriage in service anywhere, and over Madrid in 1936 it humiliated the Heinkel He 51. The enabling change was not the airframe but the concession that followed it: Germany accepted that the biplane era was over and stopped arguing. Note what the stat cards show — the I-16's wing loading is more than double the CR.32's. That is the whole argument between angle fighting and energy fighting, in one number.

Polikarpov I-16

Crew

1

Engine

Shvetsov M-63 — 9-cylinder supercharged air-cooled radial engine

Power

1,100 hp

Max speed

489 km/h

Ceiling

9,700 m

Climb

14.7 m/s

Range

700 km

Wingspan

9.00 m

Length

6.13 m

Wing area

14.5 m²

Empty wt

1,490 kg

Loaded wt

1,941 kg

Wing loading

133.9 kg/m²

Armament

2 × fixed forward-firing 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns in upper cowling; 2 × fixed forward-firing 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns in the wings/ 20 mm ShVAK cannons (type-28); 6 × unguided RS-82 rockets or up to 500 kg of bombs

Built

10,292 (6,848 fighters and 3,444 trainers)

Polikarpov I-15

Crew

1

Engine

Shvetsov M-25 — 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine

Power

700 hp

Max speed

367 km/h

Ceiling

9,800 m

Climb

/ 1.1 min to 1000 m 6.1 min to 5000 m

Range

510 km

Wingspan

9.75 m

Length

6.10 m

Wing area

21.9 m²

Empty wt

1,012 kg

Loaded wt

1,385 kg

Wing loading

63.2 kg/m²

Armament

4 x7.62×54mmR PV-1 machine guns Up to 100 kg (220 lb) of bombs

Built

3,313 (plus 3,437 I-153)

Fiat CR.32

Crew

1

Engine

Fiat A.30 R.A.bis — V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine

Power

599 hp

Max speed

360 km/h

Ceiling

8,800 m

Climb

9.0 m/s

Range

781 km

Wingspan

9.50 m

Length

7.47 m

Wing area

22.1 m²

Empty wt

1,455 kg

Loaded wt

1,975 kg

Wing loading

89.4 kg/m²

Armament

2 × 7.7 mm or 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns

Built

1,052

Heinkel He 51

Crew

1

Engine

BMW VI 7.3 Z — V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine

Power

750 hp

Max speed

330 km/h

Ceiling

7,700 m

Climb

1000 m in 1 minute 24 seconds 6000 m in 16 minute 30 seconds

Range

570 km

Wingspan

11.00 m

Length

8.40 m

Wing area

27.2 m²

Empty wt

1,460 kg

Loaded wt

1,900 kg

Wing loading

69.9 kg/m²

Armament

2 × 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns in nose; 500 rpg

Built

700

PZL P.11

Crew

1

Engine

PZL Bristol Mercury VI S2 — 9-cyl. air-cooled radial piston engine

Power

645 hp

Max speed

390 km/h

Ceiling

8,000 m

Climb

/ 5,000 m in 6 minutes 7,000 m in 13 minutes

Range

700 km

Wingspan

10.72 m

Length

7.55 m

Wing area

17.9 m²

Empty wt

1,147 kg

Loaded wt

1,630 kg

Wing loading

91.1 kg/m²

Armament

2 x 7.92 mm wz. 33 machine guns in fuselage with 500 rpg. optionally additional; 2 × 7.92 mm wz. 33 machine guns in wings with 300 rpg

Built

325

Two things, neither of them the airframe. Direct fuel injection in the DB 601 kept running under negative g where a float-carburettor Merlin cut out; and the Rotte and Schwarm, worked out by Mölders over Spain, put two and four aircraft into a flexible fighting formation while the RAF and the Armée de l'Air still flew rigid three-aircraft vics. Britain's answer was ordered but not yet delivered.

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6

Crew

1

Engine

Daimler-Benz DB 605A — V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engine

Power

1,455 hp

Max speed

640 km/h

Ceiling

11,550 m

Climb

17.0 m/s

Range

850 km

Wingspan

9.92 m

Length

8.95 m

Wing area

16.1 m²

Empty wt

2,247 kg

Loaded wt

3,148 kg

Wing loading

196.1 kg/m²

Armament

1 × 20 mm MG 151/20 through the propeller hub; 2 × 13 mm MG 131

Built

34,248 (all marks)

Mitsubishi A5M

Crew

1

Engine

Nakajima Kotobuki 41 or 41 KAI — 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine

Power

710 hp

Max speed

435 km/h

Ceiling

9,800 m

Climb

3000 m in 3 minutes 35 seconds

Range

1,200 km

Wingspan

11.00 m

Length

7.57 m

Wing area

17.8 m²

Empty wt

1,216 kg

Loaded wt

1,671 kg

Wing loading

93.9 kg/m²

Armament

2 × 7.7 mm Type 97 aircraft machine gun fuselage-mounted synchronized machine guns firing through the engine cylinders and propeller at about 1 and 11 o'clock

Built

1,094

Gloster Gladiator

Crew

1

Engine

Bristol Mercury IX — nine-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine

Power

830 hp

Max speed

407 km/h

Ceiling

9,997 m

Climb

11.7 m/s

Endurance

2 hours

Wingspan

9.83 m

Length

8.36 m

Wing area

30.0 m²

Empty wt

1,459 kg

Loaded wt

2,084 kg

Wing loading

69.5 kg/m²

Armament

Initially: two synchronised .303 in Vickers machine guns in fuselage sides, two .303 in Lewis machine guns; one beneath each lower wing. Later aircraft: four Browning .303 Mark II machine guns, two synchronised gun

Built

747

The Bf 109 E was not decisively better than a Hurricane. What surrounded it was: a radio in every cockpit, the Schwarm, ground-to-air liaison, and commanders who concentrated fighters where they mattered. The Bf 110 was supposed to be the long-range weapon and was found out within a year.

Messerschmitt Bf 110

Crew

two or three

Engine

Daimler-Benz DB 601A-1 — V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engines

Power

2 × 1,050 hp

Max speed

475 km/h

Ceiling

10,000 m

Climb

11.0 m/s

Range

774 km

Wingspan

16.25 m

Length

12.07 m

Wing area

38.4 m²

Empty wt

4,425 kg

Loaded wt

6,028 kg

Wing loading

157.0 kg/m²

Armament

2 × 20 mm MG FF/M cannon (180 rpg—3 drums with 60 rpg, cannon were reloaded by rear gunner or radio operator during flight); 4 × 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns (1,000 rpg); 1 × 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun for defence

Built

6,170

Hawker Hurricane

Crew

1

Engine

Rolls-Royce Merlin XX — V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine

Power

1,185 hp

Max speed

547 km/h

Ceiling

10,973 m

Climb

14.1 m/s

Range

966 km

Wingspan

12.19 m

Length

9.83 m

Wing area

23.9 m²

Empty wt

2,606 kg

Loaded wt

3,479 kg

Wing loading

145.6 kg/m²

Armament

4 × 20 mm Hispano Mk II cannon

Built

14,487 (UK and Canada)

The margin was on the ground. Chain Home, the filter room and sector control made the first working integrated air defence network, turning interception from luck into a process. The aeroplanes mattered — 100-octane fuel and constant-speed propellers improved the ones already in service — but a Spitfire without the system behind it is just a fast aeroplane in a large sky.

Supermarine Spitfire

Crew

1

Engine

Rolls-Royce Merlin 45 — V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine

Power

1,470 hp

Max speed

595 km/h

Ceiling

11,125 m

Climb

13.2 m/s

Range

399 km

Wingspan

11.23 m

Length

9.12 m

Wing area

22.5 m²

Empty wt

2,297 kg

Loaded wt

3,004 kg

Wing loading

133.5 kg/m²

Armament

A wing; 8 × .303 in Browning Mk IImachine guns (350 rounds per gun) B wing; 2 × 20 mm Hispano Mk II (60 rounds per gun); 4 × .303 in Browning Mk IImachine guns (350 rounds per gun) C wing; 4 × 20 mm Hispano Mk II

Built

More than 20,351

The Fw 190 arrived over France and comprehensively beat the Spitfire V; its enabling piece was the Kommandogerät, a single-lever engine computer that let a tired pilot fly the BMW 801 properly. The A6M's advantage was not technology but range and a small cadre of superbly trained naval aircrew — an asset that could not be replaced once spent. This is the era where a single global bar is least honest, and the strip below is where it admits it.

Focke-Wulf Fw 190

Crew

1

Engine

BMW 801D-2 — 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine

Power

1,677 hp

Max speed

652 km/h

Ceiling

10,350 m

Climb

15.0 m/s

Range

400 km

Wingspan

10.51 m

Length

8.95 m

Wing area

18.3 m²

Empty wt

3,200 kg

Loaded wt

4,417 kg

Wing loading

241.4 kg/m²

Armament

2 × 13 mm synchronized MG 131 machine guns; 2 × 20 mm MG 151/20 E cannons, synchronized in the wing roots; 2 × 20 mm MG 151/20 E cannons in mid-wing mounts

Built

Over 20,000

Mitsubishi A6M Zero

Crew

1

Engine

Nakajima NK1C Sakae-12 — 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine

Power

940 hp

Max speed

533 km/h

Ceiling

10,000 m

Climb

15.7 m/s

Range

1,870 km

Wingspan

12.00 m

Length

9.06 m

Wing area

22.4 m²

Empty wt

1,680 kg

Loaded wt

2,796 kg

Wing loading

124.6 kg/m²

Armament

thumb|Divergence of trajectories between 7.7 mm and 20 mm ammunition; 2 × 7.7 mm Type 97 aircraft machine guns in the engine cowling, with 500 rounds per gun. 2 × 20 mm Type 99-1 Mk.3 cannon in the wings, with 60 rounds

Built

10,939

Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa

Crew

1

Engine

Nakajima Ha-115 — 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine

Power

1,300 hp

Max speed

530 km/h

Ceiling

11,200 m

Climb

5000 m in five minutes and 49 seconds

Range

1,760 km

Wingspan

10.84 m

Length

8.92 m

Wing area

21.4 m²

Empty wt

1,910 kg

Loaded wt

2,590 kg

Wing loading

121.0 kg/m²

Armament

2 × 12.7 mm Ho-103's in the forward fuselage with 270 rpg

Built

5,919

Grumman F4F Wildcat

Crew

1

Engine

Pratt & Whitney R-1830-76 — 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine

Power

1,200 hp

Max speed

533 km/h

Ceiling

12,040 m

Climb

11.7 m/s

Range

1,360 km

Wingspan

11.58 m

Length

8.76 m

Wing area

24.2 m²

Empty wt

2,226 kg

Loaded wt

3,367 kg

Wing loading

139.1 kg/m²

Armament

4 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns with 450 rounds per gun

Built

7,885

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3

Crew

1

Engine

Mikulin AM-35A — V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine

Power

1,332 hp

Max speed

505 km/h

Ceiling

12,000 m

Climb

8000 m in 10 minutes 17 seconds

Range

820 km

Wingspan

10.20 m

Length

8.25 m

Wing area

17.4 m²

Empty wt

2,699 kg

Loaded wt

3,355 kg

Wing loading

192.4 kg/m²

Armament

1 × 12.7 mm Berezin UBS machine gun :2 × 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns in the cowl :(later models would feature additional; 2 × UBK machine guns underwing, one per wing)

Built

3,422

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk

Crew

1

Engine

Allison V-1710-39 — V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine

Power

1,240 hp

Max speed

581 km/h

Ceiling

8,870 m

Climb

15000 ft in 6 minutes 15 seconds

Range

1,152 km

Wingspan

11.37 m

Length

9.66 m

Wing area

21.9 m²

Empty wt

2,686 kg

Loaded wt

3,760 kg

Wing loading

171.7 kg/m²

Armament

6 × 0.5 in M2 Browning machine guns in the wings

Built

13,738

The single most important object of the air war is not an aeroplane: it is the two-stage two-speed supercharger, married to 100/130-octane fuel. The Spitfire IX was a Mk V airframe with a Merlin 61 dropped into it, in service within months of the Fw 190 shock. In the Pacific there was no technical fix required at all — Japan lost its trained aircrew at Midway and Guadalcanal and had no pipeline to replace them.

Macchi C.202 Folgore

Crew

1

Engine

Alfa Romeo RA.1000 R.C.41-I Monsone — V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engine

Power

1,159 hp

Max speed

600 km/h

Ceiling

11,500 m

Climb

18.1 m/s

Range

765 km

Wingspan

10.58 m

Length

8.85 m

Wing area

16.8 m²

Empty wt

2,491 kg

Loaded wt

2,930 kg

Wing loading

174.2 kg/m²

Armament

2 × 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns in the engine cowling, 360/400 rpg; 2 × 7.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns in the wings, 500 rpg; 2 × 50 kg, 100 kg or 160 kg bombs

Built

1,150

Kawanishi N1K

Crew

1

Engine

Nakajima NK9H Homare 21 — 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine

Power

1,975 hp

Max speed

571 km/h

Ceiling

12,009 m

Climb

19.7 m/s

Range

1,078 km

Wingspan

12.00 m

Length

8.88 m

Wing area

23.5 m²

Empty wt

2,897 kg

Loaded wt

3,900 kg

Wing loading

166.0 kg/m²

Armament

4 × 20 mm Type 99 Mark 2 machine guns in the wings

Built

1,532

Grumman F6F Hellcat

Crew

1

Engine

Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10W Double Wasp — 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine

Power

2,200 hp

Max speed

629 km/h

Ceiling

11,369 m

Climb

13.2 m/s

Range

1,521 km

Wingspan

13.06 m

Length

10.24 m

Wing area

31.0 m²

Empty wt

4,190 kg

Loaded wt

5,714 kg

Wing loading

184.3 kg/m²

Armament

6 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns, with 400 rounds per gun, (All F6F-3, and most F6F-5) or; 2 × 0.79 in (20 mm) AN/M2 cannon, with 225 rounds per gun and; 4 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns with 400

Built

12,275

Lockheed P-38 Lightning

Crew

1

Engine

Allison V-1710 (-111 left hand rotation and -113 right hand rotation) — V-12 liquid-cooled turbo-supercharged piston engine

Power

2 × 1,600 hp

Max speed

666 km/h

Ceiling

13,411 m

Climb

24.1 m/s

Range

2,092 km

Wingspan

15.85 m

Length

11.53 m

Wing area

30.4 m²

Empty wt

5,806 kg

Loaded wt

7,938 kg

Wing loading

261.1 kg/m²

Armament

1× Hispano M2(C) 20 mm cannon with 150 rounds; 4× M2 Browning machine gun 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns with 500 rpg

Built

10,037

Lavochkin La-5

Crew

1

Engine

Shvetsov M-82FN — 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine

Power

1,958 hp

Max speed

648 km/h

Ceiling

11,000 m

Climb

16.7 m/s

Range

765 km

Wingspan

9.80 m

Length

8.67 m

Wing area

17.5 m²

Empty wt

2,706 kg

Loaded wt

3,168 kg

Wing loading

181.0 kg/m²

Armament

2 × 20 mm ShVAK cannon with 170 rpg

Built

9,920

Yakovlev Yak-3

Crew

1

Engine

Klimov VK-105PF2 — V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine

Power

1,290 hp

Max speed

646 km/h

Ceiling

10,400 m

Climb

5000 m in 4 minutes 30 seconds

Range

550 km

Wingspan

9.20 m

Length

8.50 m

Wing area

14.8 m²

Empty wt

2,105 kg

Loaded wt

2,697 kg

Wing loading

181.6 kg/m²

Armament

1 × 20 mm ShVAK cannon, with 150 rounds; 2 × 12.7 mm Berezin UBS machine guns with 170 rpg

Built

4,848

Two changes, one mechanical and one administrative. The drop tank gave the escort the range to reach Berlin; then Doolittle released the escorts to hunt rather than nurse the bomber stream, which turned escort into a deliberate attrition campaign against the German fighter force. Behind both: Allied pilots reaching squadrons with 300-plus hours against German replacements with well under a hundred.

Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate

Crew

1

Engine

Nakajima Homare Model Ha-45-21 (or Models 11, 12, 21, 23 or 25) — 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine

Power

2,041 hp

Max speed

687 km/h

Ceiling

11,826 m

Climb

21.8 m/s

Range

2,168 km

Wingspan

11.24 m

Length

9.92 m

Wing area

21.0 m²

Empty wt

2,660 kg

Loaded wt

3,602 kg

Wing loading

171.5 kg/m²

Armament

2 × 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine guns in nose, 350 rounds/gun; 2 × 20 mm Ho-5 cannon in wings, 150 shells/cannon; 2 × 250 kg bombs; 2× 200 L (usgal) drop tanks

Built

3,514

North American P-51 Mustang

Crew

1

Engine

Packard (Rolls-Royce) V-1650-7 Merlin — 12-cylinder liquid cooled engine

Power

1,490 hp

Max speed

708 km/h

Ceiling

12,771 m

Climb

16.3 m/s

Range

2,655 km

Wingspan

11.28 m

Length

9.83 m

Wing area

21.8 m²

Empty wt

3,463 kg

Loaded wt

5,490 kg

Wing loading

251.8 kg/m²

Armament

6 × .50 caliber (12.7mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns with 1,840 total rounds (380 rounds for each on the inboard pair and 270 rounds for each of the outer two pair)

Built

15,686

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt

Crew

1

Engine

Pratt & Whitney R-2800-59 — 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine

Power

2,000 hp

Max speed

715 km/h

Ceiling

12,802 m

Climb

16.2 m/s

Range

1,658 km

Wingspan

12.42 m

Length

11.00 m

Wing area

27.9 m²

Empty wt

4,536 kg

Loaded wt

6,001 kg

Wing loading

215.1 kg/m²

Armament

8 × .50 in (mm) M2 Browning machine guns with 425 rounds per gun (3400 rounds total) Up to 2500 lb of bombs; 10 × 5 in HVAR unguided rockets

Built

15,636

Vought F4U Corsair

Crew

1

Engine

Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W — radial engine

Power

2,380 hp

Max speed

717 km/h

Ceiling

12,649 m

Climb

22.1 m/s

Range

528 km

Wingspan

12.50 m

Length

10.26 m

Wing area

29.2 m²

Empty wt

4,238 kg

Loaded wt

6,654 kg

Wing loading

228.1 kg/m²

Armament

6 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns 375-400 rounds per gun

Built

More than 12,571

The clearest technical lead of the entire war belonged to the side losing it. The Me 262 was faster than anything opposing it and could not be exploited: the oil campaign took the fuel, dispersal took the build quality, and the Jumo 004's twenty-five-hour turbine life took the rest. This is the shape of the last era of the First World War repeated exactly — a superb fighter, and no means left to push the pendulum with it.

Messerschmitt Me 262

Crew

1

Engine

Junkers Jumo 004B-1 — axial-flow turbojet engines

Thrust

2 × 8.8 kN

Max speed

900 km/h

Ceiling

11,450 m

Climb

20.0 m/s

Range

1,050 km

Wingspan

12.60 m

Length

10.60 m

Wing area

21.7 m²

Empty wt

3,795 kg

Loaded wt

6,473 kg

Wing loading

298.3 kg/m²

Armament

4 × 30 mm MK 108 cannon

Built

1,430

Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet

Crew

1

Engine

Hellmuth Walter Kommanditgesellschaft HWK 109-509A-2 — bi-propellant liquid-fuelled rocket motor

Thrust

14.7 kN

Max speed

960 km/h

Ceiling

12,000 m

Climb

81.3 m/s

Endurance

about 7.5 minutes powered

Wingspan

9.30 m

Length

5.70 m

Wing area

19.6 m²

Empty wt

1,905 kg

Loaded wt

4,309 kg

Wing loading

219.8 kg/m²

Armament

2 × 30 mm Rheinmetall Borsig MK 108 cannon with 60 rpg

Built

~370

Hawker Tempest

Crew

1

Engine

Napier Sabre IIB — H-24 liquid-cooled sleeve-valve piston engine

Power

2,420 hp

Max speed

700 km/h

Ceiling

11,125 m

Climb

12.7 m/s

Range

1,190 km

Wingspan

12.50 m

Length

10.26 m

Wing area

28.1 m²

Empty wt

4,082 kg

Loaded wt

5,171 kg

Wing loading

184.0 kg/m²

Armament

4 × 20 mm Hispano Mk II cannon

Built

1,702

Hawker Typhoon

Crew

1

Engine

Napier Sabre IIA, IIB or IIC — H-24 liquid-cooled sleeve-valve piston engine

Power

2,180 hp

Max speed

679 km/h

Ceiling

9,693 m

Climb

13.9 m/s

Range

821 km

Wingspan

12.67 m

Length

9.74 m

Wing area

25.9 m²

Empty wt

4,010 kg

Loaded wt

5,171 kg

Wing loading

199.7 kg/m²

Armament

4 × 20 mm Hispano Mk II cannon

Built

3,317

De Havilland Mosquito

Crew

Two: pilot, bomb aim

Engine

Rolls-Royce Merlin — V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine

Power

2 × 1,710 hp

Max speed

668 km/h

Ceiling

11,278 m

Climb

14.5 m/s

Range

2,092 km

Wingspan

16.51 m

Length

13.56 m

Wing area

42.2 m²

Empty wt

6,486 kg

Loaded wt

8,210 kg

Wing loading

194.5 kg/m²

Armament

4 × 7.7 mm Browning machine guns, 4 × 20 mm Hispano cannons

Built

7,781

Lavochkin La-7

Crew

1

Engine

Shvetsov ASh-82FN — 14-cylinder, two-row, air-cooled radial

Power

1,851 hp

Max speed

661 km/h

Ceiling

10,450 m

Climb

15.7 m/s

Range

665 km

Wingspan

9.80 m

Length

8.60 m

Wing area

17.6 m²

Empty wt

2,638 kg

Loaded wt

3,315 kg

Wing loading

188.5 kg/m²

Armament

2 × cowl-mounted 20 mm ShVAK cannons with 200 rounds per gun or; 3 × cowl-mounted 20 mm Berezin B-20 cannons with 100 rounds per gun

Built

5,753 (+ 582 trainers)

Gloster Meteor

Crew

1

Engine

Rolls-Royce Derwent 8 — centrifugal flow turbojet engine

Thrust

2 × 16.0 kN

Max speed

966 km/h

Ceiling

13,106 m

Climb

35.6 m/s

Range

966 km

Wingspan

11.33 m

Length

13.59 m

Wing area

32.5 m²

Empty wt

4,846 kg

Loaded wt

7,121 kg

Wing loading

219.1 kg/m²

Armament

4 × 20 mm Hispano MkV cannon

Built

3,947

Every power read the same captured German swept-wing and axial-compressor work at the same time. The straight-wing first generation went into service anyway because it could be built now. The consequential decision of the period was commercial: Britain sold Rolls-Royce Nene engines to the Soviet Union in 1946, and got the MiG-15 back four years later.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9

Crew

1

Engine

RD-20 — axial-flow turbojet engines

Thrust

2 × 7.8 kN

Max speed

864 km/h

Ceiling

13,000 m

Climb

22.0 m/s

Range

800 km

Wingspan

10.00 m

Length

9.75 m

Wing area

18.2 m²

Empty wt

3,283 kg

Loaded wt

4,860 kg

Wing loading

267.0 kg/m²

Armament

1 × 37 mm Nudelman N-37 autocannon extending from nose intake divider ; 2 × 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 autocannon extending from undersides of nose intake

Built

610

De Havilland Vampire

Crew

1

Engine

de Havilland Goblin 3 — centrifugal-flow turbojet engine

Thrust

14.9 kN

Max speed

882 km/h

Ceiling

13,045 m

Climb

24.4 m/s

Range

1,963 km

Wingspan

11.58 m

Length

9.37 m

Wing area

24.3 m²

Empty wt

3,304 kg

Loaded wt

5,620 kg

Wing loading

231.3 kg/m²

Armament

4 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Hispano Mk.V cannon with 600 rounds total (150 rounds per gun)

Built

3,268

Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star

Crew

1

Engine

Allison J33-A-35 — centrifugal compressor turbojet

Thrust

20.5 kN

Max speed

956 km/h

Ceiling

14,265 m

Climb

34.9 m/s

Range

1,328 km

Wingspan

11.81 m

Length

10.49 m

Wing area

22.1 m²

Empty wt

3,819 kg

Loaded wt

5,534 kg

Wing loading

250.4 kg/m²

Armament

6 × 0.50 in (12.7mm) M3 Browning machine guns (300 rpg)

Built

1,715

Republic F-84 Thunderjet

Crew

1

Engine

Allison J35-A-29 — turbojet engine

Thrust

24.9 kN

Max speed

1,001 km/h

Ceiling

12,344 m

Climb

7.9 min to 35000 ft

Range

1,078 km

Wingspan

11.10 m

Length

11.61 m

Wing area

24.2 m²

Empty wt

5,033 kg

Loaded wt

8,457 kg

Wing loading

349.5 kg/m²

Armament

6 × .50 in (12.7 mm) M3 Browning machine guns, 300 rounds per gun

Built

7,524

Sweeping the wing reduces the airflow velocity across it, delaying the transonic drag rise and letting the aeroplane work much closer to Mach 1. The MiG-15 put a 35° wing on a light airframe around a copied Nene, and over Korea it out-climbed and out-ceilinged everything the UN had. It made the B-29 obsolete in a fortnight.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15

Crew

1

Engine

Klimov VK-1 — centrifugal-flow turbojet

Thrust

26.5 kN

Max speed

1,076 km/h

Ceiling

15,500 m

Climb

51.2 m/s

Range

2,520 km

Wingspan

10.09 m

Length

10.10 m

Wing area

20.6 m²

Empty wt

3,681 kg

Loaded wt

5,044 kg

Wing loading

244.9 kg/m²

Armament

2 × 23 mm Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 autocannon in the lower left fuselage (80 rounds per gun, 160 rounds total); 1 × 37 mm Nudelman N-37 autocannon in the lower right fuselage (40 rounds total)

Built

13,130 in the USSR + at least 4,180 under license

Grumman F9F Panther

Crew

1

Engine

Pratt & Whitney J48-P-6A — turbojet

Thrust

27.8 kN

Max speed

932 km/h

Ceiling

13,045 m

Climb

25.9 m/s

Range

2,092 km

Wingspan

11.58 m

Length

11.84 m

Wing area

23.2 m²

Empty wt

4,603 kg

Loaded wt

8,492 kg

Wing loading

366.0 kg/m²

Armament

4 × 20 mm (0.79 in) AN/M3 cannon, 760 rounds total

Built

1,385

Saab 29 Tunnan

Crew

1

Engine

Svenska Flygmotor RM2B (de Havilland Ghost) — centrifugal-flow turbojet

Thrust

27.5 kN

Max speed

1,060 km/h

Ceiling

15,500 m

Climb

32.1 m/s

Range

1,100 km

Wingspan

11.00 m

Length

10.23 m

Wing area

24.1 m²

Empty wt

4,845 kg

Loaded wt

8,375 kg

Wing loading

346.8 kg/m²

Armament

4 x 20 mm akan m/47C (license produced Hispano Mark V) autocannon with 180 rounds per gun

Built

661

The MiG climbed higher and turned better at altitude; the Sabre dived faster and rolled quicker. What decided it was three pieces of equipment and one demographic fact: the all-flying tail, which kept pitch authority when shockwaves made a conventional elevator useless; the radar-ranging gunsight, which computed deflection faster than a person can; the G-suit; and a large pool of combat-experienced pilots against mostly ab-initio opponents. The famous kill ratio is heavily contested and belongs in a range, not a headline.

North American F-86 Sabre

Crew

1

Engine

General Electric J47-GE-27 — turbojet engine

Thrust

26.3 kN

Max speed

1,106 km/h

Ceiling

15,118 m

Climb

45.7 m/s

Range

666 km

Wingspan

11.91 m

Length

11.30 m

Wing area

29.1 m²

Empty wt

5,046 kg

Loaded wt

6,894 kg

Wing loading

236.9 kg/m²

Armament

6 x 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M3 Browning machine guns (1,800 rounds in total)

Built

9,860

The afterburner, Whitcomb's area rule and irreversible powered flight controls arrive together, and the question stops being who can turn and becomes who can accelerate. The F-100 got there first and was dangerous in the process; the Hunter and the MiG-17 were the better aeroplanes to fly; the MiG-19 matched the F-100 and beat it into squadron service in numbers. Compare the wing loadings on this row against the Sopwith Camel's 30.7 kg/m² and the whole period is visible in one figure.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17

Crew

1

Engine

Klimov VK-1F — afterburning centrifugal-flow turbojet engine

Thrust

26.5 kN

Max speed

1,100 km/h

Ceiling

16,600 m

Climb

65.0 m/s

Range

2,020 km

Wingspan

9.63 m

Length

11.26 m

Wing area

22.6 m²

Empty wt

3,919 kg

Loaded wt

5,340 kg

Wing loading

236.3 kg/m²

Armament

2 × 23 mm Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 autocannon (80 rounds per gun, 160 rounds total); 1 × 37 mm Nudelman N-37 autocannon (40 rounds total)

Built

10,649 including Polish, Czech and Chinese variants

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19

Crew

1

Engine

Tumansky RD-9B — afterburning turbojet engines

Thrust

2 × 25.5 kN

Max speed

1,452 km/h

Ceiling

17,500 m

Climb

177.8 m/s

Range

1,390 km

Wingspan

9.00 m

Length

12.54 m

Wing area

25.0 m²

Empty wt

5,172 kg

Loaded wt

7,560 kg

Wing loading

302.4 kg/m²

Armament

3 × 30 mm Nudelman-Rikhter NR-30 autocannon (75 rounds for wing-root guns, 55 rounds for the fuselage gun)

Built

2,172 (excluding production in Czechoslovakia and China)

North American F-100 Super Sabre

Crew

1

Engine

Pratt & Whitney J57-P-21/21A — afterburning turbojet engine

Thrust

45.4 kN

Max speed

1,487 km/h

Ceiling

15,240 m

Climb

113.8 m/s

Range

3,211 km

Wingspan

11.81 m

Length

15.24 m

Wing area

37.2 m²

Empty wt

9,525 kg

Loaded wt

13,085 kg

Wing loading

351.7 kg/m²

Armament

4× 20 mm (0.787 in) M39A1 revolver cannon each with 200 rounds per gun

Built

2,294

Hawker Hunter

Crew

1

Engine

Rolls-Royce Avon 207 — turbojet engine

Thrust

45.1 kN

Max speed

1,003 km/h

Ceiling

15,240 m

Climb

87.4 m/s

Range

620 km

Wingspan

10.26 m

Length

13.98 m

Wing area

32.4 m²

Empty wt

6,406 kg

Loaded wt

8,051 kg

Wing loading

248.5 kg/m²

Armament

4× 30 mm caliber ADEN cannon in a removable gun pack with 150 rpg

Built

1,972