The Bell Airacuda was designed during the 1930s when a lot of thought was being put into the “heavy fighter”, though to call the Airacuda a fighter is laughable – consider it more a medium bomber with cannons bolted onto it. Continue reading
Category Archives: Video
Republic XR-12 Rainbow – World’s Fastest Four-Engine Piston-Powered Aircraft
The right airplane at the wrong time – the story of Republic’s attempt to build a record-breaking photo-recon aircraft and commercial airliner in 1946. Continue reading
B 24 Liberator: 3 Major Design Flaws – Video
B-24, also called Liberator, long-range heavy bomber used during World War II by the U.S. and British air forces. It was designed by the Consolidated Aircraft Company (later Consolidated-Vultee) in response to a January 1939 U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) requirement for a four-engined heavy bomber. Continue reading
Focke-Wulf 200 Condor | When Airliners Go To War
The FW 200 Condor was never originally intended for military use, it started its career as a long-range commercial airliner, one that showed great promise. However, the outbreak of the second world war saw it used by the German Luftwaffe as a long-range reconnaissance and maritime patrol aircraft. Continue reading
Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornet – Video
The Messerschmitt 210 was intended to replace the effective yet outdated Bf 110 fighter-bomber. Then, after dozens of enhancements, the Me 210 evolved into the Me 410 Hornet in 1942. Continue reading
Centcom Video Shows Botched Kabul Drone Strike
Newly declassified military drone footage showing for the first time the U.S. strike on a car at a family home in Kabul on Aug. 29, 2021, that killed 10 Afghan civilians. Continue reading
Boeing P-26 ‘Peashooter’ | An Interwar American Icon
The Boeing P-26 was America’s first all-metal fighter. Due to the time of its arrival (the early 1930s), it didn’t get to do much in World War Two, and due to American isolationism it didn’t do much in the 1930s either – with the exception of some aircraft that were exported to China.
Hawker Typhoon
During World War 2, England desperately needed a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane fighter to maintain aerial superiority over the English Channel. Without such an advantage, it would be impossible to set the stage for D-day and the eventual liberation of France. Continue reading