219:
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293:. The defending Hurricanes and Spitfires were able to pick their targets with complete impunity, eventually destroying eight He 111s and seven Bf 110s without loss. The raid was such a disaster than the Luftwaffe abandoned attacks from Norway and directed the remaining aircraft to France. From that point onwards, the Bf 110 was mostly withdrawn from the escort role, in part because so many had been lost that sufficient numbers could no longer be fielded in the short term; when it did return, it was largely used as a
434:
375:
310:
353:, in which a force of 22 Wellingtons lost 12 aircraft to German fighters as they attacked warships in harbour. For the rest of the war, the RAF was convinced night bombing was the only survivable strategy and this opinion was not seriously reconsidered. Both Fighter and Bomber command evolved doctrinal arguments against escorts, even after photoreconnaissance versions of the Spitfire were flying deep into Germany at ranges that would allow them to escort daytime bombing.
415:
111:, and its importance in the ability of an air force to carry out effective operations. Air superiority is defined as a situation in which an air force dominates an airspace to such a degree as to be able to carry out any operations with no interference from enemy air combatants. Fighting an opponent with air superiority in a given battlespace is much harder, as any offensive or defensive tactics are likely to be overwhelmed.
22:
143:. These fighters benefitted substantially from an inherent asymmetry; the attacking aircraft had to fly long distances to reach its target and thus had to be large enough to carry the required fuel load, while the defending fighters were flying only a short distance and therefore were able to be much lighter and have higher performance.
278:. In those few situations where the German bombers were escorted only by Bf 110s, the RAF fighters could simply ignore them and attack the bombers almost unhindered. In engagements where the fighters opted to engage the BF 110s instead, a relatively high loss rate for the Bf 110s was typically incurred as a result.
449:
to come to the conclusion that their B-17 bombers needed to do something to reduce losses, and that escorts had an appreciable benefit in reducing the rate of losses, particularly as the intensity of German interception efforts had grown substantially, to the point where unescorted bombing missions
365:
where many new fuel tanks were added without major effects on performance. Their now excellent range was demonstrated by flying them back across the
Atlantic to England. In spite of this demonstration, Fighter Command was slow to consider such adaptations and was not until well after Pointblank was
499:
The successes of the P-47N and P-51 gave the impression that the escort fighter was a concept worth continuing after the end of the war. The high fuel use of early jet engines made such aircraft difficult to design, and a number of experimental designs were tried that used mixed power, typically a
341:
At the same time, the newly formed Bomber
Command developed their plans with the assumption that there would be no escorts. This was due to a combination of factors. One was the belief that improved navigational technique would allow the night bomber force to attack point targets. Another was that
200:
emerged in the mid-1930s and once again a single-engine fighter could catch a twin-engine bomber. The other idea was the escort fighter that would attempt to break up attacks by the defense before they could reach the bombers. To have the desired range, the aircraft had to carry a large fuel load,
450:
came to be discouraged. This realisation eventually led to the development of long range escort fighters. A series of unrelated developments had left the US in the position of being able to quickly address this need. Prior to their entry into the war, the USAAF fighter forces were interested in
410:
In the early stages of the US efforts, bombing runs often took place without escort fighters. German fighter pilots were scrambled to deal with these raids, and soon learned that it was much easier for them to take out formations which were unescorted as opposed to those who were escorted. As a
265:
as escort fighter-bombers. Although flying from relatively close airfields in France, the Bf 109 was operating at the extreme of its range and unable to remain for long with the bombers if it was to have fuel to return, while the Bf 110, specifically designed for the escort role, had inferior
539:
Whilst projects for dedicated escort fighters such as the XF-85 Goblin came to nothing, the advancement of technology and the nature of warfare of the wars being fought allowed the role of fighter escort to gradually merge with fighter types, so the term fell out of use. During the
249:
heavy fighter, which was widely produced. At the time of its introduction, the Bf 110 had been among the fastest production aircraft ever built, but as had occurred with the schnellbomber designs, by the start of the conflict, its performance lead had been seriously eroded.
411:
result, fighters would attack bomber formations that were on long-range operations, as they would not have escorts with them. They quickly determined the point at which the fighters would be forced to turn around and massed their fighters just beyond that point.
182:". Furthermore, due to a lack of precision aiming capabilities, bombers were viewed as likely to attack urban environments in general; Baldwin noted that their primary purpose would be to "kill the enemy's women and children more rapidly than they killed yours".
596:
would rarely engage bombers directly, if ever, and the escorts could do little against missiles. At the same time, the advancement of land and submarine-based ballistic missiles relegated bombers to a lower importance β they became just a single element of the
406:
that would fend off the enemy with no need for a fighter escort. Some officials claimed that escort fighters were wholly impractical. The service remained convinced of this strategy in spite of continued warnings from the RAF that this would not be the case.
360:
offensive, the USAAF asked the RAF to consider how to carry out daytime bombing with
Spitfire escorts. Fighter Command claimed this was impossible, making several highly questionable calculations to "prove" this. This led to two Spitfires being shipped to
150:
drew up a specification for a multi-seat escort fighter intended to protect formations of bombers from German fighters. While the specification did not require high speed, a good field of fire for its guns was essential. Prototype aircraft were built β
458:
was large enough to also have a large fuel capacity. Unlike earlier twin-engine designs like the Bf 110, the
Lightning proved to be competitive with the German fighters it faced, permitting it to be easily adapted to the escort role through the use of
333:
made this position formal, stating "the bombers should be able to look after themselves without the addition of an escort of fighters." Production allocation followed this rule, capping the number of fighters delivered to front-line use with the
577:" was used, as the aircraft was not expected to actually escort the bombers, and was instead intended to fly into Soviet airspace well in advance of the bombers and attack the Soviet interceptors long before they could approach the bombers.
195:
of their twin-engine designs. This was demonstrated with great effect at multiple air races during the early 1930s, where light twins easily outperformed fighters. However, this situation only existed for a short period until more powerful
605:
high on the political agenda throughout the Cold War, a nuclear exchange became ever less likely, leaving existing fighter designs more than adequate for their protection in the wars being fought. In
Vietnam for instance,
490:
gave it unparalleled range even on internal fuel, and with external tanks, it could cover most of Europe. Although not designed for the escort role, the P-51 remains the canonical example of the class.
92:β small aircraft designed to be carried by a specialized bomber β were seen as a possible solution to the limited ranges of most traditional escort fighters. First experimented with in
654:
would be protected by air superiority fighters, sometimes flying far afield and ahead of them, engaging distant enemy air units, rather than by direct escorts staying in sight nearby.
1148:
174:
designs that concentrated on solving the problem of long-range navigation at night. During 1932, in the face of increasingly capable bomber aircraft, the
British Prime Minister
1783:
313:
Although the photoreconnaissance versions of the
Spitfire flew deep over Germany during daylight, the idea of deep escort was never seriously considered by the RAF.
185:
This state of affairs was considered distasteful and there was some consideration given to methods to allow bombing during the day. Two ideas became popular. The
329:. Fighter Command felt that using their fighters as protection for bombing raids would draw on their own numbers. On 30 November 1936, Director of Staff Duties
317:
In contrast to their German counterparts, the RAF long argued against the development of escorts. A key reason was largely organizational. In 1936 the former
626:. In some cases the missions of F-4 were "mixed", when some F-4 were equipped with bombs, and some F-4 acted as escorts (similar cases occurred with F-8).
713:
Lt. Col. Stoll, Hans G. "Luftwaffe
Doctrine and Air Superiority throughout WWII: The Luftwaffe Experience." United States Air War College, 1994. p. 1.
170:
As the fighters held the upper hand, raids were almost always carried out at night. During the inter-war era, this led to the creation of dedicated
668:
During the 2010s, the US Air Force was in the early stages of developing a new fighter intended to operate as an escort for the next generation
100:
would emerge as the last dedicated parasite fighter design and was abandoned in 1949 due to technical issues as well as the advent of practical
1273:
1386:
1776:
1319:
1079:
Major Lesher, Lee A. "The
Evolution of Long-Range Escort Doctrine in World War II" United States Air Command and Staff College, 1988. p. 6.
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were arriving that mounted heavy defensive armament. This convinced some in Bomber
Command that daylight raids would not require escorts.
1145:
335:
1769:
1254:
665:, also decreased the need for escorts, as the aircraft on air strike mission became capable of effectively defending themselves.
1665:
1649:
1616:
1559:
1540:
1522:
1467:
1448:
995:
350:
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German losses were three Bf 109s, with four fighters (Bf 109 and BF 110) severely damaged and further eight lightly damaged.
1177:
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campaign against German industries was only possible during the day. At first, this was not seen as an issue; the Forces'
201:
and at the time this demanded a twin-engine aircraft. Such a design would not be able to maneuver with the single-engine
1864:
647:
179:
1732:
1714:
1698:
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1601:
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1500:
1485:
1413:
1392:
Washington, D.C: USAF Historical Division, Research Studies Institute, Air University, 1955. Retrieved: 15 July 2014.
1379:
1364:
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1300:
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218:
607:
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3 bomber, was intended to be immune to enemy attack due to its speed, North American Aviation briefly proposed the
1554:. Vol. VI (Imperial War Museum and Naval & Military Press, Uckfield ed.). London: Clarendon Press.
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role, as well as giving it the ability to carry large fuel tanks. Finally, the extremely high efficiency of the
1813:
563:
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602:
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on 14 October 1943, in which 26% of the attacking force was either destroyed or written off due to damage.
318:
76:
by more agile single-engined fighters. As the war progressed, longer-range fighter designs and the use of
2064:
1934:
1875:
783:
619:
545:
487:
395:
391:
107:
The escort role has been diminished as modern air combat doctrine places a heavy emphasis on the idea of
72:. Such heavy fighters largely failed in their intended escort role during the war, as they were commonly
26:
1568:
Lesnitchenko, Vladimir. "Combat Composites: Soviet Use of 'Mother-Ships' to Carry Fighters, 1931β1941."
1128:
1010:
1630:
615:
427:
915:
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which meant smaller fighters could be equally effective led to the end of development of the designs.
84:
and their inherent short range made escort fighters very difficult to build. The related concept of a
2089:
1984:
549:
517:
471:
152:
1635:
The Central Intelligence Agency and Overhead Reconnaissance: The U-2 and OXCART Programs, 1954β1974.
1270:
464:
88:
emerged briefly in the 1950s and again in the 1960s, but did not result in any production aircraft.
1979:
553:
163:β all three put gunners into nacelles to provide wide fields of fire. The development of effective
769:
80:
allowed single-engined fighters to perform escort duties. In the post-war era the introduction of
2025:
1952:
1833:
988:
The Battle of the Heligoland Bight, 1939: The Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe's Baptism of Fire
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513:
455:
438:
403:
1924:
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505:
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concluded that final sign-off was given, at which point they saw no need for such conversions.
1423:
The Army Air Forces in World War II: Europe, Torch to Pointblank, August 1942 to December 1943
531:
2037:
2015:
1942:
1912:
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mounted a powerful engine that allowed it to carry large loads. This made it suitable in the
1957:
1761:
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1342:
Black Cross β Red Star, Air War over the Eastern Front. Volume 3. Everything for Stalingrad
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383:
271:
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8:
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was a very fast aircraft that would simply fly right past the slower fighters due to the
136:
85:
50:
763:
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in the US, and largely ignored entirely in the USSR. Furthermore, with the concept of
1962:
1929:
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1728:
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89:
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2020:
1947:
1917:
1907:
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451:
275:
238:
140:
120:
101:
42:
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and put significant effort into the escort fighter concept before the outbreak of
1870:
1823:
1725:
The American Way of War: A History of United States Military Strategy and Policy.
1530:
1277:
1258:
1152:
841:
651:
267:
197:
192:
178:
surmised that interception efforts would inevitably not always succeed and that "
175:
108:
68:
with high fuel capacity were designed for escort duties prior to the outbreak of
58:
1552:
The War in the Air Being the Part played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force
1320:"A Raider and His 'Little Buddy': Which Fighter Will Accompany the USAF's B-21?"
222:
The Bf 110 was designed as an escort fighter but found more widespread use as a
1999:
1994:
1745:
1570:
768:. Philadelphia: The United Publishers of the United States and Canada. p.
589:
581:
556:
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and jet, but these failed to meet performance requirements. A new concept, the
475:
433:
330:
282:
160:
1431:
1011:"Flying Fortress (B-17G): A Survey of the Hard-hitting American Heavy Weight."
964:
426:
did nothing of significance to reduce them. This culminated in the disastrous
422:
USAAF bomber losses gradually increased, and experimental "gunships" like the
418:
Close-up of the array of .50-caliber guns on the Boeing YB-40 Flying Fortress.
374:
2083:
1972:
1902:
1594:
Republic F-84 Thunderjet, Thunderstreak & Thunderflash: A Photo Chronicle
598:
521:
298:
227:
187:
65:
1693:(Classic WWII Aviation). Bristol, Avon, UK: Cerberus Publishing Ltd., 2005.
1357:
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning: The Definitive Story of Lockheed's P-38 Fighter
1211:
Anderson, Major Clarence E. "Bud". "Aircraft Wingtip Coupling Experiments."
965:"A Blind Spot? The Royal Air Force (RAF) and Long-Range Fighters, 1936β1944"
1897:
1892:
1174:
479:
294:
242:
223:
171:
97:
69:
30:
309:
2042:
1989:
1756:
566:
525:
202:
124:
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and found to be utterly impossible to use operationally. The subsequent
1301:"The Air Force Wants a New Fighter to Accompany Its New Stealth Bomber"
541:
399:
147:
132:
81:
743:
501:
460:
234:
77:
414:
357:
128:
73:
1596:. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military/Aviation History, 1998.
1340:
Bergstrom, Christer & Dikov, Andrey & Aptipov, Vladislav.
454:
and developed a series of cannon-armed aircraft, among which, the
342:
immediately before the war, new and much larger aircraft like the
1880:
1808:
349:
The concept of daytime raids quickly ended after the disastrous
1887:
286:
262:
46:
851:
592:
gradually faded from the scene. Missile technology meant that
528:
with heavy bombers via a trapeze mechanism or their wingtips.
1637:
Washington, D.C.: Central Intelligence Agency, 1992. No ISBN.
423:
1791:
1372:
B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the Eighth Air Force, Volume 2
1359:. Hayesville, North Carolina: Widewing Publications, 2001 .
1660:, Aircraft of the Aces No. 49, Oxford: Osprey Publishing,
398:
bombers were the most heavily armed aircraft of the time.
245:. One of the principle outcomes of this attention was the
588:, plans for dedicated escort fighters designed to escort
573:
interceptor for the escort role. In this case, the term "
93:
21:
1626:. Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications, 1966.
1609:
Eighth Air Force: The American Bomber Crews in Britain
1493:
The Sky on Fire: The First Battle of Britain 1917β1918
1707:
Messerschmitt Bf 110 ZerstΓΆrer Aces of World War Two
441:
had far greater range than its early contemporaries.
49:
to and from their targets. An escort fighter needed
1631:"current escort and call girls situation in mumbai"
1261:, US Air Force Air Command and Staff College, 1986
869:
205:, so attention was given to outright performance.
114:
131:, and later by large bomber aircraft such as the
2081:
1642:Giants in the Sky: History of the Rigid Airship.
1426:. Vol. II. Chicago: University of Chicago.
1280:, National Museum of the United States Air Force
1175:"Aces of the Eighth Air Force in World War Two."
1709:, Aircraft of the Aces No. 25, London: Osprey,
1624:The Bristol Blenheim I (Aircraft in Profile 93)
1529:Johnsen, Frederick (2003). Steve Gansen (ed.).
1226:
883:
881:
369:
266:performance and was easily outperformed by the
1419:
1187:
819:
817:
402:of them were planned, creating a crossfire of
281:In one famous example, a group of seventy-two
1777:
1727:Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1977.
1629:Pedlow, Gregory W. and Donald E. Welzenbach.
139:, these raids were increasingly countered by
1655:
1579:The Strategic Bombing of Germany, 1940β1945.
1388:Development of the Long Range Escort Fighter
890:
878:
29:is one of the best-known escort fighters of
1480:. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1977.
1283:
1064:
1004:
937:Bergstrom, Dikov & Antipov 2006, p. 67.
814:
535:XF-85 suspended from an EB-29 via a trapeze
16:Aircraft designed to protect other aircraft
1784:
1770:
1406:The Air Defence of Great Britain 1914β1918
1271:"Fact Sheet: North American F-108A Rapier"
1155:Museum of Flight. Retrieved: 12 July 2006.
1082:
1046:
1037:
470:Further adaptations quickly followed. The
1753:, the main adversary of an escort fighter
860:
289:, escorted by Bf 110s, made an attack on
1420:Craven, Wesley; Cate Lea, James (1949).
1298:
1055:
848:, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1969, p. 722.
530:
432:
413:
373:
308:
217:
20:
1528:
1506:Gunston, Bill. "Parasitic Protectors."
1374:. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2002.
1217:
1091:
338:and sending the rest to UK formations.
213:
2082:
1581:Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, 1992.
1549:
1404:Cole, Christopher and Cheesman, E. F.
1184:, June 1999. Retrieved: 7 August 2011.
1135:: 600 (photo caption), 7 December 1944
985:
962:
958:
956:
954:
952:
749:
614:escorted the American bombers such as
524:attempted a similar solution, docking
1765:
1656:Dragan, Savic; Ciglic, Boris (2002),
1395:
761:
237:strategy was based mostly on daytime
1704:
1644:Henley-on-Thames, UK: Foulis, 1973.
1462:. London: Aerospace Publishing Ltd.
1460:The Encyclopedia of Aircraft of WWII
1457:
1443:. London: Aerospace Publishing Ltd.
1438:
1299:Mizokami, Kyle (20 September 2016).
1252:"The Search For An Advanced Fighter"
1213:Society of Experimental Test Pilots.
1101:, New York: Ballantine Books, 1983.
642:, meant that high value assets like
516:strategic bomber, was tested with a
1515:F/A-18 Hornet: A Navy Success Story
1052:Cate & Craven 1983, pp. 704β05.
990:. London: Grub Street. p. 86.
949:
793:. Flight Aircraft Engineer Magazine
740:Cole and Cheesman 1984, pp. 243β46.
61:to defend the bombers, and return.
13:
1865:Airborne early warning and control
1317:
916:"The Luftwaffe's 'Black Thursday'"
648:airborne early warning and control
508:microfighter, planned to act as a
351:air battle of the Heligoland Bight
180:the bomber will always get through
123:campaigns were carried out during
14:
2101:
1678:. New York: Prentice Hall, 1986.
1574:, No. 84, November/December 1999.
1241:Pedlow and Welzenbach 1992, p. 9.
752:, pp. 142, 145, 146β47, 148.
650:, command platforms, bombers and
608:McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs
304:
53:long enough to reach the target,
1441:Aircraft Anatomy of World War II
1434:– via Hyperwar Foundation.
1344:. Eagle Editions Limited, 2006.
552:escorted B-29 heavy bombers and
356:During the preparations for the
57:over it for the duration of the
1532:Weapons of the Eighth Air Force
1517:. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000.
1510:Volume 3, No. 10, October 1975.
1334:
1311:
1292:
1264:
1244:
1235:
1205:
1196:
1167:
1158:
1139:
1121:
1112:
1073:
1028:
1019:
979:
940:
931:
922:
908:
899:
857:Ciglic and Savic 2007, pp. 6β7.
835:
826:
682:
663:McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet
208:
115:World War I and interwar period
1676:Modern Fighting Aircraft: B-1B
844:and Anthony John Lane Barnes,
805:
776:
755:
734:
725:
716:
707:
467:flew their P-38s over Berlin.
1:
1658:Croatian Aces of World War II
1611:. London: Aurum Press, 2007.
1146:"Republic P-47D Thunderbolt".
695:
629:
564:North American XB-70 Valkyrie
963:Stubbs, David (April 2014).
700:
670:Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider
640:McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
620:Republic F-105 Thunderchiefs
616:Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses
603:mutually assured destruction
571:North American XF-108 Rapier
447:United States Army Air Force
370:In US Army Air Force service
319:Air Defence of Great Britain
7:
1739:
1495:. New York: Harvest, 1976.
969:Journal of Military History
546:Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star
494:
488:North American P-51 Mustang
396:Consolidated B-24 Liberator
392:Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
336:British Expeditionary Force
146:In early 1916, the British
27:North American P-51 Mustang
10:
2106:
1398:British Aeroplanes 1914β18
1180:13 August 2011 at Wikiwix
762:March, Francis A. (1919).
428:Second Raid on Schweinfurt
321:had its duties split into
257:, the Luftwaffe used both
2008:
1857:
1850:
1801:
731:Fredette 1974, pp. 60β61.
722:Robinson 1973, pp. 85β94.
550:North American F-86 Sabre
518:Boeing B-29 Superfortress
472:Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
378:B-17 bombers in formation
153:Armstrong Whitworth F.K.6
64:A number of twin-engined
1723:Weigley, Russell Frank.
1408:. London: Putnam, 1984.
1202:Lepage 2009, pp. 257β58.
1164:Boylan 1955, pp. 155β56.
784:"The Brock Bullet Claim"
765:History of the World War
675:
580:With the development of
554:Republic F-84 Thunderjet
404:.50 caliber machine-guns
1034:Miller 2007, pp. 42β46.
1016:4 May 1944, pp. 473β76.
657:The development of the
636:air superiority fighter
586:surface-to-air missiles
514:Convair B-36 Peacemaker
463:. On 3 March 1944, the
456:Lockheed P-38 Lightning
439:Lockheed P-38 Lightning
1550:Jones, H. A. (2009) .
986:Holmes, Robin (2010).
946:Treadwell 2003, p. 76.
811:Fredette 1974, p. 212.
536:
506:McDonnell XF-85 Goblin
442:
419:
379:
314:
231:
34:
1640:Robinson, Douglas H.
1535:. St. Paul, MN: MBI.
1491:Fredette, Raymond H.
1396:Bruce, J. M. (1957),
1193:Gunston 1975, p. 483.
1070:Weigley 1977, p. 339.
928:Weal 1999, pp. 50β51.
905:Weal 1999, pp. 43β51.
534:
436:
417:
377:
312:
272:Supermarine Spitfires
261:and Bf 110s based in
259:Messerschmitt Bf 109s
221:
24:
1691:Messerschmitt Bf 110
1689:Treadwell, Terry C.
1478:B-17 Fortress at War
1289:Jenkins 2000, p. 19.
1232:Spick 1986, pp. 4β5.
1088:Johnsen 2003, p. 75.
866:Moyes 1966, pp. 3β4.
846:Baldwin: A Biography
624:Douglas A-4 Skyhawks
612:Vought F-8 Crusaders
384:U.S. Army Air Forces
247:Messerschmitt Bf 110
214:In Luftwaffe service
165:synchronisation gear
96:, the U.S.-designed
41:was a concept for a
1935:Electronic warfare
1705:Weal, John (1999),
1622:Moyes, Philip J.R.
1513:Jenkins, Dennis R.
1458:Eden, Paul (2004).
1439:Eden, Paul (2003).
1118:Bodie 2001, p. 223.
1043:Levine 1992, p. 90.
1025:Freeman 1993, p. 8.
575:penetration fighter
323:RAF Fighter Command
137:Handley Page Type O
86:penetration fighter
45:designed to escort
1876:Counter-insurgency
1607:Miller, Donald L.
1508:Aeroplane Monthly,
1476:Freeman, Roger A.
1370:Bowman, Martin W.
1276:2014-12-28 at the
1257:2017-02-22 at the
1250:Robert Lyons Jr.,
1151:2007-03-24 at the
1129:"RAF Thunderbolts"
1061:Bowman 2002, p. 7.
896:Eden 2003, p. 168.
887:Eden 2004, p. 342.
875:Mackay 2000, p. 9.
832:Mason 1992, p. 67.
823:Bruce 1957, p. 25.
672:strategic bomber.
634:The advent of the
537:
465:55th Fighter Group
443:
420:
380:
344:Vickers Wellington
327:RAF Bomber Command
315:
232:
127:. Initially using
35:
2077:
2076:
2073:
2072:
1930:Close air support
1794:military aircraft
1667:978-1-84176-435-1
1650:978-0-85429-145-8
1617:978-1-84513-221-7
1561:978-1-84342-417-8
1542:978-0-7603-1340-4
1523:978-0-07-134696-2
1469:978-1-904687-83-2
1450:978-1-905704-32-3
1385:Boylan, Bernard.
1355:Bodie, Warren M.
1305:Popular Mechanics
1173:Sherman, Steven.
1099:Fork-tailed Devil
997:978-1-906502-56-0
659:multirole fighter
452:bomber destroyers
388:strategic bombing
276:Hawker Hurricanes
255:Battle of Britain
121:strategic bombing
90:Parasite fighters
2097:
2090:Fighter aircraft
1938:
1855:
1854:
1837:
1786:
1779:
1772:
1763:
1762:
1719:
1670:
1592:McLaren, David.
1577:Levine, Alan J.
1565:
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1401:
1400:, London: Putnam
1328:
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1318:Farley, Robert.
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1097:Caidin, Martin.
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689:
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510:parasite fighter
445:This forced the
400:Close formations
363:Wright-Patterson
239:tactical bombing
198:aircraft engines
157:Sopwith L.R.T.Tr
141:fighter aircraft
119:The first major
102:aerial refueling
43:fighter aircraft
2105:
2104:
2100:
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2078:
2069:
2004:
1980:Maritime patrol
1953:Air superiority
1936:
1846:
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1797:
1796:types and roles
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652:attack aircraft
632:
590:nuclear bombers
584:, particularly
582:guided missiles
557:strike fighters
497:
372:
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268:Royal Air Force
226:and later as a
216:
211:
176:Stanley Baldwin
117:
109:air superiority
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2026:Reconnaissance
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2012:
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2000:Strike fighter
1997:
1995:Fighter-bomber
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1571:Air Enthusiast
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638:, such as the
631:
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610:and sometimes
548:and later the
496:
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476:fighter-bomber
371:
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331:Sholto Douglas
306:
305:In RAF service
303:
283:Heinkel He 111
215:
212:
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161:Vickers F.B.11
116:
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66:heavy fighters
39:escort fighter
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1684:0-13-055237-2
1681:
1677:
1674:Spick, Mike.
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599:nuclear triad
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565:
562:Although the
560:
558:
555:
551:
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529:
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523:
522:FICON project
519:
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299:night fighter
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228:night fighter
225:
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188:schnellbomber
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74:outmaneuvered
71:
67:
62:
60:
56:
52:
48:
44:
40:
32:
28:
23:
19:
2038:Surveillance
2016:Experimental
1967:
1898:Light bomber
1893:Heavy bomber
1724:
1706:
1690:
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1641:
1634:
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1477:
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1405:
1397:
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1371:
1356:
1341:
1335:Bibliography
1324:The Diplomat
1323:
1313:
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1237:
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1212:
1207:
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1021:
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1006:
987:
981:
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910:
901:
892:
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853:
845:
837:
828:
807:
795:. Retrieved
790:
778:
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757:
745:
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727:
718:
709:
684:
667:
656:
633:
594:interceptors
579:
561:
538:
526:jet fighters
498:
482:wing on the
480:laminar-flow
469:
444:
421:
409:
386:' precision
381:
355:
348:
340:
316:
295:light bomber
280:
252:
243:World War II
233:
224:light bomber
209:World War II
203:day fighters
186:
184:
172:night bomber
169:
145:
118:
106:
98:XF-85 Goblin
70:World War II
63:
38:
36:
31:World War II
18:
1990:Interdictor
1958:Interceptor
1867:(AEW&C)
1757:Wild Weasel
1751:Interceptor
750:Jones 2009a
253:During the
193:extra power
125:World War I
82:jet engines
2009:Non-combat
1985:Multi-role
1918:Pathfinder
1913:Penetrator
1829:Helicopter
1819:Fixed-wing
1432:1068351234
1182:Ace pilots
696:References
661:, such as
630:Modern era
542:Korean War
461:drop tanks
148:War Office
133:Gotha G.IV
78:drop tanks
2065:Transport
1963:Emergency
1908:Strategic
1834:Unmanned
797:12 August
701:Citations
502:turboprop
486:-powered
301:instead.
291:Newcastle
235:Luftwaffe
129:Zeppelins
2084:Category
1943:Intruder
1740:See also
1274:Archived
1255:Archived
1178:Archived
1149:Archived
512:for the
495:Cold War
358:Big Week
285:'s from
2060:Trainer
2055:Testbed
2021:Liaison
1948:Fighter
1925:Carrier
1881:Gunship
1842:Stealth
1814:Balloon
1809:Airship
1792:Modern
1014:Flight,
644:tankers
47:bombers
2050:Tanker
1968:Escort
1888:Bomber
1871:Attack
1858:Combat
1824:Glider
1731:
1713:
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1348:
1133:Flight
1105:
994:
544:, the
484:Merlin
297:, and
287:Norway
263:France
55:loiter
2043:Scout
2031:Scout
1973:Night
1851:Roles
1836:(UAV)
1802:Types
787:(PDF)
676:Notes
424:YB-40
59:raid
51:range
1937:(EW)
1729:ISBN
1711:ISBN
1695:ISBN
1680:ISBN
1662:ISBN
1646:ISBN
1613:ISBN
1598:ISBN
1583:ISBN
1556:ISBN
1537:ISBN
1519:ISBN
1497:ISBN
1482:ISBN
1464:ISBN
1445:ISBN
1428:OCLC
1410:ISBN
1376:ISBN
1361:ISBN
1346:ISBN
1103:ISBN
992:ISBN
799:2018
622:and
567:Mach
437:The
394:and
382:The
325:and
274:and
159:and
135:and
37:The
25:The
770:419
270:'s
94:WWI
2086::
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967:.
951:^
880:^
816:^
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646:,
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33:.
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