A-Z of American Military Aircraft Quiz

Answer: Airacomet

The Bell P-59 Airacomet did not attain full operational status. Its performance was barely on a par with many piston-engined fighters then in service and it was not a stable gun platform. Nevertheless, the 66 P-59s that were built provided the USAAF with useful training in conversion to jet aircraft.

Answer: B-17 Flying Fortress

The Boeing B-17 was probably the most famous bomber in service with any of the US air forces of WW2. It had a very distinctive profile and underwent a series of modifications to its armament and appearance from the early B-17B to the definitive B-17G versions. It was extremely rugged, able to sustain a lot of battle damage and still get its crew home.

Although it is often assumed that the name 'Flying Fortress' derived from its fearsome defensive armament of twelve .50in calibre machine guns, it actually stemmed from the original role for which it was designed: that of a coastal patrol bomber protecting the domestic shores of the United States.

Answer: Corsair

The Corsair's distinctive inverted gull wing stemmed from the need to allow enough ground clearance for its huge propeller, while maintaining a short and strong undercarriage for carrier deck operations. It was the first carrier aircraft that could outfight not only the best Axis fighters but also the Allied ones.

Answer: Dauntless

The Douglas SBD Dauntless was underpowered, vulnerable, lacking in range and fatiguing to fly. But in the hands of US Navy and USMC pilots, it scored remarkable victories. The carrier 'Shoho' was sunk by SBDs at Coral Sea in May 1942 and, a month later, the carriers 'Kaga','Akagi','Hiryu' and 'Soryu' were sunk in similar fashion at Midway. Since these were the carriers that launched the attack on Pearl Harbor only six months before, it could be said that the SBDs exacted full revenge!

Answer: Eagle

The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle was also designed to remedy the shortcomings of the obsolescent F4 Phantom as a visual interceptor and dogfighter. The USAF expects to maintain the F-15 in service until 2025. The air forces of Japan, Israel and Saudi Arabia are also operators of the type.

Answer: F-16

The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon is extremely versatile, therefore making it attractive to various nations with limited defence budgets. It was designed to replace another successful export, the F-104 Starfighter, and many of its overseas customers are air forces that used to operate this type in the 1960/70s. It currently operates with 25 air forces around the world.

Answer: Globemaster II

The design of the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II was based on that of its predecessor and namesake, the C-74 Globemaster. It was one of the first aircraft actually designed from the start as a heavy strategic airlift type, rather than a converted airliner. As a cargo hauler, it could carry over 65,000lbs(31,000kg), and in troop-carrying mode it could carry 200 soldiers.

Answer: Hercules

Built in over 40 models and variants, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules has served with more than 50 of the world's air forces. It is an extremely versatile machine, and is particularly useful in a military context because of its ability to be operated from unprepared airstrips. Its latest version is the C-130J Super Hercules, with more advanced avionics.

Answer: Invader

The Douglas A-26 Invader was developed from the highly successful and popular A-20 Havoc. As such, its crews did not immediately take to it, but once its superb manoeuvrability, speed and ease of handling were recognised, it quickly asserted itself as an extremely effective attack bomber. During 11,567 sorties in the last year of WW2, only 67 A-26s were lost to all causes on the European front. It even accounted for seven enemy aircraft intercepted, including a probable Me.262 jet fighter.

Answer: Jenny

The JN-4 was the definitive and most successful of a series of biplane trainers designed by Curtiss. It was the main pilot trainer that was employed in the rapid expansion of the US Army Air Service during WW1, and it was also used by the British Royal Flying Corps to train pilots in Canada.

After WW1, many were sold off to private operators (most of whom were ex-military pilots) and were a common sight at various towns across America, offering joyrides and exhibiting 'daredevil' displays to the public. For the military as well as the civilian public in the United States, the Curtiss 'Jenny' was often the first aircraft with which they came into close contact.

Answer: KC-135

The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is one of three aircraft that have served the USAF for over fifty years. For the record, the others are the C-130 Hercules (see Q.8) and the B-52 Stratofortress.

Although it bears a superficial resemblance to it, the KC-135 was not developed from the Boeing 707 airliner. It was developed from Boeing's 367-80 transport demonstrator and is therefore both narrower and shorter than the 707.

Answer: Liberator

More effort, more aluminium and more aircrew went into the Consolidated B-24 Liberator than any other American aircraft ever built. 19,203 B-24s were produced, compared to 12,731 B-17s or 7,366 British Avro Lancasters.

The B-24 was designed with an extremely efficient wing, which gave it exceptional range/endurance capabilities. In addition, therefore, to the vital role it played as a heavy bomber in the European and Pacific Theatres, it also became vital as a maritime patrol bomber for the USAAF, US Navy and RAF. It became essential to the war over the Atlantic, where its VLR (Very Long Range) capability made it a highly effective anti-submarine hunter and convoy escort.

Answer: Mustang

Originally, the North American P-51 Mustang was powered by an Allison engine, the standard inline powerplant for US-built aircraft. The early Allison-powered Mustangs lacked performance at altitude, leading to its redeployment as an attack aircraft, rather than an interceptor fighter.

The RAF, the original primary customer for the Mustang, experimented with the installation of the superb Rolls-Royce Merlin, and the rest is history. Packard built the Merlin under licence, and Merlin-powered Mustangs were a key factor in helping the Allies achieve air superiority. Possessed of remarkable range and performance, the P-51 was able to operate deep into enemy territory, escorting USAAF bombers all the way to Berlin. Over 15,000 Mustangs were built.

Answer: N3N

The Naval Aircraft Factory's N3N Canary was that company's most extensively built and enduring machine. It was operated with both a wheeled undercarriage and floats and was the US Navy's equivalent to the USAAF's Boeing PT-19 Kaydet in the crucial role it played in its air arm's pilot training programme. Over 900 were built.

Answer: Osprey

The V-22 Osprey is a joint venture by Bell and Boeing, pooling the expertise of both these famous aviation companies. It is designed to perform missions like a conventional helicopter, but with the advantages of long range and high speed that a fixed-wing turboprop confers.

Answer: Peashooter

The Boeing P-26 'Peashooter' attracted a lot of publicity when it first flew in the early 1930s. It was the first all-metal monoplane fighter to serve with the USAAC and, indeed, one of the first in the world at a time when most of the world's air forces were still operating wood and canvas biplanes.

It was quickly superseded, however, and by the late 1930s was already obsolete compared to the faster monoplanes being operated in Europe.

Answer: Q-8

The Culver Cadet was a light monoplane sports aircraft designed before WW2. Civilian production ended in 1941 but the USAAF ordered over 600 to be employed as radio-controlled target drones. Designated Q-8, it served in this capacity throughout the war.

Answer: Raptor

The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor has only been in full service since 2005. In addition to its air superiority role, it is also capable of ground attack, electronic warfare and signals intelligence operations.

Answer: Sabre

The North American F-86 Sabre was the first American jet fighter that was on a par with, or better than, the latest European and Soviet designs. The USAF's piston-engined fighters and F-80s had been outclassed by the Soviet-built MiG-15s during the Korean War until the Sabre came into service. By the end of the conflict, Sabres had enjoyed a kill ratio of 10:1 over the MiG-15s.

Answer: Thunderbolt

The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was huge compared to most of its contemporaries. Its size represented the new technology that it accommodated - its large Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine and supercharger needed a large airframe. It was also one of the most heavily armed fighters of the war, with eight .50in calibre machine guns.

Answer: UH-1

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois was more commonly known by its nickname - the 'Huey'. It was a true utility machine, employed mainly for transport and casualty evacuation but also a myriad of other roles. It was ubiquitous in the Vietnam War, immortalised in newsreels and films ever since.

Answer: Voodoo

The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was designed originally as an escort fighter for the nuclear bombers of Strategic Air Command. SAC lost interest in the concept, but its value as a tactical bomber was still appreciated during its development. Thus it entered service as a long-range tactical fighter bomber, designed to carry a nuclear bomb.

Although its service with the USAF ended in the early 1970s, it continued to serve with the US Air National Guard and RCAF for more than decade later.

Answer: Warhawk

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was the mainstay of the USAAF's fighter force during the first 18 months of the USA's entry into WW2. It was extremely manoeuverable at high speed and low altitude and, although it suffered high losses, it also inflicted high losses on the enemy.

As more powerful types, such as the P-47 and P-51, came into service, it was redeployed as a ground attack aircraft, a role in which it was maintained until the end of the war.

Answer: X-1

The orange-coloured Bell X-1 was the first aircraft to exceed the speed of sound in controlled, level flight on 14th October, 1947. This momentous event in aviation history occurred within a month of the formation of the USAF. Yeager had christened the aircraft 'Glamorous Glennis' in honour of his wife.

Answer: False

The North American BT-9 Yale was a basic trainer that often offered the first monoplane experience to pilots trained on biplanes such as the Boeing PT-19. Nearly three times as many BT-9s (and the later BT-14) were employed by the RAF and RCAF as were used by the USAAF and US Navy combined.

The AT-6 Texan (known in British Commonwealth service as the Harvard) was a more advanced and faster aircraft.