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52 Articles

WELCOME TO COMBAT MACHINES

Since the outbreak of the First World War more than 100 years ago, the technology powering the world’s military forces has evolved at an unprecedented pace. The introduction of the first tanks during the Great War marked the start of an arms race that has continued to this day, and as we get our first glimpse at the next generation of military machines, it’s incredible to think how far technology has come. In this new edition of the History of War Book of Combat Machines, we chart the history and development of these awesome military vehicles, from the fearsome German Tiger tanks of the Second World War, to the rise of the nuclearpowered submarine, to the hi-tech fighter jets that now rule the skies across the globe. We’ll show you…

WELCOME TO COMBAT MACHINES

100 YEARS OF WARFARE TANKS

Ancient Greek hoplites joined their shields and advanced in unison. Hannibal’s Carthaginians mounted war elephants. The visionary Leonardo da Vinci rendered an image of an armoured fighting vehicle in 1487. While the concept of the tank - an armoured unit that could dominate the battlefield - has existed for almost as long as mankind has waged war, it became workable and developed to devastating capability 100 years ago. Since the creaky bathtubs that ruled World War I, the tank has existed to provide an operational edge during combat. Its varied roles range from the hammer blow of the mailed fist to break through enemy lines, to the rapid exploitation of the breach and the destruction of other vehicles and fortifications, as well as reconnaissance and fire support as mobile artillery.…

100 YEARS OF WARFARE TANKS

TANKS PAST AND PRESENT

Prior to World War I, research and development yielded some practical benefits in tank design. Caterpillar treads, already in use with heavy tractors, proved superior to wheels, and power to weight ratios were recognised as having significant impact on mobility and performance. Experimentation with every aspect of the tank’s development led to the introduction of basic internal power plants, and sheets of steel were riveted together to form armoured boxes on top of a tractor or car chassis. Visibility and steering were crudely accomplished with hazardous viewing ports and a series of tillers respectively. Machine guns and cannon originally meant for use with infantry and artillery units were also adapted. Although they were terrifying to the common foot soldier that encountered them, the earliest tanks were heavy and unwieldy contraptions…

TANKS PAST AND PRESENT

THE MODERN BATTLEFIELD

Since their first deployment, tanks have had multiple combat roles. As the world’s foremost military organisations began to evaluate the potential of the tank and either embrace or discount its future, military establishments developed their own specific roles for the armoured vehicle. A division of labour emerged. Tanks were either built with heavy armour and weapons for striking power, or slimmed down for speed and rapid manoeuvre. Even during its infancy, the British Tank Corps fielded heavier Mark IV and Mark V tanks in World War I along with the faster and more manoeuvrable Whippet. The heavier tanks were intended to breach German trenches, creating gaps through which the lighter tanks would slash into enemy areas. While the heavy tanks struck powerful blows, the light tanks served as modern, armoured…

THE MODERN BATTLEFIELD

THE FUTURE OF ARMOURED WARFARE

Grinding and blasting their way through enemy defences, tanks became icons of warfare in the 20th century. Tomorrow may be a different story. Some analysts see the armoured titans as past their golden age, while others regard them as battlefield powerhouses, evolving and adapting. Technology continues to influence the tank and the weapons designed to counter it. An armed Apache helicopter laden with Hellfire missiles can lock onto its target and blow an enemy tank to pieces in seconds. Pilotless aerial drones can do the same. Even with technology aside, soldiers can destroy tanks by pointing a shoulder-held weapon toward the vehicle, firing the projectile, and quickly retiring to safety. Meanwhile, technological innovation has given tanks a renewed competitive edge in fighting insurgents in narrow streets or taking on enemy…

THE FUTURE OF ARMOURED WARFARE

20 GREATEST MACHINES OF WAR

The machines of the 20th Century were endlessly inventive and swung the pendulum for one side or another at crucial times. Just as a conflict looked as though it may grind to a stalemate, the order would be flipped on its head when a new invention made its timely debut on the battlefield. The first machine guns brought about the end of marching in formation, while the arrival of the submarine blew the hierarchy of naval supremacy wide open. The most effective war machines are usually created as a response to seemingly unbeatable odds. The stealth bomber was invented to fight back against increasingly effective radar systems, while tanks protected against the deadly machine gun fire that cut down infantry divisions in droves. From the fall of once great empires,…

20 GREATEST MACHINES OF WAR

RENAULT FT Founded: 1917 Country: France Often cited as the world’s first ‘modern’ tank, the Renault FT was a stalwart towards the end of the First World Wad, with over 3,000 of them produced during that time. Five or six could be made for the price of a larger tank, and they were built to swarm larger enemies and defeat them by sheer numbers. T-26 Founded: 1931 Country: Soviet Union The Soviet T-26 was heavily based on the Vickers Mark-E light tank operated by the British, and became an admirable model for rapid production. It’s quite remarkable that over 10,000 of these machines were operational by 1939, cementing the Soviet Union’s reputation as a military industrial powerhouse M3 STUART Founded: 1940 Country: USA The M3 is certainly one of the…

T-70 YEARS IN OPERATION: 1942-1948 LOYALTY: USSR NUMBER MADE: 8,200 FIREPOWER Surprisingly heavy for a light tank, the T-70 had a 45mm gun that used both armour-piercing and explosive rounds. Its secondary weapon was a 7.622mm machine gun. TACTICS With a crew of two, the T-70 struggled to use its main turret effectively and became more of a reconnaissance vehicle. Its chassis would later be used for SU-76M tank killers and the T-80. ARMOUR Protection began at 35mm, but increased to 45mm in later models. The armour was reasonable, but wasn’t enough to shield the T-70 from larger tanks and artillery on the battlefield. SPEED The T-70 had 140 horsepower at its disposal, which gave it a top speed of 45km/h (28mph). Light tanks had to be quick to compensate…

LIGHT TANKS OF THE WORLD

1 SIEGE OF TOBRUK TOBRUK, LIBYA 10 APRIL 1941 Large numbers of light tanks from the British Commonwealth go into fierce battles with Rommel’s armoured Afrika Korps to protect the Allied toehold in Eygpt. 2 D-DAY NORMANDY, FRANCE 6 JUNE 1944 The Normandy landings of Operation Overlord required the Allies to deposit a large amount of armour onto French shores. Among these were British and American light tanks, along with the near ubiquitous Sherman. 3 FIRST BATTLE OF NAKTONG BULGE SOUTH KOREA 6 AUGUST 1950 North Korea crosses the Naktong River and into US-held South Korean territory. The Americans are on stand-by with M24 Chaffee light tanks, which saw service until after Vietnam. 4 SECOND BATTLE OF EL ALAMEIN EL ALAMEIN, EGYPT 23 OCTOBER 1942 German Panzer II tanks face…

LIGHT TANKS OF THE WORLD

ANATOMY OF A… PANZER II

PANZERKAMPFWAGEN II YEARS IN USE: 9 COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: GERMANY ENGINE SIZE: 6-CYLINDER, 138HP CREW: 3 LENGTH: 4.81M WEIGHT: 8.9 TONS TOP SPEED: 25MPH WEAPONS: 1 X 20MM KWK 30 MAIN GUN, 1 X 7.92MM COAXIAL MACHINE GUN DESIGNED UNDER FALSE PRETENCE With the end of the First World War came the Treaty of Versailles. Among many things limiting Germany were restrictions to her military rights, preventing her from producing armoured vehicles except for a few designated for security. To get around this, the German military ordered the Panzer II be produced under the designation Landwirtschaftlicher Schlepper 100, meaning that it was developed under the guise of being a farm tractor. This was common practice for Germany, and ensured that she wasn’t in short supply of armour when war rolled…

ANATOMY OF A… PANZER II

ROLLS-ROYCE ARMOURED CAR

All manner of military vehicles were created in the haste to arm for World War I. The coming of the tank receives the most attention, but armoured cars also played a huge role in both the Great War and the various conflicts of the inter-war period. One of the most famous of these vehicles was the Mark I version of the Rolls-Royce Armoured Car. Based on the 1906 Silver Ghost, it was first developed in the UK in 1914 and was a military update of the civilian chassis. The once-luxury car was transformed into a military machine ready for battle. Used sparingly for infantry support on the frontline, its armoured body and Vickers machine gun made it extremely effective for internal security, policing and quelling colonial uprisings. They were used…

ROLLS-ROYCE ARMOURED CAR

Designed specifically to counter the emergence of British tanks on the Western Front during World War I, the A7V was a mediumarmoured tank designed by the German General War Department in 1916. The vehicle resembled a mobile pillbox or APC (armoured personnel carrier) and delivered a steel-plated body with the capacity to hold 18 soldiers, a 57-millimetre (2.2-inch) cannon and six to eight 7.9-millimetre (0.3-inch) machine guns (for a full hardware breakdown see ‘Anatomy of an A7V’ diagram). Its role, as hinted at by its German classification – Sturmpanzer-Kraftwagen translates roughly as ‘assault armoured motor vehicle’ – was to assault and break through fortified Allied lines, as armies became increasingly entrenched. The first preproduction A7V was delivered in September 1917 and was closely followed by the first production model in…

Between August 1942 and the fall of the Third Reich, approximately 1,500 Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf.E were manufactured by the Nazi war machine. Renowned for its accuracy and strong armour, this heavy tank was a formidable foe to the Allied forces. It outclassed many of the Sherman tank models in several departments and tales told from the war have described 75mm rounds bouncing straight off the Tiger’s solid armour. The tank saw its first action in September 1942 as the Third Reich advanced eastwards under Operation Barbarossa. In an engagement near Leningrad, four Tigers managed to dispatch 24 Soviet T-34 tanks. In fact, the Tiger only floundered when it ended up becoming stuck in the harsh conditions the Russian winter, where its caterpillar tracks would be repeatedly trapped in the…

Designed in the aftermath of the evacuation of Dunkirk by the British Expeditionary Force, the Churchill tank was Britain’s attempt to readdress the technology gap between their ageing Matilda II battalion and the German Panzer tanks that had them out-gunned. The result was the Mark I, a heavily armoured battle tank equipped with a two-pounder main gun, three-inch howitzer in the rear and the most advanced and robust suspension system yet conceived. It was a defensive juggernaut, designed with one goal: to dominate the European theatre of war. From its introduction in June 1941, the tank proved a reliable and versatile weapon platform capable of engaging targets quickly and efficiently. Key to this was its high speed of 26km/h (16mph) and excellent turning ability, characteristics made possible by its multiple-bogie…

The first use of the tank as a military weapon was in the First World War at the Battle of the Somme. Armoured vehicles would become a big part of warfare but it wasn’t until the Second World War that they became essential. The most essential of all the Allied tanks was the Sherman. Titled the M4 Medium Tank, it was named after William Tecumseh Sherman, who was a Union general in the American Civil War. It replaced the M3 armoured vehicle and was provided as part of the American Lend-Lease policy to its allies. It was first used in 1942 by the British, to tussle with the German Panzer IIIs and IVs for battlefield supremacy. The Sherman was based on speed and manoeuvrability. It had weaker armour and less…

SU-76M TANK DESTROYER

If the First World War was the birth of tanks, the Second World War was the birth of tank killers. Used in high numbers by the Wehrmacht and Red Army (but not so much by the Allied powers). A field gun attached to a tank chassis would create a mobile heavy gun and an infantry support weapon in the field of battle. The SU-76M was the successor to the original SU-76 and was mass-produced by the USSR in an attempt to defeat the Panzers that were advancing ever eastwards. Production began in December 1942 and they became a triumph of Soviet handiwork. Hastily produced, they paled in comparison with their German equivalents but their sheer numbers (over 12,500 were built) meant they could easily outflank any German advance. This was…

SU-76M TANK DESTROYER

The first and most distinctive jeep ever built, the Willys jeep was designed in 1940 as part of a competition to provide the US Army with a new light transport vehicle for the impending World War II. It dictated light transport vehicle design for decades to come, only being phased out in the late-Seventies. Light, adaptable and highly manoeuvrable, the Willys jeep in its various forms (MA, MB and post-war M38/M606) allowed allied forces to transport troops, munitions and injured soldiers to and from the front line quickly and efficiently. Central to its effectiveness was its L134 2.2-litre engine, capable of producing 60hp at 4,000rpm. This granted the lightweight Willys (1,040kg) a top speed of 45mph and earned the engine the nickname of ‘Go Devil’ by allied troops. The engine…

Designed to replace several outdated American military vehicles, the high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle, or Humvee, has been in production since 1985. Originally intended as a light utility vehicle, there have been more than 20 variants of this highly customisable, modular platform. Serving over 40 nations, around 200,000 Humvees have been built to date. Able to carry and deploy almost anything, from fully armed troops to anti-aircraft missiles, the Humvee is an open-topped scout vehicle, an armoured personnel carrier, ambulance, a TOW missile launcher, a communication centre, a heavy machine gun platform and whatever else the situation requires. The latest models are unrivalled in their offroad capability, and are based around a 6.5-litre (1.7-gallon) V8 Turbo diesel engine which produces 142 kilowatts (190 brake horsepower) and 515 Newtons per metre (380…

SUPER-SMART COMBAT TANKS

For decades tank design has been held in the vice-like grip of the ‘Iron Triangle’, a design mantra that states that any tank – in order to succeed on the battlefield – needs to be built on the sturdy columns of firepower, protection and mobility. The perfect tank, it was deemed, would be a seamless combination of these three key qualities – a machine that could withstand a host of armourpiercing shells, transport its crew both quickly and safely across a war-torn battlefield, and then deliver a series of explosive shells into enemy structures and vehicles. Today’s most advanced tanks are testament to the Iron Triangle – just look at the awesome firepower and armour delivered by the M1 Abrams main battle tank – delivering, in varying degrees of success,…

SUPER-SMART COMBAT TANKS

Despite what the popular board game suggests, naval warfare isn’t as easy as shouting a series of coordinates until the enemy’s vessel is obliterated. A reallife game of battleships is all about military planning, precision and firepower. Early battleships launched during the late 19th and early 20th century carried enormous guns capable of launching projectiles across the ocean surface to targets thousands of metres away. To defend themselves against enemy ships with equal firepower, they needed to be heavily armoured too, with thick steel plates encasing their huge hulls. During World War I, battleships became dominant naval weapons. Prior to the Great War, Germany challenged the Royal Navy as the most powerful fighting fleet, Britain hit back with the revolutionary HMS Dreadnought, kick-starting a naval arms race. However, by the…

THE FUTURE OF WARSHIPS

The Royal Navy has asked this very question, challenging young British scientists and engineers to design the fleet of the future. Their vision is the Dreadnought 2050 concept, a high-tech trimaran vessel built for speed, stability and efficiency. Named after the 1906 HMS Dreadnought, which was also a revolutionary vessel in its day, the sleek ship is almost fully automated, cutting today’s crews of 200 down to 50 or 100 members. Renewable energy technology could also give the ship unlimited range, allowing it to sail the world without stopping to refuel, and advanced weapons will enable immense firepower in battle. While some of the technologies envisioned for the Dreadnought 2050 are not yet achievable, others could realistically be incorporated into future designs, lowering the cost and manpower needed for the…

THE FUTURE OF WARSHIPS

NEXT-GEN AIRCRAFT CARRIERS

Aircraft carriers are often the capital ships of a nation’s navy, helping the air and maritime forces work together to project air power worldwide. The US Navy currently has ten enormous nuclear-powered supercarriers in its fleet but a long-overdue upgrade is on its way. The first of the new Ford-class carriers, the USS Gerald R Ford, is currently undergoing the final phases of construction and testing, and is set to join the Navy’s fleet in 2016. The USS Gerald R Ford, also known as CVN 78, will be similar in size to its predecessor Nimitzclass ships, but as the first aircraft carrier to be completely designed using 3D computer modelling, it will be lighter, cheaper and more powerful. Increased automation will mean between 500 to 900 fewer crew members will…

NEXT-GEN AIRCRAFT CARRIERS

SILENT SUBMARINES

They may be hard to miss when on dry land, but Improved Kilo-class submarines are able to travel unseen through the depths. These diesel-electric subs are considered to be the quietest in the world, leading NATO to nickname them ‘black holes’ due to their low noise and visibility. Despite weighing around 4,000 tons, the subs can reach speeds of 37 kilometres (23 miles) per hour, and can patrol for up to 45 days at a time. Once they have snuck up on the enemy, eight infraredguided surface-to-air missiles can then be fired at targets above the water, or computer-controlled torpedoes can be deployed beneath the waves. The submarine’s array of sensors mean that it can detect enemy vessels at a range three to four times greater than it can be…

SILENT SUBMARINES

A REVOLUTIONARY BATTLESHIP

When HMS Dreadnought entered service in 1906, it was the fastest and most powerful battleship in the world. Its propulsion, armament and fire control systems were so revolutionary that a new class of warship was soon named after it, with all battleships that came before simply labelled ‘Pre-Dreadnought’. The new ‘all big-gun’ ship packed with advanced technology sent shockwaves around the world, reviving the naval arms race between Britain and Germany, and increasing tensions in the lead up to World War I. Other nations quickly began to copy the design, kickstarting a new era of ship development that changed naval warfare forever. “THE NEW ‘ALL BIG-GUN’ SHIP PACKED WITH ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY SENT SHOCKWAVES AROUND THE WORLD” FIREPOWER As the first all big-gun battleship, the HMS Dreadnought had astonishing firepower. Mounted…

A REVOLUTIONARY BATTLESHIP

During the course of WWII, over 480 Harbour Defence Motor Launches (HDMLs) were built to defend the United Kingdom’s coasts against the German submarine threat. In the early years of the war there was a real fear U-boats could encircle the country and cut off its vital ports and harbours, so these small vessels were intended to build a screen of defence, identifying and sinking any enemy boats. When this threat didn’t materialise, the HDMLs were put to work in a whole range of other tasks, such as defending convoys, inserting agents into enemy territory and supporting attacks on islands. The vessels truly came into their own during Operation Neptune, when they guided allied craft through the deadly enemy minefields of the English Channel on D-Day. In the lead up…

USS HOLLAND 1900 Country: USA Despite early prototypes being dismissed as not fit for purpose, the US Navy eventually bought John Holland’s machine in 1900. It was the first to sport a fully functioning gasoline engine and an on-board generator that powered the submersible while below the surface. TURTLE 1776 Country: USA The Turtle was originally conceived by David Bushnell, a Connecticut-based inventor, before the start of the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). With air pipes to sustain the life of its driver, the Turtle also featured a hand-cranked oar that propelled the submersible and tanks that took on water to submerge the vehicle. These tanks would be emptied in order for the Turtle to re-surface. NAUTILUS 1800 Country: France Developed by steam engine innovator Robert Fulton, the Nautilus was notable for…

SUBMARINES OF THE WORLD

1 RECON AT MIDWAY PACIFIC OCEAN 4 JUNE 1942 US submarines prove to be key in ascertaining the strength and location of the Japanese fleet converging on Midway. In the ensuing battle, the US claims a decisive Pacific victory and the Imperial fleet is damaged beyond repair. 2 UNDER THE POLE THE NORTH POLE 3 AUGUST 1958 USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, makes history by reaching the North Pole and crossing it submerged, having set off from the United States some two months prior. 3 THE FALKLANDS WAR FALKLAND ISLANDS 30 APRIL 1982 The United Kingdom imposes a Total Exclusion Zone that surrounds the Falkland Islands, encompassing an area of 200 nautical miles. Any ships to enter this zone are fair game for British submarines. 4 KURSK DISASTER…

SUBMARINES OF THE WORLD

ANATOMY OF A… TYPE VII U-BOAT

TYPE VII U-BOAT YEARS IN USE: 1936-1970 COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: GERMANY ENGINE SIZE: 6-CYLINDER 4-STROKE X2 WATER DISPLACEMENT: UP TO 1,080 TONS MAXIMUM DEPTH: 220 METRES TOP SPEED: 8 KNOTS (SUBMERGED) WEAPONS: TORPEDOES, MINES AND DECK GUNS CREW: UP TO 60, INCLUDING 4 OFFICERS…

ANATOMY OF A… TYPE VII U-BOAT

THE PROJECT 670 CHARLIE CLASS The K-43 was one of 17 submarines in the USSR’s nuclearpowered Project 670 Charlie class. The class was split into two, with the K-43 forming the first group of subs. The first batches of Soviet submarines were diesel-electric powered and based on captured German models but, Charlie was part of the new nuclear unit launched in 1967. The class’s main role in the Soviet Navy was surprise attacks on aircraft carriers. The model survived the fall of the Soviet Union and was retired in 1994. It was succeeded by the Papa class of submarine, which boasted a titanium hull and a higher top speed. “THE CLASS’S MAIN ROLE IN THE SOVIET NAVY WAS SURPRISE ATTACKS ON AIRCRAFT CARRIERS” “TO ACCOMMODATE THE ADVANCED MISSILES, THE SUBMARINES…

A veteran submarine hunter from the Cold War, HMS Alliance is a diesel-electric submarine and the tenth constructed from the Amphion class of the Royal Navy. The 16 in its class were ordered to be constructed in 1943 when Imperial Japan was becoming a danger to the Allies in the Pacific theatre of war. However, by V-J Day none of the submarines had been commissioned in time to see war and were instead thrust into the Cold War. Alliance was designed for long-distance patrolling at a range of around 16,100 kilometres (10,000 miles) with up to 30 days underwater. The submarine used a technique learnt from the Germans called ‘snorkelling’ or ‘snorting’, which allowed the vessel to travel long distances with a steady supply of fresh air. Alliance went under…

STEALTH WARSHIPS

Stealth relies on five core principles when it comes to military vessels: materials, coatings, geometry, noise and tactics. While the latter is situation dependent, the first four are physical qualities that can be modified to enhance stealth with advanced technologies. Materials are based on composites such as fibreglass rather than hard metals and the incorporation of negative-index metamaterials (NIMs). These latter artificial substances are designed to be all-but invisible to specific radar frequencies. Some vessels are also being built with demagnetisation belts – a process that involves encircling a ship with superconducting ceramic cables. Covering a vessel with radar-absorbent coatings such as iron ball paint – tiny spheres of carbonyl iron or ferrite – can also reduce a radar cross-section. Coatings are referred to as RAMs (radar-absorbent materials) and work…

STEALTH WARSHIPS

NEXT-GEN BATTLESHIPS

If you thought that the golden age of naval combat came to an end 200 years ago, then clearly somebody forgot to tell the national navies of today, as a wave of stateof-the-art, armed-to-the-teeth battleships are currently emerging from shipbuilding yards around the world with a singular aim in mind: total domination of the seas. From the brand-new and brutal Type 45 destroyers being pushed out of British dockyards, through to the almost sci-fiZumwaltclass battleships emerging in the USA, and on to the cruising carrier vessels sitting like small islands in Earth’s oceans, battleships are being produced en masse and to a more advanced spec than ever before. Far from the basic heavyweights of bygone centuries, required simply to go toe-to-toe with each other in a deadly game of broadsides,…

NEXT-GEN BATTLESHIPS

WEAPONS IN FOCUS

MK 110 NAVAL GUN Capable of delivering automatic salvos of 220 57-millimetre (2.2-inch) Mk 295 Mod 0 ammunition every minute, the Mk 110 naval gun is a colossus. Stemming from one of the longest lasting naval gun series of the last century, the Mk 110 comes with a host of features. These include the ability to fire both standard and smart munitions, a gun barrel-mounted radar for measuring muzzle velocity, an instantaneous ability to switch ammunition types, a stealth-oriented ballistic shield that protects the gun while allowing a 360-degree traverse, plus a fully digital fire control system that enables the Mk 110 to respond to exact pointing orders and ammunition fuse selection milliseconds prior to firing. The only thing that stops the Mk 110 from bombarding its target continuously is…

WEAPONS IN FOCUS

F-22 RAPTOR 1996 Country: USA A SPEED FREAK WITH AN ARSENAL TO MATCH This current generation of fighter aircraft is only operated by the United States Air Force – no other nation can purchase the plane under Federal law. Designed to operate as a stealth attack aircraft, the F-22 has seen action in the Gulf and is capable of achieving incredible speeds of around 1,500mph. VICKERS FB 1914 Country: UK THE UK’S FIRST FIGHTER PLANE The Vickers was the first purpose-built fighter plane to be produced and was part of the world’s first official fighter squadron. It came with two seats, a .303 Lewis gun and interestingly enough was only capable of speeds of around 70mph when at altitude. POLIKARPOV I-15 1934 Country: Soviet Union THE BACKBONE OF THE EARLY…

ANATOMY OF A… SPITFIRE

SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE YEARS IN USE: 23 COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: GREAT BRITAIN ENGINE SIZE: 1,470HP WEIGHT: 2,300KG (LOADED) LENGTH: 9.12M TOP SPEED: 362MPH WEAPONS: 2X 20MM CANNON, 4X .303 MACHINE GUNS ICON OF THE SKIES The Spitfire appeared at a crucial time. With the Luftwaffe running riot in the skies courtesy of Nazi Germany’s early-war engineering efficiency, the Hawker Hurricane and P-40 were significantly lacking. The Spitfire changed the war, bringing with it exceptional power and manoeuvrability that outshone many of its contemporaries. It proved decisive in several key wartime sorties, racking up a raft of Luftwaffe kills and cementing itself as a far more popular and functional aircraft than the morenumerous Hawker Hurricane. Post-war it eventually served in different training roles until the 1950s – a testament to the joy…

ANATOMY OF A… SPITFIRE

FIGHTER PLANES OF THE WORLD

1 LARGEST EVER DOGFIGHT SYRIA 9 JUNE 1982 Nearly 200 fighter jets from Israel and Syria take to the skies and become embroiled in the largest air battle of all time. 80 Syrian planes are shot down. 2 RAIDING OCCUPIED FRANCE DIEPPE, FRANCE 19 AUGUST 1942 As part of a major Allied counter-offensive into occupied France, 74 aerial squadrons support ground troops during the Dieppe Raid. It’s a failure, with scores of Spitfires and Hurricanes lost. 3 SOVIET AIR SUPERIORITY NORTH KOREA 12 APRIL 1951 Three squadrons of MiGs attack a flight of American B-29s in the midst of the Korean War without any Soviet losses. An embarrassed USAF christens the event Black Thursday. 4 BRITISH HARRIERS ATTACK FALKLAND ISLANDS 5 MAY 1982 Three Sea Harriers from HMS Hermes launch…

FIGHTER PLANES OF THE WORLD

FLYING A WWII PLANE

It’s the summer of 1940 and the German Luftwaffe is preparing to launch a mass air attack on Southern England. If they are victorious, Britain will be open to a land invasion and Blitzkrieg will be upon the British Isles. Luckily, brave and skilled RAF pilots take down the Messerschmitts in their Spitfires and Hurricanes, so the German Operation Sea Lion never materialises. But how were our pilots so skilled at air-to-air combat? We went down to Goodwood Flying School in West Sussex for a lesson way up in the sky almost exactly 74 years after the battle. On a glorious day on the south coast, we will be over 1,200 metres (4,000 feet) in the air learning to fly like it’s 1940. The plane taking flight here is not…

FLYING A WWII PLANE

MESSERSCHMITT BF 109G

MESSERSCHMITT BF 109G CREW: 1 LENGTH: 8.95M (29FT 7IN) WINGSPAN: 9.925M (32FT 6IN) HEIGHT: 2.6M (8FT 2IN) WING AREA: 16.05M² (173.3FT²) EMPTY WEIGHT: 2,247KG (5,893LB) LOADED WEIGHT: 3,148KG (6,940LB) MAX TAKEOFF WEIGHT: 3,400KG (7,495LB) POWERPLANT: 1 X DAIMLER-BENZ DB 605A-1 LIQUID-COOLED INVERTED V12, 1,455HP (1,085KW) PROPELLERS: VDM 9-12087 THREE-BLADED LIGHT-ALLOY PROPELLER PROPELLER DIAMETER: 3M (9FT 10IN) “WHILE ULTIMATELY NOT THE VERY BEST FIGHTING PLATFORM BY 1945, IT WAS BUILT IN HUGE NUMBERS, WITH MORE THAN 33,000 CONSTRUCTED BETWEEN 1937 AND 1945” Fighting against its arch rival the Supermarine Spitfire, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 is probably the most famous Axis fighter of World War II. In the early years of the war, it was the main single-engine fighter interceptor of the Luftwaffe. While the E variant began to be outclassed by…

MESSERSCHMITT BF 109G

B-17 FLYING FORTRESS

The B-17 was initially designed in 1934 by Boeing to take part in a US Army Air Corps competition to produce a modern multi-engined bomber. The company’s Model 299 prototype first flew on 28 July 1935, and a journalist at the time nicknamed it the ‘Flying Fortress’ on account of its size and sturdiness. In October 1935, the prototype crashed and the design ultimately lost out to the Douglas DB-1. Fortunately, the Air Corps recognised it was still a promising aircraft and ordered 13 299s in January 1936, which they designated the Y1B-17. Not long after, the Y1B-17 became the B-17, and Wright Cyclone engines were added to replace the 299’s Pratt & Whitney Hornet engines. In 1938, another big advance arrived in the introduction of turbo super-chargers to the…

B-17 FLYING FORTRESS

LANCASTER BOMBER

Arguably the most famous heavy bomber of World War II, the Avro-built Lancaster bomber undertook some of the most dangerous and complex missions yet encountered by the RAF. Primarily a night bomber but frequently used during the daytime too, the Lancasters under Bomber Command flew some 156,000 sorties during the war, dropping 609,000 tons of bombs. Among these bombs was the famous ‘bouncing bomb’ designed by British inventor Barnes Wallis, a payload that would lead the Lancaster to remain famed long after 1945. How It Works takes a look inside a Avro Lancaster to see what made it so successful. LANCASTER BOMBER CREW 7 LENGTH 21.18M WINGSPAN 31.09M HEIGHT 7.3M (24FT) WEIGHT 29,000KG POWERPLANT 4 X ROLLS-ROYCE MERLIN XX V12 ENGINES MAX SPEED 280MPH MAX RANGE 3,000 MILES MAX ALTITUDE…

LANCASTER BOMBER

BOEING B-52 STRATOFORTRESS

The B-52 Stratofortress defines the era for which it was created: the Cold War. At a time when nuclear war threatened to destroy humanity, this aircraft acted as both the enabler of apocalyptic destruction and its deterrent. It is the ultimate heavy bomber, designed for sorties from a maximum height of 50,000 feet, primarily with nuclear weapons. The craft has a total global reach, as it can be refuelled in midair, but what is most surprising is its age and flexibility. Although it is still one of the most feared weapons in the USA’s arsenal, the first prototypes were ordered as far back as 1948, in the wake of WWII, with the first plane taking to the skies in April 1952. The key to the B-52’s success is its relative…

BOEING B-52 STRATOFORTRESS

The F-86 Sabre was a single-seat fighter jet built by North American Aviation (now part of Boeing) in the late-Forties. The aircraft – the first western jet ever to feature swept wings, as well as one of the first aircraft in the world to be capable of breaking the sound barrier in a dive – saw military action throughout the Korean War as well as the Cold War. Built initially to combat the Russian MiG-15, the Sabre was geared towards flight superiority roles, dispatched to undertake furious high-speed dogfights. Though inferior to the Russian jet in terms of lightness and weaponry, the reduced transonic drag delivered by the swept wings – combined with its streamlined fuselage and advanced electronics – granted it far superior handling. This ability to outmanoeuvre the…

Born in the aftermath of World War II – where despite years of conventional warfare, the war was won in the east with the simple dropping of two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki – the Avro Vulcan was designed to be Britain’s first line of atomic offence in future conflicts. A new era of modern warfare was emerging from the flames and dust that had consumed Europe, Africa, Russia, Japan and others. No longer would wars be fought and won by armies – they were to be prevented through the power of splitting the atom. The Vulcan was conceptualised as a high-altitude, high-speed, strategic bomber, capable of delivering a single 4,536kg (10,000lb) nuclear weapon to any target within a distance of 2,776km (1,725 mi). To achieve this demanding brief,…

The F-4 was one of the most technologically advanced fighterinterceptors of its generation. Breaking numerous records – highest-altitude flight, fastest flight speed and fastest zoom climb to name but a few – and introducing advanced new construction materials and aviation features, the jet ruled the skies from 1960 up until the end of the Seventies. The Phantom was powered by a pair of General Electric J79 axial compressor turbojets, which could deliver a whopping 8,094 kilograms-force (17,845 pounds-force) of thrust in afterburner. This, along with its superstrong titanium airframe, granted the aircraft a lift-to-drag ratio of 8.58, a thrust-to-weight ratio of 0.86 and a rate of climb north of 210 metres (689 feet) per second. That extreme amount of power also afforded it a top speed of 2,390 kilometres (1,485…

Submarines have the ability to strike fear into entire navies, so several countermeasures have been designed to combat their destructive capabilities. These include anti-submarine helicopters such as the Westland Wasp, which was heavily involved in the Falklands War. With good range and speed, the Wasp was a useful all-rounder in the Royal Navy’s fleet and could land on both large battleships, such as the HMS Bristol and HMS Endurance, and small Leander- and Rothesayclass frigates. When an enemy sub was sighted, Wasps would quickly be dispatched to eliminate the threat. During the 1982 war, the Argentinian submarine Santa Fe was a hazard to the British fleet as it attempted to land on the South Georgia Islands. On 25 April, along with the larger Westland Lynx and Westland Wessex, a Wasp…

A-10 THUNDERBOLT II

The A-10 Thunderbolt is a single-seat, close-air support fighter jet that also goes by the names Warthog and Tankbuster. Development for the aircraft began in 1967 and its first flight was in 1972. There are several reasons why the A-10 has proved popular enough to weather 40-plus years of advancing military tech – chief among them its combat versatility and high survival rate. The A-10 boasts a short takeoff and landing capacity with a range of nearly 1,300 kilometres (800 miles). Commonly used for troop support and ground attacks, it can loiter for long periods at low speeds and altitudes below 300 metres (985 feet) and it’s capable of soaking up as much damage as it can dish out. Indeed, the A-10 can take direct hits from armour-piercing and explosive…

A-10 THUNDERBOLT II

The C-130 Hercules is a military transport aircraft famed for its durability and versatility, having been in active service for over 50 years. Since its introduction in December 1957, over 40 models and variants of the Hercules have been produced and are used today by more than 60 nations worldwide. The aircraft works by delivering a cavernous central fuselage in which the vast cargo bay can carry a plethora of civilians, soldiers, vehicles, equipment, weapons and supplies over huge distances. This makes the Hercules an ideal tool to aid military operations in the 21stcentury battlefield, where mission parameters often need to adapt fluidly and at high speed. Indeed, the sheer lifting power of the C-130 cannot be overstated, with a single plane capable of lifting northwards of 33,000 kilograms (72,753…

A twin-engine, single-seat jet aircraft, the Jaguar was a joint British and French project to create a supersonic strike fighter/bomber. Developed by SEPECAT, a union of Breguet Aviation and the British Aircraft Corporation, it was the first combined effort to create a combat aircraft by two major European powers. After its first flight on 23 March 1969, 588 were made. It proved immensely popular for other air forces, with the Indian Air Force (IAF) buying 40 in 1978 in a $1 billion (£664 million) deal. Their lead was followed by the air forces of Ecuador, Oman and Nigeria, who also bought models to bolster their air forces. There have been many variants of the Jaguar since its inception. The Jaguar A was the first of the breed but it was…

The British Aerospace Sea Harrier was the purpose-built naval variant of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier strike fighter, an aircraft that was famed for its vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities. It worked by adopting the revolutionary single-engine thrust vectoring technology of the regular harrier (see ‘Degrees of power’ boxout) and partnering it with a modified fuselage – in order to allow the installation of the superb Blue Fox radar system – bubble-style canopy (larger, allowing greater visibility) and a significantly improved arms load out. These factors, partnered with the aircraft carrier’s ability to launch the aircraft from its ski-jump, allowed the Sea Harrier to perform to a high standard at sea, carrying more weight, detecting enemies sooner and taking them down quickly and…

DASSAULT MIRAGE 2000

Despite being overshadowed by more glamorous aircraft over the last 30 years, the Dassault Mirage 2000 series of multi-role fighter jets has quietly delivered excellent functionality and cost efficiency for its operators, which as of 2012, includes nations from Europe, through the Middle East and on to Asia. Of course, it is not all über-hyped eco-credentials and safety features that have heightened and maintained the Mirage’s popularity among air forces worldwide – but primarily its ability to deliver extreme lethality to air, sea and land targets alike with a whole arsenal of deadly weapons. We’re talking nine hardpoints, two powerful revolving 30-millimetre (1.2-inch) cannons, multiple Matra rocket pods each capable of launching 18 68-millimetre (2.7-inch) unguided rockets, two R550 Magic short-range air-toair missiles, two Super 530 medium-range air-to-air missiles, two…

DASSAULT MIRAGE 2000

The ‘flying wing’ shaped Stealth Bomber is a unique aircraft that’s designed to make it as invisible as possible. Its shape means there are very few leading edges for radar to reflect from, reducing its signature dramatically. This is further enhanced by the composite materials from which the aircraft is constructed and the coatings on its surface. These are so successful that despite having a 172-foot wingspan, the B-2’s radar signature is an astounding 0.1m2. The B-2’s stealth capabilities, and aerodynamic shape, are further enhanced by the fact its engines are buried inside the wing. This means the induction fans at the front of the engines are concealed while the engine exhaust is minimised. As a result, the B-2’s thermal signature is kept to the bare minimum, making it harder…

Often overlooked in the west due to its Soviet Union origins in the Eighties, the Mikoyan MiG-29 is one of the world’s most prolific fighter jets, with over 1,600 units in operation around the globe. For perspective, there are just over 300 Eurofighter Typhoons currently in operation, a number that is unlikely to ever exceed the 500 mark. So why is this Russian plane so successful? For starters, it’s great value for money – £18 million ($29 million), compared to the £64.8 million ($104.6 million) Typhoon. The MiG-29 is a fourth-generation fighter jet designed for an air supremacy role, which involves infiltrating and seizing enemy airspace through force. It comes in a range of variants, with both legacy and current production models in operation, and has seen significant combat throughout…

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