Combat Aircraft

Riccardo Niccoli is one of the best-known aeronautical historians, journalists, writers, and photographers. Currently the Director of Coccarde Tricolori magazine, dedicated to the Italian armed forces. He is also the author of numerous publications including the books The story of flight (2002 and 2013) and Airplanes (a major themes series, 2013) published by White Star. Marco De Fabianis Manferto, industrial designer, holds a Master in Product Design from Istituto Europeo di Design (IED). He specialised in 3D modelling at the Politecnico di Milano.

INTRODUCTION 5
COMBAT AIRCRAFT. A UNIQUE HISTORY
IN AVIATION 10
WORLD WAR I 12
WORLD WAR II 20
FROM WORLD WAR II TO THE PRESENT 30
INTO THE FUTURE 48
THE MODELS FROM WORLD WAR II
TO THE PRESENT 54
THE EVOLUTION OF COMBAT AIRCRAFTS
MODEL BY MODEL 56
1913 AVRO 504 58
1916 SOPWITH CAMEL 65
1917 SPAD S.XIII 70
1917 FOKKER DR.I 76
1935 JUNKERS JU 87 STUKA 80
1935 HAWKER HURRICANE 86
1935 MESSERSCHMITT BF 109 92
1935 BOEING B-17 FLYING FORTRESS 96
1936 SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE 102
1939 MITSUBISHI A6M ZERO 106
1939 ILYUSHIN IL-2 STURMOVIK 110
1939 CONSOLIDATED B-24 LIBERATOR 114
1939 FOCKE-WULF FW 190 118
1940 HAWKER TYPHOON 124
1940 VOUGHT F4U CORSAIR 130
1940 NORTH AMERICAN P-51 MUSTANG 136
1941 REPUBLIC P-47 THUNDERBOLT 142
1941 MESSERSCHMITT ME 262 148
1941 AVRO LANCASTER 152
1942 YAKOVLEV YAK-9 156
1942 BOEING B-29 SUPERFORTRESS 160
1947 NORTH AMERICAN F-86 SABRE 166
1947 MIKOYAN GUREVICH MIG-15 170
1952 BOEING B-52 STRATOFORTRESS 174
1954 LOCKHEED F-104 STARFIGHTER 178
1956 MIKOYAN GUREVICH MIG-21 184
1956 DASSAULT MIRAGE III 190
1958 MCDONNELL DOUGLAS F-4
PHANTOM II 194
1960 HAWKER SIDDELEY HARRIER 200
1964 LOCKHEED SR-71 BLACKBIRD 206
1970 GRUMMAN F-14 TOMCAT 212
1972 MCDONNELL DOUGLAS F-15 EAGLE 216
1974 GENERAL DYNAMICS F-16
FIGHTING FALCON 222
1974 PANAVIA PA 200 TORNADO 228
1978 MCDONNELL DOUGLAS F/A-18 HORNET 234
1981 LOCKHEED F-117A NIGHTHAWK 240
1989 NORTHROP-GRUMMAN B-2A SPIRIT 246
1990 LOCKHEED MARTIN-BOEING F-22
RAPTOR 252
1994 EUROFIGHTER EF-2000 TYPHOON 258
2000 LOCKHEED MARTIN F-35 LIGHTNING II 264