Every country that participated in the World War II air war had more than a few types of airplanes, but their design schemes could be distinguished throughout the conflict. The Americans liked to ...

The fighter aircraft was never more important than it was during the global calamity that began in 1939. However, at this time of need, the fighter types available were pretty limited to say the least ...

The P-39 was one of America's first-line pursuit planes in December 1941. It made its initial flight in April 1939 at Wright Field, Ohio, and by the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, nearly 600 had ...

The Vought V-173 “Flying Pancake” was one of WWII’s strangest aircraft experiments. Discover why the U.S. Navy tested this ...

Discover the origins and the major variants that made the Lightning a legend.

The Imperial Japanese Navy launched hundreds of fighters and bombers at Pearl Harbor in an effort to paralyze the main U.S. naval base for the Pacific Fleet near Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941.

Never was aeronautical engineering more significant than in the six years of the second world war. A deadly technological race ensued, where making an aircraft faster, better armed or easier to ...

A Phoenix man sought to honor his grandfather, a decorated World War II fighter pilot, after learning of his struggles with PTSD. Lt. Arthur Van Haren Jr., a Latino fighter ace, shot down nine enemy ...

Specialized anti-armor aircraft date back to World War II—but not all planes are well-equipped to take on ground targets.