Air Warriors

It is the aircraft that secured victory for the Allies during World War II. It is a custom-built fighter plane, designed during wartime to go head-to-head with the Japanese A6M Zero. And it's the weapon the U.S. Navy used to win control in the Pacific and ultimately, the war itself. Meet the F6F Hellcat-the fighter plane that turned the tide for the Allies.

The McDonnell F-4 Phantom II - otherwise known as the Bent Wing Wonder, Old Smokey, Rhino, Elephant, Double Ugly, and other nicknames not fit for print - is arguably one of the finest combat fighters of the 20th Century. It was produced in larger numbers than any other Western fighter of the time, and served with the U.S. Air Force, the Navy, and Marine Corps, and with 11 other nations around the

The North American Aviation Rockwell OV-10 Bronco is a turboprop light attack and observation aircraft. It was developed in the 1960s as a special aircraft for counter-insurgency (COIN) combat, and one of its primary missions was as a forward air control (FAC) aircraft. It can carry up to three tons of external munitions, and loiter for three or more hours. The OV-10 served in the U.S. Air Force,

It is supposed to be the jet for the 21st century -a combination of super-cruise, supermanoeuvrability, sensor fusion and stealth all in one package. Through a combination of delays, cost-overruns, wide dispersion of manufacturers and a changing combat landscape, it never really took off…. both literally and metaphorically. While many stood by its creation for years, it finally fell victim to its

When the Soviet-built MiG-15 first screamed over the battlegrounds of the Korean War, America is horrified at what this new enemy fighter could do. Nimble, jet-powered, and capable of diving at supersonic speed, it outperforms any machine in the sky. Its sole purpose: ambush and bring down the B-29s bombers that are decimating the North Korean infrastructure. As it accomplished its mission time an

Take the versatile design of the storied C-130 Hercules transport model, add a lethal number of miniguns, cannons and howitzers, and you get one of the most fabled and feared assets in the USAF inventory - the AC-130 flying gunship. This plane does not drop bombs or break speed records. Flying night or day, loitering at low altitude, it fires shells you'd expect to find on a tank or a battleship.