Westland Lysander
In 1934 the RAF began to search for a replacement for the Hawker Hector in the ‘army co-operation’ role – conducting reconnaissance and artillery spotting for the British Army. The Hector was inadequate in the […]
Aircraft
Mitsubishi Ki-57 Type 100 “Topsy”
The Mitsubishi Ki-57 started life as a design for a new airliner for Nippon Koku, the Japanese airline. It was derived from the successful Ki-21 bomber, which had impressed the airline with its ability to […]
Curtiss-Wright CW-22 Falcon
The Curtiss-Wright CW-22 was an advanced trainer and sometime reconnaissance aircraft, developed from the company’s CW-19 and the CW-21 Demon designs. Unlike these aircraft, however, the CW-22 was a 2-seat machine. Designed as an advanced […]
Kawasaki Ki-56 Type 1 “Thalia”
In 1939 Kawasaki had obtained a license to manufacture Lockheed 14-WG3 transports as the “Type LO” for the Japanese Navy. However, the Japanese Army was also interested in obtained transport aircraft, so they ordered Kawasaki […]
Fairey Swordfish
A legendary aircraft of World War II, the Fairey Swordfish wrote itself into history by sinking three Italian battleships in an attack on Taranto and playing a significant role in the sinking of the German […]
Aichi E11A Type 98 “Laura”
Whilst the Aichi E10A was accepted for service, the Japanese Navy knew that the aircraft was still lacking in outright performance and only just met the requirements for acceptance. Accordingly, new specifications were issued in […]
Aichi E10A Type 96 “Hank”
The Japanese plans for war against the United States included using cruisers and other light forces to harry the US Fleet as it sailed across the Pacific. Realising that the sort of attrition envisaged would […]
Douglas SBD Dauntless
In 1934 the US Navy ran several design competitions for new aircraft, among them one for a two-seat scout bomber. The entrants were the Brewster XSBA, the Vought XSB2U and the Northrop XBT, which eventually […]
Grumman J2F Duck
The Grumman J2F had its origins in the earlier Grumman JF, which had been put forward as one of the first aircraft in the new “utility” type designation. Based on a design by the engineer […]
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane attained legendary status thanks to its exploits during the Battle of Britain, during which it actually shot down more German aircraft than the vaunted Spitfire. However, by the time the Pacific War […]