Polikarpov I-16

April 5, 2015 PE Matt 0

Whilst design work for the I-15 biplane fighter was underway, Nikolai Polikarpov also began to work on a revolutionary monoplane design with retractable undercarriage and a fully enclosed cockpit. This new design was accepted even […]

Polikarpov I-15

April 5, 2015 PE Matt 0

The Polikarpov I-15 was designed for the VVS (Soviet Air Force) in 1932. Nikolai Polikarpov had only recently been released from prison when he was handed the task, and the designer based his new fighter […]

Nakajima A4N Type 95

March 31, 2015 PE Matt 0

The Nakajima A4N was a development of the company’s earlier A2N biplane fighter, and was intended to improve that aircraft so that it could serve as an adequate stopgap until better, more modern fighters like […]

Boeing P-26 Model 281

March 31, 2015 PE Matt 0

The Boeing P-26 Peashooter, known as the Model 281 in Chinese service, was the first monoplane fighter to be embraced by the USAAC. It was an all metal, low wing design with a semi-monocoque construction, […]

Fiat CR.32

March 29, 2015 PE Matt 0

The Fiat CR.32, derived from the earlier CR.30, was a biplane fighter that saw service during the Spanish Civil War with the Nationalists and during World War II with the Regia Aeronautica. It was a […]

Mitsubishi A5M Type 96 “Claude”

March 28, 2015 PE Matt 0

The 9-Shi specification for an advanced carrier fighter was issued by the Japanese Navy in 1934, calling for an aircraft with a top speed of 350km/h (high for the time) and an ability to climb […]

Curtiss Model 68 Hawk III

March 18, 2015 PE Matt 0

The Hawk III that flew over the skies of Shanghai was an export model of the Curtiss BF2C-1 Goshawk, one of many aircraft in the Curtiss ‘Hawk’ series. The Goshawk was designed for a combined […]

Nakajima A2N Type 90

March 6, 2015 PE Matt 0

The design of the Nakajima A2N was loosely based on the Boeing Model 69 and Model 100 fighters, which had been imported into Japan in the late 1920s. The fighter was developed privately by Nakajima […]

Kawasaki Ki-10 Type 95 “Perry”

February 9, 2015 PE Matt 0

The Kawasaki Ki-10 was designed in response to an IJAAF requirement for a new type of fighter to replace a number of outdated types in service. In contrast to the monoplane Nakajima Ki-11, which was […]

Boeing 218

February 8, 2015 PE Matt 0

The Boeing 218 was an export version of the F4B (US Navy) and P-12 (USAAC) fighter, which had entered American service in 1929. A small number of 218s were sold to Chinese warlords (sources are […]

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