The Most Successful Fighter Planes of World War II
YouTube / Military TV
Fighter aircraft were the most formidable vehicles of WWII and had completely altered the battlefield. While fighters have been around for a while, they’re nothing as sophisticated as the revolutionary fighters used during the war. Not only did they change the tides of the war, but they became the legends of the aerial battle.
Here’s a list of the ten most proficient and successful WWII fighter aircraft:
10. Supermarine Spitfire
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The Spitfire is the most widely produced British single-seat fighter of the war. Between 1939 and 1949, over 20,000 units were built.
The aircraft also received more versions than any previous fighter. The Spitfire had a top speed of 360 miles per hour and a ceiling of 34,000 feet.
9. Yakovlev Yak-3
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The Yak-3 was the only Soviet fighter that had a single engine and single seat during WWII. It entered service in 1944 with 4,848 units built.
It was powered by a VK-105PF-2 V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine producing 1,290 hp. It reached a maximum speed of 401 mph with a rate climb of 3,645 feet.
8. Republic P-47D Thunderbolt
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Powered by a Pratt and Whitney R-2800 double wasp engine producing 2,430 hp, it proved to be effective as a short to medium-range escort fighter plane in high altitude, and air-to-air combat.
It proved to be highly adept in ground attack in both European and Pacific theaters of WWII.
7. North American P-51 Mustang
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This aircraft was built as a long-range fighter with bomber capability. More than 15,000 were built and it survived long enough to fight in the Korean War.
The initial Mustang was powered by a liquid-cooled in-line Allison V-1710 engine that could reach a top speed of 437 mph and a combat range of 750 miles.
6. Mitsubishi A6M Zero
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The Zero is a single-seat, long-range Japanese fighter aircraft and the first carrier-based fighter capable of defeating land-based enemies.
It was initially powered by a 1,020 hp Nakajima Sakae radial air-cooled engine with 14 cylinders and a top speed of 50 mph at nearly 20,000 ft. When it first debuted, it could outmaneuver any aircraft it came across.
5. Messerschmitt Bf-109K
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The Bf-109k was the last in a series of well-known German fighter Bf-109 and the last to see active service and have ample time to participate in dogfights.
It was also the fastest 109 of WWII using a Daimler-Benz DB 605 DB/DC engine and could reach a top speed of 440 mph.
4. Lockheed P-38J Lightning
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When it was first introduced, the P-38 could reach 3,300 ft in a single minute at 400 mph. It can also carry a greater payload than B-17s and a range of 1,150 miles.
During the war, over 10,000 P-38s were built.
3. Grumman F8F Bearcat
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The Bearcat is a single-seat, single-engine fighter used by the US Navy. Construction began in the middle of WWII but wasn’t ready to fly until the end of the war. They were deployed by the French in the French Vietnam War in 1953.
The F8F was the most powerful single-engine propeller-driven plane ever built with a small airframe. It had a climb rate of 4,500 ft. and a ceiling of 38,700 ft.
2. Focke Wulf Fw 190 D-9
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The D-9 was one of the several variants made for the Fw-190. This specific variant was built for the Operation against heavy bomber attacks.
It was powered by a liquid-cooled Jumo 213 engine producing 2,240 hp. It had a top speed of 426 mph, a range of up to 590 miles, and a service ceiling of up to 40,000 ft.
1. Vought F4U Corsair
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The Corsair was the most capable fighter of WWII and more than 12,500 were built between 1942 to 1953.
It was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine producing up to 2,450 hp and attaining a top speed of 453 to 446 mph.
