British fighter plane with a wooden structure, a Sopwith Camel biplane from the First World War. The camel owes its nickname to the "hump" in front of the pilot's cabin, which housed machine guns. The Camel was the successor to the successful Sopwith Pup fighter. The first flight of the prototype took place in December 1916, and deliveries to the front units began in the summer of 1917. The first serial batches required great abilities from the pilots and showed asymmetry of flight characteristics, unheard of in other Allied machines. With time, however, the Camel gained a reputation among pilots of a very maneuverable, solid machine with a decent rate of climb. He was a worthy rival to the German machines from the Albatros or Fokker factories. During the course of the war, several versions of the Camel were created. The most important of them are: F.1 - fighter, F.1.3 - night fighter, TF1 - trench fighter, 2F.1 - deck fighter. Thanks to the commencement of serial production by eight different aviation factories, it was possible to produce as many as 5,490 machines during the war. Technical data: Top speed: 185 km / h; climb speed 5.5 m / s, maximum ceiling 6400 m, armament: two 7.7mm Vickers machine guns, firing through a propeller. In the assault version, 7.7mm Lewis machine guns.Eurofighter Typhoon or EF-2000 is a project of a consortium composed of three concerns: Alenai Aeronautica, BAE Systems and EADS. The four-nation Eurofighter is a delta low wing design with a duck front tail. Its primary task is to conduct aerial combat and attack from beyond sight. It can also attack ground targets. Eurofighter is characterized by high maneuverability in supersonic flights. Modern engines allow it to fly at supersonic speed without the use of an afterburner. The Typhoon is armed with an internal 27mm Mauser BK27 cannon. On thirteen under-wing (4 + 4) and under-fuselage (5) nodes, BVRAAM (Air-to-Air Rocket, attacking out of sight), ASRAAM (Air-to-Air Advanced Rocket), Storm missiles (air-to-ground) can be attached. Shadow or Taurus. The Typhoon arsenal also includes the Brimstone and DWS 37 air-to-ground missiles as well as laser beam bombs (laser target designator required). The on-board weapons control system monitors, tests and launches the arsenal attached under the wings. The EF-2000 target is an integrated electromagnetic emission detection and interference system (ESM / ECM) called DASS, it consists of active interfering heads, emission-detecting antennas, front and rear warning stations (RWR) and a thermal (flare) and radar (flare) launcher system ( dipoles). Detection / tracking is performed (similarly to the Russian MiG-29) by two systems. The first is a forward-facing thermal sensor (FLIR) that works in conjunction with the IRST thermal detection and tracking system. The second pair of eyes is, of course, the multitask Doppler radar ECR 90, operating in the X-band. It is built by the Euroradar consortium consisting of the British company Marconi Electronic Systems, ENOSA from Spain, FIAR from Italy and Daimler Chrysler Aerospace (DASA) from Germany. The Eurofighter pilot sits in a cockpit equipped with voice control. Additionally, there are approximately 25 control buttons on the throttle and stick. Information is presented on the MHUD multifunctional reflective display and the three MHDD color multifunction displays on the console. It is complemented by the HMS helmet-mounted presentation system. Martin Baker Mk16A type 0-0 ejection chair was used. As the aircraft is statically unstable, the on-board computer is directly controlled by the control surfaces and airfoil mechanization via a digital fly-by-wire system. The EFA is powered by two Eurojet EJ200 twin-flow jet engines, each delivering 60 kN of thrust, and 90 kN of afterburners each. The motors are digitally controlled. Technical data: Maximum speed: 2,124 km / h, speed of climb: 315 m / s, maximum ceiling 19,812 m, maximum range: 3,790 km, armament: fixed - 1 Mauser cannon, caliber 27 mm, suspended - up to 7,500 kg.
Supermarine Spitfire is probably the most famous British fighter from the Second World War. It was an all-metal machine with a low wing configuration, characteristic elliptical wings, a classic tail and a retractable landing gear. The prototype flight took place on March 5, 1936. The Spitfire proved to be the RAF's staple of the war, which continued to do well after the war, remaining in production for 10 years. The history of the Spitfire began on the drawing desk of RJ Mitchell, Supermarine's lead designer. The first machines went to RAF units in 1938, but when the Battle of Britain began in the summer of 1940, there were already 19 squadrons of modern fighters at the airfields - together with the slightly older Hurricanes of the Islands, 600 aircraft were defending. With the expansion of hostilities, the Spitfire served wherever the RAF operated in the Far East, North Africa and Italy, during the Normandy landings and fighting in France, and finally during the operation in Germany in 1945. For many Britons, he became a symbol of victory in World War II. This wonderful machine has at least a dozen production versions. The most important of them are, among others the first mass-produced Spitfire Mk.I powered by a 1030hp Rolls-Royce Merlin II engine. It was above all this machine that made such an excellent contribution to the Battle of Britain. Many versions of this model have been developed, including PR Mk IA (reconnaissance version) or PR.IG (armed reconnaissance version). Another interesting version was the Spitfire Mk.V with a Rolls-Royce Merlin 45 engine with 1440HP. Later, Merlin 50 engines were also assembled. Serial production of this version started in 1941 and was the RAF's response to the appearance of the Messerschmitt Bf-109F. Another very successful version is the Spitfire Mk.IX, powered by a Merlin 61 engine with a 4-blade propeller. It was created as an opponent to the Focke-Wulf Fw-190 and was put into production at the end of 1941. This version was modified many times and, for example, in 1944 it got a new gyro sight, an enlarged rudder or a different wing system. Another major version is the Spitfire Mk.XIV with a Rolls-Royce Griffon 61 engine and a five-bladed propeller. Serial production started in October 1943. One of the last series produced was the Mk.21 version. This version had a Griffon 61 engine, a strongly reinforced structure and sheathing, the wings were extended, increasing their flying surface. Mass production started in March 1945. Technical data (Mk.XIV version): length: 9.14m, wingspan: 11.23m, height: 3.05m, maximum speed: 717km / h, rate of climb: 18.5m / s, practical ceiling: 13,200m, range maximum: 1815 km, armament: fixed - 4 7.7mm machine guns and 2 20mm Hispano Mk II cannons, suspended - up to 225 kg of bombs.