The best combat aircraft (photo)

One can safely say that each country should have at its disposal a combat aviation in the event of an invasion. Land on dry land, the sea by sea, but all this means nothing, if the enemy can cross the border by air. Let's consider with you the world's combat aircraft, which are the best. This technique is created a long time ago. However, a huge number of modifications, new models - all this is still today.

General information

It is quite difficult to assess military aircraft. This is due to the fact that there are promising developments or ready-made fighters and bombers, which, fortunately, have not yet been tested in combat. The main factor that influences the rating of a combat vehicle is experience. That is why almost all the models that will be presented in this article, participated in the battle. Let's try to create our own rating, paying attention to the technical characteristics of the machines, as well as to consider the unique sides of each of them and the armament that allows intercepting bombers, destroying enemy fighters, etc.

Combat aircraft of the world: TOP-10

Strangely enough, this sounds, but the most modern fighter of the world takes the last place on our list. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the F-22 Raptor has no combat experience. This aircraft has often become the object of disputes among technologists. Some talked about the relevance and effectiveness of technology, others - about an unreasonably high cost (66 billion dollars).

Experts note that a deep modernization of the same F-15 and F-16 could give an equivalent effect, while the cost of improvement would be several times less. Nevertheless, this fighter is the only one of its kind in terms of technical characteristics. During its development, the principle "first saw - first shot" was used. However, without experience it is difficult to say something specific, so let's go further.

German "Swallow" of the Second World War

Today, few have heard of the Messerschmitt Me.262 Schwalbe fighter. But during the Second World War, every Soviet and German soldier knew about this creation. Yes, yes, it is the creation, because otherwise this machine is difficult to name. This is due to the fact that for 1943 it was a real breakthrough to reach a maximum speed of 900 km / h, which, in fact, German designers succeeded.

"Swallow" was very technological and had quite a few flaws. The aircraft was equipped with four 30-millimeter guns and ammunition in the amount of 100 shells. Also on board there were more than 2 dozens of unguided missiles. In general, this is proven combat equipment. The aircraft could be used as an interceptor, a marker and a blitz-bomber. By the end of the war, about 1,900 pieces of equipment had been manufactured, but only 300 had risen to the air. What first of all did the Soviet pilots pay attention to, having obtained such a trophy, you ask? On excellent radio communication, which gave a good advantage in combat.

Combat aircraft of Russia

The eighth place in our rating is occupied by the MiG-25. This is a Soviet high-altitude fighter-interceptor, which survived a huge number of modifications. We'll talk about his improvements a little later. So, this particular machine has on its account about 29 records. Combat capabilities of this unit were in demand and were not, but here as a scout he showed himself on the good side.

It was the MiG-25 that revealed the entire line of defense of Bar-Lev during the Arab-Israeli conflict. This was achieved due to the fact that the aircraft flew at an altitude of 18-23 km at maximum speed. In this mode, the combat vehicle burned about 500 liters of fuel every minute. Note that the aircraft can accelerate to a speed of 2.8 M, at which the skin is heated to 300 degrees Celsius. According to the pilots, even the lantern in the cockpit had a high temperature, and you could not touch it with your bare hand. It can be said that these are worthy combat aircraft of the world, which at one time attracted a lot of attention.

British Aerospace Sea Harrier and Mitsubishi A6M

By name, it's easy to guess that this aircraft comes from Britain. He appeared in 1967. In fact, it was the first plane with vertical take-off and landing. Despite the fact that it is a subsonic aggregate, he showed himself well in combat. A striking example of this is the 23 shot down Argentine aircraft, while not losing a single "Harrier".

As for Mitsubishi A6M, which occupies the 6th stage, this is a real mystery. Of course, today all the secrets of this unit are already known, but at one time it was simply irreplaceable. As experts noted, engineers managed to combine what is difficult to combine. High range of flight - 2600 km. This is an impressive figure for the deck aircraft. In addition, these combat aircraft, photos of which you can see, had excellent maneuverability and powerful weapons - all at a maximum curb weight of 2,500 tons. All this was achieved due to the lack of armor and protectors on tanks with fuel.

The fifth place: F-16

Over the years, experts in aviation have been arguing about what is best: F-16 or MiG-29. So, on this occasion you can talk for infinitely long, but let's just get acquainted with the American creation. F-16 compared with MiG-29 has the best optical review, which is the main thing during an air battle - the one who first detects the enemy, has a significant advantage.

In terms of speed and accuracy, the MiG-29 is in the lead, but insignificantly. A good pilot can level small deviations. Although at the same time ace can make even from a small advantage a huge plus in combat, which one should not forget. F-16 is famous for its armament. On board there are both guided and unguided bombs, anti-radar missiles, etc. At the same time, the aircraft's carrying capacity is 7.5 tons, while the Mig-29 can only be launched from 2.5 tons. Such a significant difference is due to the fact that the American has one engine, and the Soviet frontal fighter - two.

Russian combat aircraft: MiG-15

This unit was in service with 40 countries around the world. Agree, at least it speaks about its effectiveness. The aircraft was developed back in 1949. Before that time, many in the West thought that Soviet designers were making bulky, heavy and obsolete fighters, but when the MiG-15 appeared, this opinion immediately disappeared. Fast, light and deadly - this is the whole MiG. It was with his appearance that the probability of a nuclear strike on the USSR completely disappeared, since the B-29 bomber could not under any circumstances break through the MiG barrier. In general, it is an excellent fighter that deserved recognition not just because of it, but for its uniqueness.

Messerschmitt Bf.109 and MiG-21

Messerschmitt Bf.109, perhaps, the most famous fighter of the Second World War. And not in vain. After all, this particular machine was the favorite of the German aces. The fact is that Messerschmitt Bf.109 was incredibly maneuverable, fast and deadly. German designers have developed four modifications of the aircraft. By the way, each of them was successful in its own way. So E (Emil) became the hero of the battle for England, and F (Friedrich) June 22, 1942 broke the silence over the Soviet sky. There were also modifications of class G and K. namely "Messerschmidt" was the most deadly.

It is impossible not to mention the 2nd generation fighter from the Soviet designers. The MiG-21 had a huge potential, which was never fully disclosed. As practice showed, Soviet engineers had an erroneous opinion about weapons. The fact is that the main competitor of MiG was "Phantom 2". Americans bet on electronic equipment, and the USSR - on maneuverability. As practice has shown, neither one nor the other did not have success. "Phantom" did not have guns on its board, which immediately manifested itself during the battle, and MiG had only 2 air-to-air missiles, which turned out to be extremely small.

The first place is occupied ...

Here we are and we examined almost all the best combat aircraft. There is only one left, and this is F-15. It is this aircraft is the best, according to many experts. For the most part, this is due to just a huge combat experience. Just imagine, 104 air battles (wins) without a single loss! It's unlikely that we are talking about luck, rather, about the professionalism of pilots and the perfection of the aircraft.

Impressive is the arming of the "eagle", which allows you to fire both on air and ground targets. The US Air Force is planning to put into service stealth fighters based on the F-15 F-15SE modification by the end of 2015. In addition to the fact that the car will be more invisible, slightly improve the armament, as well as navigation automatic systems. By the way, Americans have always paid the most attention to the safety of their crew. This applies to tanks, aircraft and ships. For example, Soviet combat aircraft and tanks were not famous for this.

The most famous combat aircraft of Russia and other countries that were on our list were presented to your attention. All these machines once horrified the enemy. Of course, we would like to see aviation used as sparingly as possible, and military conflicts are resolved diplomatically. But when it does not work out, fighters and bombers come out for protection, who are ready to get up in the air at any moment.