American airplanes. US Civil and Military aircraft

American aviation today is considered the legislator of the standard in the field of aircraft construction. In the United States, such a position is considered quite natural.

First flights

American aircraft carry their history from the first flight of the Wright brothers. It was they who managed to build in 1903 not only the prototype of the aircraft, but also the first knowledge and experience of a controlled flight.

During the work on the machine, which they called "Flyer", the inventors used the techniques that were the basis for the entire subsequent aviation industry. But the brothers relied on the experience of predecessors, who gave humanity the results of their achievements and failures. These include prototypes of aircraft created in France, Russia, England and other countries. Therefore, the first successful airplane gave impetus to further developments in all countries capable of leading them.

Dawn of Aviation

A sharp breakthrough in changing the status of aviation from clunky garage homemade to mass industrial machines, occurred during the First World War. Military aircraft of the US took part in it only at the final stage. Therefore, the Americans have not accumulated sufficient experience in the use of combat aviation.

In the interwar period, it is characterized by the development of postal and passenger aircraft, which allowed them to overcome huge distances of their own country and conduct business in the delivery of passengers and goods in South America, almost devoid of means of communication. At that time the main aircraft building companies were established:

• Boeing.
• "Sikorsky."
• McDonnell-Douglas.
• Lockheed and others

The production of engines for aircraft was carried out by the corporations Pratt & Whitney and General Electric. The US aircraft industry, thanks to the level of engineering development, had a high potential, although the military direction in it was poorly developed. Nevertheless, the US supplied aircraft and pilots for some pre-war conflicts. American aircraft and pilots participated in the Sino-Japanese War on the side of the Kuomintang regime.

World War II. Start

By the beginning of World War II, the United States had very limited capabilities in the field of combat aviation. Events in Europe dramatically changed the situation in the aviation industry. Entered into battle with the Third Reich, France needed a huge number of aircraft designed to fill military losses. The flow of French investment and technology has been poured into the American industry to create the capacity for the production of thousands of machines. After the fall of France, the United States became the industrial rear of Britain, placing its orders there.

Having received a powerful push, the US aviation industry steadily increased the volume of output. American aircraft absorbed the technological developments of different countries and adapted to the experience of the ongoing war.

Participation in the war

The years of war brought the US aircraft industry to the leading positions in the world. The United States created a developed military aircraft, which included all types of aircraft. The light American reconnaissance aircraft, equipped mainly with photography equipment, opened a line that was closed by the super-heavy "flying fortresses" B-25. During the war, the US gained invaluable experience in major strategic air operations of a continental scale. The war with Japan determined the leadership in naval aviation, based on dozens of aircraft carrier platforms of various classes.

The destructive power of the new weapon was fully realized. The air command is responsible for the most brutal bombardment of German cities, which left no hope of salvation for the inhabitants. American aircraft hit the world's first nuclear strike.

Despite the enormous scale of the air force, the technical perfection of the machines did not always correspond to the era. US jet aircraft owes its origin to the English developments in the field of engine building and aerodynamics of high-speed flight.

Reactive era

The leadership of the United States was well aware of the revolutionary changes associated with the advent of the jet engine. The first combat American aircraft were created by Lockheed. F-80 Shooting Star fighter seemed simple in production and operation, which made him a long-liver.

The first clashes with Soviet aircraft during the Korean War revealed its weak points. He could not withstand the screw fighters because of low maneuverability. Soviet jet planes surpassed the F-80 in speed and armament. The high technical potential of the American industry has made it possible to quickly return the leading positions. A striking example is the American reconnaissance aircraft SR-71 Blackbird, which combined a futuristic design with unique characteristics.

At the same time, the development of jet bombers and transport aircraft began. Unlike light-engine aircraft, these machines were equipped not only with turbojet engines. Good performance was achieved with turboprop and turbofan engines.

Modern Light Air Combat Aviation USA

Having passed a long way of development, the aviation industry of North America continues to occupy leading positions in the world rating. The main efforts of the developers focused on the creation of fifth-generation fighter aircraft. Long-term efforts led to the creation of two models of aircraft, embodying the highest achievements of engineering thought and technological capabilities of the United States.

The first-born "fifth generation" was a fighter-bomber F-22 "Raptor" produced by the corporation "Boeing". A more universal machine was supposed to be produced on the platform of the fighter-bomber F-35, which was created by Lockheed-Martin. Both models cause mixed reactions among experts and military specialists.

Together with widely advertised advantages, they clearly have serious technological and operational problems. The superiority over the combat vehicles of potential adversaries is not obvious. Together with the fabulously high price of a unit of weapons, such an evaluation of machines led to the spread of the opinion that these US military aircraft do not belong to successful models. Along with the saturation of the fleet, the latest machines continue to modernize the aircraft of the old series, which still carry the main combat load.

Heavy combat and civil aircraft of the USA

The geographical position of America stimulated interest in large-scale air transportation. The experience of world and local wars constantly confirmed the effectiveness of the use of bomber aviation. Today, the US has a colossal fleet of passenger aircraft and is one of the leaders in their production. The main producer of passenger airliners is the Boeing corporation, which produces aircraft of almost all commercial categories.

US military transport aircraft is well illustrated by the C-5 Galaxy. Its technical capabilities are second only to Soviet or Russian heavy transport aircraft. In addition to the classic layouts, in the United States are used hybrid vehicles "Osprey", combining the advantages and disadvantages of aircraft and helicopter.

Bomber aviation in the United States looks rather strange. Futuristic F-2, made in the "flying wing" scheme, with an anti-radar configuration of the fuselage and a cover, are adjacent to archaic B-52s, who fought at the beginning of the Vietnam War.

Prospects

The main direction of the development of US aviation projects is the growth of speed characteristics, which are possessed by US combat aircraft and the carrying capacity of transport and passenger vehicles. Alluring results of achieving cruising hypersonic speeds are still being tried in rocket technology. Civilian vehicles are valued at the cost of shipping a unit of cargo per unit of distance. Therefore, the main technical research is aimed at increasing the carrying capacity and improving the fuel efficiency of transport.