Military Propellor Planes

The Airbus A400M Atlas is Europe's four-engine turboprop airlifter. See what it carries, why it uses propellers, how it differs from the C-130, and who flies it.

The rugged transport built for hot, high, and short-field operations.

The Avro Lancaster entered service during World War II as a four-engine heavy bomber. Designed for long-range strategic missions, it became the backbone of the Royal Air Force’s bombing operations. The aircraft was capable of carrying exceptionally large payloads.

Heavy bomber introduced in 1945

Maritime patrol aircraft introduced in 1951

The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor flew in 1948 and trained U.S. pilots for decades. See the piston T-34A and T-34B, the turboprop T-34C and its history.

The Bell P-39 Airacobra put its V-12 behind the pilot and a 37 mm cannon in the nose. P-39Q specs, why the RAF dropped it, and why the Soviets loved it.

The Bell P-63 Kingcobra: a 410 mph mid-engine fighter the U.S. rejected, the Soviets flew in combat, and gunners shot at as the Pinball target.

The B-29 Superfortress: 3,970 built, a 141 ft 3 in wingspan, pressurized crew compartments, the atomic missions, and the 22 airframes left today.

The B-47 Stratojet was America's first mass-produced swept-wing jet bomber. How it flew, why it was hard to land, and the 203 that were lost.

The Bristol Beaufighter was a WWII twin-engine heavy fighter built as a night fighter, then a torpedo and rocket strike aircraft. 5,928 were built.

The postwar strike aircraft built for light bombing and reconnaissance.

The B-24 Liberator was the most-produced U.S. heavy bomber, with about 18,500 built. See the B-24J specs, how it compares with the B-17 and where it served.

The Consolidated B-32 Dominator was the B-29's backup bomber. See why only 118 were built and how its crews flew the last air combat of WWII.

The Flying Fortress of the Sea — Built for Range, Strength, and the Open Ocean.

The PBY Catalina was the flying boat that found the Bismarck and rescued downed airmen. History, variants, the Black Cats and what a Catalina costs today.

The Torpedo Bomber That Arrived Too Late for Battle.

The Convair B-36 Peacemaker was a ten-engine Cold War bomber that never saw combat. Specs, the B-52 comparison, and the four that survive today.

The Curtiss O-52 Owl was introduced in the early 1940s as an observation aircraft. Designed for artillery spotting and reconnaissance, it featured a high-wing configuration. The aircraft saw limited combat use.

Curtiss P-36 Hawk, the Hawk 75: first flown in 1935, fought at Pearl Harbor, over France and for Finland. Specs, variants and surviving aircraft.

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, fighter of the Flying Tigers: 13,738 built, 361 mph top speed. Specs, Tomahawk to P-40N variants, combat record, survivors.

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was the Navy's last dive bomber. Its rocky development, combat record, variants and the three that still fly today.

The last military biplane acquired by the United States Navy

Civil utility aircraft mainly used by China and Cuba

Douglas A-1 Skyraider specs, the 2,700 hp Wright R-3350 engine, 15 hardpoints, Korea and Vietnam Sandy rescue missions, variants and survivors.

The Douglas A-26 Invader was introduced late in World War II as a twin-engine attack aircraft. Designed for both bomber and ground-attack missions, it combined speed with substantial armament. The aircraft continued in service long after the war.

The Douglas AC-47 Spooky was a C-47 rebuilt with three miniguns in 1964. See how the first gunship worked, how many were built and what happened to them.

The Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber sank four Japanese carriers at Midway. Its history, variants, 5,936-aircraft production run, and six still flying.

Light utility aircraft designed for the executive transportation market

Tactical reconnaissance, liaison and light bomber introduced in 1941

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was Germany's rugged radial-engine WWII fighter. Its history, A-8 and Dora variants, Spitfire and Bf 109 rivalry, survivors.

The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor flew Berlin to New York nonstop in 1938, then hunted Allied convoys. History, variants, Hitler's aircraft and the survivor.

The Focke-Wulf Ta 152 was Germany's high-altitude piston fighter of 1945. See how the Ta 152H worked, what it achieved and the one survivor.

Anti-submarine aircraft introduced in 1950

The Grumman C-1 Trader was the Navy's piston-engine carrier delivery aircraft, a Tracker with a bigger cabin. See its history, variants, survivors and what replaced it.

The F4F Wildcat held off the Zero at Wake, Midway and Guadalcanal. Here is its history, the F4F-4 and FM-2 variants, and why it mattered.

The F6F Hellcat out-flew the Zero and scored more kills than any Allied naval fighter. Here is the history, the F6F-3 vs F6F-5 story and where Hellcats fly today.

The Grumman F7F Tigercat was the Navy's first twin-engine fighter: eight guns, a 400 kt top speed, one war, and about a dozen survivors today.

The Grumman F8F Bearcat was built to out-climb everything, reached squadrons in 1945 too late for combat, then flew in Indochina and won Reno races.

The Grumman OV-1 Mohawk was the U.S. Army's twin-turboprop surveillance aircraft. History, variants, the 1968 MiG-17 kill and why it retired in 1996.

The Grumman S-2 Tracker was the Navy's first one-airplane submarine hunter. Read its history, variants, operators and its second life as a firefighter.

The Grumman TBF Avenger was the US Navy's WWII torpedo bomber, built by Grumman and GM. Crew, guns, range, Midway debut and George H.W. Bush's TBM.

The Hawker Hurricane shot down more German aircraft in the Battle of Britain than the Spitfire. Full Mk IIC specs, the 14,487 built, and which still fly.

The turboprop trainer built for primary military pilot instruction.

Anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrol aircraft developed for the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force.

The Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star was the Super Constellation turned airborne radar station. See its history, Vietnam role, 1969 shootdown, and survivors.

The EC-130H Compass Call jammed enemy communications for 43 years. Specs, Baseline upgrades, combat record, 2026 retirement, and the EA-37B successor.

Lockheed P-3 Orion specs and history: a 411-knot sub hunter built from the Electra airliner, 757 made, and still flying for navies and NOAA.

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was the twin-boom fighter of America's top two aces. See its 414 mph specs, the Yamamoto mission, and how many still fly.

The largest fixed-wing aircraft ever operated by the U.S. Navy

light bomber introduced in 1940

Light attack bomber introduced in 1941

United States attack turboprop aircraft introduced in 1948

The Martin B-10 was America's first all-metal monoplane bomber. See how it flew, who used it, and how it fared against fighters and in combat.

The Martin B-26 Marauder was a fast WWII medium bomber nicknamed the Widowmaker. See why it earned that name and how it ended with the lowest loss rate.

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the Luftwaffe's main fighter and the most produced fighter ever, about 34,000 built. Its history, G-6 specs, rivals and survivors.

The Messerschmitt Bf 110 was Germany's twin-engine heavy fighter. See why it failed over Britain in 1940 and became the Luftwaffe's top night fighter.

Heavy fighter and fighter-bomber introduced in 1943

The MiG-3 was a fast Soviet high-altitude fighter of 1941, but it was lost in huge numbers. History, variants, survivors and why it failed.

The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was Japan's carrier fighter from 1940 to 1945. See why it was called Zero, how its variants differ and which still fly.

The Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (Frank) was Japan's best mass-produced fighter of WWII. Read its history, variants, flaws and where the last survivor sits.

The North American AJ Savage was the U.S. Navy's first carrier-based nuclear bomber, with two piston engines and a tail jet. History, variants and service.

The B-25 Mitchell bombed Tokyo in the Doolittle Raid and hit the Empire State Building. Its history, variants, how it flew and where to see one today.

The F-82 Twin Mustang joined two Mustang-style fuselages to one wing. See how it flew a record Hawaii-to-New York hop and got the first kill of the Korean War.

Observation fixed-wing aircraft introduced in 1937

The P-51D Mustang reached 383 kt (441 mph) and flew 1,434 nm (1,650 mi) with drop tanks. How a 1940 British order became WWII's escort fighter.

The North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco was a twin-boom light attack and observation aircraft that flew from Vietnam to Iraq. Here is its history, variants and fate.

The E-2 Hawkeye is the Navy's carrier radar plane. E-2C Hawkeye 2000 specs, its 24-foot rotodome, the 300-mile radar, and the E-2D replacing it.

The utility aircraft built for maritime patrol and regional transport.

The turboprop trainer built for reliable basic flight instruction.

The Republic P-43 Lancer was a turbo-supercharged fighter built in 1940-41. See why only 272 were made and how it served China and Australia.

The P-47 Thunderbolt was WWII's heaviest single-engine fighter: 2,535 hp, eight .50-cals, 15,636 built. Full specs, variants and combat record.

The C-23 Sherpa was a Short 330 built for the U.S. Air Force and Army National Guard. See its history, variants, 2001 crash and retirement.

Carrier-based naval variant of the Spitfire

The Spitfire was the RAF's elliptical-winged fighter, built 20,351 times from 1938 to 1948. Its history, Merlin to Griffon marks, armament and survivors.

The Tupolev Tu-95 Bear is a turboprop bomber that first flew in 1952 and still flies. Variants, range, combat use and how many Russia has left.

Twin-engine British bomber aircraft by Vickers Armstrong.

The Vickers Wellington was the RAF's geodetic-airframe medium bomber of WWII. Its history, variants, Leigh Light role and the two complete survivors.

A four engine heavy bomber prototype developed during World War II.

The Vought F4U Corsair explained: the gull wing, the 2,100 hp R-2800, why carrier landings were hard, and how the F4U-4 fought from Guadalcanal to Korea.

Carrier-based dive bomber introduced in 1937

American biplane dive bomber in the 1930s

The Dive-Bomber That Hit Hard — and Faded Fast.

The Classroom of the Sky — Training the Pilots Who Won the War.

Built for America, Flown by Allies — The Fighter That Never Found Its War.

The Fighter Too Advanced for Its Time.

The regional turboprop built for short-haul passenger routes.

The Yakovlev Yak-12 was introduced in the late 1940s as a light utility aircraft. Designed for liaison and agricultural roles, it served widely in the Soviet Union. The aircraft emphasized short-field performance.

The Yakovlev Yak-3 was a small, light Soviet fighter that dominated low-altitude dogfights in 1944. See its history, variants, combat record and survivors.

The Yak-9 was the Soviet Union's most-produced WWII fighter, with 16,769 built. Development, the 9T, 9D and 9U variants, operators and survivors.