Whats your vote for the most effective military plane ever built..!!

Was the B-70 developed during the cold war or before it?

During it. It was developed in the 60s.

EF2000 EuroFighter Typhoon

Most Effective Millitary Plane Or Fighter. The Most Efective Millitary Plane as pertaining to its job description in my mind would have to be the F-117 Stealth . It Does Its Job Effectivley With Minimal Or no Friendly casuilties. Most Effective Fighter Is The F-16 Or F/a-18 Depending On Many Situations

The XB-70 was a waverider, and its optimum cruising speed was Mach 3. If an engine were to fail, it was more practical fuelwise to go to afterburner to maintain the Mach 3 speed! As such, it was a very long range, very fast, very high altitude bomber, the likes of which nobody has managed to duplicate. I personally believe that the potential shortage of titanium (90-odd% is found in Russia) made the Americans re-think the whole Mach 3 thing (except for A-12, SR-71 and later Aurora).

What really doomed the XB-70 was the advancing Russian missile technology. Today the US is talking about bringing back fast bombers. Maybe they will look at the XB-70 and bring it back.

The F-15 as not a single one has been lost in air to air or air to ground combat. Perfect record.

IT'S EASY ATTACKING POOR COUNTRIES WITH F-15'S AND CLAIMING NO LOSSES COME TO EUROPE AND SEE IF YOU KEEP YOUR RECORD!!!

Originally posted by DarkSide
IT'S EASY ATTACKING POOR COUNTRIES WITH F-15'S AND CLAIMING NO LOSSES COME TO EUROPE AND SEE IF YOU KEEP YOUR RECORD!!!

if euorpe will somehow transmit DBZ cartoons into the pilot's cockpit then the pilots will move to the nearest enemy SAM site on purpose

The P-51D Mustang cos it was the best fighter during ww2, and everyone knows that the whole "Fighter business" started from the second world war...

I base my choice on the total annihilation of all their enemies jets in one week, thanks to the AWACS, or E2, or whatever it is called, I'm no good with names, but it was the radar plane that Israel used to track enemy fighters, then position their own planes in the sun, from their opponents perspective, so that they never saw them coming. I may be wrong, but I think they wiped out over a hundred jets in a week, with very little loss themselves.
For efficiency, that is my pick.
For loudness, the Vulcan, it is the loudest plane I have heard.
For nostalgia, the P51.
For sentimentality, the Arrow.
For sheer intimidation, I remember standing at an airshow as a Harrier hovered in front of me with its nose down, and for a second I imagined what an enemy would have felt..... that was one scary sight.

I have to say the ol Buff also - 50 years and running....

Originally posted by BlackGuardXIII
I base my choice on the total annihilation of all their enemies jets in one week, thanks to the AWACS, or E2, or whatever it is called, I'm no good with names, but it was the radar plane that Israel used to track enemy fighters, then position their own planes in the sun, from their opponents perspective, so that they never saw them coming. I may be wrong, but I think they wiped out over a hundred jets in a week, with very little loss themselves.

You refer to the E-2 Hawkeye from the Israeli AF in the Beka Valley in 1982. The score was 82-0 I think, most of the kills being F-15's.

[edit on 4-6-2005 by edsinger]

82 - 0. That is the kind of destruction and domination that the loser must have a terrible time trying to take something positive from. It was not a 'good' loss, it was a total and complete annihilation, a real ass whooping that I can hardly compare to any other conflict. The only ones that come to mind are Desert Storm, and Rommels blitz through Italy. I suppose the Japanese decimation of the Russian navy in 1905 could also be compared, since it was so unexpected and totally decisive. But in all of those encounters, the victor did not emerge unscathed, which makes me wonder if that 1982 battle is unique in war history. I can't think of another one, anyway.

Now this is gonna sound really sad, and the plane isnt really military (well it is but it couldnt hold its own in a fight) but my favourite plane is the Grob Tutor.

files.abovetopsecret.com...

I love it because ive flown with the ATC andf I was only 14!!!!

Originally posted by Seekerof
F-15.......still undefeated 109 +/- victories/kills and no defeats.....


regards
seekerof

What about the fighter plane that can claim confirmed 297 enemy aircraft downed & anouther 153 probrables- with only 12 losses...in only about 6 months of combat time?? Even when it was already considered obsolete at the time???

Yep...I'm talking about the Curtis P-40 as campaigned (& made immortally famous) by the A.V.G. "Flying Tigers". I'd say that is a pretty damn impressive record.

The many variations of the P-40 also lays claim to being one of the most universally used military aircraft...it is truly amazing how many countries used this aircraft in thier AirForce fleets at one time or anouther.

Of course, the P-51 Mustang that effectively replaced the P-40 overshadowed it with superior technical specifications & percieved improved combat effectiveness.

Also on my short list of favorites is the F-4 Phantom & 'Wild Weasel". I mean come-on...here is proof that a brick can actualy be made to fly...and it's quite an effective brick at that- even if it is the only fighter aircraft that burns its own 'tail-feathers' while doing so...

Oh yeah...the A-10 is pretty cool too...
*Military hardware contractor* "Hey...we just developed a really bad-ass cannon that is capable of tearing up tank armour like a tin can"

*U.S. Air Force* "Sound kinda cool... What kind of platform can we use it on?? Hey...I know...Lets just build a fuselage around it & put wings on it!"

*Military contractor* "Hmmmm...Yeah...That may be possible. How about create an aircraft that destroys tanks...maybe have some onboard missles as well... Hmmm...This could get ugly!"

*U.S. Air Force* "If you build it...we will buy a bunch of 'em! Thanks!"

...or something like that!

T.S.

P-40? You're having a laugh, aren't you? The pilots of those things were bloody heroes, no argument there, but why do you think the RAF NEVER flew any of the many hundreds of P-40's supplied to Britian in the European theatre against Germany but instead packed them off to Africa and the far east out of the way? The only single seat fighter in the RAF that was worse than the P-40 was the Brewster Buffalo and they were sent off into the wilderness too. The first dominant US fighter was the P-51 (after it was re-engined) and the US fighter has never looked back since but in global terms the P-40 was already obsolete before it entered service.

Lancaster bomber

Originally posted by THENEO
No competition man the B-52.

It is so cool that a pop group was named after it.

Also it has the distinction of being the only plane to ever drop a nuke (I think anyways).

Right on the choice of the B-52 since it has been in service for about 50 years. How many other planes can say that?

Wrong about it dropping nuclear weapons, though. That was the B-29 in 1945.

Originally posted by DarkSide
IT'S EASY ATTACKING POOR COUNTRIES WITH F-15'S AND CLAIMING NO LOSSES COME TO EUROPE AND SEE IF YOU KEEP YOUR RECORD!!!

***dumping water on darkside's flames***

The F-15 was in Europe already in the Balkans conflict. No contest there, either.