A bomber destroyer is a former type of A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for attacking other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. Fighters are comparatively small, fast, and highly maneuverable, and have been fitted with increasingly sophisticated tracking and weapons systems to intercept... fighter aircraft dedicated to destroying enemy A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. For other uses of the word bomber see bomber (disambiguation). Strategic bombers are primarily designed for long-range strike missions against strategic targets such as supply bases, bridges, factories, and shipyards. Examples: B-17 Flying... bomber aircraft. It is similar in purpose to the Interceptor redirects here. For the 1989 UK TV series of this name, see Interceptor (TV series). An interceptor aircraft (or simply interceptor) is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft, particularly bombers. A number of such aircraft were built in the period starting just... interceptor, but differs primarily in form – while interceptors tend to be small, fast-climbing planes, bomber destroyers are typically built on much larger slow-climbing twin-engine designs provided with massive firepower. They also differ from A night fighter is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night, or in other times of bad visibility. They are sometimes referred to as night/all weather fighters for this reason. This role typically requires the use of radar, landing lights, direction finders to find the airbase at night... night fighters, although often based on the same airframe, as they lack This article is about the device. For the fictional character in M*A*S*H, see Corporal Walter (Radar) OReilly. This long range radar antenna (approximately 40m (130ft) in diameter) rotates on a track to observe activities near the horizon. Radar is an acronym for radio detection and ranging... radar and are intended only for day use.

A number of nations developed such aircraft prior to German soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad World War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the worlds nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. The German invasion... WWII, all in order to provide an aircraft with enough warload, given the limited An engine is something that produces some effect from a given input. The origin of engineering was the working of engines. There is an overlap in English between two meanings of the word engineer: those who operate engines and those who design and construct new items. In original usage, an... engine power of the era, to quickly destroy a bomber. Primary among these pre-war designs were several French and German multi-role aircraft. The The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America¹, the States, or (archaically) Columbia — is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii... United States later created designs like the Bell YFM-1 Airacuda and the interceptor The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was one of the most important American fighters of the Second World War. Although its operational record was somewhat mixed, in general the P-38 was a fast, powerful and capable aircraft that performed well in a wide range of roles. The aircraft had twin... Lockheed P-38 Lightning, both of which were designed explicitly to mount 37 mm cannon armament for this mission.

Developments in armament, notably the introduction of the 20 mm cannon, generally led to the disappearance of the bomber destroyer from most An air force is a military organization that primarily operates in air-based war. They typically use a combination of fighters, bombers, helicopters and other aircraft. Organization Most (but not all) armed forces have air forces that are independent - that is, it is neither part of the army nor the... air forces. Even small fighters, like the The Supermarine Spitfire was a single seat fighter used by the RAF and many Allied countries in World War II. The Spitfires elliptical wings gave it a very distinctive look; their thin cross-section gave it speed; the brilliant design of Chief Designer R.J. Mitchell and his successors... Supermarine Spitfire, were able to carry enough firepower to effectively deal with The Federal Republic of Germany ( German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the worlds leading industrialised countries, located in the heart of Europe. Due to its central location, Germany has more neighbours than any other European country: these are Denmark in the north, Poland and the Czech Republic in the... German and Official language Japanese Capital Tokyo Largest City Tokyo Emperor Akihito Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 60th 377,835 km² 0.8% Population  - Total ( 2004)  - Density Ranked 10th 127,333,002 337/km² GDP  - Total (PPP, 2005)  - Total (nominal)  ... Japanese bombers.

The same was not true for the The Luftwaffe (literally, air weapon, prounounced looft-vaaf-fa) is the air force of Germany. World War I The Luftwaffe was founded during the First World War with the emergence of military aircraft. It was the Worlds first air force. During the war, the Luftwaffe utilised a wide variety... Luftwaffe, who were facing larger, four-engined long-range bombers that proved to be extremely difficult to shoot down. Starting in about 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. Events January January 4 - End of term for Culbert Olson, 29th Governor of California. He is succeeded by Earl Warren. January 11 - The United States and United Kingdom give up territorial rights in China. January 11 - General Juanto dies in Argentina - Ramon... 1943 the Luftwaffe started fielding an increasing number of bomber destroyers, mostly based on the The Messerschmitt Bf110 (later Me110) was a twin-engine heavy fighter in the service of the Luftwaffe during World War II. History Based around the concept of the long-range Zerstörer or Destroyer Fighter the Bf110 enjoyed some success in the Polish and French campaigns. However, the Battle of... Messerschmitt Bf 110. While the German Zerstörer (destroyers) had been conceived as multi-role aircraft, the bomber destroyer role was given priority later and these planes proved to be very effective against US bomber raids in 1943 as they could emply heavy cannon armement as well as A Redstone rocket, part of the Mercury program A rocket is a vehicle, missile or aircraft which obtains thrust by the reaction to the ejection of fast moving exhaust gas from within a rocket engine. Often the term rocket is also used to mean a rocket engine. In military terminology... rockets fired from long range. However, while they were effective weapons platforms against bombers, they lacked the performance to deal with single-engined fighters. When the The North American P-51 Mustang was a successful long range fighter aircraft which set new standards of excellence and performance when it entered service in the middle years of World War II and is still regarded as one of the very best piston-engined fighters ever made. The definitive... P-51 Mustang began to escort the USAAF bomber raids in early 1944, the Bf 110 and other destroyers suffered heavy losses and soon had to be withdrawn from daylight combat.

Later German designs concentrated on dedicated high-speed planes for this role, notably the The Dornier Do 335 Pfeil (Arrow) was a World War II heavy fighter built by the Dornier company. The Pfeils performance was much better than any similar design due to its unique push-pull layout and the Luftwaffe was desperate to get the design into squadron use, but delays... Dornier Do 335 Pfeil. Its speed would allow it to remain out of danger from the Mustangs, while still carrying a massive gunload. The The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe (Swallow) was the first operational jet powered aircraft. It was mass-produced in World War II and saw action from late 1944 in bomber/reconnaissance and fighter/interceptor roles. German pilots nicknamed it the Turbo, while to the allies it was the Stormbird, or in... Messerschmitt Me 262 also saw widespread use in the destroyer role, where its huge load of four 30 mm cannons and the first truly effective air-to-air rockets proved to be highly capable. But in general, few new designs of any sort saw action due to the rapidly deteriorating war conditions.

Unguided rockets built from converted Mortar has several meanings: A mortar is a vessel used to contain a substance which is then ground into a powder and/or mixed with a pestle. Mortars have smooth, rounded bottoms and wide mouths. Mortar is a material used in masonry to fill the gaps between blocks in construction... mortars were used on some destroyer designs, and many fighters could mount the late-war The R4M rocket (Rakete 4 kg Minenkopf) was the first practical anti-aircraft rocket, developed by the Luftwaffe during World War II, and used operational for a very brief time just prior to the end of the war. In the post-war period the R4M served as the pattern for... R4M rocket, which proved highly effective against bombers.

After the war, fighter firepower increased steeply:

• Due to the introduction of improved high-speed Gatling gun illustrated in an 1885 encyclopedia in Swedish http://www.lysator.liu.se/runeberg/nfai/0122.htm The Gatling gun was the first successful machine gun. Unlike previous devices it was the first to combine reliability, high firing rate and ease of loading into a single device. It was... rotary cannons, notably the British The Royal Small Arms Factory ADEN is a 30mm cannon used on many military aircraft, particularly those of the British RAF and FAA. Development The ADEN (named for the Armament Development Establishment, where it was designed, and Enfield, where it is produced) was developed in the late 1940s as a... ADEN, French The GIAT DEFA 550 is a series of very widely used French aircraft guns. The initial DEFA 551 was developed in the late 1940s. It was based on the German Mauser MG213C, an experimental revolver cannon developed for the Luftwaffe, but not used in combat (the same weapon inspired the... DEFA and American The Pontiac M39 was a 20mm revolver cannon developed for the United States Air Force in the late 1940s. It was used on a number of fighter aircraft from the early 1950s through the 1970s. Development The M39 was developed by the Springfield Armory, based on the World War II... M39 - all of which were based on the German The MG 213 was a 20 mm aircraft-mounted revolver cannon developed for the Luftwaffe during World War II. It was never put into service, but formed the basis for several post-war developments by the Allies, including the Aden and DEFA cannons. A 30 mm version was developed as... Mauser MG 213 developed at the end of WW2. These guns could fire 30 mm rounds at rates similar to two 20 mm cannons of the typical WWII aircraft, the larger rounds giving them considerably more explosive power. A single one of these cannon provided any aircraft with enough firepower to be a reasonable destroyer, even light interceptors.
• Unguided air-to-air missiles, pioneered by the Luftwaffe in WW2, were developed into highly effective weapons systems, often incorporating a radar and a targeting computer for maximum effectiveness. Canadian designs moved to all-rocket armament by the early 1950s, folllowed closely by US designs such as the The Northrop F-89 Scorpion was an early American jet-powered all-weather interceptor. It has the distinction of being the first aircraft armed with nuclear weapons for air-to-air use. Development The Scorpion stemmed from a 1945 U.S. Army Air Force specification for a jet-powered night... F-89 Scorpion.

Though the threat of nuclear bombs carried by long-range bombers was met by fighter aircraft purpose-built for the destruction of these bombers, the destroyer classification disappeared almost instantly after WW2 to be replaced by the Interceptor redirects here. For the 1989 UK TV series of this name, see Interceptor (TV series). An interceptor aircraft (or simply interceptor) is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft, particularly bombers. A number of such aircraft were built in the period starting just... interceptor classification.

When radar and night-fighting capabilities becoming standard for fighter designs and the guided missile was introduced, the distinction between the different fighter classifications gradually vanished. The intercontinental ballistic missile finally reduced the nuclear bomb-armed long-range bomber to a secondary role, and the interceptor classification dropped into insignificance as a result.

See also:

Interceptor redirects here. For the 1989 UK TV series of this name, see Interceptor (TV series). An interceptor aircraft (or simply interceptor) is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft, particularly bombers. A number of such aircraft were built in the period starting just... interceptor

A night fighter is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night, or in other times of bad visibility. They are sometimes referred to as night/all weather fighters for this reason. This role typically requires the use of radar, landing lights, direction finders to find the airbase at night... night fighter