Airplanes

Early warning aircraft provide air force commanders with a constant overview of the air situation, far beyond the radar horizon. They are one of the key elements for winning information superiority on the battlefield and enable the effective deployment of their own forces. Their construction has undergone a long development and today they are an indispensable part of the modern air force. The number of air forces that operate early warning aircraft is constantly growing.

During the First World War, new fields appeared in the war machine. They were war gases, automatic weapons, tanks, but above all aircraft. Pre-war experimental machines, flying mostly just a few meters above the ground at near-fall speeds, became dangerous and efficient machines during the four years of the war, flying twice as fast as their predecessors.

Flying has always been a man's dream. It's hard to worry today, when this dream first appeared. Already in an ancient legend, it is told about Icarus and his father, who escaped from captivity with the help of wings from bird feathers glued together with wax. Leonardo da Vinci, a Renaissance artist, inventor and omniscient, also dealt with flying. Of course, birds and their years became the inspiration for people. The first enthusiasts therefore made bird-like wings and fastened them on their hands. They then jumped from taller buildings, flapping their wings, trying to make a flight. However, they only achieved a fall, which usually ended in tragedy.

In general, tethered balloons were best suited for military purposes. It was a balloon attached to a rope to a winch placed on the ground, and thus remained at a certain height above the ground in one place. They were used exclusively for reconnaissance tasks, or. to control artillery fire. The problem with all tethered balloons was the weather conditions, as their use was limited to no wind or wind with a maximum speed of 7 m / s. As the wind speed rose above this limit, staying in the balloon basket became impossible for constant fluctuations, and the crew rose more often from the bottom of the basket than observed the enemy and his movement.

Balloons were not only used in the form of military equipment, but were also widely used in civilian life.

First steps

Transport airships before World War I.

Airships in the First World War (technical development)

Zeppelins

Schütte-Lanz

Parseval and Gross-Basenach

Airships in the First World War (technical development)

Airships in the First World War (technical development)

Airships in the First World War (technical development)

Airships in the First World War (technical development)

Airships in the First World War (technical development)

Airships in the First World War (technical development)

Airships 1918-1945

Airships 1918-1945

Airships 1918-1945

Airships 1918-1945

Airships 1918-1945

Conclusion

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Tables

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Tables

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Tables

Tables

Flying has always been a man's dream. It's hard to worry today, when this dream first appeared. Already in an ancient legend, it is told about Icarus and his father, who escaped from captivity with the help of wings from bird feathers glued together with wax. Leonardo da Vinci, a Renaissance artist, inventor and omniscient, also dealt with flying. Of course, birds and their years became the inspiration for people. The first enthusiasts therefore made bird-like wings and fastened them on their hands. They then jumped from taller buildings, flapping their wings, trying to make a flight. However, they only achieved a fall, which usually ended in tragedy.

Immediately after the Nazi attack, the Western Allies offered material assistance to the Soviet Union. The shortest route that could take the material to the Russian front led by sea from the British Isles around German-occupied Norway to the only non-freezing Soviet port of Murmansk in the Gulf of Kola. The convoys that sailed on it were code-named PQ.

The bulging Brewster Buffalos were the first fighter monoplanes aboard American aircraft carriers. However, the ships did not warm up for a long time on the ships and were quickly replaced by the more modern F4F Wildcat. The aircraft thus began its combat career in the air forces of Finland, Great Britain and the Netherlands. The following lines will introduce you to the work of the " buffalo " in the RAF.

Such an invention is known by the English word DRONE - with other, equally legitimate meanings: a trumpet, a male bee, a honey-free parasite that lives off the work of others, it is also an airplane without a pilot, conducted from a great distance by the necessary signals. The idea of fighting as comfortably as possible - far from danger, from bloody turmoil, for example, somewhere on the couch touching the right buttons, does not knock out the smallest of your own little finger, but a thorough trigger in the enemy ranks. Critics warn of the potential for even greater dehumanization, when a fighter, far from the site of the devastation, loses the restraint of participating in such actions.

Dogfights have always attracted attention. Since the First World War, their participants have been considered heroes, stories have been written about nothing, and they have become idols of generations. However, the reality of air combat is much more prosaic. Whatever the motivation of the pilots to fight, there was always a winner on one side and a loser on the other in a crippled or burning plane falling to the ground. This series deals with the struggle from their beginning to the modern age, when the sky is steadily ruled by jet engines.

The one you don't see will take you down. Fighter alphabet. This is true even today in the age of the latest technologies. Perhaps even more than at a time when pilots had to rely only on their eyes. The growing emphasis on stealth technology only confirms this.

On April 28, 2011, after 29 years, the Czech Air Force said goodbye to the Antonov An-26. On this day, the last two aircraft of fuselage numbers 2408 and 2507 were ceremoniously decommissioned at Prague-Kbely Airport in the presence of the staff of the 24th zDL, former and current members of the flying and technical staff and other guests of honor.

The concept itself was born in France. At the time of the Battle of Verdun, there was a need for a system that would encourage fighters and other pilots to try to surpass others in the number of shot down enemy aircraft. Major de Rose, Air Force Commander of II. Army, then replaced the hitherto inconsistent record of victories with accurate records and at the same time criteria were set for the recognition of achievements, primarily the testimony of their own ground troops. The pilot, who achieved five victories, was entitled to the title of ace ...

War ... No other word better describes human helplessness. People know that wars are terrible and do nothing good, but they have led, waged, and are likely to continue to wage them. Although they make it possible to manifest the worst and best human qualities, they are undoubtedly the most terrible that mankind has created. They accompany the development of man from his creation to the present day. And because humanity still can't do anything about it, they will probably fight in the future.

The ancient human desire to soar into the air, to free oneself from the gravity of the earth, to get closer to birds and to God, came true on December 17, 1903. On that day, a man rose into the air for the first time on a flying vehicle heavier than air.

The situation in Europe in 1914 was unsustainable. The Imperial conquests of the Trojspolk intersected with the interests of the Trojdohoda. It was more than obvious that sooner or later there would be a conflict.

It was obvious that the fighter must have very special characteristics. Above all, he must be faster, climb better and faster, and be able to operate at higher altitudes. Last but not least, he must be heavily armed and have very good maneuverability. These conditions clearly indicated the need for a high-performance engine and low weight for the entire machine.

On the Western Front, the Allies prepared several offensive operations in 1915, which were basically to test the possibility of breaking the German lines.

In the east, fierce fighting continued after the battle of East Prussia.

At the end of the summer of 1916, German war pilots woke up a nightmare in the form of a French Spad S.VII biplane, with the words "Vieux Charles" written on the fuselage, crashing headlong to the stern of their aircraft.

If it was a "material battle" on the ground near Verdun, then it was no different in the air. For the first time, larger aircraft formations began to compete here. The number of air battles was growing at a dizzying pace.

In April 1917, General Nivelle, who succeeded General Joffre as commander in chief of the French army, planned to break through German defensive positions on the heights at the Chemin des Dames. It was an enticing goal, because if successful, Allied troops would control a wide area all around the heights. From here it was possible to see the whole Champagnes plain and it was possible to secure the bridgehead of the river Aisne. However, this plan was doomed to failure from the beginning.

English pilots and mechanics wasted time telling terrifying stories in the haunting monsters of the hangars, waiting for orders. They whispered about planes that had returned to the airport with a dead crew, planes that had been missing for weeks and yet were seen again and again in the air, heralding losses in the ranks of the unit, or pilots who, although long dead, they came to the canteen without a word and left again, and sooner or later everyone they met also went to the realm of oblivion. However, none of these fables were more horrible than the legend of the " Red Baron . "

In addition to the famous victories, however, came the first defeats.

After the Battle of Cambrai, the winter of 1917/18 took place without dramatic events.

Knightly battles were irretrievably a thing of the past. Gone are the days when lone predators gliding across their rivals in the sky, this time when the famous masters were competing, was over.

Because Italy did not receive a guarantee of territorial gain from the Triple Entente at the beginning of the war, it declared its neutrality on August 3, 1914, despite the German pressure.

The German General Staff, aware of the stalemate on the Western Front, tried to resolve the conflict on another battlefield.

In September 1918, the RAF headquarters decided that Major Barker had done enough for the British Empire. He was therefore promoted to the rank of Lieutenant - Colonel (Lieutenant Colonel) and appointed commander of the Aviation School of Higher Pilotage in Hounslow, England.

After heavy losses, the offensive at Ypres finally stopped. However, RFC pilots did not have many opportunities to rest, because on April 20, 1917, a tank offensive was launched at Cambrai and RFC squadrons were designed to directly support ground troops.

At that time, there was also stagnation in the chemical war. The soldiers of both sides were no longer surprised, experience taught them to use protective masks quickly and effectively.

While Collishaw was on vacation in Vancouver, another excellent British fighter was at home in Canada. He was William Avery Bishop, known throughout France, Britain, Canada and the United States as "the incredible Billy Bishop" - an ace with 47 kills.

The massive German spring offensive on the Western Front in 1918, which has been mentioned several times, was made possible mainly by the events that took place in the autumn of the previous year in Russia. War operations on the Eastern Front required a different approach in all respects, including air combat. Mass air battles over the Western Front completely overshadowed the air battles taking place in the East. Nevertheless, a number of excellent aces served on both sides of the front.

On the evening of August 3, 1919, the day the British pilots held a farewell dinner for their Russian friends, Kazakov appeared in the hangar and ordered his Camel to prepare for flight.

On January 1, 1918, World War II entered its final year, although of course the men at the front had no idea. However, they prayed fervently for it. But the last year of the war was to be as horrible as any previous one. The fighting continued with unabated force, and modern flying knights were still racing over the front. The riders on the winged horses raced again and again into their aerial battles. They flew and flew, chasing through the clouds, living in the air and dying in the fire.

In the summer of 1918, German pilots found a fallen French pilot in a clip from a French newspaper, which was referred to as a German fighter as an "ace es" . Attached was his photograph and name - Lieutenant Udet. After Richthofen's death, Ernst Udet really had the most victories of all living German pilots. He then fought to stay in this position, and in the end he succeeded. He became the most successful living German fighter and the second most successful overall. However, this was preceded by three years of hard air fighting.

When Udet was on vacation, Richthofen fell. In JG I, some personnel changes took place and Udet was appointed commander of Jasta 4, belonging to JG I. On the eighth of June, in addition, Lieutenant Hermann Göring, then an ace with 21 victories, took command of JG I. However, his appointment was not deserved so much by his abilities as by his acquaintances in high places.

On May 8, 1918, Coppens had little time when, after three fruitless attacks on the "sausage", the Germans cut off the balloon and it struck Coppens' Hanriot from below. Fortunately, the fighter slipped on its cover ...

In the last months of the war, the Allied Air Force clearly demonstrated its numerical and material superiority. The German Air Force, although remaining combat-ready and dangerous until the end, could no longer stop them. In the case of some Allied pilots, the war turned into complete hunts for German aircraft and competition for the championship in the tables according to the number of victories.

It's almost unbelievable that I survived these exciting dangers then ... But you can handle a lot when you're young.
Arthur Gould Lee, Camel pilot at the 46th RFC Squadron in 1917-18

Numbers of victories of the most successful fighters

Some decorations mentioned in the text

Morane with deflectors can be considered the world's first fighter. The deflectors were very primitive, but, as practice has shown, they were also very effective.

In 1903, the Wright brothers made the first demonstrably successful flight of a plane heavier than air, made no secret its a business, and, of course, saw the most important customer in the military. In 1908, they held a large demonstration tour of Europe with the " Flyer A " model, especially for military audiences, with a contract already signed in their pockets for $ 25,000 for the delivery of one aircraft to the US military. They launched an avalanche, at the air week in August 1909 in Reims, the representatives of the military administrations abounded and to have a flying " apparatus " in their arsenal became a prestigious matter for all European armies.

During the following narration, I do not intend to describe the biographies of the famous fighters of the Great War - they are relatively well known and I have published a lot of them on the server www.valka.cz. I want to explain where the fighter aces actually came from, and how it is possible that the cult of "air knights" is almost as strong today as it was at the time of its birth. We will also try to look at the motivation of aces, their martial arts, recognition of victories, etc.

The stories of Garros, Immelmann, Boelck, and other early air warriors laid the foundation for the legend of fighter aces as air knights. When asked why this is so, we must realize that World War I was the first European conflict where small professional armies were not fighting, but millions of civilians dressed in uniforms. The war now affected the whole nation in the true sense of the word ...

In addition to the three greatest legends - Guynemer, Ball, von Richthofen, discussed in the second part of the article, there was a whole host of aces during the war. Many of their stories sound unbelievable to us today, because we often do not realize the kind of air war at the time. The press carefully selected some of these events and served them warmly to hungry readers. And this is exactly what this sequel is about.

Some fighters do not only bear the type designation, but have their own names. And what name represents speed and power, ie the characteristics that a fighter should have, above all, better than lightning? Probably none. The series of following articles describes the planes that deserved the name lightning - more or less.

JSF is a program that includes so many conflicting requirements that have never been faced before by any team of designers. To meet them, it was necessary to carefully choose the basic configuration, so that after minimal modifications to suit all armed forces participating in the program.

The aircraft test program of the technological demonstrators of the JSF program was the battle of two groups associating the largest aircraft manufacturers. The results of the tests and the final decision of the commission depended on who won the contract of the century, probably one of the last piloted attack aircraft.

An overview of the most used, western, ejection seats, together with an example of the type of aircraft on which it was used.

A short excursion into the development and especially the current state of the often discussed stealth technology

The USSR tried to cover the absence of aircraft carriers in its fleet by developing submarine forces and aircraft designed to fight the American CVBG ( Carrier Battle Group ). Suchoj T-4 was supposed to be a specialist in aircraft carrier hunting, but in the end it turned out completely different ...

Historical development and the current role of aviation technology in combat.

Tu-22 bombers are currently being destroyed in Ukraine and Russia. It is a remnant of the Cold War and a representative of the long-extinct category of medium bombers, which disappeared from service in the late 70's. The Tu-22 survived in service for a surprisingly long time, despite the fact that it was a structure that did not work very well and the crew and ground staff did not have much love for this aircraft.