Do not meet the expectations of the aircraft (29 photos)

Typhoon Mk-1


Brief biography: Typhoon was created in 1940 by the British Gloster Aircraft Company. This single-engine fighter, one of the largest at the time, was equipped with a powerful engine and four 20-mm cannon.


Great expectations: Typhoon was created for the "Battle of Britain" as a means of countering the fascist bombers bombarded with bombs British towns and industrial centers. Common sense suggests that a combination of high power and good weapons should make Typhoon powerful weapon against the Luftwaffe.


The stark reality: The first surprise was that the bombers aircraft coped remarkably bad. It was so heavy that while he was gaining altitude and speed, the Germans had had time bombed. The cause was a side effect of well-armed. The British transferred Typhoon in the discharge of storm troopers. On the plane hung holders bomb pylons for rockets, put additional armor and sent to attack German columns and ships. It seemed, career Typhoon in new capacity to be successfully held, but it turned out amazing thing: weighted aircraft was a bad habit when sudden maneuvers to discard the tail like a lizard. But unlike the lizard aircraft could not grow a tail. Aircraft finalized the tail strengthened and Typhoon began their combat path. But then - once again! - I found another unpleasant feature Typhoon: he was too much like a Stuka - German dive bomber Ju-87, so the anti-aircraft gunners and Allied fighters are sometimes confused. This has made the profession of pilot Typhoon extremely unpopular. And those who flew it and survived, were quick to forget it after the war, like a bad dream.


Life lesson: Positioning aircraft matters. Appearance - too!


Messerschmitt Bf-110


Brief biography: a twin-engine heavy fighter, manufactured by Messerschmitt, was equipped with a whole battery of guns and machine guns, in 1938, he was the most secretive aircraft in Germany and a potential favorite Reichsmarschall Goering. Machine and other Parteigenosse liked, such as Goebbels, who made the Bf-110 one of the main characters of the legend of the invincibility of the Luftwaffe.


Great expectations: At the design stage Bf-110 was Schnellebomber - «fast bomber." But already I born strategic fighter, which was a new word in distribution of aircraft parts. According to the plan must be accompanied by a strategic fighter as strategic bombers and protect them at a great distance from the enemy fighters. By the beginning of the war it was made a park Bf-110.


The harsh reality: Even during the Polish company plane plunged generals and engineers in some reverie, as has repeatedly been the victim of antediluvian Polish shelving units. And, although the aircraft Poles quickly ended, the sediment remained. Bf-110 finalized and thrown in the "Battle of Britain". Every day, the pilots reported on dozens of downed British cars, and soon the German High Command believed that the aircraft of the enemy virtually no ... But the Luftwaffe continued to suffer losses, not only by anti-aircraft fire ... The investigation showed that the German aces usually takes postscripts, while brisk English fighters butchered heavy and unwieldy Bf-110. It came to that accompany strategic fighter began to detach the other fighters - lighter and more mobile Bf-109. But then, recollecting himself, subordinate Goering began to invent Bf-110 new challenges.


The car tried as a light bomber, reconnaissance, ground attack, but in any role he did not take root, as it was not enough altitude, maneuverability and secure. In the end, able to accommodate a number of machines at night fighter, but by 1944 Allied bombers began to fly over Germany during the day, seeking the remains of the German Air Force - including the last Bf-110 - right on the ground.


Life lesson: "Interspecific hybridization" gives results, but for the most part of the country.

Martin B-26 Marauder


Bio: The plane was designed before World War II, the company Glenn L. Martin Company. The highest culture of design and production of the US military was forced to trust the company as ourselves. Not surprisingly, when Martin invited the American generals-speed medium-range bomber, they immediately happily podmahnuli contract. Moreover, the car had adopted at the design stage - a case unprecedented!


Great expectations: Martin created a plane with streamlined contours, the two most powerful at that time engines Pratt & Whitney and best avionics. To bomber flew as quickly as possible, it put a minimum of machine guns, and most importantly - its wings are made very narrow and thin. In tests has given a new car speed over 500 km / h - more than most fighters of the time ...


The stark reality: The first battle showed that the B-26 is unable to get away from even a relatively nebystro Japanese fighters, not to mention Europe. Therefore, the machine had to install additional guns, increasing the weight of the aircraft and, consequently, reduce its speed. But it's not so bad! B-26 is often divided on takeoff and landing. The reason was narrow wings, which not only increased the speed of flight, and landing speed ... if the first was good, the second greatly increase the demands on the skill of piloting a bomber. Novice pilots - of which the war was becoming more and more - too often could not cope with the management. In addition, at the B-26 were very weak landing gear, which easily bends sharply at too sharp blow on the runway ...


Managed by experienced pilots the aircraft behaved well and was reliable and tenacious. But his reputation - and the plane was nicknamed "factory widows" - nothing could save. Once the fighting ended, all Marauder, not even exhausted the resources were sent under the knife.


Life lesson: What created for professionals, ineffective in the hands of beginners.

Yak-38


Brief biography: was born by the Yakovlev Design Bureau in 1981. By the time the British fashioned quite successful aircraft vertical takeoff and landing Harrier, the Land of the Soviets had to somehow respond to this brazen challenge to the Western military. The more that just were built the first Soviet aircraft carrier (again, in response to the North Atlantic ships of this class), and to equip them there was nothing but a fairly helicopters, which could not solve all combat missions at sea.


Great expectations: The Yak-38 had hoped not only sailors but also the army. The latter implies that the light attack aircraft will take off from the combat formations of infantry. For example, as part of a military column moving truck to which the trailer hitched to the Yak-38. If necessary, the trailer is stopped, the plane takes off, gets hit with bomb-attack, and returns the column continues on his way.


The harsh reality: Despite the fact that the Soviet engineers have embodied the idea has already been implemented in the West, this time successful "adaptation" to the Russian reality did not happen. Unlike the Harrier, which both engines worked both in a vertical take-off and in horizontal flight, the Soviet machine was equipped with three engines, one of which was the main (providing proper facilities) and two subsidiary were involved in the case of vertical take-off or the same landing. More engines - more than the weight of the aircraft, therefore, the car requires more fuel and can carry fewer weapons.


Yak-38 could take a couple of dozen bombs or unguided rockets, and flew with the total of 250 kilometers.


But low efficiency was not the worst of its shortcomings. Worse was extreme moodiness machine during takeoff and landing. To avoid the unnatural loss of personnel, the Yak-38 to put the system forced a bailout in the event of technical problems or equipment. But this system worked ... the box. For example, during one of the tests under vertical take-off at an altitude of 70 meters catapulted automatic pilot, after which the aircraft continued its flight alone, after running out of fuel and landed safely on the collective field. Yak-38 rather quickly became the leader of the Soviet Air Force in the number of accidents, although the victims thanks to a bailout, it was not so much. And soon came to light helicopter Ka-29 - a heavily armored and reliable machine. Compared with weakly armed Yak-38, the helicopter was a real flying fortress, besides had nearly twice the range. Practicality prevailed over ambitions and production of Yak-38 closed down.


Life lesson: A copy is almost always worse than the original.

Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk


Bio: Born efforts of Lockheed in 1981. Almost five years flew only at night, because the degree of secrecy was an emergency. In 1982, the aircraft have adopted an equally secret tactical air group 4450, and in 1986 he himself has declassified, crashed during a test flight.


Great expectations: Do you know why the rocket became much more popular among the military aircraft? Just after the bomber pinpoint air defenses, the remaining time is just enough crew to bailout. Technology Stealth, which was made on the F-117A, is extremely difficult to detect by radar. Being invisible to radar, the plane was supposed to penetrate into the enemy, destroying radar, command posts and anti-aircraft guns. Then the usual bombers over enemy territory to feel at home.


But the shape of the body, impeding reflected radar radiation, and covered with several layers of smart paints, also absorbs radiation, did not contribute to the aerodynamics ...


The stark reality: The very flight test F-117A proved to be peculiar: it was very unstable and capricious in operation and maintenance. For example, the technology, so as not to damage the aforementioned layers of paint on the surface of the aircraft went into socks.


But after accidental declassification aircraft quickly became the star of the militants and the magazine covers: non-standard appearance of the machine the Pentagon decided to use the chance to intimidate a potential enemy. Almost every American movie "about the war" appeared silhouette Nighthawk. As a result, F-117A has acquired quite a reputation nesbivaemogo aircraft, which stood up to the operation in Yugoslavia where the Serbs shot down near Belgrade Nighthawk and showed the wreckage around the world.


The Americans first were quick to say that he Stealth fell due to engine failure ... then he admitted that the plane was shot down, but the victory was credited with the newest air defense missile system S-300, which Russia ostensibly put Yugoslavia in circumvention of sanctions. The reality turned out to be sadder, "flunked» F-117 old anti-aircraft missile system S-125, manufactured back in the fifties. The scandal was tremendous: the program Stealth, which have invested billions of dollars, were unable to mask the aircraft from the radar, issued in Soviet times. Therefore, April 22, 2006 the last copies Nighthawk made the last flight and went to the museum.