The F4 Corsair is considered to be one of the most successful carrier-based fighter aircraft to be developed during the Second World War, although, when it first came into service, the technical experts of the U.S Navy considered this large cantilever wing aircraft to be unsuitable for use on aircraft carriers. The Corsair obtained many outstanding aerial victories. In the Pacific Ocean theatre alone, the F4U shot down over 2, 000 Japanese aircraft, with a loss of only 189 Corsairs, resulting in a kill / loss ratio which has never been equaled throughout history. This aircraft was produced for ten years, until December 1952, a fact which established the Corsair as the American aircraft to remain in production for the longest period of time after the Second World War. The F4 was also used extensively by the French Naval Aviation during the war in Indochina & the Suez campaign of 1956. ...

The Hellcat can be regarded as the best carrier-based fighter aircraft to be used by the Allies during World War 2. Despite its ponderous appearance & considerable weight, it possessed outstanding handling qualities, which were guaranteed by the powerful PW R-2800 engine. Combined with its robust structure, this enabled it to face the various types of Japanese fighters which were present in the Pacific Ocean theatre. The Hellcat entered service in 1943 & quickly became the standard fighter of the American Navy. Although initially used only as a fighter, it was later used an as air support aircraft for troops, using various size bombs & air-to-surface rockets. The F6 was used by the Royal Navy in Asia & the north Atlantic, while the French Navy, who received it after the war, used it until the mid 50s. ...

The idea of installing a Junkers Jumo 213A engine (until then mainly used on bombers) in a Focke-Wulf 190 airframe was born of a need to improve the high altitude performance of the aircraft: the A & F versions, in fact, suffered a significant drop in speed above 7, 000m. Armed with two 20mm cannon & two 13mm guns, the D-9 was immediately a favourite with pilots, who considered it an aircraft equal to the P-51 Mustang. In its secondary role as a ground strike aircraft, the Dora 9 performed excellently during Operation Bodenplatte, the ''last stand'' of the 3rd Reich in the Ardennes. About 650-700 D versions are thought to have been made, of which four still exist today. ...

The twin-engines Aeritalia G-222 was designed, during the late '60s, by the aeronautical engineer Giuseppe Gabrielli. Gabrielli has been the father of an impressive number of military aircrafts: from the Second World War fighters Fiat G-50 & G-55 to jet Fiat G-91. The G-222 has been created for a specific need of the Italian Air Force: to have a tactical transport aircraft, smaller than the four-engines Locheed C-130 Hercules, able to take off & land on very short & not prepared airstrips. The first flight took place in 1970 & from the mid-'70s, it was assigned to the flight departments. Thanks to two turbo propellers engines, the aircraft is able to reach the speed of 480 km / h. It also has an excellent handling & maneuverability even at full load. The Italian 46.ma Brigata Aerea located in Pisa was the main user of the G-222. From 2005 it has been progressively replaced, by the more modern C-27J Spartan. ...

This cargo helicopter with tandem rotors was designed for the U.S. Army during the Fifties. It can be considered to be the first real reliable helicopter of its category notwithstanding the limits of its piston engines. The H-21 was also purchased by the French Navy which used it during the Algerian war for transport & attack missions. At the same time the West German & Canadian Armies acquired the choppers for supply & support roles. The U.S. Army used the H-21 in substantial numbers during the initial phase of the Vietnam war. ...

The JAS-39 is the new Swedish multi-role fighter presently being delivered to the Air Force. It is under serious consideration by former East-bloc countries, South American countries & others. The Gripen is one of the most recent European fighters. It is competing against the Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon & the American F-16s & F-18s of the most recent design. This quite elegant & extremely manoeuvrable aircraft is able to use a vast air-to-air missile arsenal as well as air-to-ground missiles in different roles: interceptor, attack fighter & navy interceptor. ...

The Aermacchi MB-339 jet trainer is of conventional configuration, & shares much of the MB-326's airframe. It has a low, un-swept wing with tip tanks & jet intakes in the roots, tricycle undercarriage, & accommodation for the student & instructor in tandem. The first flight took place on 12 August 1976 & deliveries to the Italian Air Force commenced in 1979. The MB-339 is a fully aerobatic, tandem two-seat, single-turbojet advanced trainer that covers the entire advanced training syllabus, up to & including Lead-In Fighter Training. The latest MB-339CD version is equipped with state-of-the-art avionics. In 1982 the MB-339 was choosed as replacement of the glorious G-91 PAN for the '' Frecce Tricolori ...

The Merlin HC3 helicopter is a transport & assault model developed on behalf of the Royal Air Force & based on the anti-submarine aircraft in service with the Italian & British Navies. This version, which is fully equipped with reinforced landing gear & sensors for navigation & self-defense purposes, is capable of carrying a full infantry squad. Other versions of this helicopter, which possesses a large load capacity while giving optimum performance, have been exported to the air forces of other nations for the role of search & rescue, in addition to their main task of transporting troops. Since entering into service in 2001, the Merlin has been used by the RAF to support troops engaged in operations in Bosnia, Iraq & now in Afghanistan. ...

Together with its British counterpart, the Spitfire, this was the best known aircraft of World War II. The BF version was distributed to German units around the spring of 1942. It is considered to be the best version of this small fighter plane, despite considerable structural & engine problems in the beginning. With this aircraft quite a number of German aces won their battles in the air. Various types of Bf-109 F were built such as ground attack fighters, anti-ship versions & reconnaissance planes. ...