Best Looking Fighter / Bomber Aircraft?

The coolest looking aircraft? I can't believe I'm the first to say this but, going generationally, I love the look of the Hawker Fury, Spitfire F.24, F.86 Sabre, Hawker P1121, MiG 'Flipper', F.14 Tomcat, Typhoon and ALL Flanker and Flanker derived types, even the Su-47.

For Bombers I like the look of the Heyford, Wellington, B-29, Vulcan B.2 (the ONLY 'B.2' worth gawping at :lol Tu-95 and Convair B-58.


I'm such a plane nut that there are so many and I know for a fact I'll see many other types and think "Ooh, I should have listed that!"

People,

WW2 planes are by far the coolest:

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[edit on 12-8-2004 by Aelita]

All the best looking aricraft were manufactured PRIOR TO THE KOREAN WAR!

Polikarpov I-16, Supermarine Spitfire, ME-109, ME-262, Mitsubishi A6M Zero, F4U Corsair, F6F Hellcat, P-51 Mustang, Yak 7&9, Lavochkin 5&7, Mig 3, Macci MC.200 Saeta, Lagg 3, IL-2/10 Sturmovik, Fiat G.55 Centauro, Macci MC.202 and 205v. I apologise to all the beautiful planes of WW2 that I have failed to acknowledge.

Me too I was talking about the CIA A-12 then I change my vote to the SR-71 for classic cool looking

A-11/A-12
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YF-12

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no, you guyz all suck

SU-32/34 is the best!! (mi avatar )

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That is a cool looking plane Titus for sure. Very Interesting color I have never seen that before on a plane. I personally like the SU-47 for fighter though.

I like the basic Flanker Fighter derivatives, but that one looks like a flanker with hydrocephalus



[edit on 12-8-2004 by FredT]

Great Picks Shadow. The A-12 on top was one of the earlier ones. Look at the tails, they aare titanium. They eventually replaced the tales with composite ones. The YF-12 had a large ventral fin on the bottom to compensate for the loss of stability due to the modified chines that housed its IR sensors.

Titus, whats in the big rear pod of the Su-34?

It's the hyperdrive (FTL travel).

That, I believe, is a rear facing radar that cleverly allows you to track scan and shoot down your enemy while flying away from them. One trick the Raptor does not have. Or any other fighter come to that. The only other instance of a rearwards facing radar I am aware of was the one in the back of the Vulcan B.1A & B.2 that guided the Blue Steel while the Vulcan was leaving.

indeed this is radar. notice that most flankers if not all have this feature.

rear radar combined with rearward firing missile is a deadly thing to have. dont have to do those cobras and all

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EDIT: forgot to say this missile is also 'fire-forget' one


IMHO my second best looking is SR-71

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[edit on 12-8-2004 by titus]

Thanks for explaining what that was under the YF-12 I saw this picture of it had no clue what those were.



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The large tube in the front is part of the "COLD WALL" experiments that NASA conducted. It studied heat transfer. It blew off a covering at altitude and then took measurments. The pod on the each side of the engines I will have o get back to you on.

They found that the stability of the plane was okay and the central ventral fin was not necessary.



[edit on 12-8-2004 by FredT]

Aw, come on! No one here shares my love for the F-4 Phantom?

did you not see my post GradyPhilpott? I love the look of the F-4

Whoops! You really hit the nail on the head. I would only add the downward slope of the rear stablizers.

Thanks!

Isn't the big arse pod on the back of the Su-34 the parachute? I always thought it was. Also Waynos the Raptor does not need any back firing radar cut it will never be running from anything the Raptor chases planes away and kills them before they know its there so it unnecessary

I think the F-4 was a cool looking plane. If it had saved my butt im sure it would be the best looking plane in my eyes

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