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The Nakajima B6N Tenzan (Japanese: 中島 B6N 天山, "Heavenly Mountain", Allied reporting name: "Jill") was the Imperial Japanese Navy's standard carrier-borne torpedo bomber during the final years of World War II and the successor to the B5N "Kate". Due to its protracted development, a shortage of experienced pilots and the United States Navy's achievement of air superiority by the time of its introduction, the B6N was never able to fully demonstrate its combat potential. The B5N carrier torpedo-bomber's weaknesses had shown themselves early in the Second Sino-Japanese War and, as well as updating that aircraft, the Imperial Japanese Navy began seeking a faster longer-ranged replacement. In December 1939 it issued a specification to Nakajima for a Navy Experimental 14-Shi Carrier Attack Aircraft capable of carrying the same external weapons load as the B5N. The new plane was to carry a crew of three (pilot, navigator/bombardier and radio operator/gunner) and be of low wing, cantilevered, all-metal construction (though control surfaces were fabric-covered). Further requirements included a top speed of 250 knots (460 km/h; 290 mph), a cruising speed of 200 knots (370 km/h; 230 mph) and a range of 1,000 nmi (1,900 km; 1,200 mi) with an 800 kg (1,800 lb) bomb load or 2,072 nmi (3,837 km; 2,384 mi) without external armament. The Navy had requested installation of the proven Mitsubishi Kasei engine as the B6N's powerplant but Engineer Kenichi Matsumara insisted on using Nakajima's new 1,870 hp (1,390 kW) Mamoru 11 14-cylinder air-cooled radial due to its lower fuel consumption and greater adaptability. This became an unfortunate choice as the Mamoru engine was plagued with mechanical defects and never achieved its expected power rating. Constrained by the standard-sized aircraft elevators then in use on most Japanese carriers, designer Matsumara was obliged to use a wing similar in span and area as that of the B5N and to limit the aircraft's overall length to 11 m (36 ft). This latter restriction accounted for the B6N's distinctive swept-forward tail fin and rudder. The outer wing panels folded upward hydraulically, reducing the B6N's overall span from 14.9 m (49 ft) to approximately 6.3 m (21 ft) for minimal carrier stowage. In order to lessen increased wingloading due to the heavier powerplant, Fowler flaps were installed which could be extended beyond the wing's trailing edge. These were normally lowered to an angle of 20 degrees during take-off and 38 degrees when landing. Despite the use of these flaps, however, the B6N had a much higher stall speed than its predecessor. The prototype B6N1 made its maiden flight on 14 March 1941. Following continued testing, however, several problems became evident. In particular, the aircraft exhibited an alarming tendency to roll while in flight, the cause of which was traced to the extreme torque developed by the four-bladed propeller. To compensate, the aircraft's tail fin was thinned down and moved 2 degrees ten minutes to port. This modification greatly improved the plane's handling characteristics. A total of 1268 units were built. For more details of design annd developmennt, and operational history annd variants, click here.

The Aichi E13A (Allied reporting name: "Jake") was a long-range reconnaissance seaplane used by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) from 1941 to 1945. Numerically the most important floatplane of the IJN, it could carry a crew of three and a bombload of 250 kg (550 lb). The Navy designation was "Navy Type Zero Reconnaissance Seaplane". In China, it operated from seaplane tenders and cruisers. Later, it was used as a scout for the Attack on Pearl Harbor, and was encountered in combat by the United States Navy during the Battles of Coral Sea and Midway. It was in service throughout the conflict, for coastal patrols, strikes against navigation, liaison, officer transports, castaway rescues, and other missions, along with some kamikaze missions in the last days of war. It also served on the super battleships Yamato and Musashi as catapult launched reconnaissance aircraft. One Aichi E13A was operated by Nazi Germany alongside two Arado Ar 196s out of the base at Penang. The three aircraft formed the East Asia Naval Special Service to assist the German Monsun Gruppe as well as local Japanese naval operations. Eight examples were operated by the French Navy Air Force during the First Indochina War from 1945 until 1947 while others were believed to be operated by the Naval Air Arm of the Royal Thai Navy before the war. One example (MSN 4326) was surrendered to New Zealand forces after the end of hostilities and was flown briefly by RNZAF personnel, but was not repaired after a float was damaged and subsequently sank at its moorings in Jacquinot Bay. Variants E13A1 Prototypes and first production model, later designated Model 11.[4] E13A1-K Trainer version with dual controls E13A1a Redesigned floats, improved radio equipment E13A1a-S Night-flying conversion E13A1b As E13A1a, with Air-Surface radar E13A1b-S Night-flying conversion of above E13A1c Anti-surface vessel version equipped with two downward-firing belly-mounted 20 mm Type 99 Mark II cannons in addition to bombs or depth charges.

The Focke-Wulf A 38 Möwe (German: "Gull") was an airliner, produced in Germany in the early 1930s. It was a final development of the family of designs that commenced with the A 17 in 1927. The A 38 used the same high-mounted, cantilever wing as the A 29, but mated this to an all-new fuselage design with enclosed seating for ten passengers and three crew. Unlike earlier members of the family, the flight deck was not joined to the cabin, separated now by a lavatory and baggage compartment. The main undercarriage was strengthened and the mainwheels fitted with brakes, while the tailskid was replaced with a tailwheel. All four A 38s were originally fitted with Siemens- or Gnome et Rhône-built Bristol Jupiter engines (although the BMW VI had been offered as an option), but in April 1933, all aircraft were refitted with Siemens Sh 20 powerplants. By mid-1934, they had been relegated to training duties.

The Curtiss/Curtiss-Robertson Model 56 Thrush was a 1929 six passenger high-wing fixed undercarriage single-engine cabin monoplane airliner and utility transport powered by either a Curtiss Challenger or a Wright Whirlwind radial engine and built as an enlargement of the earlier Curtiss Robin. Several were used for record breaking endurance flights by female pilots during the early 1930s including one in which the aircraft stayed aloft for almost ten days. Three 170 hp (130 kW) Curtiss Challenger-engined Curtiss Thrush prototypes (serialled G-1 to G-3) were built at Curtiss' Garden City factory, but these were underpowered and production examples, redesignated Thrush J (serialled 1001 to 1010) with 225 hp (168 kW) Wright Whirlwind engines, were built at the Curtiss-Robertson St Louis factory. All three prototypes were later re-engined with Whirlwinds to make them Thrush Js. The fuselage of the Thrush formed the basis for the twin-engine Curtiss Kingbird which was developed roughly in parallel. The fuselage was built up as a Pratt truss frame formed mainly from Duraluminum tubing and fittings with welded Chrome-moly tubing reinforcing highly stressed areas and covered in fabric. The wing was a fabric covered semi-cantilever braced with steel tube struts, and had solid spruce spars and stamped Alclad ribs with Alclad sheet wrapped over leading edge. A fuel tank is mounted within each wing near the root. Rudder and elevators were welded chrome-moly steel tubing. 116" track undercarriage is fitted with oleo-pneumatic shock obsorbers and Bendix brakes, and is braced to the front struts and lower longerons. Noumber built: 13. Variants Thrush (ATC 159 & 160) - prototypes powered by 170 hp Curtiss Challenger, three built, all converted to Thrush J (ATC 236). Thrush J (ATC 261) - main production variant with 225 hp Wright J-6-7 Whirlwind, 10 built. Thrush Special - one converted from a Thrush J with 240 hp Wright J-6-7 Whirlwind. and a second converted with Wright J-5.

The Stinson SM-6000 Airliner was a 1930s three-engined (trimotor) ten-passenger airliner designed and built by the Stinson Aircraft Corporation. The SM-6000 was a high-wing braced monoplane with room for a pilot and a cabin for ten passengers. It was powered by three 215 hp (160 kW) Lycoming R-680 engines strut-mounted one each side above the main landing gear units and one in the nose. A number of variants were built mainly with improved interiors. In 1932 the Model U Airliner was produced which had low-set stub wings with an engine mounted at each wingtip. Variants Corman 6000 The initial prototypes produced by the Corman aircraft Co. as part of the E L Cord empire. SM-6000 Airliner 1930 initial production variant with three 215hp (160kW) Lycoming R-680 engines. 53 built. SM-6000-A Airliner 1930 variant available with different interior configurations. SM-6000-B1 Airliner 1931 all-passenger variant with better interior equipment. SM-6000-B2 Airliner As the B1 but with a mixed mail/passenger interior. Model U Airliner 1932 improved model with three 240hp (179kW) Lycoming R-680-BA engines on stub wings. 24 built. C-91 United States military designation for one SM-6000-A (s/n 42-79547) impressed into service in 1942.

The Boeing P-26 "Peashooter" was the first American production all-metal fighter aircraft and the first pursuit monoplane to enter squadron service with the United States Army Air Corps. Designed and built by Boeing, the prototype first flew in 1932, and the type was still in use with the U.S. Army Air Corps as late as 1941 in the Philippines. There are two surviving Peashooters, but there are three reproductions on display with two more under construction. The project, funded by Boeing, to produce the Boeing Model 248 began in September 1931, with the US Army Air Corps supplying the engines and the instruments. The open cockpit, fixed landing gear, externally braced wing design was the last such design procured by the USAAC as a fighter. The Model 248 had a high landing speed, which caused a number of accidents. To remedy this, flaps were fitted to reduce the landing speed. The Army Air Corps ordered three prototypes, designated XP-936, which first flew on 20 March 1932. The Boeing XP-936's headrest offered little protection should it overturn on landing, risking injury to the pilot. As a result, production Model 266s (P-26As) had a taller headrest installed to provide protection. Two fighters were completed as P-26Bs with fuel-injected Pratt & Whitney R-1340-33 engines. These were followed by twenty-three P-26Cs, with carburated R-1340-27s and modified fuel systems. Both the Spanish Air Force (one aircraft) and the Republic of China Air Force (eleven aircraft) ordered examples of the Boeing Model 281, an export version comparable to the P-26C, in 1936. The "Peashooter", as it was known by service pilots, was faster than previous American combat aircraft. Nonetheless, rapid progress in aviation led to it quickly becoming an anachronism, with wire-braced wings, fixed landing gear and an open cockpit. The cantilever-wing Dewoitine D.500 flew the same year as the P-26 and two years afterwards the Soviet I-16 with retractable landing gear was flying. By 1935, just three years after the P-26, the Curtiss P-36, Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Hawker Hurricane were flying, all with enclosed cockpits, retractable landing gear and cantilever wings. However, some P-26s remained in service until after the United States entered World War II in December 1941. Variants XP-936 Model 248, prototypes powered by a 522 hp (389 kW) Pratt & Whitney SR-1340E Wasp radial engine, three built. XP-26 Designation assigned to the three XP-936 aircraft after acquisition by the USAAC on June 15, 1932. Other designations assigned to the aircraft included Y1P-26, XY1P-26, and eventually P-26. P-26A Model 266, first production variant, powered by a 600 hp (450 kW) R-1340-27. Multiple modifications were made during the production run and afterward. 111 built. Surviving aircraft were redesignated RP-26A in October 1942 and then ZP-26A in December. P-26B Model 266A, improved variant powered by a fuel-injected 600 hp (450 kW) R-1340-33. Two built, with 17 more being converted from P-26Cs. P-26C Interim variant with a carbureted R-1340-27 and a modified fuel system. Flaps were factory installed. 23 built. All surviving P-26Cs were modified into P-26B standard in 1936. Model 281 Export version of the P-26C; 11 built for China and one for Spain.

The Grob G 520 is a turboprop long-endurance, high-altitude reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft built by Grob Aircraft with short runway capabilities and full approval for all-weather IFR/icing operations according to LBA/FAA Part 23 regulations. Developed and certified in 1991, the Grob G 520 is one of the world's largest fully composite manned aircraft and holder of several world records. Production was resumed in 2014. The Grob G 520 ‘EGRETT’ (former Grob/E-Systems/AlliedSignal Egrett – its name is derived from the three companies involved in its design: E-Systems, Grob Aircraft, and Garrett, the latter firm later changing its name to AlliedSignal) is a surveillance aircraft developed in Germany in the 1980s by an international partnership. It was intended to fill a joint German Air Force – US Air Force requirement for a high-altitude, long-duration surveillance platform for treaty verification and environmental monitoring. Known as "LAPAS" (Luftgestütztes, abstandsfähiges Primär-Aufklärungssystem, engl: airborne, long distance primary reconnaissance system) in Germany and "Senior Guardian" in the US, the program initially attempted to acquire the Lockheed TR-1 (U-2) for this role, but when this did not succeed, a new aircraft was sought. The initial D-450 EGRETT I development aircraft flew in 1987 and established three world records for altitude and time to climb in September 1988: Time to climb to 15,000 metres (49,213 ft): 40 minutes 47 seconds Altitude in horizontal flight: 16,239 metres (53,278 ft) Altitude without payload: 16,329 metres (53,573 ft) Two pre-production machines followed in 1989 and 1990 as the D-500 EGRETT II and then fitted out to the finalized G 520 design in 1991. These latter two aircraft were owned by E-Systems and Grob respectively, and used for promotional purposes: E-Systems' for various sensor packages, and Grob's (renamed the Strato 1) to market the design to civil authorities as a resource management platform. In 1992, the German Air Force placed an order for production of nine EGRETT IIs, to be supplemented by G 520T two-seat trainer and one of the demonstrators. However, in February 1993, before much production had taken place, the process of procurement came under scrutiny when accusations of corruption (Amigo Affair) surrounding the former Bavarian Minister President Max Streibl became public. The program was subsequently cancelled when Eastern Europe ceased to be perceived as a threat. The two-seater-version G 520T was completed and sold to Airborne Research Australia in Adelaide. In 2014, Grob Aircraft repurchased the G 520T and flew it back to Germany. The repainted aircraft will be presented to the public during the Farnborough Airshow 2014, simultaneously as kick-off for resuming the production of the G 520T. It was the first composite aircraft specifically designed for stratospheric research. The G 520 is a fully composite conventional mid-wing monoplane with extremely high aspect ratio wings. Power is provided by a single turboprop Honeywell TPE 331-14F with a 4-blade Hartzell propeller, and it is equipped with a tricycle undercarriage, whose main units retract into fairings on the wings. The flexible payload-bay concept of the G 520 can accommodate multiple mission systems for both civilian and military applications and 12 payload compartments for up to 850 kg of mission equipment make the G 520 an ideal multi-role platform for a wide range of missions. The cockpit of the G 520T provides room for a pilot and a sensor operator as well as for equipment which has to be placed inside the pressurized cabin. The instrument panel can be optionally equipped with a digital glass cockpit IDU-680 EFIS by Genesys Aerosystems. Variants G 520T The G 520T is a two-seater version of the G 520. Initially planned for training and demonstration purposes, the single G 520T built was repurchased by Grob Aircraft in 2014 and transferred to Germany in June 2014. The production of the G 520T will be resumed in 2014. G 520NG The G 520NG will be the revised production version of the initial G 520T. According to company statements during Farnborough Airshow 2014 deliveries can start in 2016.

The M.3 Falcon was a clean, single engined low-wing monoplane with trousered main undercarriage and fixed tail-wheel, designed in 1934. It was structurally similar to the earlier Miles M.2F Hawk Major family, but had side-by-side seating for two behind the pilot in a glazed cockpit. It was powered by a 130 hp (97 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Major piston engine. The prototype, G-ACTM, built by Philips and Powis first flew at Woodley Aerodrome on 12 October 1934. The first production aircraft (designated M.3A Falcon Major) was flown in January 1935. It had a wider fuselage than the prototype to improve passenger comfort and revised glazing with a forward sloping windscreen. The M.3A was somewhat underpowered, so the (M.3B Falcon Six) and later versions were fitted with a 200 hp (150 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Six engine. The M.3C Falcon Six was a four seater with dual controls. The M.3D was strengthened to allow an 11% increase in all up weight compared with the M.3B. The final versions were the M.3E and M.3F. An enlarged five-seat version was developed as the M.4 Merlin. The prototype was fitted with extra fuel tanks and entered into the MacRobertson Race from England to Australia in October 1934. It took 27 days to reach Darwin, but returned in a record time of 7 days 19 hours 15 minutes, including one stage of 1,800 miles (2,900 km) non-stop from Jodhpur to Basra. Pre war, three Falcon Sixes appeared in RAF garb at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) for trials of a variety of wings and aerodynamic innovations. At the outbreak of the war three aircraft remained civilian as communications aircraft with various companies but, like so many civil aircraft ten others were impressed into service by the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force and the Swedish air force. The RAAF operated 3 Miles Falcons. Six Falcons survived the war, one of which was used by the RAE to test the wing of the Miles M.52. Variants M.3 Prototype three-seat version with a 130 hp de Havilland Gipsy Major engine. 1 built. M.3A Falcon Major Production four-seat version with a 130 hp de Havilland Gipsy Major engine. 18 built M.3B Falcon Six Three-seat version with a 200hp de Havilland Gipsy Six engine. 11 built, including 1 Falcon Six designated M.3, but not including 2 M.3Bs later converted to M.3E and F. M.3C Falcon Six Four-seater with dual controls with a 200 hp de Havilland Gipsy Six engine. 1 built. M.3D Strengthened variant with a 200 hp de Havilland Gipsy Six engine. 3 built. One was a converted M.3B. M.3E Variant with a 200 hp de Havilland Gipsy Six engine. 1 built but uncertified. M.3F A former M.3B modified for Fairey wing, spoiler and retractable aileron trials with the RAE, R4071.[5] Miles Gilette Falcon A single aircraft modified for the M.52 program.

The Reggiane Re.2000 Falco I was an Italian all metal, low-wing monoplane developed and manufactured by aircraft company Reggiane. The type was used by the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force) and the Swedish Air Force during the first part of the Second World War. The Re 2000 was developed by a team headed by aircraft designers Roberto Longhi and Antonio Alessio to be a lightly-built and highly maneuverable interceptor/fighter aircraft. The emergent design, which had been designated as the Re 2000 Falco I, was equipped with a Curtiss-Wright-style retractable undercarriage, bore substantial similarities to the American-built Seversky P-35. On 24 May 1939, the prototype performed its maiden flight. Flight testing of the prototype revealed it to be able to outfight several significant combat aircraft of the time, including even the more modern Macchi C 200 and the German Messerschmitt Bf 109E fighters. During the run up to and following the outbreak of the Second World War, the aircraft was ordered by several nations, including the Hungarian, Swedish, British and Italian governments. Upon entering squadron service, the Re 2000 soon proved to be a technically advanced aircraft, being well balanced and extremely aerodynamic during flight, but was not without its faults. Although the aircraft was potentially superior to Italian contemporary fighters (Fiat G 50 and Macchi C 200), the Re 2000 was not considered to be satisfactory by Italian military authorities. Consequently, the manufacturer built the type for export and almost all of the first production served with the Swedish Air Force and Hungarian Air Force, rather than in the Regia Aeronautica. The Re.2000 served as the starting point for several derivatives, including the MÁVAG Héja, Reggiane Re.2001, Re.2002, Re.2003, Re.2004, Re.2005, Re.2006 and Re.2007 combat aircraft. The Reggiane Re.2000 is an Italian all metal, low-wing monoplane fighter aircraft. It is the first aircraft to be designed by Reggiane to employ aluminum stressed skin construction, as opposed to the wooden or mixed wood and metal structures that had been traditionally used in contemporary Italian aircraft such as the Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 (which had been previously produced by Reggiane under license). The stressed skin fuselage was highly streamlined, save for the protrusions of the hard-rivetted finish. The majority of the aircraft's exterior, including the tail, was metal-skinned; however, the control surfaces had fabric coverings. The aircraft was furnished with an elliptical wing, the internal structure of which comprised a multi-cell configuration using a total of five spars, stress-skin covering, and integral fuel tanks within the center section. The wing made use of a modified N.38 airfoil section and was outfitted with Frise-type ailerons complete with static and aerodynamic balance, along with a split-continuous flap.[6] The cockpit of the Re.2000 featured a large backwards-sliding canopy; it is claimed that this canopy provided "almost unrestricted all-round visibility". For more extensive details of development, design, operational history and variants, click here. There were five Italian variants with a total of 186 built, and three variants built under licence in Hungary under the name Mavag Héja of which 204 were built.

The Saab 29 Tunnan (The Barrel), colloquially also Flygande Tunnan (The Flying Barrel), is an early jet-powered fighter aircraft designed and produced by the Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab. It was the second turbojet-powered combat aircraft to be developed in Sweden, the first being the Saab 21R, and it was the first Western European fighter to be produced with a swept wing after the Second World War, only being preceded in Western Europe as a whole by the Messerschmitt Me 262 built during the conflict. Work on what would become the Tunnan commenced in late 1945. The design, internally designated R 1001, had a barrel-like fuselage, giving it a destinctive rotund appearance, from which its name is derived. A relatively thin swept wing configuration was adopted after wartime aerodynamic research from Germany indicated its favourable high speed qualities. It was powered by the recently-developed de Havilland Ghost turbojet engine. The Swedish Air Force placed an initial order for three prototypes under the service designation J 29 during Autumn 1946. On 1 September 1948, the first prototype performed its maiden flight; flight testing proved the aircraft to exceed performance estimates in several aspects. During May 1951, Bråvalla Wing (F 13) received the first production aircraft. Five principal variants of the Tunnan were produced; the first model to enter service being the J 29A fighter, the more capable J 29B and J 29E fighters, and finally the afterburner-equipped J 29F fighter, which was the final fighter variant to be built. A dedicated aerial reconnaissance model, the S 29C, was also operated. During the 1960s, several J 29Bs saw combat while were stationed in the Republic of Congo as Sweden's contribution to a UN peacekeeping mission (ONUC). The Austrian Air Force also operated the type. In service, the J 29 proved to be relatively fast and agile. The Swedish Air Force operated the type in both fighter and fighter-bomber roles into the 1970s. The Saab 29 Tunnan was the first Swedish aircraft to be specifically designed to use jet propulsion. Sweden's first jet fighter, the Saab 21R, had been modified from the piston-engined Saab 21. It is a small, chubby aircraft with a single round air intake in the nose, with the pilot under a bubble canopy directly above the air intake duct on the upper-forward section of the fuselage. It has a very thin mid-mounted moderately swept two-spar wing which is a single structure attached to the fuselage by four bolts. The undercarriage is hydraulically operated, and was designed to be suitable for use from rough airstrips. To improve pilot survivability, the Tunnan used an ejection seat Saab developed in 1943, with an explosive jettisoning system for the canopy. The Tunnan is powered with a single 22.4 kN (5,000 lbf) de Havilland Ghost turbojet which have a top speed in excess of 1,050 km/h (650 mph), better performance than Sweden's de Havilland Vampires. The engine was bolted to the fuselage at three points and a special trolley was used to remove the engine for maintenance. The final version had an afterburner, the first successful one used with a British jet engine. A total of 661 units were built. Improvements were made to the wing to incorporate a dog-tooth leading edge, raising the critical Mach number. From 1963 onwards, all frontline J 29Fs were equipped with AIM-9 Sidewinder infrared-seeking air-to-air missiles. For details of development, operational history and variants, click here.