The Greatest Attack Aircraft of All Time...

[FLYBOYJ]

A-6E TRAM and HARM and AGM-84 was the pinnacle of attack aircraft. The F-18E/F Super Hornet will finally take over that mission. All weather find the target and hit it. While the fighter pukes are at the club drinking.

Will take over? Don't you mean "DID?"

The 19 December 1996 launch of an A-6E Intruder from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) marked the last Intruder squadron to fly from the deck of an aircraft carrier. The Intruder Attack Squadron 75 of Carrier Air Wing 7, known as the Sunday Punchers, was decommissioned in early 1997.

 

[Colin1]

Not on your poll
but I'd choose the Hawker Typhoon Mk 1b
Just about every a/c up until then had had a go a dropping a couple of small bombs on enemy positions by strapping small, low yield ordnance to fighters that weren't really designed to carry them.

Although the Typhoon itself wasn't designed from the outset to be a fighter-bomber, it hardened into the role in a way that none of its predecessors did and with 4 x 20mm cannons plus 8 x 60lb rockets or 2 x 1,000lb bombs it presented a fearsome arsenal of destruction.

Hawker Typhoon Mk 1b, for setting the standard.

 

[Messy1]

I'm glad to see the love for the A-1 Skyraider, it was a classic. A-10 is my favorite plane of all time though.

The Warthog is one of my favorites too Clay! It's just a tough, mean looking plane. You can take one look at it at know what it was designed for!

 

[Bumpercat]

I have to go for the IL-2 on the grounds of historical significance.

 

[lesofprimus]

What historical significance is that??? That it was produced in such numbers, cause thats all thats significant about it...

 

[SoD Stitch]

What historical significance is that??? That it was produced in such numbers, cause thats all thats significant about it...

That, and it was a pretty good target for Luftwaffe experten . . . .

 

[Lucky13]

Wasn't it supposed to be very hard to shoot down?

 

[Vassili Zaitzev]

Wasn't it supposed to be very hard to shoot down?

From what I've heard from the forum, the IL-2 could be shot down easily if the pilot was experienced and knew where to target. I think it was the coolant system that could be shot out, could be wrong though.

 

[lesofprimus]

The oil reservoir was the sweet spot on the IL2.....

 

[Flyboy2]

Yeah i don't think that you could vote on the Il-2 over aircraft like the A-4, A-1 and especially the A-10

 

[Venganza]

I think Bumpercat's point was historical significance. Here we go again about what a dog the IL-2 was. There was a reason the Soviets produced over 36,000 of the Shturmoviks - they got the job done - there were thousands of Germans barbecued in their tanks to attest to that. As far as being easy to shoot down for the ubermenschen experten - that was in the first two or so years of the war, when the IL-2's didn't have a rear gunner, poor or non-existent escorts, and poor tactics. Remember that even the excellent Grumman Avenger was easy meat for Japanese pilots when unescorted. As far as the later years, it was harder for even the almighty experten to shoot down IL-2's when they had La-5's and Yak-9's flying up their arses. As their tactics improved, and their pilots got better, the losses dropped dramatically. I would loved to have seen any other attack aircraft flying under the circumstances the IL-2 had to in the first year of the war - flying low, slow, and level with a pilot with maybe 10 hours on the IL-2 flying it with no escort. Speaking of the IL-2 (nice segue, what?) you can learn more about it at my new thread at Current, Modeling, Painting Questions, Tutorials and Guidebooks, IL-2 Modelling Guide. By the way, I voted for the A-10. Great airplane.

Venganza

 

[drgondog]

where does the heavy lifter F-105 fit in this profile?

 

[Venganza]

where does the heavy lifter F-105 fit in this profile?

As I recall, during the Vietnam War the Thud was used more like a strategic bomber than a ground attack plane (as well as SAM supression in the Wild Weasel role). As a matter of fact, despite the fighter designation, it was designed mainly as a high-speed nuclear bomber, complete with small internal bomb-bay.

Venganza

 

[Clay_Allison]

The Warthog is one of my favorites too Clay! It's just a tough, mean looking plane. You can take one look at it at know what it was designed for!

Gotta give tremendous love to the A-10 pilots too, they really believe in their planes, they'll take on anything head on.

 

[drgondog]

As I recall, during the Vietnam War the Thud was used more like a strategic bomber than a ground attack plane (as well as SAM supression in the Wild Weasel role). As a matter of fact, despite the fighter designation, it was designed mainly as a high-speed nuclear bomber, complete with small internal bomb-bay.

Venganza

I agree most of that and I don't assign the 105 a tactical tole the same as an A-10 or A1.. but it is interesting to note that two wings of 105s in Vietnam dropped 2/3 of all the tonnnage dropped by all the B-17s - ever. While a bigger percentage were industrial targets in NV a large percentage were all over Laos and South Vietnam on tactical targets.

Interestingly I don't believe it ever carrried a bomb in the internal bay... everything hung on MER/TER and later the Weasels used the bay for ecm/target acqisition stuff

The Thud had four basic missions - armed reconnaisance, strike, SAM suppression and close air support. Only the latter was somewhat 'iffy' because it was a Fast Mover.

My personal favorite is the Hog.

It is kind of amusing that the 355th FG started out with the P-47 Thunderbolt, moved to 51, then 86, then 105 then to A-7 and now back to the Thunderbolt (2).

 

[Messy1]

I hear you there Clay. I'd hate to be looking down the business end of that gun!

 

[Venganza]

Interestingly I don't believe it ever carrried a bomb in the internal bay... everything hung on MER/TER and later the Weasels used the bay for ecm/target acqisition stuff...

It is kind of amusing that the 355th FG started out with the P-47 Thunderbolt, moved to 51, then 86, then 105 then to A-7 and now back to the Thunderbolt (2).

I think you're right about the internal bay - I believe the bomber versions, as opposed to the Weasels, used the bay for a fuel tank and carried all the bombs on MER's. That's interesting about the 355th FG.

Venganza

 

[drgondog]

I think you're right about the internal bay - I believe the bomber versions, as opposed to the Weasels, used the bay for a fuel tank and carried all the bombs on MER's. That's interesting about the 355th FG.

Venganza

Yeah - the 355th F-105s actually dropped more than 202,000 tons - 1/3 total of all B-17s in WWI. Two squadrons of the 355th came back in 1973, TDY to 354TFW, with A-7D's (another great attack a/c not on the list) but the primary role was armed FAC and CAP for rescues

 

[Bumpercat]

Yeah i don't think that you could vote on the Il-2 over aircraft like the A-4, A-1 and especially the A-10

How could anyone say that the IL-2 was a better attack aircraft than the A-10? They couldn't. But the IL-2 being an option here suggests that the criteria is not a modern day shoot out against, lets say, North Korean armour. Rather a discussion of effectiveness in it's day(and in that the A-10 was a close second for me).

 

[imalko]

A-10 can be considered only as best modern attack aircraft, but for me the best of all times was Il-2 Sturmovik becouse no other attack aircraft had that level of impact and importance in conduct of warfare.
And yes, if criteria is effectivness in it's day, no other aircraft is better than Il-2.