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SAAB J-37 Viggen
For your what's the last biplane best fighter?
i try to explain: sure the best biplane fighters it's one of late '30s as gladiator, c.r. 42, i-153 but this are not the best fighter of their time many monoplane fighters were superior, so i look what's the best fighter that was a biplane.
I think the era of biplane was close with polikarpov I-16 so talking late '34 early '35.
Rule only fighters actually operational in a air force
Altea if i'm not in wrong the I-153 (sure one of the best biplane fighter if not the best) was a late '38 fighter so need compare it, for example, with Hurricane maybe also with Spitfire so i don't think I-153 is best of this. the M-63 variant it's also more late, 1940 ?, so need compare with many other superior monoplane. C.R. 42 is a '39 fighter.
Gladiator it's late 36 early '37 fighter just for a few month can be compared only with I-16 (Type 5 i think) so if you think that Gkadiator it best of I-16, Gladiator it's the choice, but if you think it's best the I-16 need choice a more old biplane
Ok i misunderstud.
We are comapring apples and oranges. A monoplane fighter was never better than a biplane one, or the opposite. A fighter plane was always a compromise between speed and manoeuvrability. A monoplane always had superior aerodynamical output, without parasitic interferences between the 2 plans. Biplane was better suited for high-g tight-turns dogfight manoeuvres, because it's "caisson" or "box" like working to stress wings. At equivalent wing aera and weight it was able to withstand much more structural efforts. See resistance of material formulas and quadratic moments chapter.
No ideal solution, all planes are compromises.
The big height of the biplane strut working stucture addict with braced wire tension geometry is better to withstand flexion efforts and to break-resistance.
Regards
PS: I think biplane aera came at end for historical, not technical reasons, with the appraisal of high-speed bombers like Tupolev SB-2, Do-17, He-70 or Blenheims. As an interceptor a biplane was by evidence, worse.
F3F-1 it's delivered at squadron in march '36 this variant it's ~80 km/h slowest of I-16 (the F3F-2 was more late need compare it also with Hurricane) F2F it's of early '35 so has as challenger again I-16. the FF-1 was a mid june '33 fighter so not low wing monoplane maybe a challengers.
FF-1 with Nimrod, A2N they are the embarked fighters before of I-16. but with a category: last biplane fighter best embarked fighter we can add more and newest biplane, the first monoplane fighter embarked wad A5M in early '37, so in this restricted challeng with can add F3F-1 (obv. also the F2F) and A4N) .
Nimrod speed ~310 km/h. wing load ~66 kg/mq. power load ~3.5 kg/mq
F3F-1 speed ~370 km/h. wing load ~~83 kg/mq. power load ~~3.1 kg/mq
A4N speed ~350 km/h. wing load ~77 kg/mq. power load ~2.4 kg/mq
(As knew also the french have a carrier but they used high wing monoplane fighter since '32)
Nice video of the F3F... watch how they start the engine.. very cool..
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os19XiWGDjs
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The question is:
What was the last biplane fighter to be THE best fighter plane in the world.
I submit the Hawker Fury.
I'm agree fury is a good choice. The RAF have it from '31.
some on notes
wibault 210 prototype was abbandoned too vibration was not a good aircraft and can't go a good fighter.
bernard 20 prototype abbandoned too hig landing speed, it's slowest of Fury have highets wing load and power load and was not a fighter only a prototype.
bernard hv-40 this flyngboat prototype was not indeed for fighter and go to first flying when fury go in service
bernard 72 this prototype flying when fury go in service and again it was not a fighter only a not armed prototype
grigorovich I-Z was slowest (near 100 km/h) highest low wing and power load with a strange and unsucessfull idea for weaponry and again prototype flying same time that fury go to squadrons, go to squadrons in '33
dewoitine 27 it's a true challenger, within the two i choice fury
dewoitine 37x go to squadrons only in '36
pzl p.7 go to squadrons in '33