Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber developed for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) in the 1930s.
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Aircraft by Country > United States
The United States has a long history in aviation and has produced some of the most iconic and influential aircraft designs in history. Some notable examples of American aircraft include the Wright Flyer (the first successful powered aircraft, created in 1903), the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (a four-engine heavy bomber used by the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II), and the Lockheed P-38 Lightning (a twin-engine fighter known for its distinctive twin booms). These are just a few examples of the many iconic designs that have come out of the United States over the years. Explore these and more below.
American airplanes and aircraft have played a crucial role in shaping the history of aviation. From pioneering innovations in flight technology to iconic military and civilian aircraft, the United States has been at the forefront of aerospace engineering. With a rich legacy of groundbreaking designs and technological advancements, American airplanes continue to inspire awe and admiration around the world.
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber developed for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) in the 1930s.
The Grumman F-11 Tiger is an American supersonic, single-seat fighter aircraft developed by the United States Navy during the 1950s.
The Lockheed Model 10 Electra was a famous American twin-engined, all-metal monoplane airliner developed in the 1930s.
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is an American single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft developed for the US Navy and Marine Corps.
The North American P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter bomber used during World War II.
Follow the events and milestones of American aeronautics.
1903
1927
1942
1959
1976
Orville and Wilbur Wright achieve the first successful powered flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, marking the birth of powered aviation.
Charles Lindbergh completes the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris aboard the Spirit of St. Louis, a custom-built monoplane.
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress becomes a mainstay of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, playing a crucial role in strategic bombing campaigns against Axis targets.
The Boeing 707, the first commercially successful jet airliner, enters service, revolutionizing long-distance air travel and laying the foundation for the modern jet age.
The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird sets the world record for the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft, reaching a speed of Mach 3.3.
The U.S. military was relatively late in entering the First World War, but it quickly ramped up the production of airplanes and other military equipment to support the war effort. American pilots and aircraft played a significant role in the air war over Europe in the latter part of the conflict. The U.S. Army Air Service (which later became the U.S. Air Force), flew various aircraft during the war, including the Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” the SPAD XIII, and the Nieuport 28. The U.S. Navy also used airplanes during the war, including the Curtiss HS-2L and the Felixstowe F5L.
The Wright III was an experimental airplane designed by Orville and Wilbur Wright in 1905. It achieved better performance than Flyers I & II.
The Wright Flyer II was the second powered aircraft built by Orville and Wilbur Wright. It ultimately achieved 105 flights.
The Wright Glider was a series of four experimental aircraft (1 kite and 3 gliders) designed by Orville and Wilbur Wright in 1900-1902.
The Wright Flyer or Wright I was an experimental airplane invented and flown in 1903 by brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright.
The Aeromarine 700 was an American flying boat manufactured to investigate the feasibility of using aircraft to launch torpedoes.
The Aeromarine 40 was an American two-seat flying boat manufactured by the Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company for the US Navy.
The Aeromarine 39 was an American two-seat training seaplane biplane manufactured by the Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company for the Navy.
The Curtiss C-1 Canada was a Canadian twin-engined bomber aircraft designed by Curtiss and used during the First World War.
The Curtiss JN Jenny was an American biplane built by Curtiss Aeroplane Company and originally produced as a training aircraft.
The United States developed a wide variety of aircraft during World War II, including some of the most iconic and important planes of the era. Some examples include the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (a heavy bomber that played a major role in the Allied bombing campaign against Germany), the North American P-51 Mustang (a long-range fighter plane), and the Grumman F6F Hellcat (a carrier-based fighter plane instrumental in the Pacific theater of the war).
The Douglas A-20 Havoc is an American light bomber, night intruder, attack aircraft, and World War II reconnaissance aircraft.
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber aircraft featuring a highly efficient high aspect ratio Davis wing.
The Boeing-Stearman Model 75 was an American biplane formerly used as a military trainer aircraft by the U.S. Air Forces and U.S. Navy.
The Bell X-1 was a supersonic research project conceived in 1944 and built by Bell Aircraft for the U.S. Army Air Forces and U.S. Air Force.
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber flown by the United States during World War II.
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber developed for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) in the 1930s.
The Lockheed Model 10 Electra was a famous American twin-engined, all-metal monoplane airliner developed in the 1930s.
The Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior (or L-12) was an eight-seat, six-passenger all-metal twin-engine transport aircraft of the late 1930s.
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat and amphibious aircraft produced in the 1930s and 1940s.
The Waco CG-4 (or Hadrian) was the most widely used American troop and cargo military glider of World War II.
The Bristol XLRQ was a 12-seat amphibious glider aircraft developed for the United States Marine Corps in 1942-43.
The Consolidated P-30 was an American two-seat fighter aircraft and the first fighter to have advanced features for altitude operations.
The Ryan FR Fireball was an American mixed-power fighter aircraft designed during WW2 by Ryan Aeronautical.
The Consolidated Vultee XP-81 (or Convair XP-81) was a single-seat, long-range escort fighter aircraft with turbojet and turboprop engines.
The Seversky P-35 was an American fighter aircraft built in the late 1930s by the Seversky Aircraft Company and used during WW2.
The Vultee P-66 Vanguard was a fighter aircraft ordered initially by Sweden and manufactured by Vultee Aircraft during WW2.
The Bell P-63 Kingcobra was a single-engine, single-seat fighter aircraft used during World War II. It was designed by Bell Aircraft.
The Bell XP 77 was a lightweight fighter aircraft that used non-strategic materials. The project was, however, cancelled early.
The Bell YFM-1 Airacuda was an American heavy fighter and interceptor aircraft developed by Bell Aircraft Corporation during the mid-1930s.
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first operational U.S. warplane explicitly designed to be a night fighter.
The Boeing P-26 Peashooter was the first all-metal American fighter aircraft and the first pursuit monoplane to join the Army Air Cops.
The Republic P-43 Lancer was a single-engine monoplane fighter aircraft first flown in 1940 and made entirely of metal.
The North American F-82 Twin Mustang was an American piston-engined fighter based on the North American P-51 Mustang and used in WW2.
The Grumman F7F Tigercat was an American heavy fighter aircraft that served with the US Navy and US Marine Corps during World War II.
The Vought F4U Corsair was an American fighter-bomber aircraft used primarily during World War II and the Korean War.
The Curtiss XF15C was an American mixed-propulsion fighter prototype aircraft of which only three were constructed during World War II.
The Curtiss XP-46 was an American prototype fighter aircraft development of the Curtiss-Wright Corporation during World War II.
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat fighter and ground attack aircraft used during World War II.
The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was an American fighter aircraft produced by Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945 and used in World War II.
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was an American twin-piston-engined fighter aircraft developed by the Lockheed Corporation and used during WW2.
The Grumman F3F was an American biplane fighter aircraft designed for the United States Navy during the mid-1930s.
The Douglas SBD Dauntless was an American naval scout plane and dive bomber manufactured by Douglas Aircraft and used during World War II.
The Boeing XF8B was a single-engine aircraft used by the United States Navy during World War II and developed by Boeing.
The North American P-64 was an upgraded variant of the NA-50 fighter aircraft manufactured by North American Aviation in 1939.
The Curtiss P-36 Hawk (or Model 75) was an American fighter aircraft used extensively by the French Air Force during World War II.
The Vought XF5U was an experimental U.S. Navy fighter aircraft during World War II. Its unorthodox design was done by Charles H. Zimmerman.
The North American P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter bomber used during World War II.
The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American fighter aircraft used by the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy during WW2.
The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American fighter aircraft used by the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy during WW2.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a state-of-the-art, long-haul, wide-body commercial aircraft developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
The Boeing 747, or “Jumbo Jet,” is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo aircraft with a distinctive hump on the upper deck.
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, medium-lift, twin-engine utility military helicopter and winner of the UTTAS program in 1976.
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois is a utility military helicopter and the first turbine-powered helicopter in service with the United States military.
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter primarily operated by the U.S. Army but used by many nations.
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, twin-engine, multirole combat aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop.
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II – Ground Attack Aircraft is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft.
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a popular American general-purpose or utility aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company.
The Lockheed P-3 Orion is an American four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft.
The Double Eagle II was the first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean. It left Maine and landed on 17 August 1978 near Paris.
The Northrop Grumman X-47B is a demonstration unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) developed by Northrop Grumman.
The Lockheed Martin X-35 is a concept demonstrator aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin for the Joint Strike Fighter program.
The Grumman X-29 was an American experimental aircraft developed by Grumman and used for testing several novel aircraft technologies.
The X-15 is a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft operated by the Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (or Predator B) is an American an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of remote or autonomous flight.
The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is an American twin-engine, single-seat, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the USAF.
The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is an American heavy strategic bomber designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses.
The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a retired American single-seat, twin-engine stealth attack aircraft developed by Lockheed Skunk Works.
The Lockheed U-2 or “Dragon Lady” is an American single-engine, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft first introduced in 1956.
The Northrop YF-17 was an American prototype lightweight fighter aircraft designed for the LWF technology evaluation program.
The North American F-86 Sabre or Sabrejet is a transonic jet fighter aircraft produced by North American Aviation and introduced in 1949.
The Douglas X-3 Stiletto is an American experimental jet aircraft famous for its slender fuselage and long tapered nose.
The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark was an American supersonic, medium-range, multi-role combat aircraft first flown in 1964.
The General Dynamics-Boeing AFTI/F-111 Aardvark was a research aircraft used to test a supercritical mission adaptive wing (MAW) built by Boeing.
The Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 is an American single-seat, twin-engine aircraft technology demonstrator built for the USAF.
The Lockheed YF-22 is an American single-seat, twin-engine fighter aircraft designed for the United States Air Force (USAF).
The Grumman F-11 Tiger is an American supersonic, single-seat fighter aircraft developed by the United States Navy during the 1950s.
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American supersonic, twin-engine fighter aircraft developed by the United States Navy.
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine, multi-role fighter aircraft developed for the USAF.
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine air superiority tactical aircraft designed in 1969 and first flown in 1972.
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American single-seat, single-engine stealth multirole combat aircraft first produced in 2006.
The Vought F7U Cutlass was an American fighter-bomber and carrier-based jet-fighter aircraft built by Vought and used during the Cold War.
The Northrop F-5 is a family of American supersonic light fighter aircraft designed in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation.
The Vought F-8 Crusader (or F8U) was an American single-engine, supersonic jet aircraft built by Vought and used by the US Navy and Marines.
The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American supersonic fighter-bomber capable of Mach 2 but with high loss rates.
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, two-engine supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber.
The LTV A-7 Corsair II is an American subsonic light attack aircraft created and manufactured by Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV).
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is an American single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft developed for the US Navy and Marine Corps.