naval aviation

1930-52: Up to 1200 built. An amazingly long success story The Shavrov SH-2, affectionately called “Shavrushka”, shares with the Polikarpov…

Carrier Bornes Torpedo Bomber RNAS/FAA 1930-35: 92 built. The early 1930 Blackburn Torpedo Bomber The Blackburn T.5 Ripon was a…

Imperial Japanese Navy, 1,149 built The Main IJN Carrier Torpedo Bomber in 1939-42 The Nakajima B5N was completely unknown by…

Consolidated TBY Sea Wolf (1941) USN Torpedo Bomber (1941-44), 181 built. When good enough beats better The Consolidated TBY Sea…

Mitsubishi F1M “Pete” (1936) Imperial Japanese Navy, 944 built The last IJN Biplane Genesis for this model started in 1935…

Vought O2U/O3U Corsair (1927) USN/USMC Observation plane (Circa 580 built 1927-33) The workhorse of interwar USN observation The name “corsair”…

Curtiss SO3C Seamew (1939) US Navy Observation Floatplane (1939), 780 built 1942-44 The Curtiss SO3C was supposed to be the…

Beriev BE-2 (1936) 1937-38: 12 built. The Be-2, light observation biplane In a nutshell, the Beriev BE-2 was a two-seat…

Loire-Nieuport LN 40 (1938) LN 401 Aéronautique Navale; LN 411 Armée de l’Air: 152 built total The French “Stuka” France…

Ryan FR-1 Fireball (1945) US Navy mixted piston/jet fighter (1944-47), 71 built The Ryan FR Fireball was the sole US…