The earliest jet fighters appeared during and after the last years of World War II. They were similar in most respects to their piston-engined contemporaries, having straight, effectively …

Jun 5, 2025 · We recognize outstanding achievements in engineering, innovation, and technology. These 11 early jets helped changed the world of flight forever. War is a terrible …

Mar 8, 2025 · The history of the fighter jet has dominated the 20th century. See how they've evolved from rudimentary experiments to state-of-the-art war machines.

Aircraft classified as first generation jet fighters [1] are the first attempts at creation of military aircraft using jet engines. A few were developed during the closing days of World War II but …

Jul 24, 2025 · We saw the rise of the F-4 Phantom II, a brutal, powerful, and incredibly complex heavy fighter used extensively in Vietnam. Then, the F-104 Starfighter – a rocketing, altitude …

Sep 26, 2025 · Here’s the history of all five generations and the one to come: the sixth-generation fighter. The P-80 Shooting Star was the first operational U.S. jet fighter.

Early Jet Age Fighter Aircraft of the U.S. Air Force.

The Bell P-59 Airacomet was the first U.S. jet-propelled fighter. Although it flew in World War II, the P-59 was not flown in combat as were early British and German jet fighter aircraft.

From the very invention of flight at the beginning of the 20th century, military aircraft and engines generally led the way, and commercial aviation followed. At first this was also the case in the …

Shooting Stars first saw combat service in the Korean War, and were among the first aircraft to be involved in jet-versus-jet combat. The Americans used the F-80C variant and RF-80 photo …