Aircraft of the Korean War
Although
no RAF fighters flew in Korea, RAF pilots did fly with the USAF and included
here are some of the aircraft they may have flow, as well as the Fleet
Air Arm aircraft.
Auster
AOP6
Douglas
Dakota
Fairey
Firefly Mk 1
Gloster
Meteor F.Mk 8
Hawker
Sea Fury FB Mk.11
Lockheed
F-94B Starfire
B-26
Douglas Invader *
North
American F-86A, E & F Sabre
North
American F-51D Mustang
Republic
F-84D Thunderjet
Short
Sunderland
Supermarine
Seafire F Mk 47
Supermarine
Sea Otter ASR II
Communist
Aircraft in Korea
Auster
AOP6
| Role: |
Light
Liaison/observation aircraft |
| Powerplant: |
1
130hp Lycoming 0-290-3 flat-four piston engine |
| Speed
(Kmph): |
209
at sea level; Cruise 180 |
| Range
(Km): |
250-300
miles |
| Wingspan
(m): |
10.97 |
| Length
(m): |
6.83 |
| Maximum
Take Off Weight (Kg) |
839 |
| Weapons: |
|
| Crew: |
2? |
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Douglas
Dakota
| Role: |
Troop
& Cargo Transport |
| Powerplant: |
2
1200hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 |
| Speed
(Kmph): |
368
at 2290m; Cruise 296km/h |
| Range
(Km): |
2400 |
| Service
Ceiling (m): |
7076 |
| Wingspan
(m): |
28.9 |
| Length
(m): |
19.63 |
| Maximum
Take Off Weight (kG) |
11805 |
| Crew: |
3 |
| Notes: |
10000lb
payload or 28 troops or 18 litters |
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Fairey
Firefly Mk 1
| Role: |
Carrierborne
fighter |
| Powerplant: |
1,735hp
Rolls-Royce Griffin IIB |
| Speed
(Kmph): |
457
at sea level; 513 kmh at 5,180m |
| Range
(Km): |
2,195
at 328kmh |
| Wingspan
(m): |
13.56 |
| Length
(m): |
11.46 |
| Maximum
Take Off Weight (Kg) |
6,481 |
| Weapons: |
Four
forward 20mm Hispanio cannon |
| Crew: |
2 |
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Gloster
Meteor F.Mk 8
| Role: |
Ground
attack fighter |
| Powerplant: |
Two
3,500lb static thrust Derwent 8 engines |
| Speed
(Kmph): |
962
at 3,050m |
| Range
(Km): |
965 |
| Wingspan
(m): |
11.32 |
| Length
(m): |
13.59 |
| Maximum
Take Off Weight (Kg) |
7,122 |
| Weapons: |
Four
20mm Hispanio nose cannon plus underwing weapons load |
| Crew: |
1 |
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Hawker
Sea Fury FB Mk.11
| Role: |
Carrierborne
interdictor and ground attack aircraft |
| Powerplant: |
Bristol
Centuarus 18 radial engine rated at 2,550hp at 1,220m |
| Speed
(Kmph): |
740
at 5,a85m |
| Range
(Km): |
1,126
on internal fuel |
| Wingspan
(m): |
11.69 |
| Length
(m): |
10.56 |
| Maximum
Take Off Weight (Kg) |
6,645 |
| Weapons: |
Four
20mm cannon plus ordnance |
| Crew: |
1 |
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Lockheed
F-94B Starfire
| Role: |
All-weather
fighter, interdictor and ground attack |
| Powerplant: |
One
6,000lb static thrust afterburning General Electric J33-A-33 turbojet |
| Speed
(Kmph): |
957
at sea level |
| Range
(Km): |
1,070 |
| Wingspan
(m): |
11.43 |
| Length
(m): |
12.22 |
| Maximum
Take Off Weight (Kg) |
7,640 |
| Weapons: |
Four
0.5in (12.7mm) machine guns in nose, could also carry underwing rockets,
bombs and wingtip drop tanks |
| Crew: |
|
| Notes: |
Carried
a nose-mounted APG-32 radar |
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B-26
Douglas Invader
| Role: |
Medium
Bomber |
| Powerplant: |
2
2000hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-41 |
| Speed
(Kmph): |
510
at 4420m; cruise 418 km/h |
| Range
(Km): |
1850 |
| Wingspan
(m): |
19.81 |
| Length
(m): |
17.75 |
| Maximum
Take Off Weight (Kg) |
15513 |
| Weapons: |
One
0.3in in nose and ventral turrets, or two 0.5in beam guns in lieu of tunnel
gun; plus two 0.5in guns each in tail and dorsal turrets with maximum bomb
or torpedo load of 5,200lb |
| Crew: |
7 |
| Note |
The
B-26 is usually identified as the Martin Marauder. Such was the case during
WWII, but all Marauders were retired before the Korean War began. The B-26
of the Korean war was the Douglas Invader. During WWII, the Invader was
designated A-26, but with the elimination of the "A-for-Attack" category
in 1947 (and the retirement of the Martin Marauder at about the same time),
the Invader was redesignated B-26. Thanks to Roger Horky for this information |
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North
American F-86A, E & F Sabre
| Role: |
Fighter,
Interdictor |
| Powerplant: |
5,200lb
static thrust J47-GE-3,7,9 or 13 turbojet |
| Speed
(Kmph): |
967
at 10,670m |
| Combat
radius (Km): |
531 |
| Wingspan
(m): |
11.31 |
| Length
(m): |
11.43 |
| Maximum
Take Off Weight (Kg) |
7.369 |
| Weapons: |
Six
0.50in (12.7mm) machine guns in nose, with provision for rockets, bombs
or drop tanks beneath the wings |
| Crew: |
1 |
| Notes: |
Data
for the A model |
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North
American F-51D Mustang
| Role: |
Fighter,
Ground attack and interdiction |
| Powerplant: |
1,450hp
V-1650-7 Merlin engine |
| Speed
(Kmph): |
703
at 7,625m |
| Range
(Km): |
2,655
with two drop tanks |
| Wingspan
(m): |
11.28 |
| Length
(m): |
9.83 |
| Maximum
Take Off Weight (Kg) |
5,493 |
| Weapons: |
Four
0.5in (12.7mm) machine guns in wings. provision for underwing or centreline
drop tanks, bombs or rockets |
| Crew: |
1 |
| Notes: |
Previously
P-51, before USAF changed its designation system. Fighters went from P
to F |
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Republic
F-84D Thunderjet
| Role: |
Ground-attack
and Interception |
| Powerplant: |
Allison
J35-A-13C turbojet |
| Speed
(Kmph): |
945 |
| Range
(Km): |
1,928km
with two 230 US Gal tip tanks |
| Wingspan
(m): |
11.09 |
| Length
(m): |
11.4 |
| Maximum
Take Off Weight (Kg) |
9,106 |
| Weapons: |
Fur
nose and two wing-root 12.7mm (0.5in) machine guns. Also could carry rockets,
centreilne drop tank, 500lb HE bombs, and HVAR ground attack rockets |
| Crew: |
1 |
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Short
Sunderland
| Role: |
General
purpose Maritime reconnaissance-bomber |
| Powerplant: |
4
1200hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-90B Twin Wasp radial piston engines |
| Speed
(Kmph): |
343
at 1525m; Cruise 214 at 610m |
| Range
(Km): |
4329
with 1668lb of bombs |
| Service
Ceiling (m): |
5455 |
| Wingspan
(m): |
34.38 |
| Length
(m): |
26 |
| Maximum
Take Off Weight (Kg) |
29484 |
| Guns: |
Ten
0.303in machine guns,(four fixed forward firing, two in bow turret, four
in tail turret, one in each beam position) |
| Bombs
etc: |
Upto
4960lb of bombs, mines or depth charges |
| Crew: |
10 |
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Supermarine
Seafire F Mk 47
| Role: |
Carrierborne
fighter |
| Powerplant: |
Rolls-Royce
Griffon 87 |
| Speed
(Kmph): |
727
at 6,250m |
| Range
(Km): |
1,513
with external fuel |
| Wingspan
(m): |
11.25 |
| Length
(m): |
10.46 |
| Maximum
Take Off Weight (Kg) |
5,684 |
| Weapons: |
Four
20mm cannon |
| Crew: |
1 |
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Supermarine
Sea Otter ASR II
| Role: |
Air
Sea Rescue but designed as Shipboard Reconnaissance |
| Powerplant: |
One
Mercury 30 870hp tractor |
| Speed
(Kmph): |
241 |
| Range
(Km): |
1,170 |
| Wingspan
(m): |
14 |
| Length
(m): |
12 |
| Maximum
Take Off Weight (Kg) |
4,536 |
| Weapons: |
None |
| Crew: |
2,
possibly 3 |
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Communist
Aircraft in Korea
Mikoyan-Gurevich
MiG-15
Yakovlev
Yak-9P
Ilyushin
Il-2 Sturmovik
Lavochkin
La-9
|
Mikoyan-Gurevich
MiG-15
|
| Powerplant: |
5,005lb
static thrust RD-45F |
| Speed
(Kmph): |
1,050
at sea level; 1,031 at 5,000m |
| Range
(Km): |
1,175
at 10,000m |
| Service
Ceiling (m): |
|
| Wingspan
(m): |
10.08 |
| Length
(m): |
10.04 |
| Maximum
Take Off Weight (kg) |
4,963
(without external drop tanks) |
| Guns: |
One
37mm N-37 and two 23-mm NS-23 cannons (40 37mm rounds, 80 23-mm rounds
per gun) |
| Crew: |
1 |
| Notes: |
Details
for MiG-15(SV). First operational Soviet fighter to see combat, in Korea. |
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Yakovlev
Yak-9P
| Role: |
Fighter-bomber |
| Powerplant: |
One
1,650hp Klimov VK-107A vee-12 liquid-cooled |
| Speed
(Kmph): |
670 |
| Range
(Km): |
840-890 |
| Wingspan
(m): |
10 |
| Length
(m): |
8.7 |
| Maximum
Take Off Weight (Kg) |
3,200 |
| Weapons: |
One
20mm ShVAK with 100 rounds and two 12.7mm BS each with 250 rounds, plus
two 220lb bombs |
| Crew: |
1 |
| Notes: |
Details
based on Yak-9P |
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Ilyushin
IL-2 Stormovik
| Role: |
Close
Air Support aircraft |
| Powerplant: |
One
1,750hp M-38 vee-12 liquid-cooled |
| Speed
(Kmph): |
500
clean |
| Range
(Km): |
600 |
| Wingspan
(m): |
14.6 |
| Length
(m): |
12 |
| Maximum
Take Off Weight (Kg) |
5,872 |
| Weapons: |
Two
20mm ShVAK and two 7.62mm ShKAS fixed in wing, underwing racks for eight
RS-82 rockets and four 220lb bombs. Four compartments in centre section
housing upto 1,323lb of bombs |
| Crew: |
1
or 2 |
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Lavochkin
La-9
| Role: |
Single
Seat Fighter |
| Powerplant: |
One
1,870hp Shvetsov ASh-82FNV 14-cylinder two-row radial |
| Speed
(Kmph): |
690 |
| Range
(Km): |
600 |
| Wingspan
(m): |
10.62 |
| Length
(m): |
9 |
| Maximum
Take Off Weight (Kg) |
4,000 |
| Weapons: |
Four
20mm ShVAK symmetrically arranged around top decking |
| Crew: |
1 |
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2002 James Paul & Martin Spirit. All rights reserved.
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