The difference between the best and worst fighters may not be too great. Thanks to the development of military technology, cars that are now considered to be elite can get the nickname “flying coffin” in a few years.
Fighters are national strategic assets and should be valued as such. Here are some criteria for evaluating them: is the aircraft able to fulfill the tactical task for which it was created? Is it effective compared to its contemporaries? Is he more dangerous to his pilot than enemy fighters?
Introducing you top 5 worst American fighter jets according to the edition of The National Interest, dedicated to US foreign policy.
5. Bell P-59 Airacomet
It was the first attempt by the Americans to create a jet fighter. In the competition with the heavy fighter Lockheed P-38 Lightnings, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber and the Japanese trophy Mitsubishi Zero, it turned out that the P-59 had no advantages compared to conventional fighter with piston engines of that time. And in some cases, machines with piston engines even surpassed the jet “colleague”.
Ultimately, the R-59 was turned into a test plane, on which pilots got acquainted with the features of jet technology.
4. Vought F7U Cutlass
US carrier-based aircraft of the Cold War era and the first American tailless fighter. Not only the design of the Vought F7U Cutlass made this car unforgettable, but also an impressive list of dead pilots. Due to design errors, poor engine power and reliability, and other miscalculations in the creation of the aircraft, about 25% of the built cars crashed in accidents, sending 4 test pilots and 21 pilots from the naval aviation to the other world.
Retired US Navy Rear Admiral Edward Lewis of the Blue Angels aerobatic team said in an interview with Air & Space Smithsonian Magazine that he resigned on the spot when he was told that Cutlass would be purchased for his group. Thanks to all these "merits" Vought F7U Cutlass and got the fourth place in the list of the worst fighters in the history of American aviation
3. Grumman F-11 Tiger
The company Grumman is famous for creating combat aircraft, which are the pride of the US Navy. And the F-11 Tiger is famous for others. He is one of the few aircraft in history that managed to bring down himself without assistance. During the test flight, test pilot Thomas Ettridge fired about 70 shells from four 20-mm guns at an altitude of 4 km, and then turned on the afterburner and caught them at an altitude of 2 km. Unintentionally, of course, but because of an increase in the angle of descent and speed. It’s good that the shells were training, and the pilot was able to land the car near the runway.
The life span of the Tiger turned out to be short-lived; 13 years after its creation, he was dismissed.
2. Convair F-102 Delta Dagger
The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger high-speed interceptor was designed to destroy Soviet bombers at high altitude.
To reduce the resistance, the designers modernized the design of the fighter, as a result, their creation turned out to be similar in shape to a bottle of Coca-Cola. The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was the first U.S. Air Force deltoid wing interceptor.
Although the speed of the F-102 ultimately exceeded the speed of Mach 1.22, the aircraft did not live up to the high expectations of the developers.
1. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
The first place in the ranking of the worst US Air Force fighters went to a graphic illustration of what happens when ambitions prevail over opportunities. The winged car was supposed to go into service with the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, while all three options would have a minimum of differences. By 2014, $ 163 billion was spent on the F-35 program, and it is 7 years behind schedule. And the head of the independent analytical company Air Power Australia Carlo Kopp said that in comparison with the Russian S-400 Triumph air defense system, the F-35 is not a serious competitor and will become easy prey for Russian air defense systems.
