What's The Best Allied Aircraft That Didn't Go To War?
 

After seeing too many documentaries about advanced late Second World War German aircraft that always tried give the impression that they were way ahead of allied designs, I don't believe this myself so I thought I would ask the learned gentlemen from this forum; Which was the best Allied aircraft that either entered service post war or never entered service at all?

I'd put my money on the de Havilland Hornet / Sea Hornet.

I'd say the de Havilland Hornet is a good shout.

The Hawker Sea Fury could quite possibly be in there too.

Vampire - entered service but never saw combat. Served as a front line fighter until 1953 and a trainer until 1966, which was a long service life in those days.

dat, maybe you should narrow the criteria, either a a first flew before the war ended or first entered service before the war ended.

One contender would by the Lincoln with a considerably higher ceiling than the Lancaster albeit not in the same class at the B29.

How about the Lockeed Neptune in service for almost 40 years.

Ok, how about fighter or fighter bomber that did enter service during or after the war but did not get near the enemy.

Tornado F3?

"taxi!!"

On so many levels.

One of the Best
 

English Electric Lightning, all Mks.

World Class Performance in the 1960s, still going well in the 1970s, obsolete by the 1980s but still doing its best to defend UK plc until 1987.

But was the "Cold War" a real war? It was in many respects a real event which produced a steady stream of losses every year as training and ops took there toll.

OK thread creep sorry

This:


Murdered by Earl Mountbottom and also by the Communists of the 1965 Labour government.....:yuk:

Ok and designed during the Second World War!

BEagle

The RAF got their revenge with the cancelation of CVA 01 but that argument is a whole thread all by itself!

Hmm, "after the war" is rather broad, but keeping it those that were flying in 1945 there are several good fighter/fighter bomber contenders that almost made it into the war:

Sea/Hornet, Vampire and Sea Fury as mentioned
Bearcat- on it's way to Japan on VJ day
P-80 Shooting Star made it to Italy and England, but did not see combat

Arguments could be made for all of the above. "Best" is subjective.

It was only a matter of time before the ol' TSR2 chestnut got its obligatory mention. I wonder what would have happened had it entered service? Would it have lived up to its considerable billing, or would we all have been whingeing about its numerous faults and shortcomings (unreliable, short range, unmanoeuvrable etc), compared to what else was on offer at the time?

The Sea Fury did of course go to war:

Hawker Sea Fury - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The of course, there was The Spruce Goose

The Lincoln saw service (ie dropped bombs in anger) during Op Firedog (Malaya) and in Kenya. Unless insurgency does not count......

I am surprised this thread has got to ten posts without mention of the Wiggins Aerodyne...

OP intended discussion of types funded by VJ Day. He's so right that there were as remarkable a range as in the Luftwaffe Secret Projects books. So, in US, B-36 was underway, B-32 Dominator was in a get-well phase, both to be targeted by Republic XF-12 Rainbow, and supported by transport gargantuans Mars, Constitution, C-99.

UK programmes, additional to those noted already, included Spiteful/Seafang, Wyvern, Sturgeon, Spearfish, Firebrand, Shetland, SR/A.1, Windsor.

My A to OP Q: Bearcat +(Sea) Hornet; Lincoln + (in European/Mediterranean Theatres: ) B-29. That lot, even without Fat Man, would have concentrated German minds.

Or the Cavendish Hopper..... Reach for the Sky?

Best Allied Aircraft Flown but no WW2 Service
 

Douglas A1 Skyraider, Designed and built and flown during WW2 but just too late to see combat, but sure did fight in almost every outing from then until the 1970s, and served on until the early 80s in some air arms.

Ordered by the US Navy in 1944, first flight in March 1945, in service 1946.

Douglas A-1 Skyraider - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I think you'll find that the Wiggins Aerodyne has been used extensively in support of 24SAS and 49Para operations.