It's vertical take off and landing capabilities separated it from the rest I think.
2006-12-12 07:28:53 · 11 answers · asked by Sir Sidney Snot 6 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
Are you talking about American crew I don't rememeber many British crashing
2006-12-12 07:33:58 · update #1
Disagree dsclimb it proved itself during the Falklands war
2006-12-12 07:35:04 · update #2
It has to be. You can hide it anywhere and take off from that spot without a prepared strip, a building, jungle and even in the desert under cover. It's very agile in dogfights too.
2006-12-12 07:53:48 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a US Marine who has served on an Aircraft Carrier(CVN-70)and a big fan of the USMC's version of the Harrier, I believe that the F/A 18 Hornet should be top of the list.
It can carry "almost" any armament, is the easiest to fix, and can be fitted for laser guided bombing, dogfighting, in-air refueling(of other planes)AND electronic jamming. Oh, and by the way it can land on an aircraft carrier. (although the Harrier can land on a Helicopter carrier, which is much smaller). How do I know that it is the most innovative?? It single-handedly caused the retirement of the previous best plane ever - the F14 Tomcat.
I must give a close second to the B2 - Stealth Bomber. Stealth, now thats cool.
Also, in third place would be the Predator drone (unmanned) that can be piloted from the ground (some in Iraq are piloted from the continental US) and can fire Air-to-Surface Missiles. Thats truly innovative!!
dsclimb is referring to the Osprey, which I believe is still in development and has yet to serve in war. The chinooks (CH-46) were great back in the Vietnam era, but you couldn't pay me to ride in one now.
2006-12-12 07:43:53 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, in my opinion the first operational jet fighters were the most innovative. Sure the Harrier, F-14, F-18, F-22 and all are pretty innovative in their own way. But the ME-262, Gloster Meteor and F-80 were the most innovative ushering in the jet age, the rest of them would not have even been possible. Then I would say that the SR-71 was and still is near the top of the list. 80,000+ ft, Mach 3+, it has been said that if any of there records could be broken the would simply go make another one.
2006-12-12 10:20:51 · answer #3 · answered by MIPilot 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
what about the US plane, that has a turbo props but can rotate the actually whole engine? not a great safety record though.
Chinnok heli, with synchronised double rotars that actually over lap?
or even WW2 planes that had engines / front prop sychronised with the machine guns so they acutally fired through them.
stealth aircraft ?
the harrier is good, but it has never proved itself to be revoluationary or its use become the turning point in a conflict.
The harrier is quite safe, but its problem stems from being single engined and hence no redundancy, a bird strike at low speed or hover can proved very bad for the pilot if he is unable to eject. Plus a bird strike whilst flying low and fast, leaves the pilot very very little time to eject before it drops to the ground.
there are quite a few british harrier crashes over the last fifteen years. 3 maybe 4 off the top of my head, since 93 at least in the UK alone.
Falklands, they did ok, but probably not better than any other aircraft that could take off from an aircraft carrier. plenty of US jet that are not VTOL have this. sadly the US have the best jest, although our engine technology has in impact. do a search on frank whittle.
The vulcan, did the longest (still record holder) bombing mission in history on the Falklands Island at the start of the war. from the UK direct to the FI, no landing just lots of Air2air refuelling
2006-12-12 07:31:31 · answer #4 · answered by dsclimb1 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think that Harrier should be considered one of the most innovative war plane ever but harrier was also lucky, because UK and Marines trusted in this very new, that mean dangerous, tecnology.
I think that also some of the german projects of the end of the WW2 was very important for the history of war planes because this jet progects introduced a lot of innovation that were copied for a lot of years after the war.
The firsts MiGs were inspired to FW Ta-183, and also the rocket plane Me-163 Komet was determinant in the development of X-4 tailless planes, and also Me1101 was copied in the X-5,
and the Lippisch was very important in the development of the XF-92 and F-102.
I consider also Saab Viggen a very innovative plane.
2006-12-12 09:09:58 · answer #5 · answered by sparviero 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Definitely an innovation but it was known to the pilots as the widow maker. More crew were killed in the harrier due to accidents with the VTOL system than were killed in action.
2006-12-12 07:32:44 · answer #6 · answered by ry_in_dubai 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If we are talking "innovative" then probably yes, I don't see many others like it in the world. It was that unusual that the US bought British.
Another to consider is the Mosquito which was innovative in the way it could be built by cabinet makers!
2006-12-12 08:00:47 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i have not reported the 0.5-crew element, even with the undeniable fact that the Vietnam conflict replaced right into a lot extra devastating and WWII replaced into the mummy of all wars. the answer my pal, is blowing contained in the wind.
2016-11-25 23:12:45 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ingenious invention! I remember seeing the Flying Bedstead when I was in the RAF 1954/57
Check this site!!!!!!!!
www. flying bedsteads.com
2006-12-12 08:02:48 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
not sure...I kinda like that Stealth fighter. But here in Canada we have hang gliders with sling shots attached to em.
2006-12-12 07:33:46 · answer #10 · answered by steve 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋