What would a "Best of the lot" 1943 fighter aircraft look like?

hipper

Banned
That is until the US Navy figures out how to land a Corsair on the deck of it's aircraft carriers.

The Corsair is a 1943 combat aircraft (if you are a marine) but it's 52 Mph slower than a Mk 14 (in 1943 it got faster later)
 
As stated earlier if you accept that the Hurricane is obsolescent in 1940 and do give it the Merlin XX and instead go for the Spitfire MkIII so by 1943
 
What of the Gloster Meteor? First flown in 1943, and the technology exists to address any reliability or development issues.

Here's the prototype that flew in March 1943.

800px-Meteor_DG202G_at_RAF_Mueum_London_in_November_2011.jpg


Apparently it could out perform a Tempest V in most respects - which took everyone by surprise. Although the original Engines were thirsty limiting its endurance.
 
What of the Gloster Meteor? First flown in 1943, and the technology exists to address any reliability or development issues.

Here's the prototype that flew in March 1943.

800px-Meteor_DG202G_at_RAF_Mueum_London_in_November_2011.jpg
In all fairness Eric "Winkle" Brown considered the Me 262, which was flying by 1942, to be the superior design.
And if we can't trust the opinion of history's most prolific test pilot then who?
147729.jpg
 
Mosquitoes delaminated in SEAsia.

A small batch made by Standard Motors had problems with the humidity during the Monsoon season. It was found to be a production problem nothing to do with the glue or the wood, Mossies served for years after the war in SEAsia with no problems.
 
In all fairness Eric "Winkle" Brown considered the Me 262, which was flying by 1942, to be the superior design.
And if we can't trust the opinion of history's most prolific test pilot then who?

He thought the SR-A1 'Squirt' had flight characteristics better than either of them
Saunders-Roe_SR_A1.jpg

That had its start as the SR.44 in 1943
 
Would a Spitfire MK XIV really beat the De Havilland Vampire? Because that aircraft was already flying in 1943 as well, powered by its De Havilland Goblin turbojet engine and armed with 4 x 20mm Hispano Mk V cannon. I figure that'd be the best of the lot in 1943- perhaps outfitted with its latter supplementary weapons of 8 x RP-3 rockets as well, since they'd also become operational by 1943.


Wasn't the Me-262 first flight in 1942.
 
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