Heavy fighter
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Image:DH Mosquito F.jpg A heavy fighter is a fighter aircraft designed to carry heavier weapons loads or operate at longer ranges, in which case they are sometimes referred to as escort fighters. To achieve acceptable performance and meet all requirements, most heavy fighters were twin-engine designs.
The twin-engine heavy fighter was a major design class during the pre-World War II period. As the performance of aircraft engines dramatically increased during the early years of the war, the capabilities of single-engine fighters soon approached that of the larger, and substantially less-maneuverable, twin-engine designs. Many early-war heavy fighters were repurposed as night fighters and bomber destroyers.
Many heavy fighter designs were adapted from earlier bombers. One of the most successful heavy fighters was the Bristol Beaufighter, which reused major portions of the earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber. Armed with seven .303 machine guns, four 20 mm cannon, and an assortment of bombs and rockets, the Beaufighter proved very effective in the anti-ship and ground attack role in the Pacific and over Europe. With the addition of radar, it was one of the Royal Air Force's earliest night fighters. Similarly, the de Havilland Mosquito fast bomber was later adapted for both day and night fighter duties.
Image:Me 410 with BK50.jpg Another major heavy fighter design was the Messerschmitt Bf 110, a pre-war German fighter that the Luftwaffe considered more important than their single-engine fighters. It was intended to escort bombers on missions at long range, then use its superior speed to outrun defending interceptors capable of outmanuvering it. In reality, the 110 was only capable of this mission for a short time, serving well against the Hawker Hurricane during the Battle of France. It was, however, hopelessly outperformed by the Supermarine Spitfire it faced during the Battle of Britain. The later Me 210 and Me 410 were upgrades to the Bf 110 design, but never proved particularly valuable. The Bf 110, like the British heavy fighters, was converted to night fighter or bomber destroyer roles where it served until near the end of the war.
Perhaps the most successful heavy fighter was the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, originally designed prior to the war as a bomber destroyer to protect the United States. In this role it was similar to the Me 110, and equipped in a similar fashion with heavy armament and long range. But for a variety of reasons, notably its use of an excellent turbocharger, it dramatically outperformed its German and British counterparts. In service it instead found itself being used as an escort fighter, following B-17 raids deep into German-held Europe where it was able to hold its own with the much lighter German fighters. It was, however, extremely expensive to produce and maintain, and when the P-51 Mustang arrived with similar range it quickly became a "second line" unit.
Although numerous modern fighter designs could be classified as heavy fighters, such as the US Air Force's F-15 Eagle and Navy's F-14 Tomcat, in general the term is no longer used.
See also
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