Aircraft Model / Manufacturer :

Republic P47

Description:

The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the Jug, was the largest and most heavly produced single-engined fighter of its day. A total of 15,686 Thunderbolts of all types were built begining delivery in September 1942 and ending production in October 1945 The P-47 was one of the main US Army Air Force (USAAF) fighters of World War II, by the end of the war it had claimed 3,752 air-to-air kills in over 746,000 sorties of all types. In Europe alone, the Thunderbolt flew more sorties (423,435) than the combined total of all P-51s, P-38s and P-40s.

The P-47 was effective in air combat but proved especially adept at ground attack with its eight .50-caliber machine guns, external hard points for carring bombs or rockets, and ability to lift heavy payloads. In relatively modern-day warfare, a jet aircraft built to fulfill the same ground support role, the A-10 Thunderbolt II, took its name from the original Republic P-47.