The Korean War Planes Quiz

North American F-86 Sabre had a great predecessor in the P-51 Mustang. This 1949 jet-powered fighter-bomber had an impressive 7 to 1 ratio of enemy kills to loses during the Korean War. It was not superior in armament and aerodynamic performance. The USAF pilots' tactics and training made a huge difference, and the result was over 750 wins during the three years of war.

The superior maneuverability and heavy armament of the MiG-15 were a big surprise to USAF pilots at the beginning of the Korean War. The nose-mounted intake and highly swept wings became a recognizable shape of Mikoyan-Gurevich design. The Soviet's ingenuity to combine captured German plans during WWII and British turbo-jet knowledge obtained before Cold War resulted in a reliable machine that was easy to produce and maintain.

No armament, unless you count a pistol the pilot may have in the cockpit or makeshift rigged bazookas on some aircraft. Extremely useful for the observation of front lines, gathering of information, and a quick hop between command posts. Even today, after almost 80 years in existence, there are more than 100 still flying around!

Lavochkin La-9 had an all metal construction powered by a radial piston engine with a 3-blade propeller. It arrived too late to serve in WWII and also at the time when jet-powered fighters were in full development. More than 1500 were produced in the end. Apart from the USSR, they were mostly used by China and North Korea. Some models were used for testing of pulse-jet power, similar to what propelled the German flying bomb V-1.

The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star had completed development by mid 1948 and more than 6500 were produced by 1959. Over 30 countries had T-33 Shooting Stars in their service. Although their primary role was pilot training, some air forces even used them in combat. The Cuban Air Force made several kills during the Bay of Pigs conflict in April 1961. A Greek T-33 successfully deterred a Turkish F-16 in 1996. Boeing is using the T-33 as a chaser airplane during first flights of its commercial aircraft models 787, 777 and 737.

The Convair C-131 is a military variant of another Convair commercial airliner. Depending on the interior arrangement, it was used either for the evacuation of medical personnel and injured combatants, VIP transport, or training of various air-force specialists. In 1959 it was used for low-gravity training of astronauts in the Mercury spaceflight program. Some are still flying, and one had an emergency ditching in the Atlantic Ocean close to the coast of Florida.

Produced by Douglas Aircraft Company from El Segundo, California, F3D Skyknight had a maiden flight in March 1948. It was not a mass-produced aircraft with less than 300 made. It still had a significant impact during the Korean War, downing few MiG-15s in the night skies. Having mid-fuselage installed wings and low belly air-intakes, it's chubby shape had some calling it "Willy the Whale". They did have a very effective radar system for the time during the early 1950's.

Financed by Henry Ford, famous inventor of the mass production of automobiles, less than 200 Ford Trimotors were produced between 1926 and 1933. Cherished by pilots and owners for its reliability and structural strength, these planes had a long range that came useful in search and rescue missions. One even had mounted floats converting it to a seaplane. There are still several Ford Trimotor airplanes flying, mostly by operators of scenic tours over captivating landmarks.

Grumman F7F Tigercat was used by the US Marine Corps during the Korean War for constant barrage of attacks during the night. To get a longer range, the F7F Tigercats were fitted with under belly fuel tanks. Often pilots discarded them before landing, as they were only a few inches off the ground. It did not perform reliably in emergency landings on aircraft carrier runways and many started their missions from land based airstrips.

During the Korean War, the Hiller OH-23 Raven served the US military for medical evacuations, reconnaissance and light transport. Stanley Hiller established the world's very first helicopter production in California in 1942, when he was only 17 years old. The light helicopter started as a single seat prototype and a military utility version had three-seat capacity.

Boeing B-47 Stratojet had a maiden flight in December 1947 and entered the service with USAF in 1951. The main role of this large, heavy bomber was attack with nuclear weapons deep into the territory of the Soviet Union. Some 2000 aircraft have been produced and served the United States Air Force from 1951 until retirement in 1977. Never experiencing a combat mission as a bomber, it was replaced by the more modern and superior Boeing B-52.

Soviet Unions Yakovlev Yak-9 Frank, unlike its Western contemporaries, was designed with an oil pump in the cockpit that had to be hand-cranked to start lubrication of its piston engine. Almost 17000 have been produced and served the USSR and air-forces of several countries with close ties to the Eastern Block. With its cannon and two heavy machine guns it was a formidable asset in the sky.

Sikorsky built about 300 H-5 light-utility helicopters from 1944 till 1951. It became a real workforce during the Korean War in search and rescue missions over hostile territory. The H-5 was retired from active military service in 1957. One of the variants was the first commercially flown helicopter licensed for public transport.

The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II entered service in 1949 just in time to provide heavy hauls during the Korean War. The front fuselage had clamshell doors enabling the loading of large odd-shaped military equipment. It could haul almost 74000 pounds of tanks, bulldozers and heavy trucks. It retired from active military service in the USAF in 1974.

Almost 2500 Bell H-13 Sioux light observation helicopters were produced in the USA and under license in the UK and Italy. Its soap-bubble canopy with three seats and exposed tail truss were easy to recognize. For Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M.A.S.H.) medical evacuations, a special bed-like pan was installed on each side of the landing skid.