April 20, 2018

On April 21, 1918, 100 years ago tomorrow, famed German fighter pilot Baron Manfred von Richthofen <<RIHKT hoh fuhn>>, known as the Red Baron, was shot down and killed during World War I (1914-1918). Richthofen shot down 80 enemy planes before he died, making him the war’s “highest scoring” flying ace. He also trained and led his own fighter squadron. Richthofen became a celebrated hero during the war, and was known as the Red Baron because of his red-painted planes.

Baron Manfred von Richthofen, known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot during World War I (1914-1918). He was killed in action 100 years ago on April 21, 1918. Credit: © Everett Historical/Shutterstock

Manfred Albrecht von Richthofen was born into an aristocratic family on May 2, 1892, in Breslau, Germany (now Wroclaw, Poland). He was educated at military schools and became a cavalry officer in the German army. In 1915, Richthofen transferred to the air service. He began flying as an observer, gathering intelligence while a pilot flew the plane, but he soon took flying lessons and became a pilot himself.

In 1916, Richthofen joined the squadron of Oswald Boelcke, an accomplished fighter pilot who had developed successful air battle strategies. In 1917, Richthofen was given command of Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG1, or Fighter Wing 1), famously known as “The Flying Circus” for the unit’s fantastically painted fighter planes and because of its reputation for showing up in many different locations like a traveling circus.

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The Fokker D. VII, a 1918 German fighter plane used in World War I, was known for its fast climbing ability. Credit: WORLD BOOK illustration by Tom Morgan

In April 1917, a month known as “Bloody April” to Allied airmen suffering heavy losses in northern France, Richthofen shot down an astounding 21 enemy planes. In July, he received a bullet wound to the head but managed to land his plane. He returned to combat in August as JG1 was outfitted with the famous Fokker Dr.1 triplane (a plane with three pairs of wings). The Dr.1 was infamously hard to fly, and Richthofen more often flew Albatros biplane fighters , which had the standard two pairs of wings. It was in a Dr.1, however, that the Red Baron was killed. JG1 later switched to the Fokker D.VII biplane, a plane which Richthofen helped to develop but never flew in combat. The D.VII proved to be Germany’s most effective fighter plane of the war.

During the 1918 Battles of Villers-Bretonneux in northern France, Richthofen was killed as he pursued an enemy plane far into hostile territory. He was shot through the chest, and his plane crash-landed. It is unclear whether Richthofen was brought down by Australian troops on the ground or by a Canadian pilot coming to the aid of the other plane. Richthofen’s 1917 autobiography, Der Rote Kampfflieger (The Red Air Fighter), became a German best-seller (he was 25 when it was published). Richthofen’s brother Lothar and his cousin Wolfram von Richthofen also served as a fighter pilots in JG1 (and both survived the war).

August 23, 2016

On August 2, the United States Air Force declared its new F-35 Lightning II fighter planes ready for combat. The F-35 (F is the Air Force designation for a fighter plane) is a “fifth generation” fighter, combining advanced stealth technology with heavy firepower, long range, high speed, and remarkable agility. Stealth technology allows an aircraft to evade radar detection. Eventually, variants of the F-35 will be the core fighters throughout the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. Such Allied nations as Australia, Italy, and the United Kingdom will also fly F-35 squadrons. The Lockheed Martin Corporation, headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, designed the F-35 Lightning II.

A Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II lands at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, on Sept. 2, 2015. Credit: Todd Cromar, U.S. Air Force

The F-35 development program began in 2001. The first production F-35 flew in 2006 and variants were tested over the next several years. The program took longer than expected, and it cost more too (the average price tag is $178 million per aircraft). The first F-35 military training squadrons were activated in 2013.

A Pratt & Whitney turbofan jet engine allows the F-35 to fly at Mach 1.6 (roughly 1.6 times the speed of sound), or about 1,200 miles per hour (1,930 kilometers per hour). The aircraft can reach a maximum altitude of more than 50,000 feet (15,000 meters). The plane’s range is 1,350 miles (2,170 kilometers) with internal fuel, or unlimited with aerial refueling (receiving fuel from another plane or a drone while in flight). The plane carries one pilot with a helmet-mounted display system showing all intelligence and targeting information on the pilot’s visor. The F-35 has “internal and external” armaments, including rapid-fire cannons, missiles, and bombs.

F-35 variants include fighters modified for use on aircraft carriers and aircraft with short takeoff /vertical landing (STOVL) capability. STOVL variants are equipped with special propulsion systems and swiveling engines, allowing the plane to fly straight up and down and stop and turn in midair. Over the next several years, the Lightning II will replace older fighters such as the F-16 Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, A-10 Warthog, and AV-8 Harrier. Lockheed’s first “Lightning,” the P-38, was one of the most famous fighters of World War II.