The never-ending pursuit of innovation by the world’s air forces has brought into being many of the most advanced and powerful aircraft. Not every design moving off the drawing board, however, gets to attain immortality or become an outright success. Here we explore five of the weirdest military aircraft that have ever taken to the skies, some of which you may not have seen before.
The North American F-82 Twin Mustang often gets mistaken for the P-38 Lightning, mainly due to its twin fuselages. However, it was an offshoot of the P-51 Mustang design. Conceived toward the end of World War II, this piston-engined fighter was intended for long-range escort duties with Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers. Although it missed seeing combat in World War II, during the Korean War it would play a very important role as it was among the first to engage and did shoot down North Korean aircraft.
Short SC.7 Skyvan Affectionately known as the “Flying Shoebox” due to its boxy appearance, the Short SC.7 Skyvan serves in both cargo transport and skydiving roles. Despite its unconventional look, it remains in active military service with the armed forces of Guyana and Oman. Produced by Short Brothers from 1963 to 1986, only 149 units were built, making it a rare but distinctive presence in the air.
Dornier Do 28 The Dornier Do 28 was designed by Dornier in cooperation with the German government to provide support for 13-seaters. Throughout the years, it has developed to undertake various operations and has continued serving both military and civilian operators in Europe and Africa. Although the end of production occurred in the 1970s, numerous Do 28 variants are still in active service, with a great proportion belonging to the Nigerian Air Force and the Zambian Air Force.
Convair F2Y Sea Dart, another very unusual design, the Convair F2Y Sea Dart is the world’s sole-jet-fighter-bomber-type seaplane to have broken the sound barrier. The unusual design had hydro-skis for takeoff and landing. Only five of these aircraft were built for the U.S. Navy, and the type never reached mass production. Still, it represents a most interesting aircraft design.
Britten-Norman Defender Based on the civil transport Britten-Norman Islander, the Britten-Norman Defender was militarized for the Royal Air Force. The Defender has fulfilled several different roles, including service during the second Iraq conflict, and law enforcement support.
Every one of these aircraft has its peculiarities and abilities, offering the world a glance into how different and sometimes even bizarre the methods used in the design of military aviation could be. Not all were to become legendary; however, what they did for the evolvement of air combat and their quite varying designs certainly ensured them a place in the annals of aviation history.