Escort fighter facts for kids
An escort fighter was a special type of fighter aircraft. Its main job was to fly alongside bomber planes. These fighters protected the bombers on their long trips to enemy targets and back home.
For an escort fighter to do its job well, it needed to fly a very long distance. It also had to stay near the bombers for the whole attack. Then, it needed enough fuel to fly all the way back.
Before World War II, some large, twin-engined fighters were designed for this escort role. However, during the war, these heavy fighters often failed. They were usually too slow and not agile enough to fight smaller, single-engined enemy fighters. As the war went on, newer single-engined fighters were built with longer range. They also started using extra fuel tanks, called drop tanks, which allowed them to fly much further. This made them much better at escorting bombers.
After the war, jet engines became common. Jet planes used a lot of fuel quickly, which made it hard to build escort fighters with enough range. Later, in the 1950s and 1960s, a similar idea called a "penetration fighter" came up, but no such planes were widely used.
Today, the idea of an escort fighter is less important. Modern air forces focus on gaining "air superiority". This means controlling the sky so completely that enemy planes cannot interfere. If an air force has air superiority, its planes can fly missions without needing direct escorts.
Modern Air Combat
In modern times, powerful planes like the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle are called air superiority fighters. These fighters protect important aircraft such as fuel tankers, radar planes, and bombers. They do this by flying far ahead and engaging enemy planes before they can get close. This is different from old escort fighters that stayed right next to the bombers.
Also, the development of multirole fighters, like the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, changed things. These planes can do many jobs, including attacking targets and defending themselves. This means that planes on bombing missions can often protect themselves, reducing the need for separate escort fighters.
In the 2010s, the US Air Force began looking into a new fighter. This plane would be designed to escort the next generation Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider strategic bomber.
Images for kids
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The Bf 110 was designed as an escort fighter but found more widespread use as a light bomber and later as a night fighter.
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Although the photoreconnaissance versions of the Spitfire flew deep over Germany during daylight, the idea of deep escort was never seriously considered by the RAF.
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B-17 bombers in formation
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Close-up of the array of .50-caliber guns on the Boeing YB-40 Flying Fortress.
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The Lockheed P-38 Lightning had far greater range than its early contemporaries.
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XF-85 suspended from an EB-29 via a trapeze
See also
In Spanish: Caza de escolta para niños
- Aerial warfare
- Interceptor, the main adversary of an escort fighter
- Wild Weasel
