The strategic importance of fighter aircraft during World War 2 cannot be overstated, a fact brought into sharp focus for Britain by the intense air battles of the Battle of Britain. The Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm relied heavily on robust and capable fighters to defend the home islands, protect vital shipping lanes, and project power over enemy territory. Beyond the well-known icons, a significant number of other designs, including prototypes and foreign-sourced aircraft operated by British forces, played roles or were considered during the conflict years of 1939 to 1945. This article presents a comprehensive list of these British Fighter Aircraft Ww2, covering both operational types and significant developmental projects.
Britain’s need for air superiority spurred innovation and rapid development in aircraft design. While famous names like the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane bore the brunt of early air combat, particularly during the critical summer of 1940, the wartime period saw a diverse array of aircraft emerge. This list includes 67 distinct entries, ranging from early monoplanes and biplanes to twin-engine heavy fighters, carrier-based designs, and even early jet-powered experiments and proposed projects.
The following entries detail the fighter aircraft associated with Britain during the 1939-1945 period, listed in alphanumeric order as compiled.
Armstrong Whitworth Siskin (1924): A biplane fighter / fighter-bomber aircraft.
Bell P-39 Airacobra (1941): Single-Seat, Single-Engine Fighter / Fighter-Bomber Aircraft.
Bell P-59 Airacomet (1945): Jet-Powered Fighter Aircraft.
Bell P-63 Kingcobra (1943): Single-Seat, Single-Engine Fighter Aircraft.
Blackburn B.44 (1942): Floatplane Fighter Prototype.
Blackburn B.48 / YA.1 (Firecrest) (1947): Carrier-based Naval Strike Fighter Prototype Aircraft. Although appearing post-war, its development falls within the context of late-war requirements.
Blackburn Skua (B-24) (1938): Twin-Seat, Single-Engine Dive Bomber / Fighter Aircraft.
Boulton Paul Defiant (1939): Twin-Seat, Single-Engine Interceptor / Night-fighter / Turret Fighter Aircraft.
Boulton Paul P.92 (1937): Twin-Engine Turret Fighter / Heavy Fighter Prototype Aircraft.
Brewster F2A (Buffalo) (1939): Single-Seat, Single-Engine Monoplane Fighter. Operated by British forces.
Britain utilized various carrier based fighter aircraft to defend its naval assets and project air power across vast ocean territories.
Brewster F3A (F4U-1) Corsair (1943): Carrierborne Single-Engine Fighter. British Fleet Air Arm operated Corsairs.
Bristol Beaufighter (1940): Twin-Engine Heavy Fighter / Night-Fighter Aircraft. A formidable and versatile aircraft.
Bristol Blenheim (1937): Light-Medium Bomber / Heavy Fighter / Night Fighter. Adaptations served in fighter roles.
Curtiss P-36 Hawk (Hawk 75/Mohawk) (1938): Single-Seat, Single-Engine Monoplane Fighter Aircraft. Operated by the RAF and Commonwealth forces.
Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk (1941): Single-Seat. Single-Engine Monoplane Fighter Aircraft. Operated by British forces.
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk (1941): Single-Seat, Single-Engine Fighter-Bomber / Fighter Aircraft. Also widely used by British and Commonwealth air forces.
Curtiss SBC Helldiver (1938): Naval Dive Bomber / Fighter Aircraft.
The theatre of operations in WW2 demanded robust wwii navy fighter aircraft capable of operating from aircraft carriers under challenging conditions.
de Havilland DH.100 Vampire (1946): Single-Seat Jet-Powered Fighter / Fighter-Bomber Aircraft. While operational use was post-war, its development occurred during WW2.
de Havilland DH.103 Hornet / Sea Hornet (1946): Twin-Engine Long-Range Heavy Fighter. Developed late in the war, saw post-war service.
de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito (1942): Multirole Heavy Fighter / Fighter-Bomber Aircraft. Known for its speed and versatility.
de Havilland Mosquito, a multirole heavy fighter aircraft of WW2
de Havilland Jet Mosquito (1942): Jet-Powered Fighter-Bomber Aircraft Project. A visionary wartime proposal.
de Havilland Super Mosquito (1942): High-Speed Medium Bomber / Fighter-Bomber Proposal. Another advanced wartime concept.
Dewoitine D.500 (series) (1935): Single-Seat Monoplane Fighter Aircraft. Operated by some British-aligned forces.
Dornier Do 17 (Flying Pencil) (1937): Medium Bomber Aircraft. Listed likely due to its role as an adversary aircraft in the Battle of Britain context.
Douglas A-20 Havoc / Boston (1941): Light Bomber / Night-Fighter Aircraft. Operated by the RAF in various roles, including night fighting.
Fairey Firefly (1943): Carrier-Borne Fighter / Strike-Fighter Aircraft. A key naval aircraft developed during the war.
Fairey Fulmar (1940): Carrier-Borne Fighter / Fighter-Bomber. An early Fleet Air Arm monoplane fighter.
Folland Fo.117 (1943): Single-Seat Lightweight Monoplane Fighter Aircraft Proposal. Representing conceptual work during the war.
Gloster (Armstrong Whitworth) Meteor (1944): Jet-Powered Fighter / Fighter-Bomber Aircraft. Britain’s first operational jet fighter.
Gloster F.5/34 (1938): Single-Seat, Single-Engine Fighter Prototype Aircraft. Pre-war design tested in the early war years.
Gloster F.9/37 (1939): Twin-Engine Heavy Fighter Prototype Aircraft. Exploring heavy fighter concepts.
Gloster Gauntlet (1935): Single-Seat, Single-Engine Biplane Fighter Aircraft. Still in service at the start of the war.
Gloster Gladiator (1937): Biplane Fighter Aircraft. Famously served in early campaigns and the Battle of Britain periphery.
Grumman F4F Wildcat (1940): Single-Seat, Single-Engine Carrierborne Monoplane Fighter Aircraft. Operated by the Fleet Air Arm (as the Martlet).
Grumman F6F Hellcat (1943): Carrierborne Fighter / Fighter-Bomber Aircraft. Widely used by the Fleet Air Arm.
Grumman TBF Avenger (1942): Carrier-Borne Torpedo Bomber Aircraft. Included possibly due to multi-role capabilities or comparison context.
Hawker Fury (I / II) (1931): Biplane Fighter Aircraft. An earlier design still relevant as WW2 began.
Hawker Hotspur (1938): Twin-Seat, Single-Engine Turret Fighter Prototype Aircraft. An alternative approach to defensive armament.
Hawker Hurricane (1937): Single-Seat Fighter / Ground Attack Aircraft. The workhorse of the RAF in the Battle of Britain.
Hawker P.1005 (1942): Twin-Engine, Three-Seat High-Speed Light Bomber / Heavy Fighter. A wartime project.
Hawker Sea Fury / Fury (1945): Carrierbased Fighter-Bomber Aircraft. Developed from a wartime requirement, entered service just after.
Hawker Sea Hurricane (1941): Carrier-Borne Fighter Aircraft. Naval adaptation of the famous Hurricane.
Modern advancements have led to highly capable platforms such as the f-16 fighter falcon aircraft, a testament to the evolution of fighter design since WW2.
Hawker Tempest (1944): Single-Seat Fighter-Bomber / Interceptor Aircraft. A powerful successor to the Typhoon.
Hawker Tornado (1939): Prototype Single-Seat Single-Engine Fighter Aircraft. Development alongside the Typhoon using a different engine.
Hawker Typhoon (1941): Ground Attack Aircraft / Fighter-Bomber Aircraft. Initially designed as an interceptor, found its niche in ground attack.
Hawker Typhoon ground attack fighter-bomber aircraft
Junkers Ju 88 (1939): Medium Bomber / Multi-Role Aircraft. Included as a significant adversary aircraft and night fighter variant.
Lockheed P-38 Lightning (1939): Single-Seat, Twin-Engine Heavy Fighter / Fighter-Bomber Aircraft. Operated by the RAF in limited numbers for reconnaissance.
Martin-Baker MB.2 (1938): Fighter Prototype. An independent design effort.
Martin-Baker MB.3 (1942): Fighter Prototype. Further development from Martin-Baker.
Martin-Baker MB.5 (1944): Single-Seat, Single-Engine Fighter Prototype. A very promising late-war design.
Messerschmitt Bf 110 Zerstorer (Destroyer) (1937): Twin-Seat, Twin-Engine Heavy Fighter Aircraft. A primary adversary heavy fighter.
Miles M.20 (1940): Low-Cost Monoplane Fighter Prototype. Designed as an emergency fighter.
Miles M.22 (1939): Single-Seat, Twin-Engine Fighter. A conceptual or prototype twin-engine design.
Miles M.22A (1940): Turret Fighter / Night-Fighter Aircraft Proposal. Exploring the turret fighter concept further.
Miles M.23 (1941): High-Speed Single-Seat Fighter Proposal. Pushing the boundaries of speed.
North American A-36 Mustang (1943): Ground Attack Aircraft / Dive Bomber Aircraft. Based on the Mustang, used for ground attack.
North American P-51 Mustang (1942): Single-Seat, Single-Engine Fighter / Fighter-Bomber Aircraft. A highly successful design operated in large numbers by the RAF.
North American P-51 Mustang single-seat fighter-bomber aircraftThe tornado fighter aircraft represents a subsequent era of European military aviation collaboration and multirole design philosophy.
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (1942): Single-Seat, Single-Engine Fighter-Bomber Aircraft. Operated by the RAF and other Allied air forces.
Supermarine Seafang (1946): Naval Fighter Prototype Aircraft. A late-war/early post-war naval development of the Spiteful.
Supermarine Seafire (1942): Carrier-Borne Fighter / Fighter-Bomber / Reconnaissance Aircraft. The naval adaptation of the Spitfire.
Supermarine Spiteful (1944): Single-Seat, Single-Engine Fighter Prototype Aircraft. Designed as a potential Spitfire successor.
Supermarine Spitfire (1938): Fighter / Fighter-Bomber / Reconnaissance Aircraft. Arguably the most famous British aircraft of WW2.
Supermarine Spitfire, one of the most iconic British fighter aircraft WW2Examining historical context, these aircraft laid the groundwork for the development of modern combat planes, including various top 10 multirole fighter aircraft of today.
Vickers Type 432 (1942): High-Altitude Heavy Fighter Prototype. Designed to counter high-flying bombers.
Vought F4U Corsair (1942): Carrier-Based Fighter / Fighter-Bomber / Night Fighter. Operated by the Fleet Air Arm, becoming a highly capable naval fighter.
Vultee P-66 Vanguard (Model 48) (1941): Trainer / Fighter Monoplane Aircraft. Ordered by Sweden but diverted to the RAF and Commonwealth.
Westland Welkin (1944): Twin-Engine High-Altitude Interceptor / Heavy Fighter. Specifically designed for high-altitude interception.
Westland Whirlwind (1940): Heavy Fighter / Fighter-Bomber Aircraft. An innovative twin-engine design with heavy cannon armament.
This extensive list highlights the depth and breadth of British efforts in fighter aircraft development and procurement during World War 2. From iconic, mass-produced machines that won the Battle of Britain to experimental prototypes pushing the boundaries of aviation technology, each aircraft played a part in the complex air war. The continuous need to counter evolving threats led to diverse designs, reflecting the strategic imperatives and technological capabilities of the era. Studying these aircraft provides valuable insight into the challenges and innovations that defined aerial combat in the mid-20th century.
