Heavy fighter
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A heavy fighter is a fighter aircraft designed to carry heavier weapons or operate at longer ranges. To achieve acceptable performance, most heavy fighters were twin-engined. Some extremely long-ranged heavy fighters are considered to be escort fighters.
The twin-engine heavy fighter was a major design class during the pre-World War II period. As the performance of aircraft engines dramatically increased during the early years of the war, the capability of single-engine fighters soon approached that of the larger less-maneuverable, twin-engine designs. Many early-war heavy fighters became night fighters and bomber destroyers.
Many heavy fighter designs were adapted from earlier bombers. One of the most successful heavy fighters was the Bristol Beaufighter, which reused major portions of the earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber. Armed with seven .303 machine guns, four 20 mm cannon and an assortment of bombs and rockets, the Beaufighter was potent in the anti-ship and ground attack role in the Pacific and Europe. With the addition of radar, it was one of the Royal Air Force's earliest night fighters. Similarly, the de Havilland Mosquito fast bomber was later adapted for both day and night fighter use.
Another major heavy fighter design was the Messerschmitt Bf 110, a pre-war German fighter that the Luftwaffe considered more important than their single-engine fighters. It was intended to escort bombers on missions at long range, then use its superior speed to outrun defending interceptors capable of outmanuvering it. In reality, the 110 was only capable of this mission for a short time, serving well against the Hawker Hurricane during the Battle of France. It was outperformed by the Supermarine Spitfire during the Battle of Britain. The later Me 210 and Me 410 were improvements of the design but were mediocre. Bf 110s, like British heavy fighters, were converted to night fighters and bomber destroyers which served for much of the war.
Perhaps the most successful heavy fighter was the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, originally designed as a bomber destroyer to protect the United States. In this role it was similar to the Me 110 and similarly equipped, with heavy armament and long range. For a variety of reasons, notably its excellent turbocharger, it dramatically outperformed its German and British counterparts. In service it was used as an escort fighter, following B-17 raids deep into German-held Europe where it was able to hold its own with the much lighter German fighters. It was also highly successful in the Pacific theatre, where its long range proved a pivotal advantage. Expensive to produce and maintain, it was relegated to other roles when the equally long-ranged P-51D Mustang reached squadrons.
Although numerous modern fighter designs could be called heavy fighters, such as the US Air Force's F-15 Eagle and Navy's F-14 Tomcat, in general the term is no longer used.
