North American B-25 Mitchell
Isn’t it ironic that Brigadier General William “Billy” Mitchell is honored with the Boeing B-25 Mitchell? It was a twin-engine bomber that could operate at both low and high altitudes. This jet was a fighter, a photo-reconnaissance plane, and a submarine patrol plane all at the same time. North American Aviation produced roughly 10,000 units between 1939 and 1945. The first flying unit took to the sky in August 1940. The US Army Air Corps introduced the first five planes in February 1941. This prompted a frenzied scramble to construct as many as possible! North American Aviation built a total of 9,816 B-25 bombers at two locations in Kansas and California. One of them sold for $1.4 million recently.
North American B-25 Mitchell
Canadair CF-5 Freedom Fighter
The Canadair CF-5 Freedom Fighter was a game-changer in terms of air warfare technology. This was popular in the 1960s since long-range detection was difficult due to the ultra-low radar cross-section. This was the closest thing they had to a stealth fighter back in the day. It was a small “pocket fighter” constructed from the ground up as a dogfighter. Please keep in mind that it was also extremely cheap to produce, which was excellent considering that it was intended to outnumber NATO countries. The plane possessed high-tech electronics and performed like a more expensive plane like the F-4 Phantom, yet it cost the same as a Russian MiG-21. A unit was recently purchased by a private buyer. The asking price, however, has not been disclosed.
Canadair CF-5 Freedom Fighter