[Cardinal]

Originally Posted by Captain Eddie

What about the Skunk Words of Lockheed? Produced some WW II aircraft, and after WW II produced the U2 Spyplane, and, more recently, the Stealth fighter and bomber.

Originally Posted by STARMAN 352ND

I'm going to go with Lockheed..
JP

No argument from me as I happen to agree .

[FormerViperDriver]

Originally Posted by Captain Eddie

What about the Skunk Works of Lockheed? Produced some WW II aircraft, and after WW II produced the U2 Spyplane, and, more recently, the Stealth fighter and bomber.

I'll second that motion. It's not an easy choice, but Lockheed I think stands out because it has a long history, as the "Skunk Works," and has shined both in the fighter and transport (and reconnaissance and anti-sub) business. Not quite so much when it comes to bombers (we have to give Boeing that one), but:

P-38, P-80, T-33, F-104, SR-71, U-2, Electra/Orion, Constellation/Super-Constellation, S-3, C-130, C-141, C-5 and now F-22 and F-35 (the F-22 really has its genesis at General Dynamics), and many more.

I've got to give it to them, even though I'm partial to GD (F-16 and F-111 - and yes, the F-16 is now technically a Locheed product as well...).

FVD

[Shawn 507]

I'll go with the following as a sample, for without them we wouldn't be here to discuss this:

Grumman : Wildcat, Hellcat, Avenger
Douglas : C-47, Dauntless
Boeing : B-17, B-29
Consolidated : B-24, PBY Catalina
Curtis-Wright : P-40, Helldiver, C-46
Lockheed : P-38
Martin : B-26
Northrop : P-61
North American : AT-6, P-51, B-25
Republic : P-47
Chance-Vought : F4U
Bell : P-39, P-63
GM : FM-2, Avenger
Stearman : PT-17

Of course this list doesn't include all of our Allies from WW2, but they should be mentioned as well!
- Shawn

[VMF115]

Mikoyan-Gurevich makes the best air-frames,

As for as for avionics and advanced technology in aviation technology I would have to say Lockheed.

[jim]

[quote=VMF115;47034]Mikoyan-Gurevich makes the best air-frames,

[VMF115]

[quote=jim;47139]

Originally Posted by VMF115

Mikoyan-Gurevich makes the best air-frames,

Well they do...

[FormerViperDriver]

Originally Posted by VMF115

Mikoyan-Gurevich makes the best air-frames,

And that assertion would be based on what evidence?

FVD

[VMF115]

Originally Posted by FormerViperDriver

And that assertion would be based on what evidence?

FVD

Friend of the family who happed to be an instructor at red flag back in the 1980‘s, he said there airframes where the best but there power plants and avionics where not up to US air force standards or had the reliability that our fighters have. He even said if the cold war did turn bloody back in the 80’s that the mig-29’s and SU-27 would have given the US military one hell of a fight. He based his opinion on close inspection at Farnborough in 1988 where the Mig-29 was seen by the general public for the first time. and seen the SU-27 at the 1989 Paris Air Show.

Besides the Soviet aviation expert Yefim Gordon and Peter Davison drives a hard point about the superior airframe quality’s of the mig-29 in their book “Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29 Fulcrum: 41 (Warbirdtech)” also look at the long successful run of the Mig-21 airframe. http://www.migavia.ru/eng/production/?tid=1&id=8

[FormerViperDriver]

OK, VWF115, but the Su-27 is not a MiG product. Also, while I really like Yefim Gordon's books and own a few of them, he is very biased in favor of Russian designs.

Personally, as someone who has examined Russian planes very closely (though never flown them), I have a hard time classifying MiG airframes as top-notch, except maybe the MiG-29 (but one exception does not make a "best manufacturer"). The MiG-21 is a classic, but is neither well built (you should see those prodruding rivets and panel gaps!) nor aerodynamically very efficient (it was OK for its time, but not great). The MiG-23/27 series were worse in many ways, in fact most countries are getting rid of those before their MiG-21s. The older MiG-15 is a better example of a good MiG airframe design, but the F-86 was better (the engine and armament in the MiG made it a tough adversary, not the aerodynamics). The MiG-19 was only so-so. And MiG never built a bomber or transport.

So no, can't go with MiG. The MiG-29 is a great jet (though short ranged), but one airframe can't justify nominating MiG as best military aircraft manufacturer.

FVD

PS: I should have mentioned the MiG-25 and MiG-31 as well, but that wouldn't make a difference in my assessment. The MiG-25 turned out not to be quite the formidable opponent it was made out to be when it first was revealed at the Domodedovo air show in 1967. But it certainly was a historically significant aircraft.

[VMF115]

Well ok FormerViperDrive, the Mig 25 in my book was a piece of crap and this is based on Soviet defector Lieutenant Viktor Belenko's mig-25 close inspection and showed that is clear a copy of the Avro arrow. Now as for as the mig-23-27 line is concerned, they where cutting edge at the time of their introduction. Now we are not talking about how the air force’s of the world maintain their aircraft are we? because If so the USA will win this every time, I thought the topic was about aircraft manufactures. And yes I know the SU-27 is not a MIG product.
I don’t mean to offend any one here.