The Forgotten Story of How the F-22 and F-35 Were Born
By Sebastien Roblin
December 02, 2017
On August 27, 1939, a stubby-winged airplane made of unpainted steel alloy took off over Germany and soared into history. Instead of a pointy propeller hub in the nose, the Heinkel 178 had an open-mouthed turbojet intake, making it the first operational jet-powered aircraft.
The He 178 could only attain 380 miles per hour—only 10 percent faster than the Messerschmitt 109E piston-engine fighters then in service. Nearly eighty years after the Heinkel jet’s first flight, fourth- and fifth-generation jet fighters are capable of flying well over 1,500 miles per hour, can launch guided missiles at enemy fighters dozens of miles away, and carry bombloads that far exceed the capacity of the four-engine strategic bombers of World War II.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2017/12/02/the_forgotten_story_of_how_the_f-22_and_f-35_were_born_112717.html
