Air Superiority: The Military Aircraft Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Air Superiority: The Military Aircraft Quiz
Image: Donald Miralle/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Aircraft have been part of military tactics and strategy since before airplanes were invented. During the mid-nineteenth century, military balloons were used for surveillance of surrounding territories.  

Air superiority has been an important part of military engagement ever since. From balloons to drones, the ability to see and fight from high above the earth has given nations with the best aircraft the best chance at winning wars.

Some advances in aircraft technology make sense--like the development of planes that are difficult to see on radar. But other advances, like that of the Douglas SBD Dauntless, a dive-bomber whose wings look like Swiss cheese, are more remarkable for their ingenuity. 

Do you consider yourself an aircraft know-it-all? Do you know which airplane is the largest in the world? Can you name the volunteer pilot group that popularized aircraft nose art? Take this quiz to see how much you know about aircraft history and technology. We're sure you'll pass with flying colors!

What is notable about the Harrier Jump Jet?
Using directed thrust, it can take off and land vertically.
The weight of its maximum bomb payload is greater than the unloaded weight of the plane itself.
It is the world's first combat glider.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Harrier Jump Jet was developed to take off and land in small spaces, without a long runway.

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What U.S. World War II fighter plane had a distinctive twin tail shape?
P-36 Hawk
P-38 Lightning
P-66 Vanguard
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The P-38's twin tails gave it very stable aerodynamics, but it was not the most agile plane. It excelled as a heavy fighter and in fighter/bomber missions.

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The P-40 Warhawk was the primary aircraft of what famous American fighter group, known for their toothy nose art?
The Flying Tigers
The Spooky Squadron
The Devilfish
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Flying Tigers were a volunteer group of U.S. pilots that fought in China against Japan. The shark mouth insignia on their airplanes was (and still is) the most iconic nose art in the world.

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What was the name of the B-29 Superfortress that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima?
Enola Gay
Hellfire Special
Jenny Come Home
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The pilot named the Enola Gay for his mother, Enola Gay Tibbets. The airplane is on display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum annex at Dulles International Airport.

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What plane did Britain produce in greater numbers than any other during World War II?
De Havilland Hornet
Supermarine Spitfire
Vickers Valiant
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

More than 20,000 Supermarine Spitfires were produced. The plane was instrumental in the Battle of Britain.

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What primary role does the AH-64 Apache helicopter play?
Heavy transport
Attack helicopter
Scouting and observation
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

With its 30 mm chain gun and Hellfire missiles, the Apache is a formidable attack helicopter.

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The planes widely known as "Zeroes" were used by what nation in World War II?
Italy
Germany
Japan
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Allied forces developed codenames for Japanese aircraft because the Japanese designations were complicated and hard to differentiate. The official codename for the Zero was Zeke.

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What World War II bomber was featured in the movie, "Memphis Belle?"
B-24 Liberator
B-25 Mitchell
B-17 Flying Fortress
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ones of the B-17s used in the movie is still flown today with the Memphis Belle name. The real Memphis Belle that inspired the movie is now on display at the National Museum of the United States Airforce.

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What is the maximum payload of the B-52 Stratofortress?
20,000 pounds
40,000 pounds
70,000 pounds
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The B-52s 70,000-pound capacity, performance and upgradability have allowed it to remain in service for more than 60 years.

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Reduced radar signature and lowered thermal emissions are key aspects of what kind of military aircraft technology?
Smart bomb technology
Stealth technology
Ultra-long range technology
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Stealth aircraft are designed to have radar signatures far smaller than their actual size and to diffuse and mask the thermal output of the engines.

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The Fokker Dr.I was a tri-wing World War I fighter plane commonly associated with what legendary German pilot?
Johann Mueller, the Iron Duke
Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron
Karl Lindmarst, the Berlin Butcher
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Manfred von Richthofen flew several different types of aircraft during World War I, but the distinctive look of the Dr.I's three wings made it more notorious than the others.

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The Sopwith Camel was a successful British fighter plane from what war?
The Boer War
World War I
World War II
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When Snoopy pretends to be a World War I flying ace, he flies an imaginary Sopwith Camel.

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The A-10 Thunderbolt II is commonly known by what nickname?
Smokey
Turkey Vulture
Warthog
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Its ungainly appearance earned the A-10 the Warthog nickname. There were 716 of these built, and they're still in use today.

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Which plane was the first jet to be used in combat?
Messerschmitt Me 262
Focke-Wulf Fw 190
Kawasaki Ki-100 Goshikisen
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Messerschmitt Me 262 was probably the most advanced plane of World War II, but because it was an example of a piece of cutting edge of technology, that made it complicated and difficult to maintain.

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What U.S. jet fighter, in use by the U.S. Navy from the 1970s through the early 2000s, was featured in the movie "Top Gun?"
F-20 Tigershark
F-15 Strike Eagle
F-14 Tomcat
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Goose, Maverick and Iceman flew F-14 Tomcats. Over 700 of them were built.

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The Bell UH-1 helicopter, used heavily by U.S. troops in Vietnam, was known by what nickname?
Hangtime
Huey
Bulldog
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hueys played a number of roles in Vietnam, including assault missions and medical evacuation of troops.

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What is the largest airplane in the world?
C-5 Galaxy
Antonov An-225 Mriya
C-17 Globemaster III
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The An-225 is larger and heavier than any other plane in the world. Only one was built, although it's currently in commercial service and no longer a military plane. It is almost six stories tall.

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What was the first stealth fighter ever used in combat?
Sukhoi PAK FA
F-117 Nighthawk
A-12 Avenger
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The F-117 Nighthawk first saw action in Panama in 1989. As of 2016, the U.S. is the only nation to have used stealth aircraft in combat.

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What two jet fighters were the most advanced and most likely to face each other over Vietnam in the 1960s and 70s?
B-58 Hustler and Yak-28
F-111B and Tu-28
F-4 Phantom II and MiG-21
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

F-4 Phantom IIs and MiG-21s engaged in many duels in the skies above Vietnam. The U.S. ended their involvement with the war in 1973.

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The Yak-3 was a fighter plane used by what nation during World War II?
Russia
Britain
China
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Yakovlev Yak-3 was a small, light but extremely agile fighter deployed by Soviet forces in World War II.

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What was the only jet fighter used by the Allies in World War II?
Gloster Meteor
P-51 Mustang
Curtiss Helldiver
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Nearly 4,000 Gloster Meteors were built, entering service in 1944. They were officially retired in the 1980s, after serving a second life as Royal Air Force target tugs.

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What kind of engine was originally going to be used in the experimental XB-70 Valkyrie?
A heavily modified Dodge Hemi
A nuclear reactor
A compressed air thrust system
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The idea of powering the XB-70 with a nuclear reactor was abandoned when it became clear how costly and potentially disastrous it would be.

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What powerful U.S. fighter jet was discontinued partly because there were simply no other planes in the world that could challenge it, reducing the need to produce more?
F-15 Strike Eagle
F-22 Raptor
AV-8B Harrier II
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The F-22 Raptor was literally too good. The more versatile F-35 will be the primary fighter for the U.S. military instead in the coming decades.

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During what war were aerial balloons first used on a large scale for military purposes?
The American Civil War
The War of 1812
The Franco-Prussian War
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Union had a balloon corps that performed mapping and observation duties in the Civil War.

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Near the end of World War II, the U.S. captured a German Ho 229 V3. What was it?
A submarine-launched rocket plane
A prototype space-plane that could have bombed U.S. cities
The world's first operational jet-powered flying wing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Ho 229 was a flying wing, a plane with no fuselage. Only three of them were ever built and used by the Luftwaffe.

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The Ilyushin ll-2 Sturmovik fighter is a good example of Soviet industrial capacity during World War II. How many of these did the Russians produce?
More than 12,000
About 25,000
More than 36,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Soviets put over 36,000 Sturmoviks in the air during the war. They are a type of ground-attack aircraft.

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What is the name of the jet fighter currently in use with five different European nations?
EU-77 Citadel
IG-4 EuroJet
Eurofighter Typhoon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Eurofighter Typhoon was designed and built via a multi-nation effort. Several Middle Eastern nations are also using it.

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The Avro Vulcan bomber accidentally achieved what characteristic due to its design?
Extremely low radar signature
Ultra-long range fuel efficiency
The ability to fly to the upper edge of the atmosphere
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Stealth technology wasn't really a consideration when the Vulcan was designed in the 1950s, but its sleek design with enclosed engines and a low-profile fuselage made it more difficult to detect on radar than almost any other aircraft of its era.

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The Waco CG-4A differed from almost every other combat aircraft in World War II because it was missing what?
Windows
A tail rudder
An engine
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Waco was a combat glider, towed behind a C-47. It had no engine of its own.

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What military aircraft is the fastest manned, air-breathing plane in the world?
Sukhoi Su-24
SR-71 Blackbird
F-18 Hornet
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird set the official record of 2,193 mph in 1976.

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