Republic P-47 Thunderbolt

The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the

American aerospace company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. Its primary armament was eight .50-caliber machine guns, and in the fighter-bomber ground-attack role it could carry five-inch rockets or a bomb load of 2,500 lb. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to eight tons, making it one of the heaviest fighters of the war.

The Thunderbolt was effective as a short-to medium-range escort fighter in high-altitude air-to-air combat and ground attack in both the European and Pacific theaters. The P-47 was designed around the powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp 18-cylinder radial engine which also powered two U.S. Navy/U.S.