| P-47 Thunderbolt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| XP-47N flying over the Pacific during World War II | |
| Role | Fighter-bomber |
| Manufacturer | Republic Aviation |
| Designer | Alexander Kartveli |
| First flight | 6 May 1941 |
| Introduction | November 1942 |
| Retired | 1966, Peruvian Air Force |
| Primary users | United States Army Air Forces Royal Air Force French Air Force |
| Produced | 1941–1945 |
| Number built | 15,636 |
| Unit cost |
US$83,000 in 1945 |
| Variants | Republic XP-72 |
The P-47 Thunderbolt (also called The Jug ) was a fighter aircraft made by Republic Aviation. It first flew in 1941, and was introduced in 1942. It had a very big Pratt and Whitney R-2800-59 engine, which had more than 2,000 horsepower. Because of this, the P-47 could go more than 430 miles per hour. In fact, it was the biggest engine ever at the time. It had 8 machine guns, 2 more than most fighters. It's shape and speed made it similar to the Fw 190.
During 1944, the P-51 Mustang was lighter, faster, and could turn better. Because of this, it started replacing the P-47 as a fighter. The P-47 was then used for bombing in late World War II. It was retired from the American Air National Guard in 1955.
Now, there is a jet called the A-10 Thunderbolt II, and it is named after the P-47.