Military Aircraft That Can Be Purchased By Civilians (Part 1)
The aircraft is one of the most amazing inventions that human beings have come up with. With the start of a simple aircraft that could only maintain the fight for a few minutes and now to ones that carry around hundreds of passengers across the globe is an amazing thing to see.
With the continuous advancements in the technology, there came a new age of aircraft that were designed to especially for the service of military purposes. These aircraft are a work of art, which with their high speed and a wide array of bombing skills are the pride and jewel of their respective militaries.
Over the course of nearly 60 years, the world militaries have come up with hundreds of military aircraft. Some of them since their invention have served their purpose. At one time these aircraft were not available for purchase by ordinary civilians but now they are.
For our readers, we have made a list of military aircraft that can be purchased by civilians (part 1).
Sukhoi SU-27
The first up on our list is the Sukhoi Su-27 aircraft from the Soviet era. The aircraft is the last decade or so has become available for purchase by the civilians. The aircraft was once developed by the Russian aeronautical engineers in order to keep up with the fourth generation aircraft of the West such as F-14 and F-15. The aircraft in its entirety of specifications is one of the highly exciting aircraft to be acquired.
Su-27 comes with twin-engine along with amazing air maneuverability that allows it to have a top speed of Mach 1.8. Although the aircraft was designed to compete with F-15, it has an unusually large body. To be precise, it is 10 feet and 5 feet longer and wider respectively than the F-15.
Despite being available for Civilian use, all of its ten hardpoints for mounting weapons have been removed as well as its radar technology. With the fuel being stored internally, the aircraft with all its stripping is light and fast than any of the other SU series aircraft. The aircraft has an asking price of about 5 million dollars in the market.
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
Next up is the product of the Lockheed which is known as the aircraft Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter served the world militaries for the first time back in the 1950s but the proof of its ingenuity is that it served militaries across the world until early 2000s. In its more than 40 years of service, the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter has served the air forces of countries like Germany, Italy, Turkey, Spain, and the USA. With an end to their military service, these aircraft are now available for the rich and enthusiastic civilians for purchase.
The aircraft has been designed by the cooperation of the Lockheed’s famous aeronautical engineer named Kelly Johnson. The aircraft has been plagued heavily by accidents during its operational history but still, overly enthusiastic civilians have bought nearly 10 of these for private collection as per reports from FAA.
The price of the single Lockheed F-104 Starfighter which has been restored and without an engine is around 25000 pounds.
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 was introduced back in 199 and since then has been one of the necessary aircraft in many of the world militaries. The aircraft developed by Soviet engineers served primarily for countries like Russia, Libya and India and is one of the most successful aircraft in its interception and combat capabilities.
The aircraft in its era held many air records and today this aircraft is available for civilian purchase all across the world. According to an estimate, there were nearly 10000 of this Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21s were manufactured and as per FAA report, nearly 44 of them are for sale in the USA.
The price to acquire a single one of these Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21s is about 150000 dollars.
Hawker Hunter
MK-58 Hawker Hunter was a jet fighter that was built to cater to the needs of Royal Air Force (RAF) in between the years the 1940s to 1950s. In its later years of service, the aircraft only served the roles of being a reconnaissance aircraft as well as a fighter bomber.
Two versions of this aircraft were developed; single pilot and double pilot. The aircraft after its first successful decade became the most heavily exported fighter jet of its time and it officially retired back in 2014 thus earning it the title “Warbird”.
The aircraft had a top speed of over 700 mph and is one of the early greatest fighter jets. There are many of these 20000 manufactured aircraft on sale these days by even civilians. They are currently mostly owned by either the aerial demonstration groups as well as militaries.
Aero L-39 Albatros
The Aero L-39 Albatros is also an aircraft that has been given the title ‘Warbird”. It was developed by the Czechoslovakian aircraft manufacturer company known as Aero Vodochody back in the 50s. The aircraft was developed to be one of the early 2nd generation jet fighters in the world.
The sleek design of the Aero L-39 Albatros with its low maintenance cost makes this aircraft to be one of the highly sought out military aircraft by aviation enthusiasts. The aircraft has a length of 40 feet with a wingspan of 31 feet and houses a single Ivchenko-Progress AI-25TL high-bypass turbofan engine that allows it to have a top speed of 700 mph and could fly for 2.5 hours with its internal fuel.
The aircraft is highly popular among enthusiasts, it cost a sum of 150,000 dollars to a purchase a single one of them.
North American P-51 Mustang
The North American P-51 Mustang is the British built military aircraft that served the Allied forces back in the World War II. The aircraft was meant to be a medium altitude fighter aircraft but it served more than that. With the Rolls Royce Merlin engine which was later replaced by Packard V-1650-7, the P-51 Mustang could operate on much higher altitudes.
The aircraft’s most important role served in the WWII was that of a reconnaissance aircraft as well as a bomber escort aircraft due to its long-range flying capabilities. The P-51 aircraft have been restored with a complete and intact war history; have become one of the most sought out military aircraft by civilians.
In the aviation market, the price of a single P-51 Mustang can be upwards of 1 million dollars. The aircraft which has a top speed of 430 mph can be a great ride for the lucky few.
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