First-generation jet fighter

Aircraft classified as first generation jet fighters are the first attempts at creation of military aircraft using jet engines. A few were developed during the closing days of World War II and saw very limited combat operations. The generation can be split into two broad groups, slower jets with straight wings common to World War II era fighters such as the Meteor, and mature swept-wing first-generation fighters such as the F-86 used in the Korean War which are controllable at transonic speeds.

The initial attempts were straight-winged subsonic planes based heavily on the design concepts that had worked well in piston-powered aircraft. Some of these fighters were tested using piston engines to evaluate the airframes before the jets to power them were available or reliable enough to sustain flight.

The pioneering airworthy turbojet aircraft, the He 178, was a German taildragger-geared design that first flew in August 1939. It was used as the basis of the later tricycle landing geared He 280, a design passed over for the Me 262. A similar British design, the Gloster E.28/39 had provisions for some armament, but the guns were not fitted on either prototype.

The Bell P-59 Airacomet was the first American jet fighter to be put into service. It was never used in combat, as was mainly useful as an experimental fighter as its performance was inferior to the piston-engined North American P-51 Mustang which could reach higher top speeds and had a much greater range.

Japan had some experimental models, such as the Nakajima J9Y Kikka, but none saw operational use.

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