(Aviation aficionados often say the P-51 of World War II and the F-86 of Korea were pure fighters. But the P-51 was designed for range and speed, not maneuvering. It became the premier fighter of World War II only because the British—over the vehement objections of the WrightPat bureaucracy—replaced its puny power plant with a big Rolls-Royce engine. The F-86 was designed as a high-altitude interceptor. To reach high altitude, it had to have big wings, and because it had big wings, it became, serendipitously, a great maneuvering fighter.)
