heavy fighter

A heavy fighter is a fighter aircraft designed to carry heavier weapons or operate at longer ranges. To achieve acceptable performance, most heavy fighters were twin-engined. Some extremely long-ranged heavy fighters are considered to be escort fighters.The twin-engine heavy fighter was a major design class during the pre-World War II period. As the performance of aircraft engines dramatically increased during the early years of the war, the capability of single-engine fighters soon approached that of the larger less-maneuverable, twin-engine designs. Many early-war heavy fighters became night fighters and bomber destroyers.
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