When German pilots fitted a Fokker E1 with a machine gun in 1915, combat became airborne. However, the First World War's most successful fighter was actually the Sopwith Camel, with a tally of over 1200 enemy planes shot out of the sky.

During WW2, fighter planes were a crucial military tool and the Spitfire, with a top speed of over 360 mph, was the key to Britain's survival. Unfortunately, a Spitfire in a modern dog fight would be as inappropriate as a wheelbarrow in a Grand Prix race.

Soon after WW2, America broke the sound barrier and war planes were given a boost of acceleration. The race for dominance of the skies began.

This was never so evident as during the Cold War, when the USSR's MiG-19s supersonic manoeuvrability struck terror into the hearts of America's military leaders. The U.S. in turn, responded with the F-14 Tomcat, patrolling the skies at more than twice the speed of sound.

Today, the ultimate in stealth and high-speed manoeuvrability is Lockheed's F-22 Raptor. The Raptor's dual-engines and stealth technology should ensure U.S. air-dominance for the next three decades.