Bristol F.2 Fighter

The Bristol F.2 Fighter is a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, introduced into First World War service in 1917 after early operational use exposed flaws in its initial defensive tactics that were later corrected by flying it more aggressively, like a single-seat fighter, while still making full use of its rear gunner. Built with a forward-firing synchronized machine gun for the pilot and a flexible rear-mounted gun for the observer, the F.2 Fighter, often called simply the Bristol Fighter, combined maneuverability closer to a single-seat fighter than most two-seat aircraft of the period with the tactical flexibility of a rear gunner, making it one of the most effective and long-serving Allied aircraft of the war. The type remained in Royal Air Force service well into the 1930s in various roles, an unusually long career for a First World War-era combat aircraft design.