Republic Aviation P-47 Thunderbolt official state aircraft of Indiana. Photo by cclark395 / Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution).
Official State Aircraft of Indiana
Indiana designated the Republic Aviation P-47 Thunderbolt as the official state aircraft in 2015. All State Aircraft - Military Symbols
Commonly known as the "Indiana Warbird," the Republic Aviation P-47 Thunderbolt was produced in Evansville, Indiana, from 1942 to 1945. This snub-nosed aircraft was a huge, cumbersome-looking WWII fighter. Though nearly twice the weight of its relatively sleek contemporaries (such as Spitfires and Mustangs), the P-47 Thunderbolt was built in greater numbers than any other fighter aircraft (before or since) because it was fast, dependable, could take major damage and survive, and packed effective firepower.
In 2021, the statute was amended to designate the Hoosier Spirit II, one of 6,242 aircraft built at the plant. The Hoosier Spirit II is displayed at the Evansville Wartime Museum.
