Military aircraft
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009) |
A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is in the current employ of a military power. Fixed-wing military aircraft are also known as Warplanes.
Combat aircraft divide broadly into fighters and bombers, with several in-between types such as fighter-bombers and ground-attack aircraft (including attack helicopters).
Other supporting roles are carried out by specialist patrol, search and rescue, reconnaissance, observation, transport, training and Tanker aircraft among others.
Many civil aircraft, both fixed wing and rotary, have been produced in separate models for military use, such as the civil Douglas DC-3 airliner, which became the military C-47/C-53/R4D transport in the U.S. military and the "Dakota" in the UK and the Commonwealth. Even the small fabric-covered two-seater Piper J3 Cub had a military version, the L-4 liaison, observation and trainer aircraft. Gliders and balloons have also been used as military aircraft; for example, balloons were used for observation during the American Civil War and World War I, and military gliders were used during World War II to land troops.
Contents |
[edit] Categories
[edit] Non-combat military aircraft
Non-combat aircraft are not designed for combat as their primary function, but may carry weapons for self-defense. Categories include:
- Tanker
- Trainer
- Transport
- Surveillance aircraft or reconnaissance
- Observation balloon
- Military glider
[edit] Lists of military aircraft
- Canada - List of active Canadian military aircraft
- China - List of aircraft of the People's Liberation Army Air Force
- France - List of aircraft of the Armée de l'Air, World War II
- Germany - List of World War II military aircraft of Germany
- India - List of aircraft of the Indian Air Force
- Italy - List of aircraft of the Regia Aeronautica
- Japan - List of aircraft of Japan, World War II
- South Africa - List of aircraft of the South African Air Force
- Pakistan - List of aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force
- UK
- Air Force - List of aircraft of the RAF
- Navy - List of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm
- US - List of military aircraft of the United States
- USSR and CIS - List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS
[edit] Military aircraft designation systems
- Germany
- Japan - Japanese military aircraft designation systems
- UK - British military aircraft designation systems
- US - United States of America military aircraft designation systems
- USSR - USSR military aircraft designation systems
