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<li id="toc-Lighter-than-air" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Lighter-than-air"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.1</span> <span>Lighter-than-air</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Lighter-than-air-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Heavier-than-air" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Heavier-than-air"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.2</span> <span>Heavier-than-air</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Heavier-than-air-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Combat" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Combat"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Combat</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Combat-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Combat subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Combat-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Fighters" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Fighters"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1</span> <span>Fighters</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Fighters-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Bombers" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Bombers"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2</span> <span>Bombers</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Bombers-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Attack_aircraft" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Attack_aircraft"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.3</span> <span>Attack aircraft</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Attack_aircraft-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Electronic_warfare" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Electronic_warfare"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.4</span> <span>Electronic warfare</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Electronic_warfare-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Maritime_patrol" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Maritime_patrol"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.5</span> <span>Maritime patrol</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Maritime_patrol-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Multirole" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Multirole"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.6</span> <span>Multirole</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Multirole-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Unmanned" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Unmanned"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.7</span> <span>Unmanned</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Unmanned-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Non-combat" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Non-combat"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Non-combat</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Non-combat-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Non-combat subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Non-combat-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Military_transport" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Military_transport"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.1</span> <span>Military transport</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Military_transport-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Airborne_early_warning_and_control" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Airborne_early_warning_and_control"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.2</span> <span>Airborne early warning and control</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Airborne_early_warning_and_control-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Reconnaissance_and_surveillance" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Reconnaissance_and_surveillance"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.3</span> <span>Reconnaissance and surveillance</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Reconnaissance_and_surveillance-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Experimental" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Experimental"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.4</span> <span>Experimental</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Experimental-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>External links</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-External_links-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Military aircraft</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 45 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-45" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">45 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%B1%D8%A9_%D8%B9%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9" title="طائرة عسكرية – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="طائرة عسكرية" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-az mw-list-item"><a href="https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C9%99rbi_t%C9%99yyar%C9%99l%C9%99r" title="Hərbi təyyarələr – Azerbaijani" lang="az" hreflang="az" data-title="Hərbi təyyarələr" data-language-autonym="Azərbaycanca" data-language-local-name="Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Azərbaycanca</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bg mw-list-item"><a href="https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%BE%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%BD_%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82" title="Военен самолет – Bulgarian" lang="bg" hreflang="bg" data-title="Военен самолет" data-language-autonym="Български" data-language-local-name="Bulgarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Български</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeronau_militar" title="Aeronau militar – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Aeronau militar" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vojensk%C3%A9_letadlo" title="Vojenské letadlo – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Vojenské letadlo" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-da mw-list-item"><a href="https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milit%C3%A6rfly" title="Militærfly – Danish" lang="da" hreflang="da" data-title="Militærfly" data-language-autonym="Dansk" data-language-local-name="Danish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Dansk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milit%C3%A4rflugzeug" title="Militärflugzeug – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Militärflugzeug" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-et mw-list-item"><a href="https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B5jalennuk" title="Sõjalennuk – Estonian" lang="et" hreflang="et" data-title="Sõjalennuk" data-language-autonym="Eesti" data-language-local-name="Estonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Eesti</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-el mw-list-item"><a href="https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%A3%CF%84%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%B9%CF%89%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%8C_%CE%B1%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%83%CE%BA%CE%AC%CF%86%CE%BF%CF%82" title="Στρατιωτικό αεροσκάφος – Greek" lang="el" hreflang="el" data-title="Στρατιωτικό αεροσκάφος" data-language-autonym="Ελληνικά" data-language-local-name="Greek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ελληνικά</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeronave_militar" title="Aeronave militar – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Aeronave militar" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eo mw-list-item"><a href="https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militaviadilo" title="Militaviadilo – Esperanto" lang="eo" hreflang="eo" data-title="Militaviadilo" data-language-autonym="Esperanto" data-language-local-name="Esperanto" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Esperanto</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eu mw-list-item"><a href="https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegazkin_militar" title="Hegazkin militar – Basque" lang="eu" hreflang="eu" data-title="Hegazkin militar" data-language-autonym="Euskara" data-language-local-name="Basque" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Euskara</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%87%D9%88%D8%A7%DA%AF%D8%B1%D8%AF_%D9%86%D8%B8%D8%A7%D9%85%DB%8C" title="هواگرد نظامی – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="هواگرد نظامی" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avion_militaire" title="Avion militaire – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Avion militaire" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EA%B5%B0%EC%9A%A9%EA%B8%B0" title="군용기 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="군용기" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-io mw-list-item"><a href="https://io.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milital_aviacilo" title="Milital aviacilo – Ido" lang="io" hreflang="io" data-title="Milital aviacilo" data-language-autonym="Ido" data-language-local-name="Ido" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ido</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesawat_militer" title="Pesawat militer – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Pesawat militer" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeromobile_militare" title="Aeromobile militare – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Aeromobile militare" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ka mw-list-item"><a href="https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%A1%E1%83%90%E1%83%91%E1%83%A0%E1%83%AB%E1%83%9D%E1%83%9A%E1%83%9D_%E1%83%97%E1%83%95%E1%83%98%E1%83%97%E1%83%9B%E1%83%A4%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98%E1%83%9C%E1%83%90%E1%83%95%E1%83%94%E1%83%91%E1%83%98" title="საბრძოლო თვითმფრინავები – Georgian" lang="ka" hreflang="ka" data-title="საბრძოლო თვითმფრინავები" data-language-autonym="ქართული" data-language-local-name="Georgian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ქართული</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-kk mw-list-item"><a href="https://kk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D3%98%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8_%D2%9B%D1%8B%D0%B7%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%82%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%B3%D1%96_%D2%B1%D1%88%D0%B0%D2%9B%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%80" title="Әскери қызметтегі ұшақтар – Kazakh" lang="kk" hreflang="kk" data-title="Әскери қызметтегі ұшақтар" data-language-autonym="Қазақша" data-language-local-name="Kazakh" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Қазақша</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sw mw-list-item"><a href="https://sw.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ndege_ya_kijeshi" title="Ndege ya kijeshi – Swahili" lang="sw" hreflang="sw" data-title="Ndege ya kijeshi" data-language-autonym="Kiswahili" data-language-local-name="Swahili" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Kiswahili</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lt mw-list-item"><a href="https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karinis_orlaivis" title="Karinis orlaivis – Lithuanian" lang="lt" hreflang="lt" data-title="Karinis orlaivis" data-language-autonym="Lietuvių" data-language-local-name="Lithuanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Lietuvių</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ml mw-list-item"><a href="https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B4%B8%E0%B5%88%E0%B4%A8%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%B5%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%AE%E0%B4%BE%E0%B4%A8%E0%B4%82" title="സൈനികവിമാനം – Malayalam" lang="ml" hreflang="ml" data-title="സൈനികവിമാനം" data-language-autonym="മലയാളം" data-language-local-name="Malayalam" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>മലയാളം</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ms mw-list-item"><a href="https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesawat_tentera" title="Pesawat tentera – Malay" lang="ms" hreflang="ms" data-title="Pesawat tentera" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Melayu" data-language-local-name="Malay" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Melayu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militair_luchtvaartuig" title="Militair luchtvaartuig – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Militair luchtvaartuig" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%BB%8D%E7%94%A8%E6%A9%9F" title="軍用機 – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="軍用機" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-no mw-list-item"><a href="https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milit%C3%A6rfly" title="Militærfly – Norwegian Bokmål" lang="nb" hreflang="nb" data-title="Militærfly" data-language-autonym="Norsk bokmål" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Bokmål" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk bokmål</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nn mw-list-item"><a href="https://nn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milit%C3%A6re_fly" title="Militære fly – Norwegian Nynorsk" lang="nn" hreflang="nn" data-title="Militære fly" data-language-autonym="Norsk nynorsk" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Nynorsk" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk nynorsk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-oc mw-list-item"><a href="https://oc.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avion_militar" title="Avion militar – Occitan" lang="oc" hreflang="oc" data-title="Avion militar" data-language-autonym="Occitan" data-language-local-name="Occitan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Occitan</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeronave_militar" title="Aeronave militar – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Aeronave militar" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ro mw-list-item"><a href="https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avion_militar" title="Avion militar – Romanian" lang="ro" hreflang="ro" data-title="Avion militar" data-language-autonym="Română" data-language-local-name="Romanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Română</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%BE%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%BE-%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B4%D1%83%D1%88%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B5_%D1%81%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%BE" title="Военно-воздушное судно – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Военно-воздушное судно" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sq mw-list-item"><a href="https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avioni_ushtarak" title="Avioni ushtarak – Albanian" lang="sq" hreflang="sq" data-title="Avioni ushtarak" data-language-autonym="Shqip" data-language-local-name="Albanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Shqip</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-simple mw-list-item"><a href="https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_aircraft" title="Military aircraft – Simple English" lang="en-simple" hreflang="en-simple" data-title="Military aircraft" data-language-autonym="Simple English" data-language-local-name="Simple English" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Simple English</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sk mw-list-item"><a href="https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vojensk%C3%A9_lietadlo" title="Vojenské lietadlo – Slovak" lang="sk" hreflang="sk" data-title="Vojenské lietadlo" data-language-autonym="Slovenčina" data-language-local-name="Slovak" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenčina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sl mw-list-item"><a href="https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voja%C5%A1ko_letalo" title="Vojaško letalo – Slovenian" lang="sl" hreflang="sl" data-title="Vojaško letalo" data-language-autonym="Slovenščina" data-language-local-name="Slovenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenščina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sr mw-list-item"><a href="https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%BE%D1%98%D0%BD%D0%B8_%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BD" title="Војни авион – Serbian" lang="sr" hreflang="sr" data-title="Војни авион" data-language-autonym="Српски / srpski" data-language-local-name="Serbian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Српски / srpski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sotilaslentokone" title="Sotilaslentokone – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="Sotilaslentokone" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ta mw-list-item"><a href="https://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%88%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%B1%E0%AF%88_%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%82%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BF" title="படைத்துறை வானூர்தி – Tamil" lang="ta" hreflang="ta" data-title="படைத்துறை வானூர்தி" data-language-autonym="தமிழ்" data-language-local-name="Tamil" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>தமிழ்</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-th mw-list-item"><a href="https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3" title="อากาศยานทหาร – Thai" lang="th" hreflang="th" data-title="อากาศยานทหาร" data-language-autonym="ไทย" data-language-local-name="Thai" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ไทย</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asker%C3%AE_u%C3%A7ak" title="Askerî uçak – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Askerî uçak" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D1%96%D0%B9%D1%81%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%BB%D1%96%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BA" title="Військовий літак – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Військовий літак" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-vi mw-list-item"><a href="https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A1y_bay_qu%C3%A2n_s%E1%BB%B1" title="Máy bay quân sự – Vietnamese" lang="vi" hreflang="vi" data-title="Máy bay quân sự" data-language-autonym="Tiếng Việt" data-language-local-name="Vietnamese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Tiếng Việt</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh-yue mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh-yue.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%BB%8D%E7%94%A8%E9%A3%9B%E8%A1%8C%E5%99%A8" title="軍用飛行器 – Cantonese" lang="yue" hreflang="yue" data-title="軍用飛行器" data-language-autonym="粵語" data-language-local-name="Cantonese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>粵語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%86%9B%E7%94%A8%E8%88%AA%E7%A9%BA%E5%99%A8" 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0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}}</style><table class="box-More_citations_needed plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Refimprove" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, 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Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22Military+aircraft%22">"Military aircraft"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22Military+aircraft%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22Military+aircraft%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22Military+aircraft%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Military+aircraft%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Military+aircraft%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">November 2024</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Aircraft designed or utilized for use in or support of military operations</div> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Formation_of_a_Legacy,_Heritage_flight_merges_aviation_past_and_present_86-16-51-22.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Formation_of_a_Legacy%2C_Heritage_flight_merges_aviation_past_and_present_86-16-51-22.jpg/260px-Formation_of_a_Legacy%2C_Heritage_flight_merges_aviation_past_and_present_86-16-51-22.jpg" decoding="async" width="260" height="175" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Formation_of_a_Legacy%2C_Heritage_flight_merges_aviation_past_and_present_86-16-51-22.jpg/390px-Formation_of_a_Legacy%2C_Heritage_flight_merges_aviation_past_and_present_86-16-51-22.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Formation_of_a_Legacy%2C_Heritage_flight_merges_aviation_past_and_present_86-16-51-22.jpg/520px-Formation_of_a_Legacy%2C_Heritage_flight_merges_aviation_past_and_present_86-16-51-22.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1814" data-file-height="1218" /></a><figcaption>An <a href="/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-16_Fighting_Falcon" title="General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon"><span class="nowrap">F-16</span> Fighting Falcon</a> (leading), <a href="/wiki/North_American_P-51_Mustang" title="North American P-51 Mustang"><span class="nowrap">P-51D</span> Mustang</a> (bottom), <a href="/wiki/North_American_F-86_Sabre" title="North American F-86 Sabre"><span class="nowrap">F-86</span> Sabre</a> (top), and <a href="/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_F-22_Raptor" title="Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor"><span class="nowrap">F-22</span> Raptor</a> (trailing) fly in a formation representing four generations of American combat aircraft.</figcaption></figure> <p>A <b>military aircraft</b> is any <a href="/wiki/Fixed-wing_aircraft" title="Fixed-wing aircraft">fixed-wing</a> or <a href="/wiki/Rotorcraft" title="Rotorcraft">rotary-wing</a> <a href="/wiki/Aircraft" title="Aircraft">aircraft</a> that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary <a href="/wiki/Military" title="Military">military</a> of any type.<sup id="cite_ref-gunston_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-gunston-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Some military aircraft engage directly in <a href="/wiki/Aerial_warfare" title="Aerial warfare">aerial warfare</a>, while others take on support roles: </p> <ul><li><b>Combat aircraft</b>, such as <a href="/wiki/Fighter_aircraft" title="Fighter aircraft">fighters</a> and <a href="/wiki/Bomber" title="Bomber">bombers</a>, are designed to destroy enemy equipment or personnel using their own <a href="/wiki/Aircraft_ordnance" title="Aircraft ordnance">ordnance</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-gunston_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-gunston-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Combat aircraft are typically developed and procured only by military forces.</li> <li><b>Non-combat aircraft</b>, such as <a href="/wiki/Military_transport_aircraft" title="Military transport aircraft">transports</a> and <a href="/wiki/Tanker_(aircraft)" class="mw-redirect" title="Tanker (aircraft)">tankers</a>, are not designed for combat as their primary function but may carry weapons for self-defense. These mainly operate in support roles, and may be developed by either military forces or civilian organizations.</li></ul> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Lighter-than-air">Lighter-than-air</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Lighter-than-air"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/Observation_balloon" title="Observation balloon">Observation balloon</a> and <a href="/wiki/Airship" title="Airship">Airship</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Luchtballon_WO_I_-_Observation_balloon_WW_I_(7081018985).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Luchtballon_WO_I_-_Observation_balloon_WW_I_%287081018985%29.jpg/220px-Luchtballon_WO_I_-_Observation_balloon_WW_I_%287081018985%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="166" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Luchtballon_WO_I_-_Observation_balloon_WW_I_%287081018985%29.jpg/330px-Luchtballon_WO_I_-_Observation_balloon_WW_I_%287081018985%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Luchtballon_WO_I_-_Observation_balloon_WW_I_%287081018985%29.jpg/440px-Luchtballon_WO_I_-_Observation_balloon_WW_I_%287081018985%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="800" data-file-height="603" /></a><figcaption>Luchtballon WO I - Observation balloon</figcaption></figure> <p>In 1783, when the first practical aircraft (hot-air and hydrogen balloons) were established, they were quickly adopted for military duties.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The first military balloon unit was the <a href="/wiki/French_Aerostatic_Corps" title="French Aerostatic Corps">French Aerostatic Corps</a>, who in 1794 flew an <a href="/wiki/Observation_balloon" title="Observation balloon">observation balloon</a> during the <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Fleurus_(1794)" title="Battle of Fleurus (1794)">Battle of Fleurus</a>, the first major battle to feature aerial observation.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Balloons continued to be used throughout the 19th century, including in the <a href="/wiki/Napoleonic_Wars" title="Napoleonic Wars">Napoleonic Wars</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Franco-Prussian_War" title="Franco-Prussian War">Franco-Prussian War</a>, for observation and <a href="/wiki/Propaganda" title="Propaganda">propaganda</a> distribution.<sup id="cite_ref-bl.uk_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-bl.uk-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> During <a href="/wiki/World_War_I" title="World War I">World War I</a>, German <a href="/wiki/Zeppelin" title="Zeppelin">Zeppelin</a> <a href="/wiki/Airships" class="mw-redirect" title="Airships">airships</a> carried out multiple <a href="/wiki/Strategic_bombing" title="Strategic bombing">air raids</a> on British cities, as well as being used for observation.<sup id="cite_ref-bl.uk_4-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-bl.uk-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In the 1920s, the <a href="/wiki/United_States_Navy" title="United States Navy">U.S. Navy</a> acquired several <a href="/wiki/Blimp" title="Blimp">non-rigid airships</a>, the first one to see service being the <a href="/wiki/K-1_(airship)" title="K-1 (airship)">K-1</a> in 1931. Use by the U.S. as well as other countries continued into <a href="/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II">World War II</a>. The U.S. Navy retired its last balloons in 1963.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Only a handful of lighter-than-air military aircraft were used since, such as the <a href="/wiki/American_Blimp_MZ-3" title="American Blimp MZ-3">American Blimp MZ-3</a>, used for <a href="/wiki/Research_and_development" title="Research and development">research and development</a> by the U.S. Navy from 2006 to 2017. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Heavier-than-air">Heavier-than-air</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Heavier-than-air"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Me_262_flight_show_at_ILA_2006_(cropped).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Me_262_flight_show_at_ILA_2006_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Me_262_flight_show_at_ILA_2006_%28cropped%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Me_262_flight_show_at_ILA_2006_%28cropped%29.jpg/330px-Me_262_flight_show_at_ILA_2006_%28cropped%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Me_262_flight_show_at_ILA_2006_%28cropped%29.jpg/440px-Me_262_flight_show_at_ILA_2006_%28cropped%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1227" data-file-height="921" /></a><figcaption>A replica of a <a href="/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany">German</a> <a href="/wiki/Messerschmitt_Me_262" title="Messerschmitt Me 262">Messerschmitt Me 262</a>, one of the first combat aircraft to fly under <a href="/wiki/Turbojet" title="Turbojet">turbojet</a> power</figcaption></figure> <p>Soon after the first flight of the <a href="/wiki/Wright_Flyer" title="Wright Flyer">Wright Flyer</a>, several militaries became interested in powered aircraft. In 1909 the <a href="/wiki/United_States_Army" title="United States Army">United States Army</a> purchased the <a href="/wiki/Wright_Model_A" title="Wright Model A">Wright Military Flyer</a>, a two-seat observation aircraft, for the <a href="/wiki/Aeronautical_Division,_U.S._Signal_Corps" title="Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps">Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps</a>. It served until 1911, by which time powered aircraft had become an important feature in several armies around the world.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Airplanes performed <a href="/wiki/Aerial_reconnaissance" title="Aerial reconnaissance">aerial reconnaissance</a> and <a href="/wiki/Tactical_bombing" title="Tactical bombing">tactical bombing</a> missions in the <a href="/wiki/Italo-Turkish_war" class="mw-redirect" title="Italo-Turkish war">Italo-Turkish war</a>, and the <a href="/wiki/First_Balkan_War" title="First Balkan War">First Balkan War</a> saw the first naval-air operations. Photoreconnaissance and <a href="/wiki/Propaganda" title="Propaganda">propaganda</a> leaflet drops followed in the <a href="/wiki/Second_Balkan_War" title="Second Balkan War">Second Balkan War</a>. </p><p>Air combat was a notable component of World War I, as fighter aircraft were developed during the war, long-range strategic bombing became a possibility,<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and airplanes were deployed from <a href="/wiki/Aircraft_carrier" title="Aircraft carrier">aircraft carriers</a>. Airplanes also took on a greater variety of support roles, notably <a href="/wiki/Medical_evacuation" title="Medical evacuation">medical evacuation</a>, and deployed new weapons like <a href="/wiki/Air-to-air_rocket" title="Air-to-air rocket">air-to-air rockets</a> for use against reconnaissance balloons.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Aviation technology advanced rapidly in the interwar period, and military aircraft became increasingly capable. <a href="/wiki/Autogyro" title="Autogyro">Autogyros</a> and <a href="/wiki/Helicopter" title="Helicopter">helicopters</a> were also developed at this time.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> During World War II, military aviation reached new heights. Decisive air battles influenced the outcome of the war, early jet aircraft flew combat missions, <a href="/wiki/Cruise_missiles" class="mw-redirect" title="Cruise missiles">cruise missiles</a> and <a href="/wiki/Ballistic_missiles" class="mw-redirect" title="Ballistic missiles">ballistic missiles</a> were deployed for the first time, airborne troops and cargo parachuted into battle, and the <a href="/wiki/Nuclear_weapon" title="Nuclear weapon">nuclear weapons</a> that ended the war were delivered by air. </p><p>In the <a href="/wiki/Cold_War" title="Cold War">Cold War</a> era, aviation technology continued to advance at an extremely rapid pace. Jet aircraft exceeded <a href="/wiki/Supersonic_speed" title="Supersonic speed">Mach 1</a> and Mach 2, armament focus switched mainly to missiles, aircraft began carrying more sophisticated avionics, <a href="/wiki/Aerial_refueling" title="Aerial refueling">air-to-air refueling</a> matured into practicality, and transport aircraft grew in size. <a href="/wiki/Stealth_aircraft" title="Stealth aircraft">Stealth aircraft</a> entered development during the 1970s and saw combat in the 1980s. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Combat"><span class="anchor" id="Combat_aircraft"></span> Combat</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Combat"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Combat aircraft, or "warplanes", are divided broadly into <i>fighters</i>, <i>bombers</i>, <i>attackers</i>, <i>electronic warfare</i>, <i>maritime</i>, <i>multirole</i>, and <i>unmanned</i> aircraft. Variations exist between them, including <a href="/wiki/Fighter-bomber" title="Fighter-bomber">fighter-bombers</a>, such as the <a href="/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-23" title="Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23">MiG-23</a> <a href="/wiki/Ground-attack_aircraft" class="mw-redirect" title="Ground-attack aircraft">ground-attack aircraft</a> and the Soviet <a href="/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-2" title="Ilyushin Il-2">Ilyushin Il-2</a>. Also included among combat aircraft are long-range <a href="/wiki/Maritime_patrol_aircraft" title="Maritime patrol aircraft">maritime patrol aircraft</a>, such as the <a href="/wiki/Hawker_Siddeley_Nimrod" title="Hawker Siddeley Nimrod">Hawker Siddeley Nimrod</a> and the <a href="/wiki/S-3_Viking" class="mw-redirect" title="S-3 Viking">S-3 Viking</a> that are often equipped to attack with <a href="/wiki/Anti-ship_missile" title="Anti-ship missile">anti-ship missiles</a> and <a href="/wiki/Anti-submarine_warfare" title="Anti-submarine warfare">anti-submarine weapons</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Fighters">Fighters</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Fighters"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Supermarine_Spitfire_Mk_XVI_NR.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Supermarine_Spitfire_Mk_XVI_NR.jpg/219px-Supermarine_Spitfire_Mk_XVI_NR.jpg" decoding="async" width="219" height="137" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Supermarine_Spitfire_Mk_XVI_NR.jpg/329px-Supermarine_Spitfire_Mk_XVI_NR.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Supermarine_Spitfire_Mk_XVI_NR.jpg/438px-Supermarine_Spitfire_Mk_XVI_NR.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3367" data-file-height="2112" /></a><figcaption>A <a href="/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire" title="Supermarine Spitfire">Supermarine Spitfire</a> fighter</figcaption></figure> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/Fighter_aircraft" title="Fighter aircraft">Fighter aircraft</a>, <a href="/wiki/Night_fighter" title="Night fighter">Night fighter</a>, <a href="/wiki/Day_fighter" title="Day fighter">Day fighter</a>, <a href="/wiki/Escort_fighter" title="Escort fighter">Escort fighter</a>, <a href="/wiki/Air_superiority_fighter" title="Air superiority fighter">Air superiority fighter</a>, <a href="/wiki/Interceptor_aircraft" title="Interceptor aircraft">Interceptor aircraft</a>, <a href="/wiki/Fighter-bomber" title="Fighter-bomber">Fighter-bomber</a>, <a href="/wiki/Strike_fighter" title="Strike fighter">Strike fighter</a>, <a href="/wiki/Light_fighter" title="Light fighter">Light fighter</a>, <a href="/wiki/Heavy_fighter" title="Heavy fighter">Heavy fighter</a>, <a href="/wiki/Strategic_fighter" title="Strategic fighter">Strategic fighter</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Bomber_destroyer" title="Bomber destroyer">Bomber destroyer</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:IAF-F-35I-2016-12-13-nf.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/IAF-F-35I-2016-12-13-nf.jpg/220px-IAF-F-35I-2016-12-13-nf.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="149" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/IAF-F-35I-2016-12-13-nf.jpg/330px-IAF-F-35I-2016-12-13-nf.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/IAF-F-35I-2016-12-13-nf.jpg/440px-IAF-F-35I-2016-12-13-nf.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2903" data-file-height="1967" /></a><figcaption>An <a href="/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_F-35_Lightning_II" title="Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II">F-35 Lightning II</a> <a href="/wiki/Multirole_combat_aircraft" title="Multirole combat aircraft">multirole</a> <a href="/wiki/Stealth_aircraft" title="Stealth aircraft">stealth fighter</a> operated by the <a href="/wiki/Israeli_Air_Force" title="Israeli Air Force">Israeli Air Force</a></figcaption></figure> <p>The primary role of fighters is destroying enemy aircraft in air-to-air combat, as part of both offensive and defensive counter air operations. Many fighters also possess a degree of ground attack capability, allowing them to perform surface attack and close air support missions. In addition to their counter air duties they are tasked to perform escort mission for bombers or other aircraft. Fighters are capable of carrying a variety of weapons, including machine guns, autocannons, <a href="/wiki/Rocket_(weapon)" title="Rocket (weapon)">rockets</a>, guided missiles, and <a href="/wiki/Aerial_bomb" title="Aerial bomb">bombs</a>. Many modern fighters can attack enemy fighters from a great distance, before the enemy even sees or detects them. Examples of such fighters include the <a href="/wiki/F-35_Lightning_II" class="mw-redirect" title="F-35 Lightning II">F-35 Lightning II</a>, <a href="/wiki/F-22_Raptor" class="mw-redirect" title="F-22 Raptor">F-22 Raptor</a>, <a href="/wiki/F-15_Eagle" class="mw-redirect" title="F-15 Eagle">F-15 Eagle</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Su-27" class="mw-redirect" title="Su-27">Su-27</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Bombers">Bombers</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Bombers"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/Bomber" title="Bomber">Bomber</a>, <a href="/wiki/Night_bomber" title="Night bomber">Night bomber</a>, <a href="/wiki/Strategic_bomber" title="Strategic bomber">Strategic bomber</a>, <a href="/wiki/Heavy_bomber" title="Heavy bomber">Heavy bomber</a>, <a href="/wiki/Medium_bomber" title="Medium bomber">Medium bomber</a>, <a href="/wiki/Light_bomber" title="Light bomber">Light bomber</a>, <a href="/wiki/Dive_bomber" title="Dive bomber">Dive bomber</a>, <a href="/wiki/Torpedo_bomber" title="Torpedo bomber">Torpedo bomber</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Interdictor" title="Interdictor">Interdictor</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Battle_of_Britain_Memorial_flight_Avro_Lancaster_(cropped).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Battle_of_Britain_Memorial_flight_Avro_Lancaster_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Battle_of_Britain_Memorial_flight_Avro_Lancaster_%28cropped%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="152" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Battle_of_Britain_Memorial_flight_Avro_Lancaster_%28cropped%29.jpg/330px-Battle_of_Britain_Memorial_flight_Avro_Lancaster_%28cropped%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Battle_of_Britain_Memorial_flight_Avro_Lancaster_%28cropped%29.jpg/440px-Battle_of_Britain_Memorial_flight_Avro_Lancaster_%28cropped%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2556" data-file-height="1771" /></a><figcaption>An <a href="/wiki/Avro_Lancaster" title="Avro Lancaster">Avro Lancaster</a> bomber</figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:B-2_Spirit_original.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/B-2_Spirit_original.jpg/220px-B-2_Spirit_original.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="138" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/B-2_Spirit_original.jpg/330px-B-2_Spirit_original.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/B-2_Spirit_original.jpg/440px-B-2_Spirit_original.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2000" data-file-height="1252" /></a><figcaption>A <a href="/wiki/Northrop_B-2_Spirit" title="Northrop B-2 Spirit">Northrop B-2 Spirit</a> stealth bomber</figcaption></figure> <p>Bombers are normally larger, heavier, and less maneuverable than fighter aircraft. They are capable of carrying large payloads of bombs, torpedoes or cruise missiles. Bombers are used almost exclusively for ground attacks and are not fast or agile enough to take on enemy fighters head-to-head. Some have a single engine and require one pilot to operate, while others have two or more engines and require crews of two or more. A limited number of bombers, such as the <a href="/wiki/B-2_Spirit" class="mw-redirect" title="B-2 Spirit">B-2 Spirit</a>, have <a href="/wiki/Stealth_aircraft" title="Stealth aircraft">stealth</a> capabilities that keep them from being detected by enemy radar. An example of a conventional modern bomber would be the <a href="/wiki/B-52_Stratofortress" class="mw-redirect" title="B-52 Stratofortress">B-52 Stratofortress</a>. An example of a World War II bomber would be a <a href="/wiki/B-17_Flying_Fortress" class="mw-redirect" title="B-17 Flying Fortress">B-17 Flying Fortress</a>. An example of a World War I bomber would be a <a href="/wiki/Handley_Page_O/400" class="mw-redirect" title="Handley Page O/400">Handley Page O/400</a>. Bombers include <a href="/wiki/Light_bomber" title="Light bomber">light bombers</a>, <a href="/wiki/Medium_bomber" title="Medium bomber">medium bombers</a>, <a href="/wiki/Heavy_bomber" title="Heavy bomber">heavy bombers</a>, <a href="/wiki/Dive_bomber" title="Dive bomber">dive bombers</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Torpedo_bomber" title="Torpedo bomber">torpedo bombers</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Attack_aircraft">Attack aircraft</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Attack aircraft"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:AH64D_Longbow_Apache_-_Duxford_Autumn_Airshow_2010_(modified).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/AH64D_Longbow_Apache_-_Duxford_Autumn_Airshow_2010_%28modified%29.jpg/220px-AH64D_Longbow_Apache_-_Duxford_Autumn_Airshow_2010_%28modified%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="151" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/AH64D_Longbow_Apache_-_Duxford_Autumn_Airshow_2010_%28modified%29.jpg/330px-AH64D_Longbow_Apache_-_Duxford_Autumn_Airshow_2010_%28modified%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/AH64D_Longbow_Apache_-_Duxford_Autumn_Airshow_2010_%28modified%29.jpg/440px-AH64D_Longbow_Apache_-_Duxford_Autumn_Airshow_2010_%28modified%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2238" data-file-height="1541" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/AgustaWestland_Apache" title="AgustaWestland Apache">Augusta Westland AH-1 Apache</a> <a href="/wiki/Attack_helicopter" title="Attack helicopter">attack helicopter</a> operated by the <a href="/wiki/Army_Air_Corps_(United_Kingdom)" title="Army Air Corps (United Kingdom)">British Army Air Corps</a></figcaption></figure> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/Attack_aircraft" title="Attack aircraft">Attack aircraft</a>, <a href="/wiki/Gunship" title="Gunship">Gunship</a>, <a href="/wiki/Attack_Helicopter" class="mw-redirect" title="Attack Helicopter">Attack Helicopter</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Counter-insurgency_aircraft" title="Counter-insurgency aircraft">Counter-insurgency aircraft</a></div><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><table class="box-Expand_section plainlinks metadata ambox mbox-small-left ambox-content" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="[icon]" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg/20px-Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg.png" decoding="async" width="20" height="14" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg/30px-Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg/40px-Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="44" data-file-height="31" /></a></span></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>needs expansion</b>. You can help by <a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=">adding to it</a>. <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">November 2024</span>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>Attack aircraft can be used to provide support for friendly ground troops. Some are able to carry conventional or <a href="/wiki/Nuclear_weapon" title="Nuclear weapon">nuclear weapons</a> far behind enemy lines to strike priority ground targets. <a href="/wiki/Attack_helicopter" title="Attack helicopter">Attack helicopters</a> <a href="/wiki/Anti-tank_weapon#Helicopters" class="mw-redirect" title="Anti-tank weapon">attack enemy armor</a> and provide <a href="/wiki/Close_air_support" title="Close air support">close air support</a> for ground troops. An example of a historical ground-attack aircraft is the Soviet <a href="/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-2" title="Ilyushin Il-2">Ilyushin Il-2</a>. Several types of transport airplanes have been armed with sideways firing weapons as <a href="/wiki/Gunship" title="Gunship">gunships</a> for ground attack. These include the <a href="/wiki/AC-47" class="mw-redirect" title="AC-47">AC-47</a> and <a href="/wiki/AC-130" class="mw-redirect" title="AC-130">AC-130</a> gunships. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Electronic_warfare">Electronic warfare</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Electronic warfare"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Electronic-warfare_aircraft" title="Electronic-warfare aircraft">Electronic-warfare aircraft</a></div><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><table class="box-Expand_section plainlinks metadata ambox mbox-small-left ambox-content" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="[icon]" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg/20px-Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg.png" decoding="async" width="20" height="14" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg/30px-Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg/40px-Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="44" data-file-height="31" /></a></span></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>needs expansion</b>. You can help by <a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=">adding to it</a>. <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">November 2024</span>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>An electronic warfare aircraft is a military aircraft equipped for <a href="/wiki/Electronic_warfare" title="Electronic warfare">electronic warfare</a>, i.e. degrading the effectiveness of enemy radar and radio systems. They are generally modified versions of other preexisting aircraft. A recent example would be the <a href="/wiki/Boeing_EA-18G_Growler" title="Boeing EA-18G Growler">EA-18G Growler</a>, which is a modified version of the <a href="/wiki/Boeing_F/A-18E/F_Super_Hornet" title="Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet">F/A-18F Super Hornet</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Maritime_patrol">Maritime patrol</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Maritime patrol"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Maritime_patrol_aircraft" title="Maritime patrol aircraft">Maritime patrol aircraft</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Beriev_Be-12P-200_Chaika_AN0198039.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Beriev_Be-12P-200_Chaika_AN0198039.jpg/220px-Beriev_Be-12P-200_Chaika_AN0198039.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="142" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Beriev_Be-12P-200_Chaika_AN0198039.jpg/330px-Beriev_Be-12P-200_Chaika_AN0198039.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Beriev_Be-12P-200_Chaika_AN0198039.jpg/440px-Beriev_Be-12P-200_Chaika_AN0198039.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1057" data-file-height="682" /></a><figcaption>A <a href="/wiki/Russian_Naval_Aviation" title="Russian Naval Aviation">Russian Navy</a> <a href="/wiki/Beriev_Be-12" title="Beriev Be-12">Beriev Be-12</a> used for maritime patrol and <a href="/wiki/Anti-submarine_warfare" title="Anti-submarine warfare">ASW</a></figcaption></figure> <p>A maritime patrol aircraft is a fixed-wing military aircraft designed to operate for long durations over water in maritime patrol roles—in particular <a href="/wiki/Anti-submarine_warfare" title="Anti-submarine warfare">anti-submarine</a>, <a href="/wiki/Anti-surface_warfare" title="Anti-surface warfare">anti-ship</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Search_and_rescue" title="Search and rescue">search and rescue</a>. Some patrol aircraft were designed for this purpose, like the <a href="/wiki/Kawasaki_P-1" title="Kawasaki P-1">Kawasaki P-1</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Many others are modified designs of pre-existing aircraft, such as the <a href="/wiki/Boeing_P-8_Poseidon" title="Boeing P-8 Poseidon">Boeing P-8 Poseidon</a>, which is based on the <a href="/wiki/Boeing_737_Next_Generation" title="Boeing 737 Next Generation">Boeing 737-800</a> airliner.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> While the term maritime patrol aircraft generally refers to fixed wing aircraft, other aircraft types, such as blimps and helicopters, have also been used in the same roles. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Multirole">Multirole</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Multirole"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/Multirole_combat_aircraft" title="Multirole combat aircraft">Multirole combat aircraft</a>, <a href="/wiki/Fighter-bomber" title="Fighter-bomber">Fighter-bomber</a>, <a href="/wiki/Strike_fighter" title="Strike fighter">Strike fighter</a>, <a href="/wiki/Light_combat_aircraft" title="Light combat aircraft">Light combat aircraft</a>, <a href="/wiki/Armed_helicopter" title="Armed helicopter">Armed helicopter</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Utility_helicopter" title="Utility helicopter">Utility helicopter</a></div> <p>Many combat aircraft in the modern day have multirole capabilities. Normally only applied to fixed-wing aircraft, the term signifies the ability to transition between air-to-air and air-to-ground roles, sometimes even during the same mission. An example of a multirole design is the <a href="/wiki/F-15E_Strike_Eagle" class="mw-redirect" title="F-15E Strike Eagle">F-15E Strike Eagle</a>, <a href="/wiki/Eurofighter_Typhoon" title="Eurofighter Typhoon">Eurofighter Typhoon</a>, <a href="/w/index.php?title=The_Rafale_Dassault&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="The Rafale Dassault (page does not exist)">the Rafale Dassault </a> and <a href="/wiki/Panavia_Tornado" title="Panavia Tornado">Panavia Tornado</a>. A World War II example would be the <a href="/wiki/P-38_Lightning" class="mw-redirect" title="P-38 Lightning">P-38 Lightning</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A <a href="/wiki/Utility_helicopter" title="Utility helicopter">utility helicopter</a> could also count as a multirole aircraft and can fill roles such as <a href="/wiki/Close-air_support" class="mw-redirect" title="Close-air support">close-air support</a>, <a href="/wiki/Air_assault" title="Air assault">air assault</a>, <a href="/wiki/Military_logistics" title="Military logistics">military logistics</a>, <a href="/wiki/CASEVAC" class="mw-redirect" title="CASEVAC">CASEVAC</a>, <a href="/wiki/Medical_evacuation" title="Medical evacuation">medical evacuation</a>, <a href="/wiki/Command_and_control" title="Command and control">command and control</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Military_transport_helicopter" class="mw-redirect" title="Military transport helicopter">troop transport</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Unmanned">Unmanned</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Unmanned"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:MQ-9_Reaper_UAV.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/MQ-9_Reaper_UAV.jpg/218px-MQ-9_Reaper_UAV.jpg" decoding="async" width="218" height="145" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/MQ-9_Reaper_UAV.jpg/327px-MQ-9_Reaper_UAV.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/MQ-9_Reaper_UAV.jpg/436px-MQ-9_Reaper_UAV.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4288" data-file-height="2848" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/General_Atomics_MQ-9_Reaper" title="General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper">General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper</a> UCAV</figcaption></figure> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Unmanned_combat_aerial_vehicle" title="Unmanned combat aerial vehicle">Unmanned combat aerial vehicle</a></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Unmanned_combat_aerial_vehicle" title="Unmanned combat aerial vehicle">Unmanned combat aerial vehicles</a> (UCAV) have no crew, but are controlled by a remote operator. They may have varying degrees of <a href="/wiki/Unmanned_aerial_vehicle#Degree_of_autonomy" title="Unmanned aerial vehicle">autonomy</a>. UCAVs are often armed with <a href="/wiki/Aerial_bomb" title="Aerial bomb">bombs</a>, <a href="/wiki/Air-to-surface_missile" title="Air-to-surface missile">air-to-surface missiles</a>, or other <a href="/wiki/Aircraft_ordnance" title="Aircraft ordnance">aircraft ordinance</a>. Their uses typically include <a href="/wiki/Targeted_killing" title="Targeted killing">targeted killings</a>, <a href="/wiki/Precision-guided_munition" title="Precision-guided munition">precision airstrikes</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Air_interdiction" title="Air interdiction">air interdictions</a>, as well as other forms of <a href="/wiki/Drone_warfare" title="Drone warfare">drone warfare</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Non-combat"><span class="anchor" id="Non-combat_aircraft"></span> Non-combat</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Non-combat"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Non-combat roles of military aircraft include <a href="/wiki/Search_and_rescue" title="Search and rescue">search and rescue</a>, <a href="/wiki/Aerial_reconnaissance" title="Aerial reconnaissance">reconnaissance</a>, <a href="/wiki/Surveillance_aircraft" title="Surveillance aircraft">observation/surveillance</a>, <a href="/wiki/Airborne_early_warning_and_control" title="Airborne early warning and control">Airborne Early Warning and Control</a>, <a href="/wiki/Military_transport_aircraft" title="Military transport aircraft">transport</a>, <a href="/wiki/Trainer_(aircraft)" class="mw-redirect" title="Trainer (aircraft)">training</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Aerial_refueling" title="Aerial refueling">aerial refueling</a>. </p><p>Many civil aircraft, both fixed wing and rotary wing, have been produced in separate models for military use, such as the civilian <a href="/wiki/Douglas_DC-3" title="Douglas DC-3">Douglas DC-3</a> airliner, which became the military <a href="/wiki/C-47_Skytrain" class="mw-redirect" title="C-47 Skytrain">C-47 Skytrain</a>, and British "Dakota" transport planes, and decades later, the USAF's <a href="/wiki/Douglas_AC-47_Spooky" title="Douglas AC-47 Spooky">AC-47 Spooky</a> gunships. Even the fabric-covered two-seat <a href="/wiki/Piper_J-3_Cub" title="Piper J-3 Cub">Piper J-3 Cub</a> had a military version. <a href="/wiki/Military_glider" title="Military glider">Gliders</a> and <a href="/wiki/Observation_balloon" title="Observation balloon">balloons</a> have also been used as military aircraft; for example, balloons were used for observation during the <a href="/wiki/American_Civil_War" title="American Civil War">American Civil War</a> and during <a href="/wiki/World_War_I" title="World War I">World War I</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Military_glider" title="Military glider">military gliders</a> were used during <a href="/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II">World War II</a> to deliver ground troops in <a href="/wiki/Airborne_forces" title="Airborne forces">airborne assaults</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Military_transport">Military transport</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Military transport"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:EGLF_-_Airbus_A400M_Atlas_-_EC-400_(28629053357).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/EGLF_-_Airbus_A400M_Atlas_-_EC-400_%2828629053357%29.jpg/220px-EGLF_-_Airbus_A400M_Atlas_-_EC-400_%2828629053357%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="148" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/EGLF_-_Airbus_A400M_Atlas_-_EC-400_%2828629053357%29.jpg/330px-EGLF_-_Airbus_A400M_Atlas_-_EC-400_%2828629053357%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/EGLF_-_Airbus_A400M_Atlas_-_EC-400_%2828629053357%29.jpg/440px-EGLF_-_Airbus_A400M_Atlas_-_EC-400_%2828629053357%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="5074" data-file-height="3417" /></a><figcaption>An <a href="/wiki/Airbus_A400M_Atlas" title="Airbus A400M Atlas">A400M Atlas</a> transport aircraft of the <a href="/wiki/Royal_Air_Force" title="Royal Air Force">Royal Air Force</a></figcaption></figure> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/Military_transport_aircraft" title="Military transport aircraft">Military transport aircraft</a> and <a href="/wiki/Military_glider" title="Military glider">Military glider</a></div> <p>Military transport (logistics) aircraft are primarily used to transport troops and war supplies. Cargo can be attached to pallets, which are easily loaded, secured for flight, and quickly unloaded for delivery. Cargo also may be discharged from flying aircraft on <a href="/wiki/Parachute" title="Parachute">parachutes</a>, eliminating the need for landing. Also included in this category are <a href="/wiki/List_of_tanker_aircraft_(aerial_refueling)" class="mw-redirect" title="List of tanker aircraft (aerial refueling)">aerial tankers</a>; these planes can refuel other aircraft while <a href="/wiki/Aerial_refueling" title="Aerial refueling">in flight</a>. An example of a transport aircraft is the <a href="/wiki/C-17_Globemaster_III" class="mw-redirect" title="C-17 Globemaster III">C-17 Globemaster III</a>. A World War II example would be the <a href="/wiki/C-47" class="mw-redirect" title="C-47">C-47</a>. An example of a tanker craft would be the <a href="/wiki/KC-135_Stratotanker" class="mw-redirect" title="KC-135 Stratotanker">KC-135 Stratotanker</a>. <a href="/wiki/Military_transport_helicopter" class="mw-redirect" title="Military transport helicopter">Transport helicopters</a> and <a href="/wiki/Military_glider" title="Military glider">gliders</a> can transport troops and supplies to areas where other aircraft would be unable to land. Calling a military transport aircraft a "cargo plane" is inaccurate, because military transport planes are able to carry <a href="/wiki/Paratrooper" title="Paratrooper">paratroopers</a> and other personnel. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Airborne_early_warning_and_control">Airborne early warning and control</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: Airborne early warning and control"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Airborne_early_warning_and_control" title="Airborne early warning and control">Airborne early warning and control</a></div> <p>An airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system is an airborne radar system designed to detect aircraft, ships and ground vehicles at long ranges and control and command the battle space in an air engagement by directing fighter and attack aircraft strikes. AEW&C units are also used to carry out surveillance, including over ground targets and frequently perform C2BM (command and control, battle management) functions similar to an Airport Traffic Controller given military command over other forces. Used at a high altitude, the radars on the aircraft allow the operators to distinguish between friendly and hostile aircraft hundreds of miles away. </p><p>AEW&C aircraft are used for both defensive and offensive air operations, and are to the NATO and American trained or integrated air forces what the <a href="/wiki/Combat_information_center" title="Combat information center">combat information center</a> is to a <a href="/wiki/Naval_ship" title="Naval ship">naval vessel</a>, plus a highly mobile and powerful radar platform. The system is used offensively to direct fighters to their target locations, and defensively in order to counterattacks by enemy forces, both air and ground. So useful is the advantage of command and control from a high altitude, the United States Navy operates AEW&C aircraft off its Supercarriers to augment and protect its carrier <a href="/wiki/Combat_information_center" title="Combat information center">combat information center</a> (CICs). </p><p>AEW&C is also known by the older terms "airborne early warning" (AEW) and "airborne warning and control system" (AWACS, /ˈeɪwæks/ ay-waks) although AWACS is the name of <a href="/wiki/Boeing_E-3_Sentry" title="Boeing E-3 Sentry">a specific system</a> currently used by NATO and the USAF and is often used in error to describe similar systems. </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:MQ-4C_Triton_Test_Flight_with_Multi-Intelligence_Upgrade.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/MQ-4C_Triton_Test_Flight_with_Multi-Intelligence_Upgrade.jpg/220px-MQ-4C_Triton_Test_Flight_with_Multi-Intelligence_Upgrade.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="147" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/MQ-4C_Triton_Test_Flight_with_Multi-Intelligence_Upgrade.jpg/330px-MQ-4C_Triton_Test_Flight_with_Multi-Intelligence_Upgrade.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/MQ-4C_Triton_Test_Flight_with_Multi-Intelligence_Upgrade.jpg/440px-MQ-4C_Triton_Test_Flight_with_Multi-Intelligence_Upgrade.jpg 2x" data-file-width="5000" data-file-height="3334" /></a><figcaption>An <a href="/wiki/MQ-4C_Triton" class="mw-redirect" title="MQ-4C Triton">MQ-4C Triton</a> operated by the <a href="/wiki/U.S._Navy" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. Navy">U.S. Navy</a></figcaption></figure> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Reconnaissance_and_surveillance">Reconnaissance and surveillance</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: Reconnaissance and surveillance"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/Reconnaissance_aircraft" title="Reconnaissance aircraft">Reconnaissance aircraft</a>, <a href="/wiki/Surveillance_aircraft" title="Surveillance aircraft">Surveillance aircraft</a>, <a href="/wiki/Liaison_aircraft" title="Liaison aircraft">Liaison aircraft</a>, <a href="/wiki/Unmanned_aerial_vehicle" title="Unmanned aerial vehicle">Unmanned aerial vehicle</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Unmanned_surveillance_and_reconnaissance_aerial_vehicle" title="Unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle">Unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle</a></div> <p>Reconnaissance aircraft are primarily used to gather intelligence. They are equipped with cameras and other sensors. These aircraft may be specially designed or may be modified from a basic fighter or bomber type. This role is increasingly being filled by <a href="/wiki/Military_satellites" class="mw-redirect" title="Military satellites">military satellites</a> and <a href="/wiki/Unmanned_aerial_vehicles" class="mw-redirect" title="Unmanned aerial vehicles">unmanned aerial vehicles</a> (UAVs). </p><p>Surveillance and observation aircraft use radar and other sensors for battlefield surveillance, <a href="/wiki/Airborne_early_warning" class="mw-redirect" title="Airborne early warning">airspace surveillance</a>, <a href="/wiki/Maritime_patrol" title="Maritime patrol">maritime patrol</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Artillery_spotting" class="mw-redirect" title="Artillery spotting">artillery spotting</a>. They include modified civil aircraft designs, moored balloons and UAVs. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Experimental">Experimental</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: Experimental"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Experimental_aircraft" title="Experimental aircraft">Experimental aircraft</a></div> <p>Experimental aircraft are designed in order to test advanced aerodynamic, structural, avionic, or propulsion concepts. These are usually well instrumented, with performance data telemetered on radio-frequency data links to ground stations located at the test ranges where they are flown. An example of an experimental aircraft is the <a href="/wiki/Bristol_188" title="Bristol 188">Bristol 188</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=17" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_aircraft" title="List of aircraft">List of aircraft</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_fighter_aircraft" title="List of fighter aircraft">List of fighter aircraft</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=18" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-gunston-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-gunston_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-gunston_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Gunston 1986, p. 274</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Guilmartin, John F., Jr. "Military Aircraft." Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, n.d. Web. 11 May 2015 (March 2015)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.bbrclub.org/History%20of%20Balloons%20in%20Warfare.htm">"History of Balloons in Warfare"</a>. <i>bbrclub</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2019-02-25</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=bbrclub&rft.atitle=History+of+Balloons+in+Warfare&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbrclub.org%2FHistory%2520of%2520Balloons%2520in%2520Warfare.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMilitary+aircraft" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-bl.uk-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-bl.uk_4-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-bl.uk_4-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/aerial-warfare-during-world-war-one">"Aerial warfare during World War One"</a>. <i>The British Library</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2019-02-25</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=www.century-of-flight.net&rft.atitle=balloons+in+World+War+2&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.century-of-flight.net%2Fnew%2520site%2Fballoons%2FWorld%2520War%2520II.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMilitary+aircraft" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/world%E2%80%99s-first-military-airplane">"The World's First Military Airplane"</a>. <i>National Air and Space Museum</i>. 2009-07-23<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2019-02-25</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=National+Air+and+Space+Museum&rft.atitle=The+World%27s+First+Military+Airplane&rft.date=2009-07-23&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fairandspace.si.edu%2Fstories%2Feditorial%2Fworld%25E2%2580%2599s-first-military-airplane&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMilitary+aircraft" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMunson2004" class="citation book cs1">Munson, Kenneth (2004). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/56387422"><i>Bombers : patrol and reconnaissance aircraft 1914-1919</i></a>. London: Bounty Books. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7537-0918-X" title="Special:BookSources/0-7537-0918-X"><bdi>0-7537-0918-X</bdi></a>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/56387422">56387422</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Bombers+%3A+patrol+and+reconnaissance+aircraft+1914-1919&rft.place=London&rft.pub=Bounty+Books&rft.date=2004&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F56387422&rft.isbn=0-7537-0918-X&rft.aulast=Munson&rft.aufirst=Kenneth&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldcat.org%2Foclc%2F56387422&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMilitary+aircraft" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/history/rocket-history.txt">"A brief history of rocketry"</a>. NASA Spacelink. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060805203537/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/history/rocket-history.txt">Archived</a> from the original on 5 August 2006<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2006-08-19</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=A+brief+history+of+rocketry&rft.pub=NASA+Spacelink&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fscience.ksc.nasa.gov%2Fhistory%2Frocket-history.txt&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMilitary+aircraft" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.boeing.com/defense/ea-18g-growler/">EA-18G Growler</a> <i><a href="/wiki/Boeing" title="Boeing">Boeing</a></i> Retrieved January 20, 2016</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://global.kawasaki.com/en/mobility/air/aircrafts/p_1.html">Kawasaki P-1</a> <i><a href="/wiki/Kawasaki_Aerospace_Company" title="Kawasaki Aerospace Company">Kawasaki Aerospace Company</a></i> Retrieved January 20, 2017</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.boeing.com/defense/maritime-surveillance/p-8-poseidon/index.page">P-8 Poseidon</a> <i><a href="/wiki/Boeing" title="Boeing">Boeing</a></i> Retrieved January 20, 2017</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dwyer, Larry (17 September 1997). "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.aviation-history.com/lockheed/p38.html">Lockheed P38 Lightning</a>". The Aviation History Online Museum</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Utility+helicopter">"Utility helicopter"</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Utility+helicopter&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thefreedictionary.com%2FUtility%2Bhelicopter&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMilitary+aircraft" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFGunston1986" class="citation book cs1">Gunston, Bill (1986). <i>Jane's Aerospace Dictionary</i>. London, England: Jane's Publishing Company Limited. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7106-0365-7" title="Special:BookSources/0-7106-0365-7"><bdi>0-7106-0365-7</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Jane%27s+Aerospace+Dictionary&rft.place=London%2C+England&rft.pub=Jane%27s+Publishing+Company+Limited&rft.date=1986&rft.isbn=0-7106-0365-7&rft.aulast=Gunston&rft.aufirst=Bill&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMilitary+aircraft" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Military_aircraft&action=edit&section=19" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><span 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href="/wiki/Template:Military_aircraft_types_(roles)" title="Template:Military aircraft types (roles)"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Military_aircraft_types_(roles)" title="Template talk:Military aircraft types (roles)"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Military_aircraft_types_(roles)" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Military aircraft types (roles)"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Modern_military_aircraft_types_and_roles" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em">Modern <a class="mw-selflink selflink">military aircraft</a> types and roles</div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Types</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Airship" title="Airship">Airship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_military_ballooning" title="History of military ballooning">Balloon</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Fixed-wing</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Military_glider" title="Military glider">Glider</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Military_helicopter" title="Military helicopter">Helicopter</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Unmanned_aerial_vehicle" title="Unmanned aerial vehicle">Unmanned <span style="font-size:85%;">(UAV)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Stealth_aircraft" title="Stealth aircraft">Stealth</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Roles</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;font-weight:normal;">Combat</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Airborne_early_warning_and_control" title="Airborne early warning and control">Airborne early warning and control</a> (AEW&C)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Attack_aircraft" title="Attack aircraft">Attack</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Counter-insurgency_aircraft" title="Counter-insurgency aircraft">Counter-insurgency</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gunship" title="Gunship">Gunship</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bomber" title="Bomber">Bomber</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Heavy_bomber" title="Heavy bomber">Heavy bomber</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Light_bomber" title="Light bomber">Light bomber</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Medium_bomber" title="Medium bomber">Medium bomber</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Strategic_bomber" title="Strategic bomber">Strategic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Penetrator_(aircraft)" title="Penetrator (aircraft)">Penetrator</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pathfinder_(RAF)" title="Pathfinder (RAF)">Pathfinder</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Carrier-based_aircraft" title="Carrier-based aircraft">Carrier</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Close_air_support" title="Close air support">Close air support</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Electronic_warfare_aircraft" class="mw-redirect" title="Electronic warfare aircraft">Electronic warfare <span style="font-size:85%;">(EW)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Intruder_(air_combat)" title="Intruder (air combat)">Intruder</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fighter_aircraft" title="Fighter aircraft">Fighter</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Air_superiority_fighter" title="Air superiority fighter">Air superiority</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Interceptor_aircraft" title="Interceptor aircraft">Interceptor</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Emergency_fighter" title="Emergency fighter">Emergency</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Escort_fighter" title="Escort fighter">Escort</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Night_fighter" title="Night fighter">Night</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Maritime_patrol_aircraft" title="Maritime patrol aircraft">Maritime patrol</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Multirole_combat_aircraft" title="Multirole combat aircraft">Multi-role</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Interdictor" title="Interdictor">Interdictor</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fighter-bomber" title="Fighter-bomber">Fighter-bomber</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Strike_fighter" title="Strike fighter">Strike fighter</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;font-weight:normal;">Non-combat</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Experimental_aircraft" title="Experimental aircraft">Experimental</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Liaison_aircraft" title="Liaison aircraft">Liaison</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Reconnaissance_aircraft" title="Reconnaissance aircraft">Reconnaissance</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Scout_(aircraft)" title="Scout (aircraft)">Scout</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Surveillance_aircraft" title="Surveillance aircraft">Surveillance</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Scout_plane" title="Scout plane">Scout</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aerial_refueling" title="Aerial refueling">Tanker</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Testbed_aircraft" title="Testbed aircraft">Testbed</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Trainer_aircraft" title="Trainer aircraft">Trainer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Military_transport_aircraft" title="Military transport aircraft">Transport</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1038841319">.mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}</style><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" 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