Tag: military aircraft

• A10 Thunderbolt

  The primary role of the A-10 Thunderbolt II was to provide close air support for ground forces. The single-seat twin engine A-10 was designed to destroy armored vehicles, tanks, and other fortified targets. It also provided forward air control in advance of other aircraft. The first A-10 flew in October of 1975, and in March […]

• E-2C Hawkeye

  The E-2C Hawkeye is primarily used as an aerial early warning system and a control center for commanders in battle. The United States Navy employs the E-2C Hawkeye as a carrier-based aircraft for the use of the Joint Force Commander and Carrier Strike Group. The E-2C is also used for search and rescue operations, law […]

• PBY Catalina

  The PBY Catalina aircraft was used heavily in World War II as a defense against submarines and as convoy escorts, search and rescue aircraft, transports, and patrol bombers. Its versatility and long-range capability made it invaluable. It could be fitted just as easily with depth charges or bombs, torpedoes, or other ordnance. Many thousands of […]

• A6 Intruder

  In 1960, the A-6 Intruder attack aircraft made its first flight and by 1963, the EA-6 Intruder went into flight carrier service as a naval attack aircraft. It was the world’s first all-weather attack bomber. The A-6 Intruder had the ability to deliver nuclear and conventional ordnance on target in zero-visibility due to bad weather […]

• Eurofighter Typhoon

  The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine stealth fighter capable of achieving subsonic and supersonic speeds. Its carbon fiber composite airframe with lightweight titanium, Glass Reinforced Plastics (“GRP”), and alloy construction minimizes the airplane’s overall weight. These advanced materials improve fuel performance and the aircraft’s maximum range which allows ...

• SBD Dauntless

  The Douglas Company began production of the SBD Dauntless in the early part of 1940: The plane completed its first flight on May 1, 1940. The US Military entered the “Dauntless” into service first with the Marines as the SBD-1, followed by the Navy’s activation of the aircraft in 1941 which flew the SBD-2 version […]

• Air Force One

  Air Force One is actually the designation for any plane that is transporting the President of the United States. Two heavily modified Boeing 747-200B VC-25 aircraft are reserved for this purpose, though other fixed wing and rotary aircraft have been designated Air Force One to be used as needed. The VC-25 airplanes are flown by […]

• F14 Tomcat

  The F-14 Tomcat represented the dawning of a new age of fighter aircraft. Its technology and capability vastly overpowered traditional military planes and the fighter’s impact remains apparent even today. The F-14A debuted on December 21, 1970 and after several years of modifications it became the foremost carrier-based fighter aircraft in the United States Navy. […]

• Scan Eagle

  ScanEagle is a low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by Boeing and The Insitu Group. The UAV completed its first flight in 2002. The aircraft’s design is based on SeaScan, a miniature robotic plane that Insitu produced for collecting weather information and was used by commercial fishers to find schools of tuna. ScanEagle launches from […]

• AT63 Pampa

  The newest version of the AT-63 Pampa was designed by Lockheed Martin for the Argentina Air Force for use as a training aircraft. Production of the Pampa is being completed in Argentina by Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina S.A. The first demonstrator aircraft was completed on December 15, 2004 and flight tests began on June 30, […]

• F16 Falcon

  Since its inception in 1975, more than 4,000 F-16 Fighting Falcons in 110 versions have been produced. In addition to the United States Air Force, 24 additional countries have chosen the fourth-generation fighter to serve in their military. Some countries have purchased used F-16s from those mothballed by the U.S. Air Force. The F-16 Fighting […]

• SR-71 Blackbird

  The SR-71 Blackbird was based on the A-11 as an unarmed reconnaissance aircraft capable of flying at high altitudes and reaching Mach 3 speeds. Lockheed began manufacturing the SR-71 in February of 1963. On December 22 of the following year, the plane completed its first test flight in absolute secrecy, and the work on the […]