Tag: military aircraft

• B29 Superfortress

  In 1939, prior to the United States entering the Second World War, Boeing submitted the B-29 prototype to the U.S. Army for consideration as a long-range heavy bomber. Boeing hoped that the airplane’s advanced new features, such as its remote controlled guns and pressurized cabin, would appeal to the military. Other attractive features included an […]

• FA-18 Hornet

  The FA-18 Hornet is an all-weather fighter jet that can be deployed on land or on an aircraft carrier. The airplane completed its first flight on September 13, 1978 and it remains in production today, although the current model is vastly different from the original FA-18. In addition to serving in the United States Navy […]

• X47A

  Unlike most of the military aircraft that Northrop Grumman designs and manufactures, the X-47A Pegasus was not built because of demand from the U.S. military. Instead, Northrop constructed the X-47A Pegasus at their own cost. Northrop wanted to prove that building prototypes of unmanned vehicles could be done cheaply and quickly without sacrificing quality. Northrop […]

• C-130 Hercules

  The Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules aircraft is affectionately referred to by many as the Herc and has been in continuous production since 1956. To date, more than 2,260 of the aircraft in various configurations have been delivered to 60 countries, and 67 countries fly the plane, some of which were purchased as pre-owned. From 1964 […]

• Fire Scout

  The MQ-8B Fire Scout‘s design is based on the Schweizer Aircraft 330 helicopter. It’s also based on the RQ-8B VTUAV System which the U.S. Navy is currently testing and evaluating. Production of the Fire Scout began in 2000, though the MQ-8B was not used extensively until May of 2002. The U.S. Navy and Army each […]

• C-141 Starlifter

  The C-141 Starlifter is manufactured by Lockheed-Georgia Co. (now Lockheed Martin) and entered service for the United States Air Force in 1964 though it didn’t actually begin operations until 1965. In 1979, the U.S. Army took delivery of its first C-141. The aircraft has been primarily used for long range troop and equipment transportation and […]

• RQ-4 Global Hawk

  The Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) began operational service in 2000 and remains in service with the United States Air Force. The Global Hawk is a high-altitude aircraft that has been used extensively for acquiring reconnaissance images in the Iraq War. These high-resolution images are received by battlefield commanders in almost real-time. The Global […]

• C-5 Galaxy

  The C-5 Galaxy entered service in June 1970 when Lockheed-Georgia Co. delivered the aircraft to the United States Air Force. The USAF has retained exclusive purchasing rights to the Galaxy. The primary purpose of the Lockheed C-5 is to support heavy airlift missions on behalf of the U.S. military. The airplane is capable of transporting […]

• MQ-5B Hunter

  The MQ-5B Hunter is an unmanned aircraft used for surveillance, reconnaissance, battle damage assessment, and identification of enemy targets. The medium altitude MQ-5B is based on the RQ-5A Hunter, which Northrop Grumman built for the U.S. Army in 1996. The newer generation Hunter can be operated by enlisted soldiers and minimal maintenance is required of […]

• C17 Globemaster

  The C-17 Globemaster III is a military transport airplane with a high wing, four engines and an unusual T-tail. Its primary mission is to transport troops, supplies, and/or over-sized equipment anywhere in the world in daylight or at night. It has high adaptability for various missions, in part because the C-17 can use paved or […]

• KC-135 Stratotanker

  The KC-135 Stratotanker was first deployed in August 1956, and has been in operation since 1957. Though the KC-135 Stratotanker is mostly used to refuel planes in-flight, it can also transport cargo, perform reconnaissance work, or be used as an aerial command center. For medical emergencies, the Stratotanker can transport or evacuate patients. Above the […]