AEROSPACE PRODUCTS
Military aircraft
Military
aircraft are used for a variety of different tasks,
including (broadly) locating, tracking and destroying
targets. Given the specialised nature of the role
that they perform, derived from the nature of
the tasks that they are expected to carry out
in warfare, military aircraft are variously categorised
as bombers, fighters, fighter-bombers, transports,
trainers, reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft.
Types of military aircraft
- Fighters - air superiority/ground
attack/multi-role
- Bombers
- Reconnaissance and surveillance
planes - airborne warning and control systems
(AWACS)/unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
- Transport
Fighters/air-superiority:
Typically, fighter aircraft are fast, highly manoeuvrable
flying machines, designed to engage and destroy
enemy aircraft. Fighter aircraft that perform
such a role as their sole, or primary, function
are dubbed as 'air-superiority fighters'. As part
of their duty, fighters also escort bombers or
other non-attack aircraft. This is in consonance
with their main function to maintain control over
their air space as well as that of the enemy.
Fighters carry an assortment of weaponry, which
includes cannons, rockets, guided missiles, and
bombs. The weapon load that a fighter aircraft
carries varies, depending upon the nature of the
mission. In a secondary role such fighters also
take on targets on the ground.
Fighters/ ground attack:
As opposed to the air-superiority fighter, there
are ground attack aircraft, which resemble air-superiority
fighters in size and general capabilities but
are dedicated to attacking targets on the ground.
Smaller in size than bomber aircraft and hence
more agile, ground attack aircraft are capable
of attacking smaller, and widely dispersed, targets
with a greater degree of precision and speed than
the larger, more cumbersome bombers, which generally
fly at higher altitudes. Generally speaking ground-attack
fighters match air-superiority fighters in speed
and size, and so allow quick response and 'getaway'
advantages.
Fighters/ multi-role (multi-role
combat aircraft): Over the last few decades,
fighter aircraft have been designed to perform
functions other than their primary one of maintaining
air-superiority. Depending on the mission, a multi-role
fighter aircraft can assume either an air-superiority
or ground-attack role. The avionics and armaments
of a multi-role combat aircraft enable it to perform
both functions with ease.
Bombers: These are typically
larger, heavier, and less manoeuvrable aircraft
than fighters. A couple of decades ago they would
have been described as being slower than fighters
as well, but today supersonic bombers have chipped
away at that particular advantage enjoyed by fighters.
Given their size, they are capable of carrying
a large load of weapons and are used to attack
targets on the ground.
Reconnaissance/surveillance:
Reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft,
such as AWACS aircraft and UAVs, are used primarily
to gather intelligence. In the case of AWACS,
the functions extend to controlling air battles
as the operators aboard such aircraft assume responsibilities
so far exercised by ground controllers. Equipped
with highly sophisticated electronic equipment
such as photographic, infrared, radar, and television
sensors, such aircraft become the "eyes and
ears" of militaries around the world that
are capable of deploying them. In the case of
AWACS, the aircraft are either specially designed
and built for such roles or have their equipment
'loaded' on to modified transport, airliner or
bomber platforms.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles:
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are designed from
scratch, and in appearance tend to resemble aircraft
from the very early days of aviation, when aircraft
design was dependent on the whims and fancies
of aviation pioneers. Recent versions have tended
to be more streamlined in design, and are extremely
sophisticated in their capabilities.
The
long endurance qualities of UAVs make them very
useful replacements for manned aircraft, from
which they are expected to increasingly take over
surveillance responsibilities. They are also finding
new use in civilian areas, as in spotting and
controlling forest fires and in border patrol.
Transport: Transport aircraft
are primarily used to ferry troops, equipment
and materiel. Aerial tankers can refuel fighters
and bombers, while in flight, thereby extending
their operational range.
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