Wings of Change - Military Aircraft
Barb Anderson

Defined Tag: Military Aircraft.

Introduction

Aviation is fine as a sport. But as an instrument of war, it is worthless - General Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superiure de Guere, 1911.

Only one word to summarize the above quote: French!

When we think of the dawn or advent of military aircraft, instantly images of mavericks piloting their spruce contraptions and falling from the skies of World War I, come to mind. But over the century, military aircraft have evolved and come a long way from the times, when a ground soldier could shoot an expert aviator like the ‘Red Baron’.

Military aircraft are airplanes used in active combat. Nowadays, military aircraft include a wide-array of airplanes in their ambit such as: Fighter aircraft, Ground attack aircraft, Bomber, Tanker, Trainer, Transport, Surveillance aircraft or air reconnaissance or air-observation post. Technically, military aircraft is the classification given to any fixed or non-fixed winged airplane that is in active deployment by the nation’s armed forces.

Military aircraft incorporates any use of an airplane by the nation's military. The prime warfare purpose not only includes strategic air bombing, ground attack and air-defense, but also includes transportation and reconnaissance or air-surveillance. In peacetime, military aircraft are used for disaster relief, training and even search-and-rescue operations.

History

Although actual aerial combat began in early World War I, the first generation jet planes such as the Messerschmitt and Gloster Meteor, appeared only in 1945 or by the end of World War II. Even these airplanes did not function at supersonic speeds, and usually lacked radar. These airplanes were armed primarily with machine-guns, and unguided “wild” rockets. Supersonic military aircraft like the F-105 and the Sukhoi Su-7 came into existence by the mid 1950s.

Present

The current generation of U.S. military airplanes employs cutting-edge technology of fighter design combined with versatility, and also include new developments such as glass cockpits, thrust vectoring, composite materials, super-cruise and stealth. Such aircraft provide the penetrating flexibility and effectiveness inherent in manned bombers. The low-observable technology or "stealth" characteristics give them the exceptional capability to strike the enemy's most sophisticated defenses and threaten its most treasured, and heavily guarded targets. The B-2 Spirit also referred to as the B-2 Bomber, of this category of military aircraft, is the most expensive airplane built to date, costing approximately US $2.2 billion.
Leading Manufactures

Boeing, located in Seattle, employs more than 234,000 people worldwide, is the world's largest aircraft manufacturer, both for commercial and military purpose. Lockheed Martin, based in Bethesda, is the world's second largest aerospace and defense firm. Raytheon, headquartered in Lexington, follows Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Other companies include Northrop Grumman based in Los Angeles, which runs a close fourth in the aerospace industry with a work force of over fifty thousand.

Barb Anderson has edited or written numerous articles for family-oriented ezines and sites on the worldwide web. Barb is Editor of the Power Learning Tips and Tricks newsletter, which is available at:   http://MastermindLearningSystem.com.