Military Aircraft

Aerospace Technology I

Facilitator-Mr. Lee

Adapted from- Aerospace: The Journey of Flight

Objectives • Describe the functions of the major

categories of military aviation

• Describe the "MDS Designation“ system

Designation System • A U.S. military aerospace vehicle

designation is also known as an "MDS Designation”

o MDS stands for "Mission-Design-Series", naming the three most important components of the designation.

o For example: F-15E Eagle

Mission Identifiers • A - Ground Attack

• B - Bomber

• C - Transport

• E - Special Electronic Mission

• F - Fighter

• K - Tanker

• L - Laser-Equipped

• O - Observation

• P - Maritime Patrol

• R – Reconnaissance

• S - Antisubmarine Warfare

• T - Trainer

• U - Utility

• D - UAV Control

• G - Glider [1978/86-today]

• H - Helicopter [1962-today]

• Q - UAV [1997-today] (see

• S - Spaceplane

• V - VTOL/STOL

• Z - Lighter-than-Air

Types of Bombers • Bombers are large, long-range aircraft

whose mission to reach into the enemy’s homeland and destroy the ability to wage war

• B-52 – design started in the 1940s, built between 1952 & 1962

o The current one is the B-52H It has eight turbofan engines, goes about 660 mph,

and has a range of up to 10,000 miles

B52 High speed fly by

Types of Bombers… • B-1 – The B-1B was approved by President Reagan

in 1981

o It goes at speeds of Mach 1.25 (830 mph) at 50,000 feet

Types of Bombers… • B-2 – is the new Advanced Technology Bomber and

often called the “stealth” bomber

o The B-2 uses the latest technology to make it invisible to enemy radar and infrared detectors

Types of Fighters • Fighters – basic mission is to destroy other

aircraft

• A-10 – primary mission is to support ground troops

o It is slow, but is highly maneuverable

o Can operate at extremely low altitudes

Types of Fighters… • F-15 Eagle – is an all-weather, extremely

maneuverable, tactical fighter designed to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat

o It has a speed of more than Mach 2

Types of Fighters… • F-16 Fighting Falcon – lightweight fighter

that goes Mach 2

o It locates targets in all weather conditions and detects low-flying aircraft in radar ground clutter

Types of Fighters… • F/A-18 is an all-weather fighter and attack

aircraft

o It was designed for traditional strike applications such as interdiction and close air support without compromising its fighter and self-defense capabilities

Types of Fighters… • F-22 was built to replace the F-15 and is

called the Advanced Tactical Fighter

o It is the only aircraft in the world that can travel at Mach 1 without using afterburners

Types of Fighters… • AV-8B:

o Vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) ground-attack aircraft

o Used by the USMC

Types of Fighters… • F-35:

o Stealth single-seat, single-engine multisession aircraft

o Three main models:

F-35A is a conventional takeoff and landing variant

F-35B is a short take off and vertical-landing variant

F-35C is a carrier-based variant

F-35B Ship Suitability Testing

Noncombat Aircraft • Reconnaissance & Observation

Aircraft – used by the military to watch an enemy or potential enemy:

o TR-1/U2 – built in the 1950s as a spy plane

It can fly at extremely high altitudes (90,000)

o SR-71 Blackbird – the world’s highest and fastest aircraft

It operated at altitudes of 80,000 – 100,000 feet at a speed in excess of Mach 3

Noncombat Aircraft… • V-22 Osprey:

o Multi-mission tiltrotor aircraft with both a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability

o It is designed to combine the functionality of a conventional helicopter with the long-range, high-speed cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft

V-22 Demo

Noncombat Aircraft… • E-3A AWACS (Airborne

Warning and Control System) is based on the Boeing 707

o Serves as an airborne command and control center

• E-4B serves as the National Airborne Operations Center

• E-8 J-STARS – The Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (J-STARS)

o Classifies and track ground targets in all weather conditions

Transport & Tankers • C-5 – USAF’s largest aircraft

o C-5 Galaxy, was built primarily to provide massive strategic (intercontinental) airlift for combat supplies

o The C-5 is massive; nearly 248 feet long with a wingspan of more than 222 feet

• C-17- Globemaster – It is the newest and most flexible cargo aircraft

o It is capable of rapid delivery of troops and all types of cargo

Transport & Tankers… • C-130 Hercules

o Over 30 models having been produced, and with 52 foreign countries and the United States using the C-130

• KC-135 – The military version of the Boeing 707 is the C-135

o The KC-135 tanker

o WC-135 weather aircraft

• KC-10A Extender – an advanced tanker/cargo aircraft

Transport & Tankers… • C-12A is the civilian version

of the Beechcraft Super King Air 200 and is quickly converted for cargo missions

o It carries a crew of two and eight passengers

• C-20 – US Air Force has 11 and uses them for airlifting very important people.

o The aircraft carries a crew of five and 14-18 passengers

Transport & Tankers… • C-21A is the military version

of the Learjet 35A and is used for operational support airlift. It has a crew of two and carries eight passengers

• C-22B is the military version of the Boeing 727

o The Air National Guard on operational-support airlift missions is operating four of these

Trainers • T-3 Firefly – some pilots receive

their initial training in this

• T-38 Talon – This comes after the T-3

o Can fly at Mach 1.2

o The student and instructor sit behind one another

o This plane is used specifically for fighter pilot’s training

Review • Describe the functions of the major categories of

military aviation:

o Fighters

o Bombers

o Cargo

o Trainers

• Describe the "MDS Designation“ system:

o MDS stands for "Mission-Design-Series", naming the three most important components of the designation

o For example: F-15E Eagle

Learn Long Live Long