Military Aircraft Aerospace Technology I Facilitator-Mr. Lee Adapted from- Aerospace: The Journey of Flight
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