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
AV-8B: Types of Fighters o Vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) ground-attack aircraft o Used by the USMC
F-35: Types of Fighters 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: Fighters Bombers Cargo Trainers Describe the "MDS Designation system: MDS stands for "Mission-Design- Series", naming the three most important components of the designation For example: F-15E Eagle
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