Military Airplanes

Abstract

This chapter presents an overview and historical review of military aircraft. A military aircraft is defined as an aircraft that executes military missions. This is a wide definition and includes various airborne platforms. The main three platforms are fighters, bombers, and transports aircraft. The potential of aircraft for military use was understood even prior to the first flight of a heavier‐than‐air airborne vehicle. In its development history throughout the last century, major military aviation developments were spurred by wars. World War I presented to the world the first massive use of military aviation as a combat and reconnaissance military branch. The Second World War already presented a developed concept of military aviation, including heavy use of fighter, bomber, and transport aircraft in military campaigns. As a result of these developments, major progress in the aeronautical fields has occurred. New jet propulsion, new avionics, and new materials have appeared and thousands of flight hours contributed to further understanding and development of military and civil aviation. During the second half of the twentieth century, leading countries invested in developing new designs. The most impressive progress was the jet fighter – new aeronautical innovations, achieved by technological advances in aerodynamics, propulsion, and avionics.