USAF aircraft page
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United States Air Force
Aircrafts
For information on specific
types of airplanes, click on the links below:
Note: Not all aircraft in the Air Force's arsenal are
listed, but they are coming soon.
Fighters
Bombers
Ground Attack
More Information
The Lockheed Martin F-16
Fighting Falcon is an absolutely incredible aircraft.
Over 20 years old, it still outperforms most other
fighters in it's class. The pilots of the F-16 fondingly
call it the "Viper". The saying goes in the Air
Force that if you call it a "Fighting Falcon",
you get to buy drinks for your squadron. The Viper was
one of the first operational aircraft to use
"fly-by-wire" electronic controls instead of
hydralics. Nimble and small, the F-16 can out-turn and
engage enemy aircraft at a second's notice. The pilot
sits at a 30 degree recline, allowing him to experience
more G's before passing out than the enemy. The agile
APG-68 fire control radar (FCR) housed in the nose can
switch from its Air-to-Air scan modes:Combined Radar mode
(CRM), Range While Search (RWS), Track While Scan (TWS),
Velocity Search (VS), and, Air combat Mode (ACM) to
Air-to-ground modes such as Ground Map (GM), Ground
Moving Target (GMT), and SEA with a flick of a switch.
The F-16 is truly a mutirole fighter, able to perform
interceptor missions to shoot down enemy bombers, close
air support missions to attack tanks and other vehicles
over the battlefield. It can perform air superiority and
combat air patrol missions to keep the battle zone enemy
fighter free. Defense suppresion missions are to kill
enemy radar positions. Fitted with a And finally, using
lasar guided bombs and AGM-66 maverick missles, the F-16
can precisely attack and destroy enemy targets. This
truely is the swiss army knife of military aircraft.
With over 3000 aircraft in the skys with a large number of the
world's air forces, the F-16 proves its versitility by its popularity.
Used extensively by all that own it, the F-16 has been deployed to most of the conflicts from around the world. As of June 1999, the Viper has racked up a 72 to 0 air combat record. An Amazing record for the little airplane that just could .
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The
McDonnel Douglas F-15 Eagle truely deserves it's name.
Like it's namesake the bird-of-prey, this veteran fighter
is fast, amazingly agile for it's large size. It can
climb like a rocket heading towards outer space. It has
the best radar in the world which can aid the pilot in
destroying targets beyond hisfield of vision. It's
manuverablilty and firepower used to give nightmares to
the best of the Russian pilots. The F-15 can travel at
Mach 2.5, faster than the Russian equivalent of the
SU-27. It carrys 4 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range
Air-to-Air Missle.) and 4 AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking
missles. Or it can carry up to 1500 lbs of bombs or other
munitions. The size of the eagle has earned it an unusual
name with the pilots who fly it. They call it the
"Flying Tennis Court" With a wingspan of 43
feet and a lenth of 64 feet, the Eagle deserves that
nickname. The Eagle has an incredible record of downing
over 100 enemy planes in combat. But no F-15's have ever
been lost in aerial combat. This amazing record will give
this big bird a special place in the hearts of those who
flew, or ever dreamed of flying it. However, by 2005, the
Eagle will be 26 years old. going into battle with it
would be equivelent to driving a 20 year-old car into the
Indy 500. Updating it would cost as much as getting a
replacement, and it would still have a 20 year old
airframe. For these reasons, the F-15 will soon be
replaced in the US Air Force by the incredibly high-tech
F-22 Raptor.
go to f-22raptor.com for more info
The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is the fighter of the 21st century. Although still early in the production stage, It is already promising to lead the next generation of fighter aircraft. Incorporating the latest computer, stealth, and design technology, the F-22 will be capable of performing a variety of tasks now being done by many different aircraft. It's unique design allows a single pilot to maneuver the F-22 at both low speeds as well as reach supersonic speeds without using afterburners whill still incorporating stealth technology. Integrated advanced avionics and weapons systems will allow the F-22 to engage mutiple targets simultaneously, allowing the pilot to fly the aircraft as well as search for its next target. Capable of storing air-to-air weapons internally as well as placing advanced air-to-ground weapons on external pylons, the F-22 will be the ideal fighter to cross enemy lines for air combat and precision bombing missions.
The
Boeing B-52 is singlehandedly the longest-serving
frontline warplane in history. The first of the Buffs
("Big Ugly Fat Fella", the nickname given to
the Stratofortress by it's pilots and crewmen.) flew on
April 15, 1952, almost a half-decade ago! The Buff
quickly became the backbone of the West's nuclear
preparedness in the Cold War. If the need had arisen,
hundreds of B-52's would have headed for the Soviet Union
to drop hydrogen bombs on strategic targets. The
specially modifyed B-52D "Big Belly" could
carry up to 108 conventional bombs. It was used in the
Vietnam Conflict for carpet bombing missions and raised
much fear in the hearts of the North Vietnamese. The B-52
has 6 crew members, 2 pilots, a cruise navigator and a
bomb run navigator, the electronic warfare officer, who
handles all the contermeasure equipment to protect the
Buff from enemy threats, and a bombardier/tailgunner. The
B-52 is one of the most beloved of all aircraft, and as
of now, there are no aircraft that can replace it. The
Air Force announced recently that the Buffs will be
flying high and protecting our interests until around
2020, when a new bomber, probably designated the B-3,
will replace it.
The B-1B
Lancer is a multi-role, long-range bomber, capable of
flying intercontinental missions without refueling, then
penetrating present and predicted sophisticated enemy
defenses. It can perform a variety of missions, including
that of a conventional weapons carrier for operations in
distant lands. The bomber can also serve a number of
missions that are currently being flown by the B-52, such
as long-range sea surveillance and mine-laying missions.
The B-1B represents a major upgrade in U.S. long-range
capabilities over the aging B-52 as the mainstay of the
bomber fleet. Significant advantages include a low radar
cross-section (in laymen's terms, how big the dot on the
radar screen is). The abilty to fly lower and faster
while carrying a larger load. And advanced electronic
countermeasures to enhance survivablilty. The swing-wing
design of the B-1B and its 4 afterburning turbofan engines allow for
an incredible range and high speeds at low levels. It also
allows a short takeoff form bases under attack with means
a higher survivablilty rate. The Lancer holds 36 world
records for speed, payload, and distance. As with the
F-16 and the A-10, no one in the airforce calls this bird
by its designated name, instead they call the B1-B the
"Bone" A pretty accurate description based on
what it looks like.
Although
classified as a fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-117
Nighthawk is actually a light bomber. Carrying two laser
guided bombs and nearly invisible to radar, the Nighthawk
struck deep into Iraqi territory during Desert storm.
Designed in the late '70s by the legendary "Skunk
Works", it flew for 7 years before it made its first
public apperance. Operating only at night and with the
radar cross-section the size of a seagull's, the black
F-117s are virtually invisible to all means of detection.
(the entire 59 Nighthawk fleet has a smaller radar
cross-section than one B-52) Even the Engines are buried
deep within the faceted fuselage, along with grates
covering the intakes and a "platypus" styled
ceramic exhaust system with the twin butterfly tails
blocking the exhaust. The entire exterior of the aircraft
is covered in composite radar absorbant materials (RAM),
and the cockpit is covered with a layer of gold so radar
waves do not penetrate it. All openings have jagged edges
for reduced detection and the weapons are stored
internally. There are no right angles to be found on ths
unique aircraft. Everything was designed so the radar
waves reflect away from the origin, drastically reducing
the chances the F-117 can be detected. But its not only
fancy on the outside, the sophisticated Forward Looking
Infrared turret (FLIR) can spot a target from many miles
out, in the darkest of nights. One or two miles out, the
Downward looking Infrared turret (DLIR) takes over and
its laser designator guides the bomb on its course
towards the target. Due to its shape, the aircraft is
inherently unstable, and relies on a fly-by-wire system
to keep it under control. During the gulf war, the 40
F-117s deployed dropped 30% of all allied munitions. The
Nighthawk has been used since then, several times in
conflicts in the Balkans. It was in Kosovo in 1999 when a
F-117 was lost. I personally have not heard about any Air
Force official statements on the cause, but if it was
indeed shot down, it would have been due to advanced
radar systems designed to counter stealth. So once again,
in some secret lab, designers are surely at work,
creating the next chapter in the book of stealth.
The
A-10 and OA-10 Thunderbolt IIs are the first Air Force
aircraft specially designed for close air support of
ground forces. They are simple, effective and survivable
twin-engined jet aircraft that can be used against all
ground targets. Known as "Warthogs", the
A-10/OA-10 have excellent maneuverability at low air
speeds and altitude, and are highly accurate
weapons-delivery pplatforms. The can loiter near battle
areas for extended periods of time and work with other
U.S. aircraft such as the AH-64 Apache attack helicopters
to destroy enemy targets. using night vision goggles,
Thunderbolt pilots can conduct their missions in
darkness. The pilots are encircled by titanium armor that
also protects parts of the flight-control system. The
redundant primary structural sections allow the aircraft
to enjoy better survivablility during close air support
that previous aircraft. The aircraft can survive direct
hits from armor-piercing and high-explosive charges up to
23mm. Their self sealing fuel cells are protected by
internal and external foam. The redundant hydralic flight
-control systems are backd up by maual systems. This
permits pilots to fly and land when hydralic power is
lost.The Warthog can also pack a punch. Located in the
nose is a 30 mm machine gun that fires milk-carton sized
bullets at anything that get's in its way. Sadly. The
Thunderbolts are slowing being replaced by more
expensive, high-tech aircraft such as the F-16 and Joint
Strike Fighter. Never again will the US have such a
simple, redundant, and powerful plane.
Go to
www.airforce.com-AirForce site (commercial)
www.af.milAir Force site (Military)
www.boeing.com-Boeing
www.lmco.com-Lockheed Martin
www.f-22raptor.com-Probably every single unclassified tidbit on the Raptor lives here.