Modern Military Aircraft

Most aircraft used by the U. S. military today are jet planes. There are super­fast spy planes-the Mach 3 SR-71A, for example-and enormous cargo planes designed to carry heavy loads, such as the C-5 Galaxy. Not all military aircraft need pilots. Drones, or unmanned air vehicles, are directed from the ground.

The main strike force of an air force is its bombers. The U. S. Air Force has the B-52, B-1B, and B-2 “stealth” bomber. Some planes designated as fighters, such as the F-117, are in fact ground attack aircraft that drop guided bombs and other weapons. Another effective air­craft is the A-10 Thunderbolt, which is heavily armed to support ground troops.

Electronic warfare planes can jam enemy communications and defense systems. Planes called Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) act as air­borne command centers.

The fastest planes now in service are multipurpose airplanes such as the F-15 Eagle, first flown in 1972 to combat the Soviet MiG-25. A recent version is the F-15E, which weighs 81,000 pounds (36,775 kilograms). The F-15 flies at 2.5 times the speed of sound and carries bombs, electronic jamming devices, guns, and guided missiles of various kinds.

Instead of weaving about the sky in dogfights like a World War II pilot, the modern pilot fights at long range. A mil­itary airplane is flown with the aid of computers. A visual display gives pilots a virtual reality image of the sky or battlefield and helps them detect and aim missiles at a target many miles away.

Most airplanes leave a radar trace, especially at very high speed. To evade radar, warplanes can fly at low levels to slip under the radar screen. Some high-tech aircraft, known as stealth planes, are designed to have a reduced radar profile, making them almost invis­ible to a hostile radar tracking system.