Types of Military Aircraft

A military aircraft is any aircraft which has a specific purpose of engaging enemy targets during conflicts between countries or intracounty disputes, usually during times of war. Intracountry conflicts usually consists of a civil war where supressed groups are trying to overthrow the existing goverment.

There are several types of military aircraft, each with a specific purpose:

• Bomber - used to destroy ground targets from high altitude;
  
• Fighter attack - used to engage other aircraft in flight;
  
• Ground attack - used to destroy ground targets from low altitude;
  
• Reconnaissance - used to obtain target details as to location and movement;
  
• Tanker - used to transport fuel and other goods;
  
• Trainer - used to train new pilots;
  
• Transport - used to transport military equipment and personnal;
  
• Unmanned - remote control aircraft used for surveillance or attack.
  

Types of Targets

The definition of a military target is subjective to the aggressor’s objective. Often, these targets include intentional and unintentional targets that cause the loss of life or property to the civilian population. During World War II, the number of civilian deaths outnumbered military deaths by 16 million (not including the Holocaust victims).

The types of targets range from strategical to confrontational.

Legitimate military targets includes armed forces and their supporting network which includes personnel, vehicles such as tanks, installations such as barracks, munitions, airfields and aircraft, and storage facilities such as fuel depots.

Infrastructure targets include those facilities which directly support the mobility and operation of the combatants such as railways, bridges, and highways.

Communication targets include any system which is used by the enemy for relaying or receiving information. These targets include telephone lines, television & radio stations, telegraphs, and satellites. While television and radio stations are generally not used for relaying military commands, they do report the status of the attackers which can give the advantage to the defenders.

Industrial targets include those factories and warehouses which produce and store munitions and machines of war such as tanks, chemical weapons, and any other weapon used on the battlefield.

Energy targets include installations which produce energy for the enemy such as electrical power plants, coal mines, petroleum wells, and hydroelectric dams.

While land and water military vehicles are capable of destroying enemy targets, the military aircraft is most often the first choice for use because of the speed and accuracy in which they can reach the target.

Firsts in Military Aviation

The first death of a military soldier in an aircraft was on September 17, 1908. While demonstrating his two-seater surveillance aircraft to the U.S. military, Orville Wright crashed his aircraft from 75 feet (23 meters) after the propeller broke. On board with Orville was Lieutenant Thomas 0. Selfridge. The lieutenant died as a result of the crash. Orville Wright survived the crash with critical injuries. Lieutenant Selfridge was also the first person to die in a powered aircraft.

In July of 1909, the first use of aircraft in the military is credited to the Wright Brothers who sold the United States government its first military aircraft. The Wright Brothers sold the aircraft to the government for $30,000. The aircraft's primary purpose was for surveillance.

In August of 1910, the first shots fired by an aircraft occurred when Lieutenant James Fickel of the United States military fired a rifle from an elevation of 100 feet (30 meters) at a ground target.

On November 14, 1910, the first launch of an aircraft from a warship was made by Eugene Ely from the deck of a U.S. warship, the cruiser Birmingham, anchored near Hampton Roads, Virginia while piloting a Curtiss Hudson Flyer.

On January 18, 1911, Eugene Ely made the first landing onto a 125 foot (38 meter) deck on the warship Pennsylvania, while anchored in San Francisco Bay.

On October 23, 1911, aerial bombardments were first accomplished when Captain Carlo Piazza of the Italian Aviation Battalion dropped munitions onto Turkish troops in Libya.

In March of 1912, the first aerial photo-reconnaissance was accomplished by Captain Carlo Piazza of the Italian Aviation Battalion.

In July of 1921, the first ship sank by an aircraft was during an airpower demonstration off the coast of Virginia. Assistant Chief of the United States Air Service, William "Billy" Mitchell, sank three decommissioned U.S. battleships and three ships obtained from the Germans. His munitions consisted of 2,000 pound (907-kilogram) bombs.