aircraft

An aircraft represents a vehicle that is able to gain lift and fly by countering the force of gravity. This can be achieved either by static or dynamic lift, or sometimes the downward thrust of a jet engine.


Aircraft can be categorized into civil and military, the latter including non-combat aircraft as well. Military aircraft are usually operated by armed services and can be either fixed wing (such as planes) or rotary-wing (such as helicopters). Non-combat military aircraft primarily perform supporting roles (including carrying equipment, supplies, etc) and may be armed for self-defense purposes. Combat aircraft are designed and equipped to destroy enemy targets. They can be broadly divided into fighters and bombers, with some performing mixed functions, like fighters-bombers and ground-attack aircraft.

A fighter aircraft is used mainly for engaging in air-to-air combat with another aircraft. For this purpose, fighters need to be small, fast and maneuverable. They are a key component in establishing air superiority and control over the battlefield, making the acquisition and maintenance fighter fleets an important part of the defense budgets of today's armed forces. Several international manufacturers of military aircraft parts provide support to the different government air forces around the world. This makes the military parts and components industry a significant contributor to the economy of numerous countries.

By contrast, a bomber aircraft is designed to disable ground targets, either by dropping bombs on them or by launching guided missiles at them. A distinction is made between strategic and tactical bombing. Strategic bombing seeks to weaken the enemy's war efforts by destroying supply bases, production units, shipyards or other resources. Strategic bombers operate at long-ranges and are usually able to carry an impressive arsenal. Tactical bombing targets military units and requires smaller, swifter aircraft that operate at short ranges and assist the efforts of ground or sea troops.

Civil aviation usually distinguishes between commercial and general aircraft types. The commercial category includes aircraft designed to carry passengers or cargo. The large passenger-carrying planes are usually referred to as airliners. General aviation is a broader term usually covering all types of aircraft used for any purposes other than military. This includes medical transports, business jets, emergency services, racers and many more.

You'll find bloggers talking about aircraft at sites like blogs.ei.columbia.edu and isu.edu.

by RawMichelle Are you a writer, passionate about this or any other topic? Join Blogcritics!

Original Technorati articles tagged “aircraft”

• in Finance
  Two Foreign Arms Deals for Boeing Cushion Future U.S. Defense Cuts
  Boeing won two deals with India and Taiwan this week that will help offset reductions in domestic arms spending.
  by Dagpotter / on Jun 11, 2011
• in Technology
  Twenty Six Hours Flight By Solar Powered Aircraft Marks New Heights
  At a top speed of 78 miles per hour, it is termed to be the longest test flight of a piloted, solar powered aircraft.
  by jaideepkhanduja / on Jul 9, 2010

Latest blogosphere posts tagged “aircraft”

 

• US making powerful bomb to hit Iran: Report

  
  Thaindian News — Authority: 534
  Washington, Jan 28 (IANS) The Pentagon has stepped up efforts to make a bomb capable of destroying Iran’s most heavily fortified underground facilities, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.“The 30,000-pound (around 13,600 kg) ‘bunker-buster’ bomb, known as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), was ...
  3 hours ago

• WSJ: U.S. military seeks more powerful bomb against Iran

  
  Thaindian News — Authority: 534
  WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) — The U.S. military has made a secret request for additional funding to upgrade its largest conventional bomb because it is not yet capable of destroying Iran’s most heavily fortified underground facilities, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.The 30,000-pounds ...
  4 hours ago

• Indy Transponder 28-JAN-2012 1145z

  
  Indy Transponder — Authority: 117
  American Heroes Air Show returns to Lee County - News-Press | Helicopters from all facets of law enforcement and public safety will roar into Lee County.  The American Heroes Air Show, the nations premier helicopter-only air show, makes a return visit to the Lee County Sports Complex from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. ...
  4 hours ago

• Where To Find Local Search Directories That Offer The Best Vouchers In Perth City in WA

  
  Paolo Mendoza — Authority: 122
  Seeking a discount on the internet? Now is the most incredible time in web based hstory to be finding great offers. Nevertheless have you thought about searching locally?Business owners and customers alike have found that using Local internet directories is increasing. This could be due to the massive quantity of ...
  7 hours ago

• ‘Rogue’ marshal sounds alarm

  
  Paternal Prose — Authority: 146
  A LONG-SERVING air marshal is taking legal action against the Australian Federal Police alleging he was victimised after raising security concerns about Qantas flights. Tyrone Crosse was employed in the wake of the September 2001 US terrorist attacks as part of a federal government program placing officers armed with ...
  8 hours ago

• Cracks appear in the era of the A380

  
  TechNOBLEgy — Authority: 85
  Having flown in this beautiful mammoth double-decker aeroplane of the sky before it was quite a shock to read about the Airbus A380 developing cracks in its wings. Airbus have blamed a combination of both design and manufacturing flaws. Image via Wikipedia The European aircraft manufacturer ...
  1 day ago

• Royal Navy Pilots Train for Aircraft Carrier Landings

  
  DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons — Authority: 503
  The deck of the new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers may be the size of four football pitches and supported by the best part of 65,000 tonnes of steel but, from three miles (5km) out, when viewed through the BAE Systems simulator at Warton, its tiny and the target area for landing looks even smaller. Add in ...
  1 day ago

• The humorous UPS aircraft mechanic

  
  Eideard — Authority: 127
  The humorous UPS aircraft mechanic
  1 day ago

• Welshpool airport boss victim of plane crash horror

  
  Paternal Prose — Authority: 146
  An airport boss was one of two people killed after their plane crashed into the side of a mountain on the Shropshire/ Mid Wales border. Experienced pilot Bob Jones – who set up and ran Mid Wales Airport at Welshpool – died in the wreckage of the crash yesterday. Mr Jones, believed to be 60, was one of two people ...
  1 day ago

• Solar Storm Forces Delta, United To Change Flight Patterns

  
  Popular Fidelity — Authority: 121
  This is what a solar flare looks like, according to NASA. So that big solar storm we had the other day actually had some repercussions in the real world, namely for airline companies.  As the magnetic activity continues, commercial airlines are being forced to make adjustments on the fly to many of their ...
  2 days ago

• Risk of bird strikes would make Thames Estuary UK’s ‘most dangerous airport’

  
  top99news - breaking news from the world top newspapers — Authority: 162
  http://www.guardian.co.uk Risk of bird strikes would make Thames Estuary UK’s ‘most dangerous airport’ Report warns that the risk of aircraft loss after being hit by birds is higher at proposed site than any other UK airportA new airport in the Thames Estuary would be the most dangerous in the UK ...
  2 days ago

• Pentagon to cut USAF’s RQ-4 Global Hawk Unmanned Aircraft program

  
  World Military Forum - Latest Military News — Authority: 95
  WASHINGTON – The U.S. Air Force has decided to scrap its Northrop Grumman Corp high-altitude unmanned surveillance plane program and keep its Cold War-vintage U-2 spy planes flying into the... .
  3 days ago

• Man smoking pot flight

  
  Wide Trends — Authority: 128
  Man smoking pot flight – A man was caught smoking pot on flight. Police arrested a 43-year-old man for allegedly smoking marijuana on a JetBlue flight from Florida to Newark, New Jersey. Crew members say they became suspicious of the man after he dropped a clear plastic bag in the cabin. They also said they [...]
  3 days ago

• Northrop XP-79 Flying Ram

  
  Diseno-art.com — Authority: 460
  The Northrop XP-79 ‘Flying Ram’ was a futuristic design proposal for a flying wing fighter aircraft. It was initially conceived as a rocket powered interceptor, but later the design was altered to allow for jet engines. Amazingly the USAAF briefly toyed with the idea of using XP-79′s to literally ram German ...
  3 days ago

• Austrian Eurofighter On Duty During World Economic Forum in Davos

  
  DefenceTalk | Defense & Military News - Forums - Pictures - Weapons — Authority: 503
  From the 24th to the 29th January, Austrian Eurofighter Typhoons will again protect the skies over the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The operation known as Daedalus 12 will see four Austrian Eurofighters deployed to protect the area in a temporary no-fly zone over Western Austria and Davos in ...
  3 days ago

• How Little RC Aeroplanes Has Impacted Things For Me

  
  ingsah.com — Authority: 117
  The other words for the RC Aeroplane, which is short for Radio-controlled Aeroplane, can be either the RC aircraft or RC Airplane Kits . A lot of people of different ages have marked RC Aeroplane flying as one of the most satisfying experiences worldwide. A hand-held electronic device and receiver is joined together ...
  3 days ago

• How wings really work

  
  Cambridge University Research — Authority: 407
  A 1-minute video released by the University of Cambridge sets the record straight on a much misunderstood concept – how wings lift.
  3 days ago

• Woman pilot hurt in Pakistan Air Force plane crash (Lead)

  
  Thaindian News — Authority: 534
  Islamabad, Jan 25 (IANS) A woman pilot and her flight coordinator were injured when a Pakistan Air Force training aircraft crashed Wednesday in Punjab province, a media report said.The small aircraft crashed in Mianwali at about 10.20 a.m. when the woman pilot was on a routine training mission with her flight ...
  3 days ago

• Presenting Ilyushin Il-476

  
  English Russia — Authority: 628
  The Ilyushin Il-476 is a transport aircraft. It is a modernized version of the Ilyushin Il-76. In 2009, they began production works and plan to carry out its first flight in 2012. They plan to launch mass production of the … Read more...
  4 days ago

• IAF plane makes forced landing in Assam

  
  Thaindian News — Authority: 534
  Guwahati, Jan 22 (IANS) An Indian Air Force (IAF) transport aircraft made a forced landing in Assam following a technical snag. No one was hurt in the incident that took place while checking its airworthiness.The AN-32 plane force landed in Assam’s Jorhat airbase in the past week. The aircraft sustained some ...
  6 days ago

Comments about aircraft