Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant passages that answer the question.
Query: What aircraft is used as a fighter-bomber?
Ground Attack Aviation or Fighter-Bomber Aviation (Lovačko-Bombarderska Aviacija) was in the second plan of JRV. All attack aircraft were home-made. The new aircraft like J-22 Orao attack aircraft and G-4 Super Galeb light-attack trainer were replacing older J-21 Jastreb light-attack and G-2 Galeb light-attack trainer aircraft. The First Corps of AF and AD had two fighter-bomber squadrons and one reconnaissance squadron equipped with ground attack reconnaissance aircraft. 252nd from Batajnica Airbase was under direct command of its Corps of AF and AD (unlike other squadrons which were under the command of their Regiments/Brigades). It was equipped with older J-21 Jastreb light attack aircraft and G-2 Galeb trainer/attack aircraft, Utva-66 utility aircraft and new G-4 Super Galebs. Under command of the 97th Aviation Brigade (which was in 1st Corps of AF and AD) there was one fighter-bomber squadron, 240th, equipped with Jastrebs and one reconnaissance squadron, 353.IAE, equipped with IJ-22 Orao reconnaissance-attack aircraft. The Third Corps of AF and AD had two major fighter-bomber aviation units, 98th Aviation Brigade and 127th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment. 98th Aviation Brigade from Skopski Petrovac in Macedonia had three squadrons, two fighter-bomber squadron and one reconnaissance squadron. Fighter-bomber squadrons were 241st equipped with J-22 Orao attack aircraft, 247th with Jastrebs and 354th IAE was equipped with IJ-21 Jastreb reconnaissance aircraft. 127th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment at Golubovci Airbase comprised two fighter-bomber squadrons, 239th equipped with G-4 Super Galebs and 242nd equipped with Jastrebs and J-22 Orao aircraft. The Fifth Corps of AF and AD had most fighter-bomber aviation units, one Aviation Brigade and two Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiments. 82nd Aviation Brigade, at Cerklje Airbase, Slovenia, had two fighter-bomber squadrons and one reconnaissance squadron. Two fighter-bomber squadrons were 237.LBAE equipped with J-21 and NJ-21 Jastrebs, and 238th equipped with J-22 and NJ-22 Orao aircraft. Reconnaissance squadron was 351st equipped with IJ-21 Jastreb and IJ-22 Orao reconnaissance-attack aircraft. 105th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment at Zemunik-Zadar Airbase comprised two fighter-bomber aviation squadrons, 249th equipped with Super Galebs, 251st with Galebs and one aviation squadron, 333rd equipped with Utva 75 training aircraft, An-2 transport aircraft, Gazelle helicopters and Super Galebs. 185th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment at Pula Airport has compos of one fighter-bomber squadron, 229th equipped with G-4 Super Galebs and one fighter squadron, 129th equipped with MiG-21 aircraft in versions MiG-21PFM, MiG-21US and MiG-21UM.
During World War II, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces extensively during the Italian Campaign. It was used by the Twelfth Air Force as a combat airfield, which stationed the following units at the airport: 79th Fighter Group (January–May 1944, P-40 Warhawk/P-47 Thunderbolt); 47th Bombardment Group (March–April 1944, A-20 Havoc); 33d Fighter Group (April–May 1944, P-40 Warhawk). When the combat units moved out, Air Transport Command used the airport as a major transshipment hub for cargo, transiting aircraft and personnel for the remainder of the war.
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' only jet aircraft to achieve combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turbojet engines, pioneered by Sir Frank Whittle and his company, Power Jets Ltd. Development of the aircraft began in 1940, although work on the engines had been under way since 1936. The Meteor first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with No. 616 Squadron RAF. The Meteor was not a sophisticated aircraft in its aerodynamics, but proved to be a successful combat fighter. Gloster's 1946 civil Meteor F.4 demonstrator "G-AIDC" was the first civilian-registered jet aircraft in the world.
According to this account, eight Junkers Ju 88C-6 heavy fighters ("Zerstörer") from the 14th Staffel of the Luftwaffe's main maritime bomber wing, "Kampfgeschwader 40", took off from Bordeaux at 10:00 hrs local time to find and escort two U-boats; these aircraft belonged to the long-range fighter group known as "Gruppe V Kampfgeschwader 40". The names of four of the eight pilots are known: Staffelführer Oberleutnant (Oblt) Herbert Hintze, Leutnant Max Wittmer-Eigenbrot, Oblt Albrecht Bellstedt, and Oberfeldwebel (Ofw) Hans Rakow. The pilots claim that before setting out they were unaware of the presence of the Lisbon to Whitchurch flights. Due to bad weather, the search for the U-boats was called off and the fighters continued a general search. At 12:45 hrs, BOAC Flight 777 was spotted in P/Q 24W/1785 heading north. Approximately five minutes later, the Ju 88s attacked. Hintze retold his account for Goss as follows: "A 'grey silhouette' of a plane was spotted from 2,000–3,000 metres (6,600–9,800 ft) and no markings could be made out, but by the shape and construction of the plane it was obviously enemy." Bellstedt radioed: "Indians at 11 o'clock, AA (code for enemy aircraft ahead slightly to left, attack)." BOAC Flight 777 was attacked from above and below by the two Ju 88s assigned to a high position over the flight, and the port engine and wing caught fire. At this point flight leader Hintze, at the head of the remaining six Ju 88s, caught up to the DC-3 and recognised the aircraft as civilian, immediately calling off the attack, but the burning DC-3 was already severely damaged with the port engine out. Three parachutists exited the burning aircraft, but their chutes did not open as they were on fire. The aircraft then crashed into the ocean, where it floated briefly before sinking. There were no signs of survivors.
An early use was for the interplane wing struts on some biplanes. The Italian World War I Ansaldo SVA series of fast reconnaissance biplanes were among the fastest aircraft of their era, while the Handley Page H.P.42 was a successful airliner of the late 1920s and the Fiat CR.42 "Falco" fighter remained in service until World War II.
The 510th was inactivated in April 1994 and reactivated at Aviano Air Base, Italy on 1 July 1994 as the 510th Fighter Squadron absorbing the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft and equipment of the inactivated 512th Fighter Squadron, which had been inactivated at Ramstein Air Base, Germany when the 86th FW became an airlift wing (86th AW). At Aviano, the squadron returned to its previous mission as an operational combat fighter squadron. The 510th, during Operation Deliberate Force, was the first F-16 Block 40 squadron to drop a laser-guided bomb.
Transport helicopters are operated in assault, medium and heavy classes. Air assault helicopters are usually the smallest of the transport types, and designed to move an infantry squad or section and their equipment. Helicopters in the assault role are generally armed for self-protection both in transit and for suppression of the landing zone. This armament may be in the form of door gunners, or the modification of the helicopter with stub wings and pylons to carry missiles and rocket pods. For example, the Sikorsky S-70, fitted with the ESSM (External Stores Support System), and the "Hip E" variant of the Mil Mi-8 can carry as much disposable armament as some dedicated attack helicopters. The assault helicopter can be thought of as the modern successor to the military glider. Finally, there is the generic term utility helicopter, which generally refers to medium-lift designs.
The 1968 Kham Duc C-130 shootdown was the loss of a United States Air Force Lockheed C-130B Hercules aircraft during the Battle of Kham Duc on May 12, 1968. All 155 people on board were killed. At the time, it was the deadliest aircraft crash in history.
Second, and more powerful plutonium implosion atomic bomb, Fat Man, is dropped on Nagasaki from a different "Silverplate" B-29 named "Bockscar", flown by Maj. Charles Sweeney (Atomic bombing of Nagasaki)
In addition to the standard TIE/ln fighter (also available as the TIE Light Duty training craft, as seen in the "Jump to Lightspeed" expansion pack to "Star Wars Galaxies"), a variety of other TIE craft appear throughout the films. Darth Vader flies a TIE Advanced x1; its prototype precursor, the TIE Advanced v1, was retroactively featured in "Star Wars Rebels" (the v1's variable-geometry wings, like Darth Maul's shuttle "Scimitar"'s, were inspired by Ralph McQuarrie's original sketches for the x1). "The Empire Strikes Back" introduces a TIE shuttle and TIE/sa bombers, which ferry Captain Needa (Michael Culver) to Darth Vader's Super Star Destroyer and bomb asteroids in the hunt for the "Millennium Falcon", respectively. Both TIE craft have a design that stems from an unused "TIE boarding craft" concept developed for "A New Hope". The TIE bomber's double-hull design led ILM's modelmakers to dub the ship a "double chili dog" fighter. The TIE/sa was also the inspiration for the triple-hulled TIE lander, featured in "Star Wars" #60 and in "Star Wars: Complete Locations". TIE/IN interceptors — faster TIE fighters with dagger-shaped wings and four laser cannons — appear at various points in "Return of the Jedi". Two scales of TIE interceptor models were used during filming. In the "Legends" continuity, red modified TIE interceptors are also used by the Emperor's Royal Guards, as featured in "Rage of the Wookiees", another expansion of "Star Wars Galaxies". "The Force Awakens" features First Order TIE/fo "space superiority fighters" (this definition was later adapted to the TIE/sf and TIE/ln, too) that have deflector shields and Special Forces TIE/sf fighters with heavier weapons, a hyperdrive, and shields. "Flatter, fang-like" TIE striker atmospheric fighters appear in "Rogue One" (2016). "" also features the TIE silencer, the Advanced-like personal starfighter of Kylo Ren.
During May 1967 the Kingdom of Libya reached an agreement with the United States to supply 10 Northrop F-5s to the Royal Libyan Air Force. These were the first fighters for the young Air Force which only operated at the time six Douglas C-47 transports and three Lockheed T-33A trainers. Fifty-six personnel underwent training at bases in the U.S., pilots at Williams Air Force Base; a U.S. Survey Team on Expansion came to Libya in August 1968 to supervise the introduction of the fighters. Serviceability of the F-5s declined after the 1969 coup and it appears that most may have eventually been sold to Turkey.
In the Korean War, Mustangs from No. 77 Squadron (77 Sqn), stationed in Japan with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force, were among the first United Nations aircraft to be deployed, in ground support, combat air patrol, and escort missions. When the UN planes were confronted by MiG-15 jet fighters, 77 Sqn acquired Gloster Meteors, which enabled some success against the Soviet pilots flying for North Korea. However, the MiGs were superior aircraft and the Meteors were relegated to ground support missions, as the North Koreans gained experience. The air force also operated transport aircraft during the conflict.
The VFW-Fokker H3 Sprinter was a single-engined experimental rotorcraft designed and built in West Germany. Two aircraft were produced by VFW-Fokker in the early 1970s, registered "D-9543" and "D-9544". Intended as the first of a family of tip-jet driven helicopters the two H3 prototypes flew briefly but the method of rotor propulsion was found to be unsuccessful for this size of aircraft. Due to a high rotor overspeed, they could perform jump take-offs to at a rate of per minute. An improved H4 variant was designed but not built.
The power of large bombs is typically measured in kilotons (kt) or megatons of TNT (Mt). The most powerful bombs ever used in combat were the two atomic bombs dropped by the United States to attack Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the most powerful ever tested was the Tsar Bomba. The most powerful non-nuclear bomb is Russian "Father of All Bombs" (officially Aviation Thermobaric Bomb of Increased Power (ATBIP)) followed by the United States Air Force's MOAB (officially Massive Ordnance Air Blast, or more commonly known as the "Mother of All Bombs").
Initially given a blue color scheme, the TIE fighter models for the first film were grey to better film against a bluescreen; TIE fighters in "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and "Return of the Jedi" (1983) shifted back to being a muted blue. Sound designer Ben Burtt created the distinctive TIE fighter sound effect by combining an elephant call with a car driving on wet pavement. In the book "The Sounds of Star Wars", the engine roar is likened to German Junker Ju 87 "Stuka" bombers, who used sirens to frighten civilians on raids. This could have been a possible inspiration for the sound. Combat scenes between TIE fighters and the "Millennium Falcon" and Rebel Alliance X-wing fighters in "Star Wars" were meant to be reminiscent of World War II dogfight footage; editors used World War II air combat clips as placeholders while Industrial Light & Magic completed the movie's special effects. Darth Vader's distinct TIE Advanced x1 in "Star Wars" was designed to make it instantly recognizable, and the TIE Interceptors developed for "Jedi" were designed to look fast, deadly, and frightening.
The school and airfield was activated on 15 August 1942 and used by the Army Air Forces Training Command. Initially it was used as a glider pilot training school using Waco CG-4A gliders. In 1943 the airfield was transferred to Southeast Training Command as an advanced twin-engine flying school and glider training ceased on 19 May 1943. Initially designated as Army Air Forces Advanced Flying School, it was redesignated as Stuttgart Army Air Field on 2 January 1943. Stuttgart AAF primarily trained medium bomber and transport pilots using the Beechcraft AT-10 Wichita and Cessna AT-17 Bobcat, the host unit being the 34th Two Engine Flying Training Group and the 891st through 896th Two Engine Flying Training Squadrons. Aircraft assigned to Stuttgart AAF carried the fuselage code "ST". With a reorganization of Training Command's training unit designation system in the spring of 1944, the 34th and its squadrons were disbanded on 1 April 1944; the school being operated by the 2141st Army Air Force Base Unit, its training squadrons being re-designated "A" through "F" in sequence.
There has been an American presence at Aviano Air Base since the end of World War II. In 1954 the Italian and American governments signed a joint use agreement and by 1955, HQ United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) had moved its Italian operations from Udine to Aviano. The base went through a period of hosting rotational fighter squadrons. With the declining use of the Italian live fire range, the rotational squadrons became a thing of the past. Aviano became a war reserve material storage base and played a big part in Desert Storm. In 1992, HQ 16th Air Force and the 401st Fighter Wing moved from Torrejon Air Base, Spain to Aviano. The Wing became home to two F-16 fighter squadrons, the 510th FS and the 555th FS. Both squadrons relocated from Ramstein AB in 1994 and redesignated. The wing was redesignated from the 401st Fighter Wing to the 31st Fighter Wing in 1994 as Aviano took on permanently based aircraft for the first time in over 50 years. The base currently performs a NATO mission with close coordination with Italian personnel.
Not all militaries are able to operate a full range of transport helicopters, so the medium transport type is probably the most useful compromise and probably the most common specialist transport type. Medium transport helicopters are generally capable of moving up to a platoon of infantry and are capable of being able to transport towed artillery or light vehicles either internally or as underslung roles. Unlike the assault helicopter they are usually not expected to land directly in a contested landing zone, but are used to reinforce and resupply landing zones taken by the initial assault wave. Examples include the unarmed versions of the Mil Mi-8, Super Puma, and CH-46 Sea Knight.
The airport was built by the United States Army Air Forces during 1942/43 as an axillary airfield for Stuttgart Army Airfield, near Stuttgart, Arkansas. It was known simply as Stuttgart Army Airfield Auxiliary #2. The runways in use today were built during that period. It was used to help train medium bomber and transport pilots, who used it for emergencies on it or practiced touch-and-go landings. It was not manned, and at the end of World War II it was simply abandoned and the land turned over to local authorities, like many other small auxiliary airfields.
The airport was built by the United States Army Air Forces during 1942/43 as an axillary airfield for Stuttgart Army Airfield, near Stuttgart, Arkansas. It was known simply as Stuttgart Army Airfield Auxiliary #5. The runways in use today were built during that period. It was used to help train medium bomber and transport pilots, who used it for emergencies on it or practiced touch-and-go landings. It was not manned, and at the end of World War II it was simply abandoned and the land turned over to local authorities, like many other small auxiliary airfields.
It was used in many European Ford cars and was exported to the United States to be used in the Ford Pinto, a successful subcompact car of the 1970s, hence the name which is used most often for the unit. In Britain, it is commonly used in many kit cars and hot rods, especially in the 2 litre size.
No. 410 Squadron began flying the North American Harvard training aircraft and then flew the Boulton Paul Defiant from July 1941 to May 1942. The Boulton Paul Defiant was a "turret fighter" that was used as a night fighter. A problem with this aircraft was that it had no forward armament, and so it was exchanged for the Bristol Beaufighter II, long-range heavy fighter. The Beaufighter was used from April 1942 until January 1943. The Mk II used the Rolls Royce Merlin engine which provided greater power than the original Beaufighter had had. No. 410 Squadron transitioned to the de Havilland Mosquito Mk II in November 1942, and the Squadron then used the Mosquito exclusively until the end of the war. It used the variants VI (July 1943 – September 1943), XIII (December 1943 – August 1944), and XXX (August 1944 – June 1945). All of these fighters had the same basic design—that of a low- to medium-altitude daytime tactical bomber, high altitude night bomber, pathfinder, day or night fighter, fighter-bomber, intruder, maritime strike and photo reconnaissance aircraft.
Although the term "fighter" specifies aircraft designed to shoot down other aircraft, such designs are often also useful as multirole fighter-bombers, strike fighters, and sometimes lighter, fighter-sized tactical ground-attack aircraft. This has always been the case, for instance the Sopwith Camel and other "fighting scouts" of World War I performed a great deal of ground-attack work. In World War II, the USAAF and RAF often favored fighters over dedicated light bombers or dive bombers, and types such as the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and Hawker Hurricane that were no longer competitive as aerial combat fighters were relegated to ground attack. Several aircraft, such as the F-111 and F-117, have received fighter designations though they had no fighter capability due to political or other reasons. The F-111B variant was originally intended for a fighter role with the U.S. Navy, but it was cancelled. This blurring follows the use of fighters from their earliest days for "attack" or "strike" operations against ground targets by means of strafing or dropping small bombs and incendiaries. Versatile multirole fighter-bombers such as the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet are a less expensive option than having a range of specialized aircraft types.
The pride of the carrier, known as the "Sunday Punch", was the offensive power of 36 fighters, 36 dive bombers and 18 torpedo bombers. The Grumman F6F Hellcat would be the standard fighter, the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver the standard scout aircraft and dive-bomber, and the Grumman TBF Avenger was designed as a torpedo bomber but often used in other attack roles. Later in the war some "Essex"es, such as , also included Vought F4U Corsairs in fighter-bomber squadrons (VBFs), the precursor to modern fighter-attack squadrons (VFAs). In the last year of the Pacific War, all of the carrier-based combat aircraft could mount several 5-inch High Velocity Aircraft Rockets (HVARs), which greatly improved their effectiveness against ground targets.
The defensive plan was to use radio and radar in a combined effort to concentrate anti-aircraft fire.
Attack aircraft are military aircraft used to attack targets on the ground with greater precision than strategic bombers. Modern attack aircraft may be expected to function in high threat environments where enemy air defences preclude the use of strategic bombers. Categories overlap depending on how the specific aircraft is used, along with that of fighters, fighter-bombers, and sometimes even trainers which have often been used for the role, particularly when they were obsolete in their original role.
The use of the term "attack" is primarily an American term as other countries have described identical aircraft variously as light bombers, army cooperation aircraft, close support aircraft and as reconnaissance aircraft though the last term is often used for aircraft not used for such roles.
This list is limited to those fixed-wing aircraft that have been built, and does not include projects, might have beens, and napkinwaffe. Dates after each entry are of first flight.