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One of the most essential conditions for the successful combat work of aviation is a well-developed network of field airfields.

In wartime, temporary airfields are organized in the area of ​​combat operations to conduct flight work.

Temporary airfields do not have any specially erected structures.

Airfields are called active if aviation units are located on them. Otherwise, they are inactive or spare.

Aerodrome; allowing for its size only episodic flight work of single aircraft or. regardless of size, used only for occasional landings and takeoffs of single aircraft, is called a landing area.

Depending on the nature of combat use, airfields (sites) are divided into forward and rear.

Airfields (sites) are called advanced airfields from which combat sorties of aviation are directly carried out. They are located as close as possible to the front, depending on the situation (the type and type of aviation, its combat missions, the nature of the terrain, the availability of communication lines, communications, etc.).

Advanced airfields, depending on their significance, are divided into main and auxiliary.

The main airfield is the technical base for the flight operations of a unit or formation. At this airfield, the headquarters of the unit and all services are usually located.

Auxiliary airfields, to one degree or another, contribute to the combat work of aviation.

Auxiliary airfields include: a) alternate airfields, where preparatory work is carried out in case air units move from the main airfields in case of air attacks (when the enemy establishes the location of this unit), as well as in the event of the destruction of combat airfields; b) false, organized to mask the true; false airfields can often serve as alternates.

Rear airfields (sites) are called airfields intended for aviation rest in the period between flight and combat work, for viewing and repairing materiel.

The rear airfields are located at a distance that provides them with a raid by enemy fighter aircraft.

Several airfields occupied by an aviation unit or formation, false and alternate airfields, flying sites (for rapid dispersal in the event of a bombing and chemical attack), a communications and surveillance system, checkpoints, lighting equipment for night operations and air defense systems form an airfield hub.

The distance of airfields from each other should not be less than 10 km.

Basic requirements for the location of airfields

1. Military aviation. According to their location, airfields of military aviation must meet the following conditions:

a) be out of range of enemy artillery fire;

b) to have the shortest possible lines of communication with serviced military units, and even better - to allow personal communication between military and aviation commanders and their headquarters;

c) provide the best conditions for the placement of the material part and the production of minor repairs;

d) have good ways to bring everything you need;

e) provide the most favorable conditions for recreation to personnel;

f) have good disguise;

g) give the opportunity to organize direct defense against both air and ground enemies.

The commander and headquarters are located at the airfield from where combat work is being carried out. Landing pads at the headquarters of divisions are designed in case of need for personal communication between the crew and the division commander or his head

headquarters. Near the headquarters of the units for direct communication with them, landing sites are equipped, designed to receive and operate single aircraft.

Communication between airfields and the combined arms headquarters serviced by the aviation unit is carried out by means of the latter.

The main airfield and the headquarters of the military unit are connected by wire communication.

2. Army reconnaissance aircraft. The working conditions of the army reconnaissance aviation do not impose special requirements on airfields. In the event of a rapid movement of the field headquarters of a serviced operational formation, it will often be necessary to resort to work from a forward airfield, which could be the airfield of some part of military aviation.

3. Fighter aircraft. Army fighter aviation, in addition to its main airfields, must make extensive use of the entire network of airfields and sites in the army area. This ensures a successful fight for air supremacy, making it possible to quickly concentrate fighters on various sectors of the front.

The use of fighter aviation requires, first of all, well-established communications, which is why all fighter aviation airfields must have direct wire or radio communications with the command at whose disposal they are, as well as with the headquarters (airfields) of aviation for other purposes, with air defense points and near the main air posts located communications and surveillance.

4. Assault and bomber aircraft are deployed at airfields in accordance with the general tactical situation.

The need for frequent re-sorties requires forward airfields to approach the front line with a wide dispersal of squadrons (detachments) over individual airfields.

5. Area of ​​airfields for military and light combat aviation. The zone of airfields of military aviation covers a strip, the front edge of which is 10-20 km away from the line of contact with the enemy, and the rear edge is 30-50 km away. Usually the main airfields of military aviation units are located at a depth of 1-1% of transitions from the enemy, and landing sites are moved forward, as far as possible closer to the parking area of ​​corps and division headquarters.

The forward edge of the zone of airfields for light combat aviation is 100 km from the line of contact with the enemy. With forward basing, the location of airfields for combat light aviation will be in the band from 100 to 200 meters per meter in depth, and when located on rear airfields, from 200 km and deeper.

Defense of the airfield from the ground enemy

The airfield may be threatened by the following enemy ground troops: a) motorized units; b) cavalry; c) airborne troops; d) sabotage groups.

Taking into account that the actions of large enemy forces equally threaten both airfields and the entire tactical and operational rear of troops, the defense of airfields cannot be considered in isolation from the general defense of the entire rear area.

Responsible for organizing the defense of a military rear area is the commander of the formation to which the given rear area belongs; the organization of defense within the army rear, according to its division, is directly in charge of the army headquarters or the heads of the corresponding rear bodies located in the given area.

When organizing the defense of the rear, one proceeds from the importance of one or another object, and the defense is organized in directions leading to one or another object or group of them. At the same time, the topographic conditions of the area are widely used and it is practiced to strengthen them with engineering, and sometimes chemical means of control (developing blockages, notches, gouges, trenches, minefields and preparing for chemical contamination) using local improvised means and labor.

Air formations and rear units located in a given area receive certain sections and areas for defense, indicated by the appropriate order or order of the chief organizing general defense, and organize defense in accordance with the regulations, and aviation must also be ready for action from the air.

Organization of airfield air defense

In the struggle for air supremacy, the Air Force will seek to destroy enemy aircraft at its airfields during preparation for a combat sortie, rest or arrival after completing a mission, inflict the greatest defeat on personnel and render the airfield unusable.

The relative vastness of the target makes it possible to use any type of aircraft from various heights for an attack.

Ground attack aviation can fulfill all three tasks, using: a) machine-gun fire, fragmentation and incendiary bombs to destroy materiel; b) large-caliber high-explosive bombs with retarders from tenths of a second to several hours to destroy the airfield; c) machine-gun fire, small fragmentation bombs and explosive agents to destroy personnel.

Bomber aviation operates over the entire area of ​​the airfield, destroying the airfield and hitting everything on the airfield. Its main means are bombs of all types and calibers.

The possibility of attacking airfields by various types of aircraft operating at various altitudes and using various means of destruction necessitates the use of all means of antiaircraft defense for defense.

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Aviation. In order to cover the location of a large formation of various types of aviation at the airfield hub, protection of the aviation formation by its own means is organized, and a fighter unit can also be allocated. In the latter case, the airfields of the aviation formation are connected with the airfield of the fighter unit.

Flak. The defense of airfields from enemy aircraft attacking from high altitudes (more than 1,000) can be carried out with the help of anti-aircraft artillery.

For the successful defense of the airfield, the allocation of at least one anti-aircraft artillery battalion (3-4 batteries) is required. The idea of ​​​​defense is that enemy aircraft approaching the target, entering the zone of fire of anti-aircraft artillery, immediately fall on probable approaches under two-layer fire (fire of 2 batteries), and approaching the center, fired at three-, four-layer fire (3-4 batteries).

In case of insufficiency of anti-aircraft artillery and the impossibility of covering the entire airfield hub, the main airfield is covered in the first place.

Anti-aircraft guns. When defending an airfield, anti-aircraft machine guns are placed in groups of at least two machine guns. Machine-gun defense pursues the following tasks: a) prevent aircraft from approaching the vulnerable part of the airfield and b) prevent shelling or bombarding the target with impunity.

Enemy aircraft can approach the target from any direction, but their approach is most likely from closed or rough terrain. Therefore, machine-gun groups are positioned in such a way as to fire on enemy aircraft, from whatever side they appear; on the most probable directions, the fire of machine-gun groups should be condensed through the interaction of at least two groups; above the target itself (vulnerable area) the fire of machine-gun groups should be the most dense, since here the machine guns will have the greatest possibility of destruction.

It is most expedient to place machine guns on high places (buildings, trees), eliminating the dead spaces that are inevitable when they are installed directly on the ground. For the installation of machine guns on buildings and trees, appropriate sites are being prepared to allow circular firing.

Temporarily inactive turret machine guns of aircraft can be brought in to fight the enemy, and the defense of the airfield itself is entrusted to them.

Air communication and observation posts. Timely warning of airfields about an attack by an air enemy is provided by a network of air communication and observation posts of combined arms formations and rear services located along the outer ring from airfields at a distance of 15-20 km.

The posts of aviation units and formations are included in the general air defense system of the given area and serve on a common basis.

In the presence of anti-aircraft artillery covering the airfield, the service of air communication posts can be assigned to the observation posts of anti-aircraft batteries. Each battery allocates three observation posts that continuously monitor the air situation. To warn the airfield, the command post of the battalion commander, and, if possible, each battery must have a connection with the central post of the airfield.

Airfield warning is also carried out with the help of shots from batteries.

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Disguise. The camouflage of airfields breaks down into camouflage: a) the airfield; b) the material part; c) personnel; d) signs of airfield life.

The camouflage of existing airfields is supplemented by the construction of false airfields.

The following are widely used to mask the airfield of an airfield: field decoration and paint-camouflage - these tools make it possible to give the existing airfield the appearance of a site that is completely unsuitable for flights (pitted with ditches, pits, with sham, easily portable buildings: haystacks, shocks, stumps, etc. .); in winter - covering up traces left by aircraft skis.

Camouflage of the material part (aircraft) can be achieved by using natural shelters (trees, bushes, terrain), camouflage coloring of aircraft, protective painting to match the tone of the terrain (green in the meadow, yellow in the sand, white in winter, etc.) and, finally, by special coatings (massets). It is especially important to cover the shiny parts that give away the aircraft the most.

The camouflage of personnel outside the airfield does not present any particular difficulties, since it is easy to find some natural coverings near the airfield. It is much more difficult to disguise personnel at the airfield. To do this, it is necessary to allocate to each unit a prefabricated place, if possible covered (with trees, bushes, etc.). If such shelters are not available, they are created artificially.

In order to mask the signs of life of an aerodrome, it is necessary to give it the appearance of an unusable site, as indicated above. It is especially important to eliminate traces of crutches at the airfield and mask the access roads to the airfield.

Similarly, it is necessary to mask air defense firing points, personnel quarters outside the airfield and rear facilities. airfield (stocks of fuel, lubricants, bombs, vehicles, etc.). Masking these objects does not present great difficulties, since they are relatively small?! they can always be placed in sheltered places.

Selection and preparation of field airfields and landing sites

The selection and preparation of field airfields and landing sites for military and light army combat aviation in most cases of interaction between aviation and ground forces is the responsibility of the command of these troops.

The responsible executor for the selection of advanced airfields and landing sites will be the headquarters of the combined arms formation, in cooperation with which or as part of which aviation operates.

The technical executor will be one of the headquarters commanders or the commander of the engineering troops of the given formation.

The preparation of field airfields is carried out by sapper units of a given formation using military and working units or local residents as labor force.

Places for airfields are selected in advance according to military-geographical and aerographic descriptions of the given area and large-scale maps. Then, map data and aerographic descriptions are refined by reconnaissance from aircraft, and special reconnaissance teams are sent to make a final decision on the suitability of a given area of ​​terrain under the airfield.

Airfield Requirements

The general requirements for an aerodrome are:

a) sufficient size;

b) adequate preparation of the aerodrome surface;

c) the presence of free approaches from the air in the direction of landing or take-off, i.e. the absence of any vertical obstacles (houses, trees, tall factory chimneys, etc.) in the path of an aircraft landing or taking off.

The direction of takeoff and landing of an aircraft depends on the direction of the wind. For each locality there are prevailing winds (repeating in direction), which must be taken into account when choosing an aerodrome.

Linear dimensions of airfields. The linear dimensions of airfields depend on the number and type of aircraft and the nature of the flight operation of aircraft and units using a given airfield or landing site.

Relief. The surface of the aerodrome should be as level as possible. Slopes of 0.01-0.02 with a length of at least 100 m are allowed smoothly passing, without steps and springboards; more frequent and abrupt surface changes are dangerous at high aircraft run speeds.

Local obstacles (bumps, hollows, ditches, borders, furrows, bumps, pits, individual stones, bushes, stumps, pillars) must be eliminated.

It is advisable to avoid lowlands and hollows for. location of the airfield (subsoil waters).

Soil and vegetation cover. The soil should be dense, but elastic and absorb moisture well.

Unsuitable: swampy and very rocky.

Undesirable: sandy and clay.

Desirable: meadow areas with sandy loamy and podzolic soil, with a grassy, ​​rooty vegetation cover that protects against erosion, liquefaction and dust formation, but does not interfere with the operation of aircraft with its density and height. It is possible to use grain fields, provided that grains that have reached a height of 30 cm are removed, and with an appropriate soil density.

Aerodrome rules

The airfield should not be flooded with water and swamp (atmospheric and groundwater). The general condition of the cover is<5очей площади полевого аэродрома должно допускать продвижение груженого полуторатонного автомобиля со скоростью 30- 40 км в час. Гусеничный трактор должен проходить без осадки почвы.

In winter, the airfield must have a flat surface, with a slight snow cover for take-off and landing on wheels, or a thicker and even snow cover without snowdrifts for skiing aircraft. In winter, they can also be used to base aircraft on ski lakes or rivers. In the latter cases, the time allowing such basing is taken into account.

Water sources. Each airfield needs water for various needs (water for radiators, for washing aircraft, for household needs, for extinguishing a fire). Desirable water supply, well or reservoir. For the landing site, you can limit yourself to a water source at a distance of no more than 1% of km from the aircraft parking area.

The quality of water should be close to rain or boiled (no precipitation and heavy salts).

Access roads and communications. The transportation of air cargo by road requires good access roads from the nearest railway stations, settlements and marinas. The conditions for basing aviation units at an airfield hub, combat work in cooperation with troops, the need for constant information about the weather, the timely delivery of the necessary cargo - all this requires a well-developed communication network (telephone, telegraph and radio), which should be taken into account when choosing an airfield.

Placement of materiel, stocks, material and technical means and personnel. Materiel, stocks of combat and logistical equipment and maintenance facilities at field airfields are dispersed using the surrounding terrain, lighting conditions and camouflage. Aircraft are located dispersed along the border of the airfield using adjacent forest groups or bushes at a distance of 150-200 m from each other. Stocks of ammunition and fuel are located hidden outside the airfield. The flight and technical staff are located from the airfield at a distance of 3-6 km. Transport, which is mainly intended for internal transportation at the aerodrome, is located in the aerodrome storage area. During flights at the airport there is an on-duty car with a service staff, the sanitary unit itself is located in the area where the personnel are located.

Breakdown of the airfield. The airfield (working area) for the takeoff and landing of an aircraft must correspond in size to the needs of this type of aviation.

The strip of approaches surrounding the airfield from all sides, or in any case from at least two sides (in the direction of the prevailing winds), must be of the appropriate width.

Preparation of the working area of ​​the airfield

Without preparation of the surface of the airfield, the operation of the airfield and the landing site is impossible.

Preparation consists in planning (eliminating irregularities) and surface treatment as necessary (plowing, harrowing, seeding, rolling and other work).

Large irregularities are cut off, hollows are filled up, small irregularities are leveled, sometimes the entire surface is somewhat loosened, bushes, stumps and individual trees are uprooted, stones are removed, and the entire area is often rolled, and if there is time and need, then it is sown and strengthened with grass cover.

In addition, some airfields will require drainage to deal with groundwater.

Site description. When surveying airfields, you need to answer the following questions:

1) the name of the nearest settlement (distance in kilometers);

2) the nearest railway station or pier (in which direction in relation to the cardinal points, how many kilometers, on which road or river);

3) communication routes leading to the railway station (or wharf) and the nearest settlement; their condition;

4) the dimensions of the site and its outline (linear dimensions - in meters, areal dimensions - in hectares);

6) the nature of the surface (soil, hilly);

7) obstacles on the territory of the site and approaches to it (trees, bushes, stones, stumps, ditches, bumps, buildings, telegraph poles, etc.);

8) the presence of reservoirs (natural and artificial), the quality and quantity of water in them;

9) the nature of the surrounding area (vegetation, surface features, water spaces);

10) availability and capacity of the nearest settlements for the needs of the Air Force;

11) dependence of the site on rains, river floods and snowmelt and for what period;

12) constant communication (radio, post and telegraph office, railway, telegraph, telephone); distance from the site to the nearest communication point;

13) the presence of enterprises and workshops in the area of ​​the site (within a radius of up to 5 km);

14) availability of labor and building materials in the surrounding area;

15) availability and condition of vehicles of the local population;

16) local medical and veterinary points;

17) a list of works necessary to adapt the site for the airfield;

18) other information (political, sanitary).

Military aviation has always attracted a lot of public attention. And, if at the time of its inception it delighted with its efficiency, today it surprises with the possibilities and the presence of a mass of high-tech solutions. We live in a very unstable world in which local conflicts occur every now and then, but perhaps the only plus of this is the opportunity to watch the best works of engineering art in action. We have ranked them the best military fighters in the world, which can not only surprise you with the technical progress of the defense industry, but also make you proud of your own country, because most of the leading positions belong to Russian aircraft. As the saying goes, “Airplanes first…”

10. Dassault "Mirage" 2000 (France)

French aviation has noticeably improved since the Second World War, when it was completely destroyed by the German army. Attempts to conduct an independent foreign policy required a strong army, so 30 years ago the Mirage military aircraft appeared, which immediately became the main fighter of the French Air Force and did not give up this position for two decades, because it proved to be excellent in peacekeeping operations in North Africa, as a result of which began to be massively purchased by India. It was in this region that he found himself: the successful destruction of enemy aircraft and headquarters, as well as guided missile attacks, broke the resistance of the rebels in a couple of days. According to some reports, despite being discontinued in 2006, Dassault 2000 participated in the Libyan war, where it caused stunning damage to the military equipment of Gaddafi's army.

9.

A couple of years ago, Falcon, located on the ninth line in the ranking of the best fighters in the world, was the most common combat aircraft in the world. The low cost and quality indicators made it the main export product of the US Air Force. As of today, there are 4,750 F-16 fighters worldwide. The upgraded version will be produced at least until the end of 2017. Pictures of this aircraft repeatedly fell into the lenses of cameras of military reporters, he managed to take part in 100 conflicts, the most famous of which are the NATO Operation against Yugoslav troops and the Iraqi war. In the Israeli army, the F-16 Fighting Falcon is the most effective combat fighter. According to official data, they have forty air victories.

8.

Although prototypes have not yet taken part in hostilities, and its commissioning is planned for 2018, it has already incorporated the leading developments of domestic engineers. Compared to its predecessor, it will become more economical in terms of fuel consumption, but at the same time, it will create more conditions for pilot comfort: from automated flight control during aiming to an increased volume of air created by an autonomous oxygen station. The only fly in the ointment, in our opinion, is the too early attempts of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation to attract him to participate in international tenders, because the radar and some equipment are still not brought to an ideal state. A positive feature of this model is the cost of production, for example, the French manufacture aircraft with similar characteristics two to three times more expensive.

7.

The most successful American project of the last forty years is ranked seventh in the top ten best combat fighters in the world. The F-15 Eagle is guaranteed to remain in service until 2025, which means it will have time to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary. It's amazing, but the "Eagle" for such a long period was defeated in an air battle only once, while destroying about a hundred enemy aircraft. This fighter is associated with the story of an Israeli Air Force pilot named Peled, who during the military conflict in Syria was able to destroy six enemy aircraft and cause significant damage to four more. Now there are six hundred F-15s in service with various countries, and they are not going to be written off, because, on average, malfunctions occur only once in 50 thousand flight hours.

6.

The crown of thought of French aircraft designers in the context of fourth-generation fighters. The only drawback is the high cost of production, which requires the involvement of a mass of precision engineering objects. Having started its journey with the war in Afghanistan 15 years ago, the Rafal proved its effectiveness in the fight against the Libyan army. It is worth noting that the “victims” of the Rafal were most often domestic fighters and helicopters that were in service with the Libyan Air Force. Speaking of modern times, Dassault is most often involved in the exercises and only a few times struck the forces of the Islamic State in Iraq. A lot of incidents are also associated with it, when the plane crashed or exploded in the air, but the manufacturer proved that the human factor is most often the cause of such situations.

5.

The most reliable domestic aircraft is located at the equator of the ranking of the best military fighters in the world. He repeatedly proved his superiority during the exercises. Making up the backbone of the Indian Air Force Su-30, in training battles he defeated American and British competitors, and in most cases in a dry one. Also, it was Sukhoi that ensured the success of the operation of the Russian military space forces in Syria, and played a decisive role in the liberation of Palmyra. For a quarter of a century, only 9 incidents have been recorded, most of which were caused by engine fire or insufficient fuel, fortunately, there were no casualties among the military, with the exception of the fall of the Vietnamese Air Force aircraft into the sea.

4.

The only fighter created by the joint efforts of the countries of the European Union and proved its effectiveness during real hostilities (coalition operation in Syria and Iraq). Its undoubted advantage is the ability to interfere with enemy radars and, thereby, correct the direction of the flight of guided missiles, so the absence of losses should not be a surprise. Another plus is the maximum firing range, according to this indicator, the Typhoon outperforms its closest competitors by as much as one hundred kilometers. Today, the countries of Europe and the Middle East are armed with about half a thousand fighters, each of which has a unique modification and production technology.

3.

The aircraft, which opens the top three among the best military fighters in the world, requires special attention, because it will be the backbone of the aviation wing of our country's permanent military base in Syria. The secrecy of production for a long time made potential buyers avoid investing in a risky project, but participation in hostilities, where the Su-35 covered the main attacking forces of the Russian Aerospace Forces, attracted a lot of attention to it. Given that the aircraft is an extremely thorough modernization of the Su-27 (an identical airframe speaks of this), the fighter serves as proof of the durability of domestic military equipment, and also speaks of following traditions in aviation. Unfortunately, data on participation in exercises or skirmishes with the enemy were not made available to the public.

2.

Multifunctional, economical, efficient - in general, before you is the best fighter aircraft made in the United States. From 2014 to the present, he has been the backbone of the Air Force in Syria, where, having begun the fight against radical Islamists, he continues to create significant problems for the ISIS troops. Notable is the case when the pilot, in one sortie, not only completed the combat mission, but also remained in a certain area for another six hours, while not being noticed by enemy forces and transmitted the coordinates of the positions of the enemy who was trying to evacuate the base. Over the past two years, the F-22 has successfully completed about 210 combat missions. The entire period of operation includes only two cases of loss during the conflict, which indicates the high quality and reliability of the Raptor.

1. Dry T-50 (Russia)

Palm in the ranking and title the best military fighter in the world receives the Sukhoi T-50, the first domestic aircraft of the fifth generation, capable of simultaneously combating several opponents located both in the sky and on the ground. This was made possible thanks to increased maneuverability and advanced technology. Even Western experts highly appreciated the first steps of Russian engineers in creating fighters with stealth reduction technology, but it is not necessary to draw any solid conclusions in practice: all tests are carried out behind closed doors, and the last configuration of the prototype will be presented only in a year and a half.

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We could not ignore the best Soviet fighter, which is still in service both in the post-Soviet countries and among the allies in the communist camp, because. he is in the top ten. It is noteworthy that the Su 27 becomes a member of any computer flight simulator. Also, this aircraft is the only domestically produced fighter that participated in hostilities in Central Africa, where it neutralized 3 enemy aircraft without losses, and the only identified disadvantage is the rather high fuel consumption during afterburner.

Russian supersonic strategic bomber Tu-160. Armed with cruise missiles capable of hitting targets over 5,000 kilometers away

The idea of ​​using aircraft on the battlefield arose long before the first airplanes designed by the Wright brothers took to the air. The subsequent development of military aviation was unusually rapid, and to this day, aircraft and helicopters have become a formidable weapon in the hands of generals, inferior in power only to nuclear missile forces. Without dominance in the sky, it is incredibly difficult, and often impossible, to achieve victory on earth. Aviation is able to detect and destroy any target, it is difficult to hide from it and even more difficult to defend.

What is military aviation

Modern air forces include special troops and services, as well as a rather complex set of technical means that are diverse in their intended purpose, which can be used to solve strike, reconnaissance, transport and some other tasks.

The main part of this complex are the following types of aviation:

1. Strategic;
2. front;
3. sanitary;
4. Transport.

Additional aviation units are also part of the air defense forces, the navy and the ground forces.

The history of the creation of military aviation

Sikorsky's "Ilya Muromets" aircraft - the world's first four-engine bomber

The first airplanes were used for a long time almost exclusively for recreational and sporting purposes. But already in 1911, during the armed conflict between Italy and Turkey, the aircraft were used in the interests of the army. At first, these were reconnaissance flights, the first of which took place on October 23, and already on November 1, the Italian pilot Gavoti used weapons on ground targets, dropping several conventional hand grenades on them.

By the beginning of the First World War, the great powers managed to acquire air fleets. They consisted mainly of reconnaissance aircraft. There were no fighters at all, and only Russia had bombers - these were the famous Ilya Muromets aircraft. Unfortunately, it was not possible to establish a full-fledged serial production of these machines, so their total number did not exceed 80 copies. Meanwhile, Germany in the second half of the war produced hundreds of its own bombers.

In February 1915, the world's first fighter aircraft, created by the French pilot Roland Garros, appeared on the Western Front. The device he invented for firing through a propeller was quite primitive, although it worked, however, already in May of the same year, the Germans commissioned their own fighters equipped with a full-fledged synchronizer. Since then, dogfights have become more and more common.

German fighter Fokker Dr.I. One of these aircraft was used by the best ace of the First World War, Manfred von Richthofen.

After the end of the First World War, aircraft continued to develop rapidly: their speed, flight range and carrying capacity increased. At the same time, the so-called “Douai Doctrine” appeared, named after its author, an Italian general who believed that victory in a war could be achieved only by aerial bombardment, methodically destroying the enemy’s defense and industrial potential, undermining his morale and will. to resistance.

As subsequent events showed, this theory does not always justify itself, but it was it that largely determined the subsequent directions in the development of military aviation throughout the world. The most notable attempt to put the Douai doctrine into practice was the strategic bombing of Germany during World War II. As a result, military aviation made a huge contribution to the subsequent defeat of the "Third Reich", however, it was not possible to do without the active actions of the ground forces.

Armadas of long-range bombers were considered the main strike tool in the post-war period. It was in those years that jet aircraft appeared, which in many ways changed the very idea of ​​\u200b\u200bmilitary aviation. Huge "flying fortresses" became just a convenient target for Soviet high-speed and well-armed MiGs.

B-29 - American strategic bomber of the 40s, the first carrier of nuclear weapons

This meant that the bombers also had to become jet-powered, which soon happened. During these years, aircraft became more and more complex. If during the Second World War only one aircraft technician was engaged in servicing the fighter, then in subsequent years it was necessary to attract a whole team of specialists.

During the Vietnam War, multi-role aircraft capable of strikes against ground targets, as well as air combat, came to the fore. Such was the American F-4 Phantom, which became to some extent a source of inspiration for the Soviet designers who developed the MiG-23. At the same time, the conflict in Vietnam has once again shown that bombardments alone, even the most intense ones, are not enough to win: combat aviation without the help of ground forces can only force the surrender of a morally broken enemy, prepared in advance for defeat.

In the 70-80s of the last century, fourth-generation fighters appeared in the sky. They differed from their predecessors not only in flight characteristics, but also in the composition of weapons. The use of high-precision weapons once again changed the face of the air war: there was a transition from massive air strikes to "pinpoint" ones.

Su-27 (left) and F-15 - the best fighters of the 80s of the last century

Today, the main direction in the development of military aviation has become the intensive use of drones, both reconnaissance and attack, as well as the creation of stealth multi-purpose aircraft, such as the American F-35, or the Russian Su-57.

The purpose of military aviation

The list of the main tasks that are solved with the help of military aircraft and helicopters:

1. Carrying out all types of aerial reconnaissance;
2. Artillery fire adjustment;
3. Destruction of land, sea, air and space targets, small and large, stationary and mobile, area and point;
4. Mining of areas of the area;
5. Protection of airspace and ground forces;
6. Transportation and landing of troops;
7. Delivery of various military cargoes and equipment;
8. Evacuation of the wounded and sick;
9. Carrying out promotional campaigns;
10. Examination of the area, detection of radiation, chemical and bacteriological contamination.

Thus, military aviation can be of great benefit, of course, if it is used correctly.

Military aviation technology

During the First World War, shock airships ("Zeppelins") were actively used, however, today there is nothing like this in the Air Force. All the equipment used is airplanes (airplanes) and helicopters.

Aircraft

The breadth of the spectrum of tasks solved with the help of aviation makes it necessary to include several different types of aircraft in the Air Force. Each of them has its own purpose.

F-111 - American front-line bomber with variable sweep wing

Combat aircraft

This type of aviation includes:

1. Fighters. Their main purpose is to destroy enemy aircraft and gain air superiority, local or complete. All other tasks are secondary. Armament - guided air-to-air missiles, automatic guns;
2. Bombers. They can be front-line or strategic. They are mainly used for strikes against ground targets. Armament - air-to-surface missiles (including unguided ones), free-fall, glide and guided bombs, as well as torpedoes (for anti-submarine aircraft);
3. Stormtroopers. They are mainly used for direct support of troops on the battlefield;
4. Fighter-bombers are aircraft capable of attacking ground targets and conducting dogfights. All modern fighters to some extent are such.

Strategic bombers differ significantly from other combat aircraft in their weapons system, which includes long-range cruise missiles.

Reconnaissance and air surveillance aircraft

In principle, "ordinary" fighters or bombers equipped with the necessary equipment can be used to solve reconnaissance tasks. An example is the MiG-25R. But there is also specialized equipment. These are, in particular, the American U-2 and SR-71, the Soviet An-30.

Super high-speed reconnaissance aircraft SR-71 Blackbird

This category also includes early warning aircraft - the Russian A-50 (created on the basis of the Il-76), the American E-3 Sentry. Such machines are capable of conducting deep radio reconnaissance, however, they are not distinguished by stealth, since they are a source of powerful electromagnetic radiation. Significantly more "modestly" behave such intelligence officers as the Il-20, which are mainly engaged in radio interception.

Transport aircraft

This type of aircraft is used to transport troops and equipment. Some models of vehicles that are part of transport aviation are adapted for landing - both conventional and non-parachute, carried out from extremely low altitudes.

In the Russian army, the Il-76 and An-26 military transport aircraft are most often used. If it is necessary to deliver cargo of significant weight or volume, heavy An-124s can be used. Of the American military aircraft of a similar purpose, the most famous are the C-5 Galaxy and C-130 Hercules.

Il-76 - the main aircraft of the Russian military transport aviation

training aircraft

Becoming a military pilot is quite difficult. The most difficult thing is to get real skills that cannot be replaced by virtual flights on a simulator or a deep study of theory. Training aviation is used to solve this problem. Such aircraft can be either specialized vehicles or combat aircraft variants.

For example, the Su-27UB, although it is used for pilot training, can be used as a full-fledged fighter. At the same time, the Yak-130 or the British BAE Hawk are specialized training aircraft. In some cases, even such models can be used as a light attack aircraft to strike at ground targets. Usually this happens "out of poverty", in the absence of full-fledged combat aircraft.

Helicopters

Although rotorcraft were used to a limited extent already during the Second World War, after the end of hostilities, interest in "helicopters" decreased markedly. It soon became clear that this was a mistake, and today helicopters are used in the armies of various countries of the world.

Transport helicopters

Conventional airplanes cannot take off and land vertically, which limits their scope somewhat. Helicopters originally had this property, which made them a very attractive means of delivering goods and transporting people. The first full-fledged "debut" of such machines took place during the war in Korea. The US Army, using helicopters, evacuated the wounded directly from the battlefield, delivered ammunition and equipment to the soldiers, created problems for the enemy by landing small armed detachments in his rear.

V-22 Osprey - one of the most unusual examples of rotorcraft

Today, the most typical transport helicopter in the Russian army is the Mi-8. The huge heavy Mi-26 is also used. The U.S. military operates the UH-60 Blackhawk, the CH-47 Chinook, and the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor.

attack helicopters

The first rotorcraft, designed specifically to engage ground targets and provide direct fire support for own troops, appeared in the United States in the 60s. It was a UH-1 Cobra helicopter, some modifications of which are used by the US military today. The functions of these machines to some extent overlap with the tasks of attack aircraft.

In the 70s, attack helicopters were considered perhaps the most effective anti-tank weapon. This was made possible thanks to new types of guided aircraft missiles, such as the American TOW and Hellfire, as well as the Soviet "Phalanx", "Ataka" and "Whirlwinds". A little later, combat helicopters were additionally equipped with air-to-air missiles.

The most "brutal" combat helicopter in the world - the Mi-24 - is capable of not only attacking ground targets, but also transporting paratroopers

The most famous machines of this class are Mi-24, Ka-52, AH-64 Apache.

Reconnaissance helicopters

In the Soviet, and then the Russian army aviation, reconnaissance tasks were usually assigned not to specialized, but to conventional combat or transport helicopters. The US took a different path and developed the OH-58 Kiowa. The equipment placed on board this machine allows you to confidently detect and recognize various targets at a great distance. The weak side of the helicopter is its poor security, which sometimes led to losses.

Of the Russian models, the Ka-52 has the most advanced reconnaissance equipment, which makes it possible to use this machine as a kind of "gunner".

UAV

Over the past decades, the importance of unmanned aerial vehicles has grown significantly. Drones allow you to conduct reconnaissance and even inflict surprise strikes on targets, while remaining invulnerable. They are not only difficult to shoot down, but even easy to detect.

Drones are likely to become a priority in the development of aviation in the foreseeable future. Such machines will, in particular, be used as assistants for the most modern tanks and fifth-generation fighters. Over time, they can completely replace manned combat aircraft.

Promising Russian UAV "Hunter"

air defense

To solve air defense tasks, both conventional front-line fighters and specialized interceptors can be involved. Particular attention was paid to such aviation in the USSR, since American strategic bombers were considered the No. 1 threat for a long time.

The most famous air defense aircraft were the Soviet MiG-25 and MiG-31 interceptors. These are relatively low-maneuverable aircraft, but they are capable of quickly accelerating to speeds of more than 3,000 kilometers per hour.

Of the American fighters of a similar purpose, the F-14 Tomcat was the most famous. This carrier-based aircraft was the sole carrier of the AIM-54 Phoenix long-range missiles and was used to protect aircraft carrier strike groups from air attacks.

MiG-25 interceptor on takeoff. Using their record speed, such aircraft successfully evaded dozens of air-to-air missiles fired at them.

In recent decades, aviation technology has not been developing at such a fast pace as it was before. Fighters such as the F-15, F-16, F / A-18 and Su-27 still dominate the air forces of different countries, although these machines first took to the air back in the 70-80s of the last century . Of course, this does not mean that progress has stopped. The composition of weapons is changing, on-board electronics are being updated, the main thing is that the tactics and strategy for the use of aviation are being reviewed, which in the future may become mostly unmanned. One thing is clear - whatever the technical composition of the Air Force, aircraft and helicopters will remain one of the most powerful means of achieving victory in any military conflict.

The latest best military aircraft of the Air Force of Russia and the world photos, pictures, videos about the value of a fighter aircraft as a combat weapon capable of providing "air supremacy" was recognized by the military circles of all states by the spring of 1916. This required the creation of a special combat aircraft that surpasses all others in terms of speed, maneuverability, altitude and the use of offensive small arms. In November 1915, Nieuport II Webe biplanes arrived at the front. This is the first aircraft built in France, which was intended for air combat.

The most modern domestic military aircraft in Russia and the world owe their appearance to the popularization and development of aviation in Russia, which was facilitated by the flights of Russian pilots M. Efimov, N. Popov, G. Alekhnovich, A. Shiukov, B. Rossiysky, S. Utochkin. The first domestic machines of designers J. Gakkel, I. Sikorsky, D. Grigorovich, V. Slesarev, I. Steglau began to appear. In 1913, the heavy aircraft "Russian Knight" made its first flight. But one cannot fail to recall the first aircraft creator in the world - Captain 1st Rank Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky.

Soviet military aircraft of the USSR of the Great Patriotic War sought to hit the enemy troops, his communications and other objects in the rear with air strikes, which led to the creation of bomber aircraft capable of carrying a large bomb load over considerable distances. The variety of combat missions for bombing enemy forces in the tactical and operational depth of the fronts led to the understanding of the fact that their performance should be commensurate with the tactical and technical capabilities of a particular aircraft. Therefore, the design teams had to resolve the issue of specialization of bomber aircraft, which led to the emergence of several classes of these machines.

Types and classification, the latest models of military aircraft in Russia and the world. It was obvious that it would take time to create a specialized fighter aircraft, so the first step in this direction was to try to equip existing aircraft with small arms offensive weapons. Mobile machine-gun mounts, which began to equip the aircraft, required excessive efforts from the pilots, since the control of the machine in a maneuverable battle and the simultaneous firing of an unstable weapon reduced the effectiveness of firing. The use of a two-seat aircraft as a fighter, where one of the crew members played the role of a gunner, also created certain problems, because an increase in the weight and drag of the machine led to a decrease in its flight qualities.

What are the planes. In our years, aviation has made a big qualitative leap, expressed in a significant increase in flight speed. This was facilitated by progress in the field of aerodynamics, the creation of new more powerful engines, structural materials, and electronic equipment. computerization of calculation methods, etc. Supersonic speeds have become the main modes of fighter flight. However, the race for speed also had its negative sides - the take-off and landing characteristics and maneuverability of aircraft deteriorated sharply. During these years, the level of aircraft construction reached such a level that it was possible to start creating aircraft with a variable sweep wing.

In order to further increase the flight speeds of jet fighters exceeding the speed of sound, Russian combat aircraft required an increase in their power-to-weight ratio, an increase in the specific characteristics of turbojet engines, and also an improvement in the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft. For this purpose, engines with an axial compressor were developed, which had smaller frontal dimensions, higher efficiency and better weight characteristics. For a significant increase in thrust, and hence the flight speed, afterburners were introduced into the engine design. The improvement of the aerodynamic forms of the aircraft consisted in the use of wings and empennage with large sweep angles (in the transition to thin delta wings), as well as supersonic air intakes.