AFROTC MIDTERM PLANES (copy)

T-6 Texan II

Mission: Train Air Force and Navy pilotsin basic flying skills.

Characteristics:

- 320 mph

- 31,000 feet ceiling

- Crew: 2, student pilot and instructor pilot

T-38 Talon

Mission: Advanced supersonic jet trainer

Characteristics:

- 812 mph

- Above 55,000 feet ceiling

- Range of 1,093 miles

- Crew: 2, student pilot and instructor

T-1A Jayhawk

Mission: Advanced training for future pilots of airlift and tanker aircraft, as well as navigator and CSO training.

Characteristics:

- Maximum speed of 538 mph

- 41,000 feet ceiling

- Range of 2,222 nautical miles

- Crew: 3, pilot, co-pilot, instructor pilot

A-10 Thunderbolt II

Mission: Close air support, forward air control.

Characteristics:

- Nose mounted 30mm GAU-8/A"Avenger" 7

- barrel Gatling gun; max firing of 3,900 armor piercing rounds per minute.

- Air-to-air missiles, heat seeking.

- Redundant flight controls, survivability, can take heavy ground fire,self-sealing fuel tanks.

- Loitering time of 2 hours unrefueled

B-1B Lancer

Mission: Long-range, supersonic multi-role heavy bomber.

Characteristics:

- Supersonic heavy bomber, top speed 900+ mph

- Automatic Terrain Following Radar (TFR) system

- Swept wing design, forward wing setting for takeoff, landing, aerial refueling, and some high altitude weapons employment scenarios.

- Carries LIGHTNING and SNIPER targeting pods.

B-2 Spirit

Mission: Multi-role heavy bomber

Characteristics:

- Principal weapon: JDAM, GBU-31. 2,000 lbs.

- Crew: 2 pilots - Stealth and low observability are derived from a combination of reduced infrared, acoustic, electromagnetic, visual, and radar signatures.

- During Operation ALLIED FORCE, it destroyed 33% of all Serbian targets in the first 8 weeks. - Flies from Whiteman, AFB, Missouri.

B-52 Stratofortress

Mission: Heavy bomber, strategic attack, close-air support, air interdiction, offensive counter-air, and maritime operations.

Characteristics:

- Unrefueled range, up to 8,800 miles.

- Internally and external weapon storesincluding nuclear. During Operation Enduring Freedom, it provided close air support through precisionguided munitions.

- Uses LIGHTNING or SNIPER targeting pod.

- Limitations: Size and shape are easy for radar to detect, requires a longer runway than B-1 and B2.

C-5 Galaxy

Mission: Transport of oversized/outsized cargo

Characteristics:

- Can fill from the nose section, can load and offload simultaneously

- Largest Department of War (DOW) Aircraft, capable of transporting all US Army assets/equipment, 36 standard pallet positions

- Up to 291,000 lbs of cargo, 73 seats on upper deck

- Can air drop up to 21 tons(42,000 lbs) - Required a long runway; take-off requires 8,300ft and landing requires 4,900ft. (Ref 1 mile = 5,280 feet)

C-17 Globemaster III

Mission: Cargo and personnel transport

Characteristics:

- Advanced avionics, from Continental United States(CONUS)to the battlefield, extremely versatile. - Capable of reverse taxi, can use short, narrow airfields

- Capacity: 170,900 lbs. of cargo, up to 18 standard pallet positions(2 rail systems). 48 litters and 54 ambulatory patients and medical personnel

- Can air-drop up to 30 tons(60,000 lbs.) or 102 paratroopers with equipment,

- Incapable of transporting some oversized/outsized items

C-130 Hercules

Mission: Tactical and intra-theater airlift

Characteristics:

- Short or rough runways use.

- 45,000 lbs, cargo load; or 92 passengers or 74 liters

- More than 40 variants

- Special Operations, Reconnaissance, Airborne command post

E-3 Sentry

Mission: Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), airborne surveillance, command, and control communications. Provides accurate, realtime picture of the battlespace to the JointAir Operations Center (JAOC).

Characteristics:

- Boeing 707 airframe

- 8 hours operation time aloft, unrefueled

- Large rotating radar dome, 30 feet in diameter, six feet thick,supported by two strutslifting it 11 feet above the fuselage.

- Integrated command and control battle management, or C2BM,surveillance, target detection, and tracking platform

F-15E Strike Eagle

Mission: All-weather tactical fighter.

Characteristics:

- Two Engines, 2 parallel vertical "tails" perpendicular to wings

- Crew: "C" Model – one "E" Model – two - "C" Model carries Air-to-Air missiles.

- "E" Model carries Air-to-Surface weapons and can deliver every aircraft launched weapon in the DOW inventory.

- "E" Model uses LIGHTNING or SNIPER for targeting pods

- Limitation: Heavy bomb loadsreduce maneuverability of the "E" model, aircraft size makes detection easier.

F-16 Fighting Falcon

Mission: Multi-role fighter, air to air and air to ground.

Characteristics:

- Single engine (unique) mouth shaped air intake, single vertical stabilizer (tail)

- Crew: "C" Models – one, "D" Models may have two.

- Versatile, 1991 flew more sorties than any other aircraft attacking airfields, military production facilities and Sud missiles sites.

F-22 Raptor

Mission: First look/first shot/first kill in all environments: sophisticated sensor suite allows the pilot to track, identify, shoot, and eliminate threats prior to detection.

Characteristics:

- Configured for Air to Ground operations, can carry two 1,000 lbs GuidedBomb Unit (GBU)- 32 JDAM internally, two air-to-air (AIM) 120, and two AIM 9 Advanced Medium-Range Air-toAir Missiles (AMRAAM), beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles capable of all-weather dayand-night operations. Both missiles utilize onboard avionics support navigation and weapons delivery systems.

- Super Cruise – cruise efficiently at supersonic speed without afterburner.

- Increased lethality, survivability: combination of stealth, integrated avionics, and cruise feature shrinks SAM engagement.

F-35 Lightning II

Mission: Fifth-generation all-weather, multi-role fighter Characteristics: - To replace the F-16 and A-10 - Agile, versatile, high-performance, "9g" capable multirole fighter combining stealth, sensor fusion, and unprecedented situational awareness. - The helmet-mounted display is the most advanced system of its kind. Contains all the intelligence and targeting information the pilot needs to complete the mission through its visor. - Containsstate-of-the-art tactical data links, providing secure sharing of data among its flight members, as well as, other airborne, surface and ground-based platforms.

KC-135 Stratotanker

Mission: Boom or Drogue refueling, installed wing pods provide dual capabilities

Characteristics:

- Boeing 707 airframe

- Capable of transporting 83,000 lbs. Cargo or 57 passengers

- Refueling boom, underside aft fuselage, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Allied service aircraft, wing hose, and drogue pods.

KC – 46 Pegasus

Mission: Refueling, cargo, and aeromedical evaluation capability

Characteristics:

- Provides next generation aerial refueling to Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and partner-nation receivers, Boom and drogue refueling capable.

- Capable of multi-pointsimultaneous aerial refueling

- Can carry up to 18 cargo (436 L) pallets

MQ-9 Reaper

Mission: Medium to high altitude, long endurance RPA. Primarily an intelligence-collection asset and secondarily against dynamic execution targets. Due to itssignificant loiter time, wide-range sensors, multi-mode communication, and precision weapons, it offers a unique ability to strike, coordinate, and conduct reconnaissance against high-value, fleeting, and time-sensitive targets.

Characteristics:

- Max altitude of 50,000, payload of 3,750 lbs, wingspan of 66 ft.

- Integrated infrared sensor, color/monochrome daily TV camera, image-intensified TV camera, laser designator, and laser illuminator.

- Strike capabilities include weapon delivery of laser-guided, air-to-ground, and Hellfire missiles, high accurate, low-collateral damage, anti-armor, and anti-personnel weaponry.

E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS)

Mission: Provide theater ground and air commanders with ground surveillance to support attack operations and targeting, aiding in the delay, disruption, and destruction adversaries.

Characteristics:

- Provide near-real-time, wide-area surveillance, targeting information on moving and stationary ground targets.

- An adjustable antenna can develop a 120-degree field of view covering more than 19,000 square miles and detect targets more than 150 miles away.

VC-135 Air Force One

Mission: Presidential air transport

Characteristics:

- 6,800 nautical miles of rang

- 30 crew

- 71 passengers

- Up to 630 mph

- 45,100 feet ceiling

- Boeing 747 airframe

RQ-4 Global Hawk

Mission: The RQ-4 is a high-altitude, long-endurance ISR platform equipped with radar systems for wide-area searches and tracking moving targets. Provides national leaders, commanders, and joint partners with enhanced situational awareness during peacetime intelligence missions, contingency operations, and conventional warfare.

Characteristics:

- Can fly 1,200 miles and remain on station for 24 hours.

- Max altitude of 60,000, payload of 3,00lbs, wingspan of 130.9 feet.

- In 2001, became the first unmanned aircraft to crossthe Pacific Ocean after a 23-hr and 20-min flight.