List of active United States military aircraft

Last updated

An F-16 Fighting Falcon of the United States Air Force in flight F-16 1.jpg
An F-16 Fighting Falcon of the United States Air Force in flight

The United States Armed Forces uses a wide variety of military aircraft across the respective aviation arms of its various service branches. The numbers of specific aircraft listed in the following entries are estimates from published sources and may not be exhaustive.

Contents

For aircraft no longer in service, see the list of military aircraft of the United States.

Air Force

Army

Coast Guard

Marine Corps

Space Force

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Air Force</span> Air service branch of the U.S. military

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal Corps, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces in 1947 with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the second youngest branch of the United States Armed Forces and the fourth in order of precedence. The United States Air Force articulates its core missions as air supremacy, global integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control.

The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consist of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. All six armed services are among the eight uniformed services of the United States, along with the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey</span> Military transport tiltrotor

The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a conventional helicopter with the long-range, high-speed cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft. The V-22 is operated by the United States and Japan, and is not only a new aircraft design, but a new type of aircraft that entered service in the 2000s, a tiltrotor compared to fixed wing and helicopter designs. The V-22 first flew in 1988 and after a long development was fielded in 2007. The design essentially combines the vertical takeoff ability of a helicopter, but the range of a fixed-wing airplane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton</span> Maritime version of RQ-4 Global Hawk

The Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton is an American high-altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed for and flown by the United States Navy and Royal Australian Air Force as a surveillance aircraft. Together with its associated ground control station, it is an unmanned aircraft system (UAS). Developed under the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) program, the Triton is intended to provide real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions (ISR) over vast ocean and coastal regions, continuous maritime surveillance, conduct search and rescue missions, and to complement the Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.

A naval flight officer (NFO) is a commissioned officer in the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps who specializes in airborne weapons and sensor systems. NFOs are not pilots (naval aviators), but they may perform many "co-pilot" or "mission specialist" functions, depending on the type of aircraft. Until 1966, their duties were performed by both commissioned officer and senior enlisted naval aviation observers (NAO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Air Station Jacksonville</span> United States Navy air base in Jacksonville, Florida, US

Naval Air Station Jacksonville is a large naval air station located approximately eight miles (13 km) south of the central business district of Jacksonville, Florida, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper</span> American unmanned aerial vehicle

The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper is an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) primarily for the United States Air Force (USAF). The MQ-9 and other UAVs are referred to as Remotely Piloted Vehicles/Aircraft (RPV/RPA) by the USAF to indicate ground control by humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division</span> Military unit

The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) is an Echelon IV command of the United States Navy, reporting to the Commander, Naval Air Warfare Center - Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. NAWCTSD is located in Orlando, Florida in the Central Florida Research Park, adjacent to the University of Central Florida (UCF). The facility is a part of a larger military installation within the Central Florida Research Park known as Naval Support Activity Orlando.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VX-23</span> Aviation unit of the United States Navy

Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) is an aviation unit of the United States Navy based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, United States. The squadron was established on 22 July 1995. Using the tail code SD, the squadron operates multiple aircraft types of the United States Navy for test and evaluation purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Marine Corps Aviation</span> Air branch of the U.S. Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps Aviation (USMCA) is the aircraft arm of the United States Marine Corps. Aviation units within the Marine Corps are assigned to support the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, as the aviation combat element, by providing six functions: assault support, antiair warfare, close air support, electronic warfare, control of aircraft and missiles, and aerial reconnaissance. The Corps operates rotary-wing, tiltrotor, and fixed-wing aircraft mainly to provide transport and close air support to its ground forces. Other aircraft types are also used in a variety of support and special-purpose roles. All Marine Corps aviation falls under the influence of the Deputy Commandant for Aviation, whose job is to advise the Commandant of the Marine Corps in all matters relating to aviation, especially acquisition of new assets, conversions of current aircraft, maintenance, operation, and command.

Naval Air Warfare Center is a research organization within Naval Air Systems Command to test and evaluate air warfare for the United States Navy. The center combines the following divisions:

The Next Generation Jammer is a program to develop an airborne electronic warfare system, as a replacement for the AN/ALQ-99 found on the EA-18G Growler military aircraft. It reached Initial Operating Capability in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing Insitu RQ-21 Blackjack</span> Unmanned air vehicle by Boeing Insitu

The Boeing Insitu RQ-21 Blackjack, company name Integrator, is an American unmanned air vehicle designed and built by Boeing Insitu to meet a United States Navy requirement for a small tactical unmanned air system (STUAS). It is a twin-boom, single-engine monoplane, designed as a supplement to the Boeing Scan Eagle. The Integrator weighs 61 kg (134 lb) and uses the same launcher and recovery system as the Scan Eagle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing MQ-25 Stingray</span> American military aerial refuelling drone

The Boeing MQ-25 Stingray is an aerial refueling drone that resulted from the Carrier-Based Aerial-Refueling System (CBARS) program, which grew out of the earlier Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program. The MQ-25 first flew on 19 September 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie</span> Planned stealth unmanned combat air vehicle for the US Air Force

The Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie is an experimental stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) designed and built by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions for the United States Air Force's Low Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator (LCASD) program, under the USAF Research Laboratory's Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology (LCAAT) project portfolio. It was initially designated the XQ-222. The Valkyrie completed its first flight on 5 March 2019 at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.

References

  1. Church 2023, p. 122.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 "2024 USAF & USSF Almanac: Equipment". Air & Space Forces Magazine. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  3. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 24.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Church 2023, p. 126.
  5. 1 2 3 Church 2023, p. 127.
  6. 1 2 Premo, Capt. Alicia (3 November 2022). "AFSOC receives final AC-130J". U.S. Air Force. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Church 2023, p. 119.
  8. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 26.
  9. Decker, Audrey (13 May 2024). "B-2 that caught fire in 2022 won't be fixed, Air Force confirms". Defense One. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Church 2023, p. 120.
  11. Gordon, Chris (10 November 2023). "New B-21 Bomber Takes First Flight". Air & Space Forces Magazine. Air & Space Forces Association. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  12. Losey, Stephen (12 February 2024). "The new B-52: How the Air Force is prepping to fly century-old bombers". Defense News. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  13. 1 2 3 Church 2023, p. 138.
  14. 1 2 Church 2023, p. 142.
  15. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 27.
  16. C-146A Wolfhound Archived 16 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine af.mil
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Flight Global 2023, p. 33.
  18. "524th Special Operations Squadron | 524th SOS". Airforce.americanspecialops.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  19. "The Golden Knights". recruiting.army.mil. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  20. 1 2 Church 2023, p. 140.
  21. 1 2 3 Church 2023, p. 141.
  22. Church 2024, p. 130.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Church 2023, p. 128.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 Flight Global 2023, p. 33-34.
  25. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 28.
  26. 1 2 Church 2023, p. 130.
  27. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 130.
  28. 1 2 Church 2023, p. 131.
  29. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 130-131.
  30. Tamir Eshel (21 September 2011). "U.S. Air Force Extends BACN Com-Relay Biz Jets Operations in Kandahar". defense-update.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  31. Church 2023, p. 132.
  32. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 29.
  33. 1 2 3 4 Church 2024, p. 122.
  34. 1 2 3 4 Mabeus-Brown, Courtney (22 March 2024). "Air Force to add 5 new Compass Call electronic-attack planes in 2025". Air Force Times. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  35. 1 2 Church 2023, p. 133.
  36. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 31.
  37. Trevithick, Joseph (9 January 2023). "'Retired' F-117 Nighthawks Will Fly For Another Decade". The War Zone. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  38. 1 2 Church 2023, p. 123.
  39. "Defense bill would let Air Force retire A-10s, F-15s — but not F-22s". defensenews.com. 7 December 2023.
  40. 1 2 USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 33.
  41. By Brian W. Everstine (23 May 2021). "F-35 Is Now the Air Force's Second-Largest Fighter Fleet". Air Force Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  42. Tirpak, John (4 October 2023). "New Acquisition Report: F-15EX Unit Cost Will Be $94 Million". Air & Space Forces Magazine. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  43. "F-15EX Eagle II Unveiled at Portland Air National Guard Base". National Guard. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  44. Tirpak, John (4 October 2023). "New Acquisition Report: F-15EX Unit Cost Will Be $94 Million". Air & Space Forces Magazine. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  45. Church 2024, p. 114.
  46. Church 2023, p. 124.
  47. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 35.
  48. 1 2 Church 2023, p. 125.
  49. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 36.
  50. Church 2024, p. 116.
  51. 1 2 Church 2023, p. 136.
  52. 1 2 Church 2023, p. 144.
  53. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 37.
  54. Church 2024, p. 133.
  55. Church 2023, p. 137.
  56. Cohen, Rachel (6 October 2023). "KC-10 tanker flies last combat mission as retirement looms". Air Force Times. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  57. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 38.
  58. Church 2024, p. 127.
  59. Everstine, Brian (28 May 2024). "New Delivery Delay Adds To Boeing KC-46 Woes | Aviation Week Network". aviationweek.com. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  60. 1 2 Church 2023, p. 143.
  61. Finnerty2024-03-22T21:30:00+00:00, Ryan. "US lawmakers call for recapitalisation of LC-130 Arctic transport fleet". Flight Global. Retrieved 2 April 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  62. Church 2023, p. 129.
  63. Church 2024, p. 119.
  64. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Church 2023, p. 145.
  65. Losey, Stephen (6 August 2024). "First Huey replacement helicopter delivered to US Air Force". Defense News. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  66. "MQ-9 Reaper". af.mil. Archived from the original on 8 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  67. 1 2 3 4 Church 2023, p. 148.
  68. Church 2024, p. 137.
  69. 1 2 3 4 Church 2023, p. 149.
  70. Church 2024, p. 138.
  71. Losey, Stephen (29 February 2024). "Northrop Grumman modifying Global Hawk drones for hypersonic tests". Defense News. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  72. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 39.
  73. 1 2 3 4 5 Church 2023, p. 147.
  74. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 41.
  75. 1 2 Church 2023, p. 146.
  76. Roza, David (13 March 2024). "Air Force Delays T-7 IOC Another Year, Slashes 2025 Production". Air & Space Forces Magazine. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  77. Church 2024, p. 135.
  78. "WWII Glider Pilot's Briefing" (PDF). December 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  79. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 43.
  80. 1 2 3 USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 42.
  81. 1 2 Church 2023, p. 135.
  82. Hadley, Greg (19 March 2024). "SOCOM Cuts Armed Overwatch Buy from 75 to 62 Aircraft". Air & Space Forces Magazine. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  83. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 23, 44.
  84. Shalal, Andrea (29 January 2016). "Boeing wins contract to build new Air Force One presidential jets". Reuters. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  85. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 46.
  86. D'Urso, Stefano (18 April 2024). "AI Flew X-62 VISTA During Simulated Dogfight Against Manned F-16". The Aviationist. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  87. Cenciotti, David (27 September 2020). "The U.S. Army's First Ever Manned ISR ARTEMIS Jet Has Carried Out Missions Over Georgia And Abkhazia". The Aviationist.
  88. "Alaska Army Guard receives 1 of only 3 C-12J airframes in the US Army". Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  89. "Beechcraft delivers four T-6 military training aircraft to United States Army". Textron Aviation newsroom. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  90. "Sikorsky Aircraft Delivers 100th New Production UH-60M BLACK HAWK Helicopter to U.S". Reuters. 25 March 2009. Archived from the original on 5 May 2009.
  91. "Gray Eagle Completes 20,000 Automated Takeoffs & Landings | sUAS News". 24 October 2013. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  92. "Department of Defense Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Budget Estimates" (PDF). February 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  93. Manuel, Rojoef (26 July 2023). "US Army Buys More Nano Drones in $93M Deal". The Defense Post. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  94. "The Scramble Military Database USA-Coast Guard". scramble.nl. Retrieved 1 May 2019.[ permanent dead link ]
  95. "PMA-207 delivers C-40A to the U.S. Marine Corps". navair.navy.mil. Naval Air Systems Command. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  96. Baugher, Joe (2 September 2023). "US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos--Third Series (164196 to ??)". joebaugher.com. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  97. "2015 Marine Aviation Plan" (PDF). Headquarters Marine Corps. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  98. 1 2 3 4 "2022 Marine Aviation Plan" (PDF). aviation.marines.mil. United States Marine Corps Aviation. p. 137. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  99. 1 2 "UC-35 Citation". navair.navy.mil. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  100. 1 2 3 USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 20.
  101. 1 2 3 USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 21.
  102. 1 2 USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 20-21.
  103. Soule, Alexander (12 July 2023). "Sikorsky remains White House helicopter of choice". CT Insider. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  104. Cifuentes, Michael S. "Marine Corps continues flying with Joint Strike Fighter program". Headquarters Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 1 March 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  105. Robochoppers Turned Into Maritime Recon Aircraft Archived 20 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine - Strategypage.com, 18 January 2013
  106. "Navy contracts MQ-9 Reapers for Marine Corps, extending range for future operations". Naval Air Systems Command. 17 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  107. 1 2 Burgess, Richard R. (19 January 2023). "Marine Corps Replacing Fixed-Wing Small UAS with VTOL Types". Seapower. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  108. Whittle, Richard (13 January 2015). "Navy Decides to Buy V-22 Ospreys for Carrier Delivery". Breaking Defense. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  109. "F-5N/F Freedom Fighter | NAVAIR – U.S. Navy Naval Air Systems Command – Navy and Marine Corps Aviation Research, Development, Acquisition, Test and Evaluation". Navair.navy.mil. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  110. "F-16 Versions - (T)F-16N". f-16.net. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  111. Drew, James (16 August 2015). "US Navy considers reduced annual F-35C buy". Flight Global. Reed Business Information. Archived from the original on 17 August 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.(subscription required)
  112. "VUP-19 DET PM MQ-4C "Triton" Drone Performs First Flight from NBVC Point Mugu". 28 June 2018. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  113. Rosenberg, Zach (23 April 2024). "US Navy accepts first two Textron T-54 deliveries". Janes.com. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  114. Burgess, Richard R. (31 January 2023). "Navy Is Sustaining 10 Operational MQ-8C Fire Scout UAVs; Rest in Storage". Seapower. Seapower. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  115. Tegler 2024-05-29T06:23:00+01:00, Jan (29 May 2024). "US Navy's MQ-8C Fire Scouts fly into retirement just two years after entering operational service". Flight Global. Retrieved 2 June 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  116. USD(C)/CFO 2024, p. 147.
  117. Albon, Courtney (29 December 2023). "US Space Force sends X-37B craft on another secretive mission". C4ISRNet. Retrieved 24 May 2024.

Bibliography