Military Special Mission Aircraft

Overview

Comprehensive database of military special mission aircraft. This specialized collection includes detailed technical specifications such as speed, range, payload capacity, and armament options for military special mission aircraft aviation platforms, along with complete operational history and current and past operators worldwide.

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✈️ Category	All • Combat • Bomber • Helicopter • Training • Transport • UAV • Special
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Country	Model	Manufacturer	Produced	Description
🇸🇪	340 AEW&C	Saab	12	Swedish twin-engine airborne early warning and control platform produced since late 1990s.
🇺🇸	707	Boeing	865	American jet airliner from the mid-20th century, notably used in civil aviation and military transport missions worldwide.
🇺🇸	747	Boeing	1574	American wide-body commercial jet airliner, conceived in the 1960s and renowned for transcontinental and transatlantic flights.
🇷🇺	A-50 Mainstay	Beriev	42	Russian airborne early warning and control aircraft, developed during the Cold War to extend radar coverage and coordinate air operations across vast distances.
🇪🇺	A310 MRTT	Airbus	6	European multirole tanker transport, with significant deployments in aerial refueling and strategic airlift operations.
🇺🇸	AC-130	Lockheed Martin	21	American gunship, deployed in Vietnam and Iraq wars, known for long duration, low-level ground attack and close air support missions.
🇫🇷	ATL-2 Atlantique	Breguet Aviation	215	French maritime patrol aircraft, operational since the late 20th century, primarily deployed for anti-submarine warfare and surveillance.
🇮🇹 🇺🇸	AW609	AgustaWestland	—	Italian-American tiltrotor aircraft, designed for commercial and government purposes, with applications like search and rescue or offshore transport.
🇨🇳	Be-12 Tchaïka Mail	Beriev	150	Soviet amphibious aircraft, operational in Cold War era, mainly in anti-submarine and maritime patrol roles.
🇦🇹	DA62	Diamond	120	Austrian twin-engine, civil utility aircraft, used worldwide for light transport and aerial surveys in the 21st century.

Country	Model	Manufacturer	Produced	Description
🇨🇦	DHC-2 Beaver	De Havilland Canada	1657	Canadian utility aircraft, renowned for bush flying since the mid-20th century, widely deployed for civilian and military operations.
🇺🇸	E-2 Hawkeye	Grumman	313	American all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning aircraft, significant for its Cold War to contemporary deployments.
🇺🇸	E-3 Sentry AWACS	Boeing	68	American airborne early warning and control (AWACS) aircraft, principally used in NATO, UK, France, and Saudi Arabia since the Cold War.
🇺🇸	E-4 NOAC	Boeing	4	American advanced airborne command post, launched during the Cold War, extensively employed for national emergency operations.
🇺🇸	E-6 Mercury TACAMO	Boeing	16	American command-and-control aircraft, operative during the Cold War era, kept primarily for communications with U.S. nuclear forces.
🇺🇸	E-8 Joint STARS	Boeing/Northrop Grumman	17	American command and control aircraft, instrumental during Persian Gulf War, primarily deployed for surveillance and ground-target tracking missions.
🇺🇸	EA-6B Prowler	Grumman	170	American electronic warfare aircraft, vital during the Cold War, widely deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
🇺🇸	EC-130 Commando Solo	Lockheed Martin	14	American electronic operations aircraft, deployed extensively during conflicts from Vietnam to recent operations in the Middle East.
🇺🇸	EC-135 / EC-18 ARIA	Boeing	45	American electronic surveillance and relay aircraft, involved largely in Cold War and Space Race-era operations.
🇺🇸	EF-111 Raven	General Dynamics/Grumman	42	American electronic warfare aircraft, extensively deployed in Gulf War, notable for radar jamming and deception operations.

Country	Model	Manufacturer	Produced	Description
🇬🇧	Gannet	Fairey	303	British carrier-borne aircraft, known for its Cold War anti-submarine and airborne early warning services.
🇸🇪	GlobalEye	Saab / Bombardier	5	Swedish/Canadian airborne early warning and control platform, introduced in 2020, used for airborne, maritime, and ground surveillance.
🇺🇸	Hawker 800	Hawker Beechcraft	650	British mid-size twinjet corporate aircraft, known for its international charters and private operations since the mid-1980s.
🇨🇳	Il-38 May	Ilyushin	58	Soviet maritime patrol aircraft, deployed during the Cold War, primarily used for anti-submarine and maritime surveillance operations.
🇨🇳	Il-78 Midas	Ilyushin	53	Soviet aerial refueling tanker, developed in the 1980s, widely involved in strategic, long-range force projection missions.
🇨🇳	Il-80	Ilyushin	4	Soviet airborne command post, designed during the Cold War, most notably deployed in strategic air command scenarios.
🇺🇸	KC-130 Hercules	Lockheed Martin	124	American military transport aircraft, noted for tactical refueling and cargo application, extensively operational during Cold War era and beyond.
🇺🇸	KC-135 Stratotanker	Boeing	803	American refueling aircraft, deployed during Cold War, Desert Storm and ongoing operations worldwide for mid-air refueling missions.
🇺🇸	King Air 90	Beechcraft	3100	American twin-turboprop aircraft, prominently deployed for utility, corporate, and military purposes from the 1960s onward.
🇺🇸	P-3 Orion	Lockheed	757	American maritime patrol aircraft, actively used in the Cold War, notable for anti-submarine warfare and surveillance operations.

Country	Model	Manufacturer	Produced	Description
🇮🇹	P2006T	Tecnam	578	Italian light twin-engine aircraft, notably used for training and light transport since the late 2000s.
🇺🇸	PA-32 Cherokee Six	Piper	7842	American light, single-engined aircraft, dominant during the late 20th century, widely used for personal, commercial air taxi services.
🇺🇸	RC-135 Rivet Joint	Boeing	32	American reconnaissance aircraft, routinely deployed since the Cold War era, esteemed for its crucial surveillance roles worldwide.
🇺🇸	S-2 Tracker	Grumman	1284	American carrier-based anti-submarine aircraft, deployed during the Cold War, notably used in the Vietnam and Korean Wars.
🇺🇸	S-3 Viking	Lockheed	188	American anti-submarine aircraft, operational during the Cold War, recognized for its service in Gulf War naval missions.
🇨🇳	SH-5	Harbin	7	Chinese amphibious aircraft, notable for maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare, used primarily in the late 20th century.
🇺🇸	SR-20	Cirrus	1459	American civil utility aircraft, renowned from the late 20th century, extensively deployed in private aviation and flight training.
🇺🇸	SR-71 Blackbird	Lockheed	32	American strategic reconnaissance aircraft, operational from 1966-1998, unmatched speed and altitude records, infamous for Cold War and NASA missions.
🇺🇸	U-2 Dragon Lady	Lockheed	104	American high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, known for extensive Cold War era operations and various military applications worldwide.
🇯🇵	US-2	ShinMaywa	8	Japanese amphibious aircraft, prominently utilized for air-sea rescue operations, predominantly during the early 21st century.
🇩🇪 🇺🇸	X-31 EFM Vector	Rockwell/MBB	2	German-American experimental jet aircraft, known for pioneering in thrust vectoring technology, principally tested during the 1990s.

Military Special Mission Aircraft

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