Military Special Mission Aircrafts

Overview

Comprehensive database of military special mission aircrafts. 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.

Country Model Manufacturer Year Produced Description
🇦🇹 DA62 Diamond 2012
120
Austrian twin-engine, civil utility aircraft, used worldwide for light transport and aerial surveys in the 21st century.
🇨🇦 DHC-2 Beaver De Havilland Canada 1947
1657
Canadian utility aircraft, renowned for bush flying since the mid-20th century, widely deployed for civilian and military operations.
🇨🇳 SH-5 Harbin 1976
7
Chinese amphibious aircraft, notable for maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare, used primarily in the late 20th century.
🇪🇺 A310 MRTT Airbus 2003
6
European multirole tanker transport, with significant deployments in aerial refueling and strategic airlift operations.
🇨🇳 Be-12 Tchaïka Mail Beriev 1960
150
Soviet amphibious aircraft, operational in Cold War era, mainly in anti-submarine and maritime patrol roles.
🇨🇳 Il-38 May Ilyushin 1961
58
Soviet maritime patrol aircraft, deployed during the Cold War, primarily used for anti-submarine and maritime surveillance operations.
🇨🇳 Il-78 Midas Ilyushin 1983
53
Soviet aerial refueling tanker, developed in the 1980s, widely involved in strategic, long-range force projection missions.
🇨🇳 Il-80 Ilyushin 1987
4
Soviet airborne command post, designed during the Cold War, most notably deployed in strategic air command scenarios.
🇫🇷 ATL-2 Atlantique Breguet Aviation 1981
215
French maritime patrol aircraft, operational since the late 20th century, primarily deployed for anti-submarine warfare and surveillance.
🇩🇪 🇺🇸 X-31 EFM Vector Rockwell/MBB 1990
2
German-American experimental jet aircraft, known for pioneering in thrust vectoring technology, principally tested during the 1990s.
🇮🇹 P2006T Tecnam 2007
578
Italian light twin-engine aircraft, notably used for training and light transport since the late 2000s.
🇯🇵 US-2 ShinMaywa 2003
8
Japanese amphibious aircraft, prominently utilized for air-sea rescue operations, predominantly during the early 21st century.
🇷🇺 A-50 Mainstay Beriev 1978
42
Russian airborne early warning and control aircraft, developed during the Cold War to extend radar coverage and coordinate air operations across vast distances.
🇸🇪 340 AEW&C Saab 1994
12
Swedish twin-engine airborne early warning and control platform produced since late 1990s.
🇸🇪 GlobalEye Saab / Bombardier 2018
5
Swedish/Canadian airborne early warning and control platform, introduced in 2020, used for airborne, maritime, and ground surveillance.
🇬🇧 Gannet Fairey 1949
303
British carrier-borne aircraft, known for its Cold War anti-submarine and airborne early warning services.
🇺🇸 707 Boeing 1954
865
American jet airliner from the mid-20th century, notably used in civil aviation and military transport missions worldwide.
🇺🇸 747 Boeing 1969
1574
American wide-body commercial jet airliner, conceived in the 1960s and renowned for transcontinental and transatlantic flights.
🇺🇸 AC-130 Lockheed Martin 1967
21
American gunship, deployed in Vietnam and Iraq wars, known for long duration, low-level ground attack and close air support missions.
🇺🇸 E-2 Hawkeye Grumman 1960
313
American all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning aircraft, significant for its Cold War to contemporary deployments.
🇺🇸 E-3 Sentry AWACS Boeing 1972
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 1980
4
American advanced airborne command post, launched during the Cold War, extensively employed for national emergency operations.
🇺🇸 E-6 Mercury TACAMO Boeing 1987
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 1994
17
American command and control aircraft, instrumental during Persian Gulf War, primarily deployed for surveillance and ground-target tracking missions.
🇺🇸 EA-6B Prowler Grumman 1968
170
American electronic warfare aircraft, vital during the Cold War, widely deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
🇺🇸 EC-130 Commando Solo Lockheed Martin 1957
14
American electronic operations aircraft, deployed extensively during conflicts from Vietnam to recent operations in the Middle East.
🇺🇸 EC-135 / EC-18 ARIA Boeing 1961
45
American electronic surveillance and relay aircraft, involved largely in Cold War and Space Race-era operations.
🇺🇸 EF-111 Raven General Dynamics/Grumman 1977
42
American electronic warfare aircraft, extensively deployed in Gulf War, notable for radar jamming and deception operations.
🇺🇸 Hawker 800 Hawker Beechcraft 1983
650
British mid-size twinjet corporate aircraft, known for its international charters and private operations since the mid-1980s.
🇺🇸 KC-130 Hercules Lockheed Martin 1960
124
American military transport aircraft, noted for tactical refueling and cargo application, extensively operational during Cold War era and beyond.
🇺🇸 KC-135 Stratotanker Boeing 1956
803
American refueling aircraft, deployed during Cold War, Desert Storm and ongoing operations worldwide for mid-air refueling missions.
🇺🇸 King Air 90 Beechcraft 1964
3100
American twin-turboprop aircraft, prominently deployed for utility, corporate, and military purposes from the 1960s onward.
🇺🇸 P-3 Orion Lockheed 1958
757
American maritime patrol aircraft, actively used in the Cold War, notable for anti-submarine warfare and surveillance operations.
🇺🇸 PA-32 Cherokee Six Piper 1960
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 1972
32
American reconnaissance aircraft, routinely deployed since the Cold War era, esteemed for its crucial surveillance roles worldwide.
🇺🇸 S-2 Tracker Grumman 1952
1284
American carrier-based anti-submarine aircraft, deployed during the Cold War, notably used in the Vietnam and Korean Wars.
🇺🇸 S-3 Viking Lockheed 1972
188
American anti-submarine aircraft, operational during the Cold War, recognized for its service in Gulf War naval missions.
🇺🇸 SR-20 Cirrus 1995
1459
American civil utility aircraft, renowned from the late 20th century, extensively deployed in private aviation and flight training.
🇺🇸 SR-71 Blackbird Lockheed 1964
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 1955
104
American high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, known for extensive Cold War era operations and various military applications worldwide.