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Modern Aircraft
The aircraft you are most likely to see fighting or flying for any one air force.
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Aeritalia G.222
The G.222 was a medium transport produced by the Aeritalia corporation that saw some modest successes. The aircraft was designed to fit the needs of short runway takeoffs from rough airstrips and provide the Italian military ... |

1978 |
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Aermacchi MB.326
The Aermacchi MB.326 series of aircraft has become one of the most successful blends of operational trainer and light attack capabilities. Developed during the Cold War in 1957, the Aermacchi-produced two-seat trainer was alr... |

1962 |
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Aermacchi MB.339
The Aermacchi MB.339 was the successor to the successful Aermacchi MB.326 in the advanced trainer and light strike duty roles. This twin-seat trainer proved equally adept at either role and went on to also replace the Fiat G.... |

1978 |
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Aero L-29 Delfin (Dolphin) / Maya
The Czech designed and produced Aero L-29 Delfin (translating to “Dolphin”; NATO designation of “Maya”) series was a highly utilized Cold War jet trainer aircraft for the Soviet Union and its satellite states. The twin-seat a... |

1963 |
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Aero L-39 Albatros (Albatross)
The L-39 series of advanced jet trainer and light strike aircraft followed along the same lines as its predecessor - the L-29 Delphin (detailed elsewhere on this site) - in terms of development. Designed actually just three y... |

1972 |
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Aerospatiale / Eurocopter SA 330 Puma
The SA 330 Puma series of helicopter became a highly used general utility transport through the years 1969 and 1970 with French and English forces. A joint venture put forth by Aerospatiale in France and Westland in the Unite... |

1969 |
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Aerospatiale / Eurocopter SA 332 Super Puma / AS 532 Cougar
The Aerospatiale Super Puma series was derived from the successful Eurocopter/Aerospatiale Puma series but featured an extended cabin and new powerplants. The Super Puma, coming under the Eurocopter label as of 1992, went on ... |

1982 |
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Aerospatiale SA 316 Alouette III
The Alouette III-series of light utility helicopters was designed by the French firm of Aerospatiale. In its most basic of forms, the Alouette III can take on most light battlefield and maritime duties, while modifications ca... |

1960 |
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Aerospatiale SA 321 Super Frelon (Super Hornet)
The SA 321 Super Frelon is a French-produced multirole helicopter falling under the Aerospatiale brand. The mammoth design became the largest production helicopter designed and built in Europe in any number when it went into ... |

1964 |
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Aerospatiale SA 341 / SA 342 Gazelle
A popular light reconnaissance and attack helicopter for export order, the Aerospatiale Gazelle systems are a common site all over the world. Operating in the multirole mode, the system has the capabilities to undergo duties ... |

1971 |
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Agusta Westland A 129 Mangusta (Mongoose)
The A 129 Mangusta ("Mongoose") was developed as a variant of the A 109 series of helicopters. The newly design aircraft proved to be larger and so different than its predecessor that the system was designated as the A 129 an... |

1990 |
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AIDC AT-3 Tzu-Chiang
The AIDC AT-3 series of advanced weapons trainer aircraft was the second design produced by the Aero Industry Development Center of Taiwan (in conjunction with the American firm of Northrop), succeeding the Chung Tsing T-28 T... |

1984 |
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AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo
The F-CK-1 "Ching-Kuo" was an ambitious and indigenous multirole fighter design in the vein of the F-16 Fighting Falcon as undertaken by the island-nation of Taiwan in the early 1980's. A US-imposed embargo forced the Taiwane... |

1994 |
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Airbus A300
The A300-600 and A310 share a high percentage of commonality in terms of airframe design and construction (decreasing maintenance and repair costs somewhat), with the A300 maintaining the wider cross section - a full 222 inch... |

1972 |
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Airbus A310
The Airbus A310-300 was produced as a budgeted alternative to the based A300-series (detailed elsewhere on this web site) at a time when Airbus was still awaiting official order placement from potential customers. This interi... |

1983 |
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Airbus A340
The Airbus A340 series was already in design and development alongside the similar A330 series. In that respect, the two systems share a commonality in design and internal components. The major visual difference between the t... |

1993 |
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AMX International AMX
The AMX International AMX is the result of cooperation between two Italian (Aeritalia - now Alenia - and Aermacchi) and one Brazilian (Embraer) aircraft firms. Development of the system began with just the two Italian compani... |

1990 |
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Antonov An-12 (Cub)
The Antonov An-12 "Cub" was a product of requirement by the Soviet Union during the Cold War years. With more land area to defend than any other superpower of the time, the Soviet military was faced with the daunting prospect... |

1957 |
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Antonov An-124 Ruslan (Condor)
The Antonov-produced AN-124 was the world's largest aircraft before the Russian AN-225 made it's debut, but it remained the largest to go into production nonetheless. The AN-124 was developed foremost as a military transport ... |

1986 |
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Antonov An-22 Antei (Cock)
The Antonov An-22 Antei (or "Cock") was another in the long line of Antonov transports designed and produced throughout the Cold War, with each design seemingly becoming progressively larger in scope. The An-22 was no excepti... |

1965 |
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Antonov An-225 Mriya (Cossack)
As of this writing, the Antonov An-225 "Mriya" maintains the title of "largest aircraft ever built". The system eclipsed the previous Antonov design attempt in the form of the An-124 Ruslan "Condor" (detailed elsewhere on thi... |

1989 |
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Antonov An-24 (Coke)
The An-24 "Coke" was yet another in the long line of military transport aircraft produced during the Cold War by the Antonov bureau. The An-24 differed from earlier Antonov products in that it was designed and built to strict... |

1959 |
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Antonov An-32 (Cline)
The An-32 "Cline" was offered up by the Antonov bureau as an improved An-26 model. In essence, the system was quite similar to the preceding An-26 with newer and more powerful engines but offered up better performance in trop... |

1977 |
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Antonov An-72 (Coaler)
The An-72 "Coaler" was another Antonov Design Bureau creation designed to assist the Soviet military in logistical sorties as a tactical transport. The design was of a unique and very identifiable nature, placing the powerful... |

1986 |
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Atlas (Denel) Cheetah
The Denel (formally Atlas) Cheetah came about through a need by the South African Air Force to update / replace its series of aging fighters while its bordering neighbors were receiving updated Soviet Bloc aircraft. Unfortuna... |

1987 |
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BAe / Hawker Siddeley Nimrod
The Nimrod aircraft came about as a replacement for the aging and World War Two-era piston-engine Avro Shackleton. Charged with maritime patrol of coastal waters and reconnaissance, the Nimrod had its beginnings on the civili... |

1968 |
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BAe Sea Harrier F/A.2
The Sea Harrier F/A.2 represents an upgrade to the existing Sea Harrier FRS.1 system (the FRS designation was later dropped in favor of the F/A depicted here). Among the improvements to the base Sea Harrier system are a redes... |

1993 |
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Bell 206 JetRanger
The Bell 206 was derived from the unsuccessful OH-4 bid by the Bell company to fulfill a US Army need for a light-weight, turbine-powered, four-seat observation helicopter in 1960. It would not be until 1967 when delays in th... |

1967 |
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Bell 212 / UH-1N/Y Iroquois / AB 212
Continuing in the long line of successful Bell-produced transport/assault helicopters, the Bell 212 airframe - spawning the UH-1N, AB 212 and UH-1Y models - was a further development. The Bell 212 was a joint-production effor... |

1970 |
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Bell AH-1 SuperCobra
The AH-1W and AH-1J SuperCobra series of helicopters are an updated and slightly modified version of the AH-1 HueyCobra (or simply "Cobra") detailed elsewhere on this website.
Much like the base Cobra, the SuperCobra is a... |

1986 |
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Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey
The tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey helicopter was designed form the Bell-produced XV-15 demonstrator, a design looking to produce the next generation in helicopter design. The system is unique in the use of the tilt-rotor assemblies,... |

2007 |
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Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior / 406CS Combat Scout
The Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior was a further development of the successful Bell OH-58 Kiowa. Intended to be fielded alongside the Apache Longbow and provide scouting and observation capabilities in an offensive support capacit... |

1985 |
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Beriev Be-12 Tchaika (Mail)
The Beriev Be-12 "Mail" was a successful floatplane aircraft for the Soviet Union during the Cold War, fulfilling the role of maritime patrol and reconnaissance. The twin-engine system was designed to replace the other Beriev... |

1961 |
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Beriev Be-42 / A-40 Albatross (Mermaid)
The Be-42 / A-40 Albatross (designated by NATO as "Mermaid") was asuprise discovery for Western intelligence sources when it was first spotted in 1988. It was, and still continues to be, the largest amphibious aircraft ever ... |

1990 |
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Boeing / McDonnell Douglas / Northrop F/A-18 Hornet
The F/A-18 Hornet is a twin-engine carrier-based attack fighter currently in frontline service with a variety of forces worldwide. Derived from the failed YF-17 Cobra attempt at a new USAF lightweight fighter (the F-17 lost o... |

1983 |
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Boeing / McDonnell Douglas / Northrop F/A-18 Super Hornet
The Super Hornet is the latest, and most likely the ultimate, evolution in the F/A-18 Hornet series of precision strike aircraft covering carrierborne operations. Produced by a consortium of contractors that includes Boeing a... |

2002 |
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Boeing / Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche
The RAH-66 Comanche helicopter was to be the next generation answer for the United States Army in replacing its aging series of UH-1, AH-1 Cobra, OH-6 and OH-58 Kiowa helicopters in full. The RAH-66 was designed as the world'... |

2004 |
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Boeing 707
The 707 model series for The Boeing Company proved to be the catalyst for their commercial market successes to come. The 707 introduced a model design that was initially conceived of as a private venture, targeting both milit... |

1955 |
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