Military aviation
Military aviation comprises military aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling aerial warfare, including national airlift (air cargo) capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a war theater or along a front.
Lighter-than-air military aviation persisted until shortly after World War II, gradually being withdrawn from various roles as heavier-than-air aircraft improved.
[3] On October 23, 1911, an Italian pilot, Captain Carlo Piazza, flew over Turkish lines on the world's first aerial reconnaissance mission,[4] and on November 1, the first ever aerial bomb was dropped by Sottotenente Giulio Gavotti, on Turkish troops in Libya, from an early model of Etrich Taube aircraft.
Technological improvements were made at a frenzied pace, and the first all-metal cantilevered airplanes were going into service as the war ended.
Between the major world wars incremental improvements made in many areas, especially powerplants, aerodynamics, structures, and weapons, led to an even more rapid advance in aircraft technology during World War II, with large performance increases and the introduction of aircraft into new roles, including Airborne Early Warning, electronic warfare, weather reconnaissance, and flying lifeboats.
Great Britain used aircraft to suppress revolts throughout the Empire during the interwar period and introduced the first military transports, which revolutionized logistics, allowing troops and supplies to be quickly delivered over vastly greater distances.
While they first appeared during World War I, ground attack aircraft didn't provide a decisive contribution until the Germans introduced Blitzkrieg during the Invasion of Poland and Battle of France, where aircraft functioned as mobile flying artillery to quickly disrupt defensive formations.
During World War II, U-boats threatened the ability of the Allies to transport troops and war materiel to Europe, spurring the development of very long range Maritime patrol aircraft, whose capability of independently detecting and destroying submerged submarines was greatly increased with new detection systems, including sonobuoys, Leigh Lights, and radar, along with better weapons including homing torpedoes and improved depth charges.
The introduction of the jet engine, radar, early missiles, helicopters, and computers are World War II advancements which are felt to the present day.
The helicopter appeared late in World War II and matured into an indispensable part of military aviation, transporting troops and providing expanded anti-submarine capabilities to smaller warships, negating the need for large numbers of small carriers.
Incredible advances in electronics were made, starting with the first electronic computers during World War II and steadily expanding from its original role of cryptography into communications, data processing, reconnaissance, remotely piloted aircraft, and many other roles until it has become an integral aspect of modern warfare.
Speed and maneuverability are usually requirements and they carry a variety of weapons, including machine guns and guided missiles, to do this.
Maritime Patrol Aircraft are used to control sea-lanes, and are often equipped with special electronic gear for detecting and sinking submarines, such as sonar.
