Military aircraft

[4] During World War I, German Zeppelin airships carried out multiple air raids on British cities, as well as being used for observation.

In 1909 the United States Army purchased the Wright Military Flyer, a two-seat observation aircraft, for the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps.

Airplanes also took on a greater variety of support roles, notably medical evacuation, and deployed new weapons like air-to-air rockets for use against reconnaissance balloons.

[8] Aviation technology advanced rapidly in the interwar period, and military aircraft became increasingly capable.

Decisive air battles influenced the outcome of the war, early jet aircraft flew combat missions, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles were deployed for the first time, airborne troops and cargo parachuted into battle, and the nuclear weapons that ended the war were delivered by air.

In the Cold War era, aviation technology continued to advance at an extremely rapid pace.

The primary role of fighters is destroying enemy aircraft in air-to-air combat, as part of both offensive and defensive counter air operations.

Fighters are capable of carrying a variety of weapons, including machine guns, autocannons, rockets, guided missiles, and bombs.

Normally only applied to fixed-wing aircraft, the term signifies the ability to transition between air-to-air and air-to-ground roles, sometimes even during the same mission.

An example of a multirole design is the F-15E Strike Eagle, Eurofighter Typhoon, the Rafale Dassault and Panavia Tornado.

[12] A utility helicopter could also count as a multirole aircraft and can fill roles such as close-air support, air assault, military logistics, CASEVAC, medical evacuation, command and control, and troop transport.

Their uses typically include targeted killings, precision airstrikes, and air interdictions, as well as other forms of drone warfare.

Non-combat roles of military aircraft include search and rescue, reconnaissance, observation/surveillance, Airborne Early Warning and Control, transport, training, and aerial refueling.

Cargo can be attached to pallets, which are easily loaded, secured for flight, and quickly unloaded for delivery.

An airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system is an airborne radar system designed to detect aircraft, ships and ground vehicles at long ranges and control and command the battle space in an air engagement by directing fighter and attack aircraft strikes.

The system is used offensively to direct fighters to their target locations, and defensively in order to counterattacks by enemy forces, both air and ground.

So useful is the advantage of command and control from a high altitude, the United States Navy operates AEW&C aircraft off its Supercarriers to augment and protect its carrier combat information center (CICs).

Experimental aircraft are designed in order to test advanced aerodynamic, structural, avionic, or propulsion concepts.