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This is a list of United States-used attack aircraft.
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This is a list of United States-used attack aircraft.
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| Name | Role | Manufacturer | Notes | Year of first flight | Introduction | Number built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curtiss Falcon | ||||||
| Fokker XA-7 | ||||||
| Curtiss A-8 | ||||||
| Y1A-9 | Detroit Lockheed | A version of the Lockheed YP-24 that specialized in ground attack. | ||||
| Douglas A-26 Invader | Ground attack | Douglas Aircraft Company | Originally designed A-26, then designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965 after the Martin B-26 Marauder was retired, then redesignated to A-26. | 1942 [1] [2] [3] | 1944 [1] [2] [3] | 2,503 [2] [3] [4] |
| Douglas A-1 (AD) Skyraider | Attack aircraft | Douglas Aircraft Company | Formerly designated AD before the 1962 unification of Navy and Air Force designations); served during the Korean War and Vietnam War; had an unusually long career. [5] [6] | 1945 [5] [6] | 1946 [6] | 3,180 [5] [6] |
| Name | Role | Manufacturer | Notes | Year of first flight | Introduction | Number built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas AC-47 Spooky | Ground-attack aircraft and close air support gunship | Douglas Aircraft Company | Developed from the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, and that was developed from the acclaimed Douglas DC-3. Succeeded by the Fairchild AC-119 & the Lockheed AC-130. [7] First deployed over Vietnam in 1964. [8] [9] | 1964 [9] | 1965 | 53 |
| Bell AH-1 Cobra | Attack helicopter [10] | Bell Helicopter | Developed from the UH-1 Iroquois/ "Huey". World's first dedicated armed attack helicopter. [10] | 1965 [10] | 1967 [10] | 1,116 [10] |
| Lockheed AC-130 | Ground-attack aircraft and close air support gunship for SOF teams | Modified C-130 Hercules. | 1967 (AC-130A) [11] [12] | 1968 (AC-130A) [12] | ??? | |
| Bell AH-1 SeaCobra / SuperCobra | Attack helicopter | Bell Helicopter | 1969 | 1971 | 1,271+ | |
| Bell 309 KingCobra | Attack helicopter prototype | Bell Helicopter | 1971 [13] /1972 [14] | Never | 2 [14] | |
| Northrop YA-9 | Attack aircraft | Northrop Corporation | Developed for the United States Air Force A-X program. However, the YA-9 was dropped in favor of the A-10. [15] | 1972 [15] | Never | 2 |
| Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II | Close air support attack aircraft | Fairchild Republic | Known for its 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger. [16] [17] First production version was delivered in October 1975. [16] | 1972 [17] | October 1977 [17] | 716 [18] |
| Bell AH-1Z Viper | Attack helicopter | Bell Helicopter | 2000 | 2011 (IOC) [19] | 195 [19] | |
| McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet | Multirole fighter | McDonnell Douglas (1974–1997) Northrop (1974–1994) Boeing (1997–2000) | Used extensively by the U.S Navy | 1978 | 1983 | 1,480 |
| Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet | Carrier-based multirole fighter | McDonnell Douglas(1995–1997) Boeing Defense, Space & Security(1997–present) | Upgraded version of the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. | 1995 | 1999 2001 (IOC) | ≥632 as of April 2020 |
| Boeing EA-18G Growler | Electronic warfare aircraft | Boeing | Developed from the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet | 2006 | 2009 | 172 as of October 2021 |
| F/A-XX | Program/project | None | Built for as part of Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program | Not yet | Not yet | Not yet |
The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily armed, long-endurance, ground-attack variant of the C-130 Hercules transport, fixed-wing aircraft. It carries a wide array of ground-attack weapons that are integrated with sophisticated sensors, navigation, and fire-control systems. Unlike other modern military fixed-wing aircraft, the AC-130 relies on visual targeting. Since its large profile and low operating altitudes around 7,000 feet make it an easy target, its close air support missions are usually flown at night.
The Bell AH-1 Cobra is a single-engined attack helicopter developed and manufactured by the American rotorcraft manufacturer Bell Helicopter. A member of the prolific Huey family, the AH-1 is also referred to as the HueyCobra or Snake.
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. Nose-mounted sensors help acquire targets and provide night vision. It carries a 30 mm (1.18 in) M230 chain gun under its forward fuselage and four hardpoints on stub-wing pylons for armament and stores, typically AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods. Redundant systems help it survive combat damage.
A gunship is a military aircraft armed with heavy aircraft guns, primarily intended for attacking ground targets either as airstrike or as close air support.
The Douglas AC-47 Spooky was the first in a series of fixed-wing gunships developed by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. It was designed to provide more firepower than light and medium ground-attack aircraft in certain situations when ground forces called for close air support.
The Bell AH-1 SuperCobra is a twin-engined attack helicopter that was developed on behalf of, and primarily operated by, the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The twin Cobra family, itself part of the larger Huey family, includes the AH-1J SeaCobra, the AH-1T Improved SeaCobra, and the AH-1W SuperCobra.
Hurlburt Field is a United States Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation and is home to Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), the 1st Special Operations Wing (1 SOW), the USAF Special Operations School (USAFSOS) and the Air Combat Command's (ACC) 505th Command and Control Wing. It was named for First Lieutenant Donald Wilson Hurlburt, who died in a crash at Eglin. The installation is nearly 6,700 acres (27 km2) and employs nearly 8,000 military personnel.
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command to United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), a unified combatant command located at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. AFSOC provides all Air Force Special Operations Forces (SOF) for worldwide deployment and assignment to regional unified combatant commands.
The Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne is an attack helicopter developed by Lockheed for the United States Army. It rose from the Army's Advanced Aerial Fire Support System (AAFSS) program to field the service's first dedicated attack helicopter. Lockheed designed the Cheyenne using a four-blade rigid-rotor system and configured the aircraft as a compound helicopter with low-mounted wings and a tail-mounted thrusting propeller driven by a General Electric T64 turboshaft engine. The Cheyenne was to have a high-speed dash capability to provide armed escort for the Army's transport helicopters, such as the Bell UH-1 Iroquois.
Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267 (HMLA-267) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and Bell UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters. Nicknamed the "Stingers", the squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 39 (MAG-39) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron 303 (HMLAT-303), is a United States Marine Corps helicopter training squadron stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California. Known as "Atlas", HMLAT-303 trains newly commissioned Naval Aviators, conversion pilots, and refresher pilots to fly the Bell UH-1Y Venom and Bell AH-1Z Viper. HMLAT-303 is also responsible for training Bell UH-1Y Venom crew chiefs. It is part of Marine Aircraft Group 39 (MAG-39) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
The Bell UH-1Y Venom is a twin-engine, medium-sized utility helicopter built by Bell Helicopter under the H-1 upgrade program of the United States Marine Corps. One of the latest members of the numerous Huey family, the UH-1Y is also called "Yankee" after the NATO phonetic alphabet pronunciation of its variant letter. Bell was originally to produce UH-1Ys by rebuilding UH-1Ns, but ultimately built them from scratch instead. In 2008, the UH-1Y entered service with the Marine Corps and also began full-rate production. The aircraft replaced the USMC's UH-1N Twin Huey light utility helicopters, introduced in the early 1970s. The final UH-1Y was delivered in 2018.
The Bell AH-1Z Viper is a twin-engine attack helicopter, based on the AH-1W SuperCobra, designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Bell Helicopter. It is one of the latest members of the prolific Bell Huey family. It is often called "Zulu Cobra", based on the military phonetic alphabet pronunciation of its variant letter.
The Advanced Attack Helicopter (AAH) was a United States Army program to develop an advanced ground attack helicopter beginning in 1972. The Advanced Attack Helicopter program followed cancellation of the Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne. After evaluating industry proposals, the AAH competition was reduced to offerings from Bell and Hughes. Following a flight test evaluation of prototypes, Hughes' YAH-64 was selected in December 1976.
The 6th Special Operations Squadron is part of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. The squadron operates MC-130J Commando II aircraft in support of special operations. The 6th SOS specializes in the use of night vision goggles and formation tactics to refuel large helicopter and tilt-rotor formations.
The H-1 upgrade program is the United States Marine Corps's program to develop the AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom military helicopters to replace its aging fleets of AH-1W SuperCobras and UH-1N Twin Hueys. The contract was awarded in 1996 to Bell Helicopter, the original manufacturer of both aircraft, to design the new airframes as modernized attack and utility helicopters with considerable design commonality, to reduce operating costs.
The Bell H-13 Sioux is an American single-engine light helicopter built by Bell Helicopter and manufactured by Westland Aircraft under license for the British military as the Sioux AH.1 and HT.2.
Counter-insurgency aircraft or COIN aircraft are a specialized variety of military light attack aircraft, designed for counter-insurgency operations, armed reconnaissance, air escort of ground forces, and ground support against "low-intensity engagements"; usually irregular groups of insurgents armed with aircraft artillery and/or portable rockets.
