List of Military Aerial Vehicles

This is a **list of military aerial vehicles** which includes classifications of aerial vehicles (fixwings, urban-purpose, and vetol) that are currently in use. The classifications are mutually exclusive and are imposed, largely, by the international military community.

## Types of Combatant Aerial Craft

### Fighters

 Air-Superiority Craft
Also *heavy fighter*, *fighter-interceptors*
The primary use for air-superiority fighters is disabling or destroying enemy aircraft in aerial combat. As a defensive measure, air-superiority craft are deployed in response to attacking aircraft, usually bombers and reconnaissance vehicles. Air-superiority aircraft are also expected to oeprate in contested airspace during adverse meteorological conditions. Satellite navigation, on-board radar, and beyond visual range (BVR) missile systems all allow air-superiority craft to function within the role set for them. Faster and longer-flying than other fighter variants, interceptors provide a much-needed airspace security for combative and defensive operations.
* **Role**: Air-superiority, interception
* **Air Frame**: Fixwing
* **Drive**: Turbofan, ionadyne

*Examples*
* Empire of Gaennaan Saab-Mafous Tf.M.G-42 Interceptor Ionadyne

 Strike Fighter
Also *fighter-bomber*
Strike fighters are a multi-role attack craft capable of filling in the role of both a tactical bomber (in some capacities) as well as that of a interceptor. Some say that the class of dual-purpose craft makes for a poor imitation of both, but the price of such a vehicle provides lesser-able nations a means of having both secure skies as well as strike craft capabilities.
* **Role**: Air-superiority, ground attack
* **Air Frame**: Fixwing
* **Drive**: Turbofan, ionadyne

### Bombers

 Tactical Bomber
Also *interdictor*
Though often only slightly larger than a strike fighter, tactical bombers are used well-behind enemy lines with the sole purpose of air interdiction with a direct focus on destroying logistics hubs and supply lines. Interdiction is to prevent or delay enemy forces or supplies from reaching the battlefront, placing significant strain on airframe fuel and ordnance needs. To combat this, many nations have significantly bridged the gap between tactical and strategic bombers through larger designs if they are constricted by technological reach or the need for fuel at all. More technologically capable militaries have saved weight and size through use of fixwing ionadynes.
* **Role**: Interdiction
* **Air Frame**: Fixwing
* **Drive**: Turbofan, ionadyne

 Strategic Bomber
Also *penetrator*
Strategic bombers are long-range penetration bombers meant to reach deep into enemy territory to saturate targets (infrastructure, factories, logistics centers, military installations, etc.) with insurmountable amounts of heavy ordnance. Large, even when built as an ionadyne, strategic bombers are ungainly and heavy requiring escorts (usually air-superiority fighters) to reach their targets unharassed. These ordnance delivery platforms have preceded global conflicts since the dawn of flight, and though their use is seldom tactical, their expensiveness is often overlooked for their utility in needs both strategic and defensive.
* **Role**: Area ordnance saturation, war effort obstruction
* **Air Frame**: Fixwing
* **Drive**: Turbofan, ionadyne

### Attack Craft

 Ground-Attack Craft
Ground-attack craft are primarily for conducting airstrikes with greater precision than bombers while also handling (or shrugging off through brute force) encounters with strong, low-level air defenses while strafing the enemy. Though seemingly blurring the lines between a tactical bomber and a strike-fighter, ground-attack craft are close air support vehicles providing direct aide to forces (specifically) on the ground.
* **Role**: Ground attack, close air support
* **Air Frame**: Fixwing
* **Drive**: Turbofan, ionadyne

 Gunship
Also *weapons orbiter*
Armed with heavy aircraft guns, a gunship's primary objective is for attacking ground targets either as an airstrike or as close air support. Weapons are normally mounted laterally (firing from the side) to attack terrestrial targets but are known to be turreted to provide more flexibility during missions. Such a configuration will demand gunships to circle a target rather than strafing it, the weapons firing together on one target to harmonize the fire at the apex of the Cone of Destruction formed by the aircraft and the ground when pylon turns (banking turns) are taking place.
* **Role**: Ground attack, close air support, area ordnance saturation
* **Air Frame**: Vetol, fixwing
* **Drive**: Rotor, turbofan, ionadyne

 Attack Vetol
Attack vetol are armed hover-capable vehicles tasked primarily with attacking other vetol aircraft, engaging ground targets such as infantry, vehicles, and fortifications. Secondary roles expect attack vetol to engage with heavily armored offensive vehicles used in direct fire support and combat niches, using the full breadth of their varied armament to tackle any close air support issue pilots and crew must face. Attack vetol are also used as protective escorts for transport vetol or as armed reconnaissance roles.
* **Role**: Ground attack, close air support
* **Air Frame**: Vetol
* **Drive**: Rotor, turbofan, ionadyne

### Electronic Warfare

Tasked with degrading the effectiveness of enemy RADAR and communication systems, dedicated electronic warfare aircraft are not widely used across the Sphere any longer. Such capabilities are spread throughout combat elements capable of fielding such secondary systems, but that does not mean dedicated EW are not present in wartime operations.
* **Role**: Communications & sensor obfuscation
* **Air Frame**: Urban-purpose, vetol, fixwing
* **Drive**: Rotor, turbofan, ionadyne

## Types of Auxiliary Aerial Craft

### Transport

 Military Transport
Also *military transport aircraft*, *military cargo aircraft*, or *airlifter*
Airlift transports are the logistics backbone of any terrestrial military force, capable of moving people, machines, and freight across distances great and small. Their primary mission is to ferry cargo attached to easily-loadable pallets and containers in a timely manner and are quickly unloaded for delivery. In hostile operational zones, cargo may be discharged via disposable breaking thrusters and dragchutes, eliminating the need to land. Designs range from massive superlift fixwing airframes to smaller vetol airframes for short-range transportation.
* **Role**: Transport
* **Air Frame**: vetol, fixwing
* **Drive**: Rotor, turbofan, ionadyne

 Utility Craft
Also *multi-purpose craft*
A 'jack of all trades' vehicle, utility craft fills in the gaps left by other more specialized machines. These designs are usually for short-range to medium-range operations, relying heavily on both urban-purpose and vetol airframes to achieve their missions. While utility craft largely fill a troop transport and air assault, their capacity to fill a role needed of it is a feat of engineering on its own. Utility craft are the glue that holds other air power roles together.
* **Role**: ground attack, air assault, military logistics, CASEVAC, medical evacuation, command and control, troop transport
* **Air Frame**: Urban-purpose, vetol
* **Drive**: Rotor, turbofan, ionadyne

### Observational Craft

 Reconnaissance and Surveillance
Also *spy plane*
Reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft, known also as a recon plane, are designed to perform aerial reconnaissance and surveillance to support military operations and conduct intelligence gathering for military and para-military commanders. With imagery intelligence (including using photography), signals intelligence, as well as measurement and signature intelligence, recon aircraft utilize high altitudes to provide the widest region for surveillance as well as the most distance available to protect from potential hostile contacts. Commanders, through these aircraft, have access to real-time intelligence data, too.
* **Role**: Intelligence gathering, surveillance
* **Air Frame**: Fixwing
* **Drive**: Turbofan, ionadyne

 Early-Warning and Control
Early-warning and control (EWC) systems are airborne sensory systems designed to detect aircraft, aquatic vessels, and ground vehicles at long ranges, and depending on the system sometimes detect starships as they enter a planet's orbit. EWCs ability to detect the movements of vehicles both terrestrial and stellar allows these aircraft to carry out surveillance as well as perform Command & Control, Battle Management (CCBW) functions. For example, during air engagements, EWCs will direct fighters and attack craft strikes much like Air-Traffic Controllers overseeing cities and starports. EWC Craft operate at high altitudes so that ensuite sensors are able of distinguishing friend or foe aircraft thousands of kilometers away.
* **Role**: defensive observation, command and control
* **Air Frame**: Vetol, fixwing
* **Drive**: Rotar, turbofan, ionadyne

 Maritime Patrol
Also *maritime reconnaissance aircraft* and *maritime surveillance aircraft*
Maritime patrol craft, as the title suggests, is a aquatic patrol craft used to monitor the nautical zones from costal regions to open seas. They are a two-part mission vehicle, not only expected to find hostile craft on the water but engage them, as well. Depending on the specific mission of the craft, it may be a slow-moving naval-modified attack craft with missiles for surface targets or deep-water penetrating munitions to attack submarines attempting to sneak through the defense screen. A secondary role assigned to all marine craft, aerial or otherwise, is search and rescue efforts.
* **Role**: Maritime securty and patrol
* **Air Frame**: Vetol, fixwing
* **Drive**: Rotor, turbofan, ionadyne

### Search and Rescue

Search and rescue (SAR) craft are dedicated to just that: the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. Though not always necessary, many militaries employ SAR vehicles to provide these life-saving services to their own servicemen but will frequently provide these same craft to sites of natural or man-made disasters for civilian search and rescue efforts. Combat search and rescue (CSAR) will be, more often than not, conducted by utility craft with emergency combative medical personnel capable of engaging hostiles while also administering aid to those requiring it.
* **Role**: Search and rescue, combat search and rescue (CSAR)
* **Air Frame**: Urban-purpose, vetol
* **Drive**: Rotor, turbofan, ionadyne