Airplanes
Air Force Planes!
Fighters
F-15 Eagle
Facts
Primary function: Tactical fighter Contractor: McDonnell Douglas Corp. Power plant: Two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 or 229
turbofan engines with afterburners Thrust: (C/D models) 23,450 pound each engine Wingspan: 42.8 feet (13 meters) Length: 63.8 feet (19.44 meters) Height: 18.5 feet (5.6 meters) Speed: 1,875 mph (Mach 2.5 plus) Maximum takeoff weight: (C/D models) 68,000 pounds (30,844
kilograms) Ceiling: 65,000 feet (19,812 meters) Range: 3,450 miles (3,000 nautical miles) ferry range with
conformal fuel tanks and three external fuel tanks Crew: F-15A/C: one. F-15B/D/E: two Armament: One internally mounted M-61A1 20mm 20-mm,
six-barrel cannon with 940 rounds of ammunition; four AIM-9L/M Sidewinder and four AIM-7F/M Sparrow
air-to-air missiles, or eight AIM-120 AMRAAMs, carried externally. Unit Cost: A/B models - $30.1 million;C/D models - $34.3
million (flyaway costs) Date deployed: July 1972
F-16 Fighting Falcon
Facts
Primary Function: Multirole fighter Builder: Lockheed Martin
Corp. Power Plant:
F-16C/D: one Pratt and Whitney F100-PW-200/220/229 or General Electric
F110-GE-100/129 Thrust: F-16C/D, 27,000 pounds Length: 49 feet, 5
inches (14.8 meters) Height: 16 feet (4.8 meters) Wingspan: 32 feet, 8 inches (9.8 meters) Speed: 1,500 mph
(Mach 2 at altitude) Ceiling: Above 50,000
feet (15 kilometers) Maximum Takeoff
Weight: 37,500 pounds (16,875 kilograms) Range: More than 2,000 miles ferry range (1,740 nautical
miles) Armament: One M-61A1 20mm multibarrel cannon with 500
rounds; external stations can carry up to six air-to-air missiles, conventional
air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions and electronic countermeasure pods Unit cost: F-16A/B , $30.1 million; F-16C/D, $34.3 million (2000
dollars) Crew: F-16C, one; F-16D, one or two Date Deployed: January 1979
F-117 Stealth Fighter
Facts
Primary Function: Fighter/attack Contractor: Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Co. Power Plant: Two General Electric F404 engines Length: 65 feet, 11 inches (20.3 meters) Height: 12 feet, 5 inches (3.8 meters) Weight: 52,500 pounds (23,625 kilograms) Wingspan: 43 feet, 4 inches (13.3 meters) Speed: High subsonic Range: Unlimited with air refueling Armament: Internal weapons carriage Unit Cost: $45 million Crew: One Date Deployed: 1982 Inventory: Active force, 55; ANG, 0; Reserve, 0
Attack
A-10 Thunderbolt
Facts
Primary Function: A-10 -- close air support, OA-10 -
airborne forward air control Contractor: Fairchild Republic Co. Power Plant: Two General Electric TF34-GE-100 turbofans Thrust: 9,065 pounds each engine Length: 53 feet, 4 inches (16.16 meters) Height: 14 feet, 8 inches (4.42 meters) Wingspan: 57 feet, 6 inches (17.42 meters) Speed: 420 miles per hour (Mach 0.56) Ceiling: 45,000 feet (13,636 meters) Maximum Takeoff Weight: 51,000 pounds (22,950 kilograms) Range: 800 miles (695 nautical miles) Armament: One 30 mm GAU-8/A seven-barrel Gatling gun; up to
16,000 pounds (7,200 kilograms) of mixed ordnance on eight under-wing and three under-fuselage pylon
stations, including 500 pounds (225 kilograms) of Mk-82 and 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms) of Mk-84 series
low/high drag bombs, incendiary cluster bombs, combined effects munitions, mine dispensing munitions,
AGM-65 Maverick missiles and laser-guided/electro-optically guided bombs; infrared
countermeasure flares; electronic countermeasure chaff; jammer pods; 2.75-inch (6.99 centimeters) rockets;
illumination flares and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. Crew: One Date Deployed: March 1976 Unit Cost: $8.8 million Inventory: Active force, A-10, 143 and OA-10, 70; Reserve,
A-10, 46 and OA-10, 6; ANG, A-10, 84 and OA-10, 18
Bombers
B-1B Lancer
Facts
Length: 146 feet (44.5 meters) Wingspan: 137 feet (41.8 meters) extended forward, 79 feet
(24.1 meters) swept aft Height: 34 feet (10.4 meters) Weight: Empty, approximately 190,000 pounds (86,183
kilograms) Maximum Takeoff
Weight: 477,000 pounds ((216,634 kilograms) Speed: 900-plus mph
(Mach 1.2 at sea level) Range: Intercontinental,
unrefueled Ceiling: More than
30,000 feet (9,144 meters) Power plant: Four
General Electric F-101-GE-102 turbofan engines with afterburners Thrust: 30,000-plus
pounds with afterburner, per engine Crew: Four (aircraft commander, pilot, offensive
systems officer and defensive systems officer)
Armament: Up to 84
Mark 82 conventional 500-pound bombs, or 30 CBU-87/89/97, or ZX JDAMS. Also can
be reconfigured to carry a wide range of nuclear weapons Unit Cost: $200-plus
million per aircraft Inventory: Active force, 51 primary mission aircraft
inventory (PMAI), 71 (actual), 2 (test)
B-2 Spirit
Facts
Primary function: Multi-role heavy bomber. Prime Contractor: Northrop Grumman Corp. Contractor Team: Boeing Military Airplanes Co., General
Electric Aircraft Engine Group and Hughes Training Inc., Link Division Power Plant: Four General Electric F-118-GE-100 engines Thrust: 17,300 pounds each engine Length: 69 feet (20.9 meters) Height: 17 feet (5.1 meters) Wingspan: 172 feet (52.12 meters) Speed: High subsonic Ceiling: 50,000 feet (15,152 meters) Takeoff Weight (Typical): 336,500 pounds (152,635 kilograms) Range: Intercontinental, unrefueled Armament: Conventional or nuclear weapons Payload: 40,000 pounds (18,144 kilograms) Crew: Two pilots Unit cost: Approximately $1.3 billion Date Deployed: December 1993 Inventory: Active force: 20; ANG: 0; Reserve: 0
B-52 Stratofortress
Facts
Primary Function: Heavy bomber Contractor: Boeing Military Airplane Co. Power plant: Eight Pratt & Whitney engines TF33-P-3/103
turbofan Thrust: Each engine up to 17,000 pounds Length: 159 feet, 4 inches (48.5 meters) Height: 40 feet, 8 inches (12.4 meters) Wingspan: 185 feet (56.4 meters) Speed: 650 miles per hour (Mach 0.86) Ceiling: 50,000 feet (15,151.5 meters) Weight: Approximately 185,000 pounds empty (83,250
kilograms) Maximum Takeoff Weight: 488,000 pounds (219,600 kilograms) Range: Unrefueled 8,800 miles (7,652 nautical miles) Armament: Approximately 70,000 pounds (31,500 kilograms)
mixed ordnance -- bombs, mines and missiles. (Modified to carry air-launched cruise missiles, Harpoon
anti-ship and Have Nap missiles.) Crew: Five (aircraft commander, pilot, radar navigator,
navigator and electronic warfare officer) Accommodations: Six ejection seats Unit Cost: $74 million Date Deployed: February 1955 Inventory: Active force, 85; ANG, 0; Reserve, 9
Transport
C-5 Galaxy
Facts
Primary Function: Outsize cargo transport Prime Contractor: Lockheed-Georgia Co. Power Plant: Four General Electric TF-39 engines Thrust: 43,000 pounds, each engine Wingspan: 222.9 feet (67.89 meters) Length: 247.1 feet (75.3 meters) Height: 65.1 feet (19.84 meters) Cargo Compartment: height , 13.5 feet (4.11 meters); width,
19 feet (5.79 meters); length, 143 feet, 9 in (43.8 meters) Pallet Positions: 36 Maximum Cargo: 270,000 pounds (122,472 kilograms) Maximum Takeoff Weight: C-5B 769,000 pounds (348,818
kilograms) (peacetime), 840,000 pounds (381,024 kilograms) (wartime) Speed: 518 mph (.77 Mach) Range: 6,320 nautical miles (empty) Crew: 7 (pilot, co-pilot, two flight engineers and three
loadmasters) Unit Cost:C-5A - $152.8 million (FY98 constant dollars) C-5B - $179 million (FY98 constant dollars) Deployed:C-5A - 1969, C-5B - 1980 Inventory: unavailable
C-9 Nightingale
Facts
Primary Function: C-9A, Aeromedical evacuation; C-9C,
distinguished visitor support Contractor: Boeing Company Thrust: 14,500 pounds, each engine Length: 119 feet, 3 inches (36.4 meters) Wingspan: 93 feet, 3 inches (28.4 meters) Height: 27 feet, 5 inches (8.4 meters) Ceiling: 37,000 feet (11,277 meters) Maximum Takeoff
Weight:C-9A, 108,000 pounds (48,988 kilograms); C-9C, 110,000 pounds (49,886
kilograms) Speed: 525 mph at
33,000 feet (455 knots true airspeed) Range: 2,500 miles Crew: C-9A, Eight (pilot, co-pilot, flying crew chief, two
flight nurses and three aeromedical technicians) C-9C, Eight (pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer, communication
systems operator, four in-flight passenger service specialists) Load: C-9A, 40 litters or four litters and 40 ambulatory or
any combination; C-9C, 12 passengers Date Deployed:August 1968 Unit Cost: C-9A, $15.9 million; C-9C, $21 million Inventory: C-9A, Active force, 20; Reserve, 0; ANG, 0; C-9C:
Active force, 3; Reserve, 0; ANG, 0
