Military Aircraft introduction

A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat:

    * Combat aircraft are aircraft designed to destroy enemy equipment using their own armament. Combat aircraft are normally developed and procured only by military forces.
    * Non-combat aircraft are aircraft not designed for combat as their primary function, but may carry weapons for self-defense. These mainly operate in support roles, and may be developed by either military forces or civilian organizations.

The F 35 Lightning II is an example of military aircraft that are combat aircraft. Air Force One is an example of a non combat aircraft.

Boeing 747-400 KLM

Below is the seatmap for the KLM 747 model planes. Two things jump out at me with this seating - no first class, and the long galley on the lower deck where most business class areas are - they must be cooking some great meals on these 747 KLM.

Deploying slide on Boeing 747

Model Airplanes: Ever wondered how a slide deploys on Boeing 747 Models? What about the upper deck of the Boeing 747-400? In this video you will see a British Airways Models deploy its upper deck slide. Notice it takes a few seconds to settle before you can safely slide out to save your life. A good point to know if you are the one opening the door and deploying the slide - wait a few moments, then exit.

F-16 Fighting Falcon

These Model Airplanes are finely handcrafted, and hand painted by our artists – to scale and museum quality. 17” inches in length with custom models available.

The F-16 and the F-15 Eagle were the world’s first aircraft able to withstand higher g-forces than the pilots. The F-16 Fighting Falcon entered service in 1979. The last of 2,231 F-16 fighters for the US Air Force was delivered in March 2005. The first two-seat F-16D version was accepted by the US Government in January 2009. Outside the US, Lockheed Martin had a backlog of around 95 F-16 aircraft during the first quarter of 2009.

Recent orders include Bahrain (ten delivered), Greece (60 block 52 all delivered), Israel (50), Egypt (24 block 40), New Zealand (28), United Arab Emirates (80 block 60, first delivered 2005), Singapore (20), South Korea (20 block 52 all delivered), Oman (12, first delivered August 2005), Chile (ten block 50, first delivery 2006) and Poland (48 block 52, delivered March 2006 – December 2008). Israel, with the world’s largest F-16 fleet outside the USAF, has ordered 110 F-16I aircraft, of which the first was delivered in December 2003. These aircraft have Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engines, Elbit avionics, Elisra electronic warfare systems and Rafael weapons and sensors, including Litening II laser target designator pods. Italy has leased 34 aircraft until the first tranche of Eurofighter deliveries are completed. Hungary will acquire 24 ex-USAF fighters.

In December 2005, Greece ordered a further 30 block 52+ fighters (20 F-16C single seat and 10 F-16D two-seat) to be delivered from 2009. Under the Peace Xenia IV purchase programme, the total number of fighters ordered by Greece’s HAF(Hellenic Air Force) rose to 170. The first Peace Xenia IV F-16 block 52 advanced aircraft was delivered on 19 March 2009. The remaining will be delivered in 2009 and 2010.

In June 2005, Pakistan requested the foreign military sale (FMS) of 36 F-16C/D block 50/52 aircraft. In June 2006, the Pentagon notified congress of its intention to agree the sale and Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract for 12 F-16C and six F-16D block 52 aircraft in December 2006. The aircraft will be armed with AMRAAM and Sidewinder missiles and the Sniper targeting pod. The planned order of the second 18 aircraft has been cancelled.

In September 2006, Turkey requested the sale of an additional 30 advanced block 50 F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft. The order was signed in May 2007. The aircraft will be delivered in 2011 and 2012. The total cost of these additional aircraft could be more than $2.9bn excluding Turkey’s $1.1bn upgrade programme for its existing F-16 fleet.

In June 2007, Taiwan requested 66 F-16C/D aircraft but the US government has indicated that approval is unlikely to be granted before 2009.

In December 2007, Morocco requested the sale of 24 F-16C/D block 50/52 aircraft. The deal includes the aircraft, mission equipment and a support package provided by Lockheed Martin and other US and international contractors. The Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) placed a $233.6m order in June 2008.

The F-16IN Super Viper, which is a development of block 60, has been designed for the Indian Air force. It is a fourth-generation fighter that meets the medium multirole combat aircraft (MMRCA) requirements. It includes Northrop Grumman APG-80 AESA radar and General Electric F110-132A engine with 32,000lb thrust.

Various F-16 Model Airplanes upgrades and modernisation programmes are underway in Turkey, Pakistan and Jordan, and within the US Air Force. Future upgrades include air refuelling probes, auxiliary power unitu, auto ground collision avoidance systems and automatic manoeuvring attack.

Etihad Airbus A340-600

The A340 has to be up there with some of my favorite model airplanes. This video is a Etihad A340-600 take off - truly a remarkable airplane. While I have heard that the A340 model airplanes have a slow climb you can really see the slow angle of attack in this Eithad A340-600, no doubt full of fuel and on her way to the other side of the world.

Lufthansa A380-800

On 6 December 2001 Lufthansa announced an order for 15 Airbus A380 Model Airplanes with 10 more options. This deal was confirmed on the 20th of December 2001. The A380 fleet will be used for long haul flights from Frankfurt exclusively. The first aircraft, that arrived on May 19, 2010 has been named "Frankfurt am Main". The first route of the Lufthansa Airbus A380 is Frankfurt to Tokyo, the first flight was on June 11, 2010. The second A380, named "München" (Munich) was delivered in July 2010, and the third, named "Peking" was delivered in August 2010; Lufthansa expects four deliveries in 2010. With the delivery of more A380s, Lufthansa will operate the A380 on routes to Beijing (from 1 September 2010) and Johannesburg (from 12 September 2010). Lufthansa also plans to fly the superjumbo to New Delhi in the winter season of 2010-2011.

The A380 has an enhanced first class product that will be introduced on other long haul aircraft models.

Qantas and the A380

Qantas is the world's oldest airline and used the below clip to introduce their Qantas A380 Model Airplanes to the world. Qantas seems to have not changed their ad agency in years! ;)