AIRCRAFT MILITARY ROLES
Raja Farrukh Ali
Avionics System Design
Department of Avionics Engineering
Lecture 3 CAE, NUST
With thanks to previous Instructors of this course (Hammad Khan, Dr. Ahnaf Lodhi, others) for their contribution to the slides and course material
Battlefield Scenario
Different Military Roles
Air Ground Strategic Maritime Battlefield Airborne Early
Superiority Attack Bomber Patrol Surveillance Warning
Electronic Photo
Refuelers Transport UAV Training
Warfare Recce
Air Superiority
• Preamble
• Deny an enemy the airspace over
battlefield
• Paves the way for ground attack aircraft
in engaging targets
• Role Requirements
• Rapid deployment
• Zoom In / Climb to intercept altitude
• Close and Beyond Visual Range
engagement
• Functional Requirements
• Extremely agile with carefree handling
• Accurate Navigation
• Target identification and priority toggle
• Accurate weapons aiming
• Capability to join tactical comms.
Air Superiority
• Key Performance Characteristics
• Highly Maneuverable
• High Altitude
• High Speed
• Rapid Climb rate
• Power to weight ration > 1
• Carefree Handling
• Unstable for quick maneuvers
• Full Authority Flight Controls
• Enables pilot to input control
commands without hazard of
losing flight control
Ground Attack
• Preamble
• Tactical Assistance
• Identify and destroy ground targets
• Role Requirements
• Fixed and mobile target detection
• Positive identification and
engagement
• Functional Requirements
• Distinguish target from clutter
• Identify friendlies
• Target designation
• Precision Strike
Ground Attack
• Key Performance Characteristics
• Fast performance at low altitudes
• Reasonably agile to attack and
evade
• Terrain camouflage and pop-up to
attack
Strategic
Bomber
• Preamble
• Deep penetration
• Weaken Enemy Defenses
• Role Requirements
• High level flying
• Heavy bomb loading
• Stealth
• Functional Requirements
• Sustained performance at high
altitude
• Target Designation
• Salvo Attack
• Strategic Weapon loading
Strategic
Bomber
• Key Performance Characteristics
• High altitude cruise
• Long range
• High payload capacity
Maritime
Patrol
• Preamble
• Coastal surface monitoring
• Deep Sea surface monitoring
• Role Requirements
• Anti surface warfare
• Anti submarine warfare
• Search and rescue
• Economic Zone protection
• Custom & excise cooperation
• Functional Requirements
• High endurance and all weather
• Long range surveillance
• Data Fusion
• Personnel locator
Maritime
Patrol
• Key Performance Characteristics
• Long endurance
• Long range
Battlefield
Surveillance
• Preamble
• Real-time intelligence of enemy
and friendly force disposition, size
and movement
• Role Requirements
• Ground scanning
• Long surveillance range to stay
out of enemy sight
• Functional Requirements
• Radar looking obliquely to ground
• Fixed and moving contacts
detection
• Data Fusion
Battlefield
Surveillance
• Key Performance Characteristics
• High Altitude
• Long range
• Stable platform
Airborne Early
Warning
• Preamble
• Alert friendly forces on impending
attack through early detection
• Role Requirements
• High Altitude
• Long surveillance and detection
range
• Reliable communications with
friendlies
• Functional Requirements
• Extensive Radar range
• 3600 coverage, look-down and up
• Identify friendlies
• Guide friendly assets
Airborne Early
Warning
• Key Performance Characteristics
• Radar Capability
• Radar Coverage
• Data Fusion quality
• Command and control quality
Electronic
Warfare
• Preamble
• Disrupt communications
• Radar jamming
• Role Requirements
• Information denial
• Detection capability denial
• Deception jamming
• Functional Requirements
• Tactical Jammer equipment
• Speed
• ECM
• ESM : Threat warning / Target
acquisition / Homing
• SIGINT (COMINT / RADINT /
ELINT)
Electronic
Warfare
• Key Performance Characteristics
• High and Low altitude
• Long duration
• Intelligence gathering equipment
quality
• Stability of platform
Photo Recce
• Preamble
• Photographic Imagery (IMINT) to
assist SIGINT information
• Role Requirements
• Flying over unfriendly skies
• Highly risky mission
• Photography
• Functional Requirements
• High-res pictures
• Extended camera field of view
• Camera integration and control
• Stability for picture taking
• High speed pass
Photo Recce
• Key Performance Characteristics
• Stealth
• Effective Coverage
• High Altitude
• Attack warning and evasion
equipage
• Camera capability and output
quality
Refuelers
• Preamble
• Enhance airborne stamina of
friendly assets by supplying fuel in
air
• Role Requirements
• Heavy loading
• Long endurance
• Refueling system
• Functional Requirements
• Camera for boom engagement
• Homing
• Stable platforms
• Speed Control
Refuelers
• Key Performance Characteristics
• Long Range
• Fuel carrying capacity
• Stable pattern maneuvers
Transport
• Preamble
• Rapid troops deployment
• Efficient Logistics
• Force Projection
• Role Requirements
• Heavy loading
• Tactical missions
• Robust in unfriendly skies
• Functional Requirements
• Cargo carrier ramps
• Air – Air Refueling capability
• Accurate Navigation
• Radio Nav Aids
Transport
• Key Performance Characteristics
• Cargo capacity
• Tactical deployment
• All weather
• Multiple navigation equipment
• Ill prepared surface landing
Unmanned Air
Vehicles
• Preamble
• Need to operate over battlefield
without risking human life or
expensive assets
• Role Requirements
• Remotely controlled
• Specific purpose requirements
• Reduced cost / weight / volume
• Functional Requirements
• Role dependent
• Telemetry Setup
• Autonomous navigation
• Capability equivalence to manned
aircraft
Trainers
• Preamble
• Crew training
• Operational conversion
• Role Requirements
• Main role simulation
• Actual feel
• Functional Requirements
• All systems that require to be
trained on
Recap
• Which type of military aircraft can suppress enemy air defenses?
• Which type of aircraft makes way for ground attack?
• Which aircraft is used for troops deployment?
• Which aircraft can detect underwater submarines?
• Is the list of military aircraft discussed during lecture is finite?
• Can UAV replace strategic bomber?
• Can UAV be used as target drone?
AIRCRAFT MILITARY ROLES
End of Lecture
Next: Flight Controls
