The history of aviation knows a very large number of aircraft of various types and types. All aircraft names are unlikely to even be listed. However, it’s quite possible to cover the main models. Let's find out how airplanes are classified, their types, types, and names are also considered.
Names
Let's take a look at the list of names of the main foreign manufacturers of aircraft in alphabetical order. The list includes both existing companies and the abolished:
- Aérospatiale (France).
- Airbus (EU).
- Boeing (USA).
- British Aerospace (Great Britain).
- British Aircraft (Great Britain).
- Heinkel (Germany).
- Junkers (Germany).
- McDonnell Douglas (USA).
- Messerschmitt (Germany).
The names of aircraft in alphabetical order, produced in the USSR and post-Soviet countries, are given below:
- An (Antonov).
- And (Polikarpov).
- Il (Ilyushin).
- La (Lavochkin).
- LaGG (Lavochkin, Gorbunov, Gudkov).
- Lee (Lisunov).
- MiG (Mikoyan and Gurevich).
- By (Polikarpov).
- Su (Dry).
- Tu (Tupolev).
- Yak (Yakovlev).
How are aircraft classified?
First of all, we learn what planes are. The names of aircraft can tell a lot, but the classification will tell us even more. How are aircraft classified? Do this according to the following parameters:
- by appointment;
- speed
- number of engines;
- type of engines;
- type of chassis;
- mass;
- the number of wings;
- fuselage size;
- type of management;
- take-off form.
We will dwell on some of the above points in more detail.
Intended classification
It is considered the most common. According to this indicator, all planes fell into two large types: military and civilian. In addition, each of these groups has its own subdivision into smaller categories.
In accordance with the specific functional affiliation, military aircraft are classified into the following specialized categories: bombers, interceptor aircraft, aircraft fighters, attack aircraft, military transport ships, fighter-bombers, as well as reconnaissance aircraft.
In civil aviation, flight vehicles are divided into the following categories: passenger, agricultural, transport, postal, experimental, etc.
Bombers
The tasks of the bomber include the defeat of targets on the ground. They do this with bombs and rockets.
Now let's find out the names of military aircraft. Among the bombers, one can distinguish such models of domestic production: Su-24, Tu-160, Su-34. During the Second World War, the Russian Pe-2 bomber was especially famous. But the very first one can be called the famous "Ilya of Muromets" - the creation of the great designer Igor Sikorsky. This device flew for the first time in the air back in 1913. In the era of World War I, it was converted to a bomber. Ilya Muromets aircraft were also used during the Civil War.
Among foreign devices, one can distinguish modern American strategic bombers Northrop B-2 Spirit, XB-70 Valkyrie, Rockwell B-1 Lancer, B-2, B-52 Stratofortress, US aircraft of the 30s Boeing B-17 and Martin B- 10, German bombers of World War II era Junkers Ju 86 and Heinkel He 111.
Fighters
The main task of these devices is the destruction of aircraft and other objects that are in the air.
The names of fighter jets will also say a lot to a military expert. The most famous Soviet models of the period of the Second World War are LaGG-3, I-15 bis, MiG-3, I-16, I-153, Yak-1. In the same era, German aircraft Bf.109, Bf.110 and Fw 190, as well as jet Me.262, Me.163 Komet and He 162 Volksjager, became world famous.
Among the Soviet fighters of a later era, the MiG-31, Su-27 and MiG-29 should be distinguished. Currently, the sky is filled with modern Russian aircraft. Their names are well known to specialists in aircraft. These are fighters of generation 4 ++ Su-35 and MiG-35.
Of modern American models, the world's first generation fighter, the number five Boeing F-22, as well as the earlier models F-4 and F-15 Eagle, stand out.
Fighter bomber
They combine the functions of the first two categories of aircraft described by us. That is, they destroy both air and ground targets.
The first fighter-bombers are the German Me.262, a modified model of the British Supermarine Spitfire fighter, De Havilland Mosquito, as well as the Soviet Yak-9.
Among modern jet aircraft, it is necessary to highlight the domestic MiG-23B, Su-17M, MiG-27 and the American model F-105.
Interceptors
They are a separate subspecies of fighters designed to destroy enemy bombers. Unlike conventional fighters, equipped with powerful radar equipment.
The following aircraft names are known among the Soviet interceptors: Su-15, Su-9, Tu-128, Yak-28, MiG-25. Of the American models can be designated F-16 and Grumman F-14. The world also knows the Japanese Mitsubishi F-2 aircraft and the British interceptor Panavia Tornado ADV.
Attack aircraft
Their tasks include supporting the ground forces from the air.
The most famous attack aircraft of the era of the Second World War are considered aircraft IL-2 and IL-10. At the same time, the enemy used Hs 129 and Ju 87 aircraft for similar purposes. Among modern attack aircraft, the names of the Su-25, F / A-18, A-10 aircraft should be highlighted.
Military vehicles
The main objectives of military transport aircraft is the delivery of military cargo and personnel.
Airplanes of this class currently in operation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are Il-76, An-26, An-124 and An-12. Among American counterparts, Douglas YC-15, Boeing C-17, Boeing C-97 and Boeing E-8 should be highlighted.
Passenger airplanes
An overview of civil aviation models will begin with them. This type of air vehicle, as the name implies, is designed to carry passengers.
The first domestic aircraft carrying civilians is considered to be the same domestic “Ilya Muromets”, which in the future was converted into a bomber. He made his first flight from St. Petersburg to Kiev with sixteen passengers back in 1914.
The most popular airliner during the existence of aviation is the American aircraft Douglas DC-3, which made its first air flight back in 1935. Its various modifications are used to this day. For example, the Soviet version of the aircraft was Li-2.
The first aircraft were described above. The names of the main competitors in the modern passenger aviation market are Boeing and Airbus.
Boeing
The American company Boeing appeared back in 1916. Since then, it has been manufacturing aircraft, mainly for civil aviation, although military transport models are also present. The most famous passenger aircraft names for this company are Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Boeing 747-8, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787.
The first of the above models was released in 1968, and to date is the most massive of all passenger aircraft. The Boeing 747, produced a year later, is a pioneer among wide-body airliners. The Boeing 747-8 is the longest passenger aircraft. It was released in 2010. Today, in the passenger aviation market, the Boeing 777, manufactured since 1994, has gained the largest mass production. The newest model of the corporation at the moment is the 2009 Boeing 787 of creation.
Airbus
As mentioned earlier, the main competitor of Boeing in the world market is the European company Airbus, whose central office is in France. It was founded much later than its American rival - in 1970. The most famous aircraft names of this company are A300, A320, A380 and A350 XWB.
Launched in 1972, the A300 is the first wide-body twin-engine aircraft. On the 1988 A320 manufactured for the first time in the world, an electro-remote control form was applied. The A380, which first flew into the sky in 2005, is the largest in the world. He is able to take on board up to 480 passengers. The company's latest development is the A350 XWB. Its main task was to compete with the previously released Boeing 787. And this airliner successfully copes with this task, bypassing its rival in terms of economy.
Soviet passenger aircraft
The Soviet passenger aircraft industry was also presented at a decent level. Most models are Aeroflot airplanes. The names of the main brands: Tu, Il, An and Yak.
The first domestic jet airliner was the Tu-104 launched in 1955. Tu-154, the first take-off of which was completed in 1972, is considered the most massive Soviet passenger aircraft. The Tu-144 of 1968 of release gained its legendary status, as it is the world's first airliner that managed to break through the sound barrier. He could reach speeds of up to 2.5 thousand km / h, and this record has not been broken to our time. At the moment, the last operating model of the airliner developed by the Tupolev design bureau is the 1990 Tu-204 aircraft, as well as its modification of the Tu-214.
Naturally, in addition to Tu, there are other Aeroflot aircraft. The names of the most popular: Il-18, Il-114, Il-103, An-24, An-28, Yak-40 and Yak-42.
Airliners from other countries of the world
In addition to the above, there are noteworthy models and other manufacturers of passenger aircraft.
The British airliner De Havilland Comet, launched in 1949, is the world's first jet airliner. The French-British Concorde airliner, developed in 1969, became widely known. He went down in history due to the fact that he is the second successful attempt (after Tu-144) to create a supersonic passenger aircraft. Moreover, until now, these two airliners are unique in this regard, since so far no one has been able to release a passenger aircraft suitable for mass operation, capable of moving faster than sound.
Transporters
The main purpose of transport aircraft is the transportation of goods over long distances.
Among the devices of this type, Western models of passenger aircraft modified for transportation needs should be identified: Douglas MD-11F, Airbus A330-200F, Airbus A300-600ST and Boeing 747-8F.
But most of all in the production of transport aircraft, the Soviet, and now the Ukrainian Antonov Design Bureau, became famous. It produces planes that constantly break world records in carrying capacity: An-22 in 1965 (carrying capacity - 60 tons), An-124 in 1984 (carrying capacity - 120 tons), An-225 in 1988 (takes 253 on board, 8 t). The latest model still holds a broken record for carrying capacity. In addition, it was planned to use it to transport the Soviet shuttle "Buran", but with the collapse of the USSR, the project remained unrealized.
In the Russian Federation, transport aviation is not so rosy. The names of the aircraft in Russia are as follows: IL-76, IL-112 and IL-214. But the problem is that the IL-76 currently produced was developed back in Soviet times, in 1971, and the rest are planned to be launched only in 2017.
Agricultural aircraft
There are aircraft, whose tasks include treating fields with pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals. This type of aircraft is called agricultural.
Of the Soviet samples of these devices, the U-2 and An-2 are known, which, due to the specifics of the application, was popularly called "corn makers".
Speed Division
In addition to the classification of aircraft for their intended purpose, which we studied in detail above, there are other types of ranking. These include the classification of flight speed. On this basis, airplanes are divided into the following categories: subsonic, transonic aircraft, supersonic aircraft and hypersonic.
It is easy to understand that subsonic aircraft travel slower than sound. Transonic aircraft fly at a speed close to sonic, supersonic aircraft overcome the sound barrier, and hypersonic planes exceed this figure by more than five times.
At the moment, the fastest in the world is considered an experimental hypersonic device from the United States X-43A 2001. It can pick up speed of 11,200 km / h. In second place is his compatriot X-15, released back in 1959. The speed is 7273 km / h. If we are not talking about experimental devices, but about those aircraft that perform specific tasks, then the American SR-71 is here superior, capable of speeds up to 3530 km / h. Among domestic devices, the supersonic MiG-25 should be distinguished. Its maximum speed can reach 3,000 km / h.
In passenger aviation, things are much worse at speed. To date, only two supersonic airliners have been produced: the domestic Tu-144 (1968) and the French-English Concorde (1969). The first of them can develop speed indicators up to 2.5 thousand km / h, which is a record for civil aviation, but out of all-purpose aircraft this is only the tenth place. It should also be noted that at the moment there is not a single supersonic airliner that is in operation, since the use of the Tu-144 was abandoned back in 1978, and the use of Concorde was stopped in 2003.
Hypersonic passenger aircraft have never existed at all. True, now there are several projects of both domestic and foreign design bureaus for the production of a hypersonic airliner. Among them, the most famous is the European ZEHST. This aircraft will be able to reach speeds of up to 5.0 thousand km / h, but the timing of its creation is unclear. In Russia there are two similar projects - Tu-244 and Tu-444, but at the moment both of them are frozen.
Other types of classification
According to the number of engines in aircraft, there is a ranking from one to twelve-engine.
By engine type, airplanes are divided into the following categories: with an electric motor, piston, turboprop, jet, rocket, and also devices with a combined engine.
According to the type of landing gear, the classification of aircraft is as follows: wheeled, ski, hovercraft, tracked, float, amphibians. Naturally, the most widespread are airplanes with a wheeled chassis.
By weight, the aircraft are divided into super-light, light aircraft, medium-weight aircraft, heavy and heavy.
According to the number of wings, in the direction of decreasing their number, airplanes are divided into polyplanes, triplanes, biplanes, one and a half planes and monoplanes.
There is also a classification according to the size of the fuselage: narrow-body and wide-body.
According to the classification of control type, aircraft are divided into manned and unmanned aerial vehicles.
According to the take-off form, all planes can be divided into the following categories: with vertical take-off, horizontal and short.
Manifold
We learned what constitutes a classification of aircraft, their types, types, names are also considered. As you can see, there are a very large number of models that perform various functions that have very different technical characteristics. The world of aviation is truly multifaceted, and in one review it will not be possible to describe absolutely all of its sides.
Nevertheless, we can give a general idea on this issue by describing the most famous aircraft that have gone down in history. Species and names, despite their large numbers, are nevertheless realistically systematized in a certain way in order to clarify the essence of this topic.