Military Aircraft That Are Flying Right Now (Part 1)

The strength of any military is gauged by not only its personnel but also with the resources that it possesses. There are normally three major sections of any military in the world; Army, Air Force, and Navy.

The air force is the most integral part of any military force in the world these days considering that the heaviest form of attack is the one that is carried out by the air. Considering this fact, nearly all of the militaries of the world nations strive to make better and better aerial arsenals that are called aircraft or in these days, jet fighters.

Each of the world air force has some of their own proprietary aircraft with others being imported from other countries.

Today for our readers, we have gathered a list of the military aircraft that are flying right now (Part 1).

The aircraft that are flying are the backbone of their country first line of defense against any domestic or intentional threat.

Mil Mi-24 aka “Hind” Aircraft

The first up on our list is the Mil Mi-24 aka “Hind” whoosh is the attack helicopter developed in Russia back in 1972 and sill its many variants serve different roles. The primary role of this helicopter is that of an attack aircraft.

Back in the 70s, the Soviet Union saw the US progressing in its attack helicopter program at a fast as well as alarming pace. To counter their helicopters, Soviets designed their own helicopter to provide transpiration facility for infantry and the equipment to and from the battlefield.

The helicopter since its creation has served Soviets and now Russian in many of the world’s war. The aircraft is known for providing the close air support on the front lines which makes it still being in service of the military.

The helicopter is also known by its nickname “Stakan” which means ‘Drinking glass” due to its glass-encased cockpit.

Mikoyan MiG-35 aka “Fulcrum-F”

Mikoyan MiG-35 aka “Fulcrum-F” is also an iconic jet fighter that is serving the Russian Air Force and military as a multirole jet fighter. For the last 20 years, MiG-29 was the most capable fighter jet for Russian Air Force and now with changing technological times in the art of warfare, Russian needed something to maintain their air superiority as well.

The solution to this problem was the fifth generation multirole jet fighter named Mikoyan MiG-35 aka “Fulcrum-F” which is similar in capabilities to Western-made F-22 and F-35.

The design of the MiG-35 is quite similar to the MiG-29 with an aim to deliver better avionic as well as better radar technology in order to detect enemies and engage perfectly in close combat. The aircraft with its top speed of Mach 2+ has a combat range of nearly 620 miles. It can very well match any other fifth-generation multirole jet fighter in the skies today.

Chengdu J-20

Chengdu J-20 is the product of ingenuity by the Chinese Engineers that started roaming the skies of China back in 2018.

After the US built its fifth generation jet fighters such as F-22 and F-35, the world started to build their own fifth-generation aircraft. The purpose behind a fifth-generation jet fighter is to provide a wide range of capabilities like the following.

Ari superiority
Stealth
Long range bombing runs

While the Chinese Chengdu J-20 has completed its first fleet but improvements are still being made to make it able to match the sped and other capabilities of the F-35.

There is also a rumor about the development of Chengdu J-20 that this aircraft was only made possible after the breach of information related to Lockheed’s F-35 Lightning II. The leak information got into the hands of Chinese who were able to manufacture their own fifth-generation multirole fighter jet.

Bell AH-1 Cobra

Bell AH-1 Cobra is the attack helicopter which serves for the US Military since 1967.

The Bell AH-1 Cobra was developed just in time when the Vietnam War started. The aircraft being the very first of its kind offering a sleek and able-bodied attacking helicopter design. The aircraft could make the swooping flight on the front lines and attack the enemy troops with many different types of ammunition.

The Bell AH-1 Cobra looks completely different in its design than any other helicopter of the 60s and it only had one role; to Hunt. The aircraft could make overhead patrols and also provide close air support to the ground troops. The Cobras were replaced mainly by Apaches but many were modified to become Super Cobras that are now serving for the Marine Corps.

Kawasaki OH-1 aka “Ninja”

Kawasaki OH-1 aka “Ninja” is the Scouting helicopter that is serving Japan since 1996. Japan is a country that is surrounded by oceans from all sides. It needed an aircraft to be precise a helicopter that could make those quick scouting patrols for the Japanese Defense Force on a moment’s notice.

The helicopter is not only a scouting aircraft bit also an attack helicopter as well. The helicopter is mainly launched for its scouting missions from the back of the Japanese naval ships. The Kawasaki OH-1 aka “Ninja” is built purely for observation and scouting mission while the AH-2 variant of the helicopter is capable of holding air-to-air missiles to provide fast attack missions.

One other thing that makes Kawasaki OH-1 aka “Ninja” unique is its capability to move at a top speed of 173 mph while maintaining deft maneuverability even in the hostile conditions.

General Dynamics F-16 Falcon

General Dynamics F-16 Falcon is the multi-role fighter jet that is currently serving the US military since 1974.

It is also one of the most widely manufactured jet fighters of the US military. The aircraft is still serving the military due to its amazing ability to engage in dog fights as well as to conduct air superiority missions.

The aircraft is currently being manufactured by the Lockheed when the company acquired the original General Dynamics. The aircraft is also serving many other of the following world militaries as well.