Military aircraft specialized in attacking medium and small ground (surface) targets from low or ultra-low altitudes, also known as strike aircraft or close air support aircraft.
It is used to directly support ground force operations and destroy key military targets such as fortifications, tanks, ground radars, artillery positions, frontline airports, and transportation hubs within enemy battlefields.
On the eve of World War II, Germany first used Junkers 87 dive bombers to attack marching columns and tanks, directly supporting ground forces.
In the latter part of the war, this aircraft was equipped with additional armor and a 37mm aviation gun, which was used especially for low-altitude anti-tank operations. The Soviet Union also used the Il-2 assault aircraft extensively in the war, which played an important role in supporting the troops.
The forward part of the fuselage of this aircraft is equipped with bulletproof steel plates to fully protect the engine, fuel tank, pilot and gunner from small arms projectiles (cannon). The plane is equipped with machine guns, machine guns, rockets and can carry 600 kilograms of aerial bombs.
In late 1944, he produced a modified version of the Il-10. In the mid-1950s, the United States developed the carrier-based A-4 attack aircraft. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the United States and the Soviet Union developed the A-10 and the MiG 27.80, respectively.
At the beginning of the decade, the Soviet Union developed the Su-25 attack aircraft, which was used mainly for anti-tank operations. In 1960, China developed the Strong 5 assault plane (see color photo). It is a single-seat twin-engine low-top supersonic aircraft equipped with two 23mm caliber cannons. A variety of ground attack weapons (bombs, rockets, torpedoes, etc.) can be mounted on the fuselage.
Ammunition can reach 2 tons. The assault aircraft is characterized by good stability and maneuverability at low and ultra-low altitudes; good horizon down, easy search for small hidden targets on the ground; powerful ground-attack weapons, as well as machine guns and bombs, including guided bombs, anti-tank cluster bombs, and air-to-surface missiles, etc.; critical parts of the aircraft are protected by armor to enhance the aircraft’s survivability under ground artillery fire; The take-off and landing performance is excellent, and it can take off and land on a runway near the front line, to expand the aircraft’s support to the combat range.
Modern assault aircraft have subsonic and supersonic speeds, with a normal payload of up to 3 tons; the aircraft is equipped with infrared detectors or low-light televisions and other photoelectric search and aiming equipment, laser ranging, fire control systems, etc.; some newer models of attack aircraft have vertical and short takeoff and landing capabilities, such as the Soviet Yak 36 and the British “Harrier” attack aircraft.