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Multirole combat aircraft

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511: 398: 293: 27: 475:(Air Defence Variant). By contrast, the F-15 Eagle which was another fighter aircraft of that era was designed for air superiority and interception, with the mantra "not a pound for air to ground", although the F-15C did have a rarely used secondary ground attack capability. That program eventually evolved into the F-15E Strike Eagle interdictor/strike derivative which retained the air-to-air combat lethality of earlier F-15s. 213: 124: 486:, designed to perform stealth-based ground/naval strike, fighter, reconnaissance and electronic warfare roles. Like a modern-day F-4, 3 variants of this aircraft fulfill the various strike and air defense roles among its joint service requirements: the standard variant is intended to eventually replace the F-16 and A-10 in the USAF and other Western air forces, a 181:
The term "multirole" was originally reserved for aircraft designed with the aim of using a common airframe for multiple tasks where the same basic airframe is adapted to a number of differing roles. The main motivation for developing multirole aircraft is cost reduction in using a common airframe.
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are classified as multirole fighters; however the Typhoon is frequently considered an air superiority fighter due to its higher dogfighting prowess while its built-in strike capability has a lighter bomb load compared to contemporaries like the Rafale, which sacrifices air-to-air ability for a
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in US Marine Corps, British Royal Air Force and Royal Navy service, and a carrier variant intended to eventually replace the older F/A-18C/D for the US Navy and other F/A-18 operators. The F-35's design goal can be compared to its larger and more air superiority-focused cousin, the
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According to BAE Systems, "an aircraft that can accomplish both air-to-air and air-to-surface roles on the same mission and swing between these roles instantly offers true flexibility. This reduces cost, increases effectiveness and enhances interoperability with allied air forces".
510: 272:, to emphasize the ability of a quick role change, either at short notice, or even within the same mission. According to the Military Dictionary: "the ability to employ a multi-role aircraft for multiple purposes during the same mission." 428:
was also quite 'multirole' in its numerous variants, being designed as a light bomber but serving as an army cooperation aircraft, a two-seat fighter, a fleet spotter, a fighter-bomber (in fact it was probably the first) and a trainer.
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Although the term "multirole aircraft" may be relatively novel, certain airframes in history have proven versatile to multiple roles. In particular, the
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was renowned in Germany for being a "jack-of-all-trades", capable of performing as a bomber, dive bomber, night fighter, and so on, much as the British
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Multirole has also been applied to one aircraft with both major roles, a primary air-to-air combat role, and a secondary role like
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also fits the definition of a multi-role aircraft in its various configurations of the basic airframe design. The various
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configurations were used in air-to-air, fighter bomber, reconnaissance, and suppression of enemy air defenses (
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and usually deployed solely in that role, even though they are theoretically capable of ground attack. The
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did as a fast bomber/strike aircraft, reconnaissance, and night fighter. The
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The first use of the term was by the multinational European project named
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BAE Systems delivers Swing Role Radar capability to Eurofighter Typhoon
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The newest fighter jet that fits the definition of 'multi-role' is the
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intended to perform different roles in combat. These roles can include
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Military aircraft intended to perform multiple roles in combat
910: 859: 808: 743: 687: 639: 487: 455:, which was formed in 1968 to produce an aircraft capable of 1218: 561: 445: 402: 51:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 1508: 1204: 133:, fifth-generation multirole stealth fighters 1093:only list "multirole", and not "multi-role". 321:. Unsourced material may be challenged and 1211: 1197: 507:Below is a list of some current examples. 385:Learn how and when to remove this message 111:Learn how and when to remove this message 509: 396: 211: 197:. Attack missions include the subtypes 122: 1509: 1192: 319:adding citations to reliable sources 286: 49:adding citations to reliable sources 20: 1174:"Mission configuration, Swing Role" 13: 1292:Airborne early warning and control 1118:"Fact file: Saab JAS39 C/D Gripen" 14: 1538: 480:Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II 185:More roles can be added, such as 490:version intended to replace the 291: 203:suppression of enemy air defense 25: 448:) mission roles to name a few. 36:needs additional citations for 1166: 1149: 1132: 1110: 1096: 1072: 1: 1065: 725:Germany / Italy / Spain / UK 259: 176: 7: 1089:. Military-Dictionary.org. 1013: 936:United Aircraft Corporation 502: 334:"Multirole combat aircraft" 195:electronic-warfare aircraft 171:suppression of air defenses 60:"Multirole combat aircraft" 10: 1545: 1161:(press release), BAe, 2001 994:Korea Aerospace Industries 453:Multi-Role Combat Aircraft 282: 1435: 1284: 1277: 1228: 1144:, Military-dictionary.org 139:multirole combat aircraft 264:Some aircraft, like the 245:air superiority fighters 1045:Lead-in fighter trainer 1020:Air superiority fighter 128:United States Air Force 521: 413: 236: 134: 1050:Light combat aircraft 513: 461:aerial reconnaissance 422:de Havilland Mosquito 400: 241:air-to-surface attack 218:de Havilland Mosquito 215: 187:aerial reconnaissance 126: 1106:. 25 September 2020. 1091:Cambridge Dictionary 1035:Interceptor aircraft 998:Indonesian Aerospace 519:F/A-18F Super Hornet 484:Joint Strike Fighter 432:The US joint forces 315:improve this section 45:improve this article 1527:Multi-role aircraft 1362:Electronic warfare 473:Panavia Tornado ADV 406:Panavia Tornado GR4 249:Eurofighter Typhoon 191:forward air control 131:F-35A Lightning IIs 1303:Counter-insurgency 1120:. October 20, 2008 1085:2012-05-02 at the 527:Country/Territory 522: 414: 266:Saab JAS 39 Gripen 237: 167:electronic warfare 135: 1504: 1503: 1500: 1499: 1357:Close air support 1221:military aircraft 1011: 1010: 1003:KAI KF-21 Boramae 901:F-35 Lightning II 749:Chengdu Aerospace 630:Irkut Corporation 438:McDonnell-Douglas 395: 394: 387: 369: 256:heavier payload. 207:close air support 151:air to air combat 121: 120: 113: 95: 1534: 1522:Fighter aircraft 1365: 1282: 1281: 1264: 1213: 1206: 1199: 1190: 1189: 1183: 1181: 1170: 1164: 1162: 1153: 1147: 1145: 1136: 1130: 1129: 1127: 1125: 1114: 1108: 1107: 1100: 1094: 1076: 524: 523: 390: 383: 379: 376: 370: 368: 327: 295: 287: 224:which performed 199:air interdiction 116: 109: 105: 102: 96: 94: 53: 29: 21: 1544: 1543: 1537: 1536: 1535: 1533: 1532: 1531: 1517:Attack aircraft 1507: 1506: 1505: 1496: 1431: 1407:Maritime patrol 1380:Air superiority 1363: 1273: 1262: 1224: 1223:types and roles 1217: 1187: 1186: 1172: 1171: 1167: 1155: 1154: 1150: 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United States Air Force
F-35A Lightning IIs
combat aircraft
air to air combat
air support
aerial bombing
reconnaissance
electronic warfare
suppression of air defenses
aerial reconnaissance
forward air control
electronic-warfare aircraft
air interdiction
suppression of enemy air defense
close air support

de Havilland Mosquito
Night fighter

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