A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight of a torpedo, and remained an important aircraft type until they were rendered obsolete by anti-ship missiles. They were an important element in many famous Second World War battles, notably the British attack at Taranto, the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck, the sinking of the British battleship HMS Prince Of Wales and the British battlecruiser HMS Repulse and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
A Fairey Swordfish carrying a dummy torpedo
A formation of Fairey Barracudas during World War II
Short Folder 81 being hoisted aboard the cruiser HMS Hermes
A Sopwith Cuckoo dropping an aerial torpedo during World War I
A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary military of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat:Combat aircraft, such as fighters and bombers, are designed to destroy enemy equipment or personnel using their own aircraft ordnance. Combat aircraft are typically developed and procured only by military forces.
Non-combat aircraft, such as transports and tankers are not designed for combat as their primary function, but may carry weapons for self-defense. These mainly operate in support roles, and may be developed by either military forces or civilian organizations.
An F-16 Fighting Falcon (leading), P-51D Mustang (bottom), F-86 Sabre (top), and F-22 Raptor (trailing) fly in a formation representing four generations of American combat aircraft.
A replica of a German Messerschmitt Me 262, one of the first combat aircraft to fly under turbojet power
An F-35 Lightning II multirole stealth fighter operated by the Israeli Air Force
Augusta Westland AH-1 Apache attack helicopter operated by the British Army Air Corps