A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance.
Circa 1937. The single-engine PZL.23 Karaś was the main light bomber used by Polish forces at the beginning of World War II.
1943. A twin-engine Lockheed Hudson of No. 2 Squadron RAAF. Its crew and ground staff pose for the photographer, prior to loading the Hudson with its bomb load in the foreground.
An Albatros C.III of the German Luftstreitkräfte, circa 1916. While it was designed as a "armed reconnaissance" type, the C.III was also a light bomber of World War I.
1937. Turkish air force pilot Sabiha Gökçen inspects her Breguet 19 as it is loaded with bombs.
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
