21st Century U.S. Military Manuals: Opposing Force Worldwide Equipment Guide (WEG) Volume 2: Airspace and Air Defense Systems (Part 1) - Helicopters, Fixed-Wing Airplanes, UAVs, Drones

This Worldwide Equipment Guide (WEG) describes the spectrum of worldwide systems and system trends in the Contemporary Operational Environment (COE), serving as an authoritative "encyclopedia" of weapons around the world. This is the newest edition revised in 2011. This handbook is one of a series that describes a contemporary Opposing Force (OPFOR) for training U.S. Military commanders, staffs, and units. Together, these handbooks outline an OPFOR than can cover the entire spectrum of military and paramilitary capabilities against which the U.S. Military must train to ensure success in any future conflict.

Part One of Volume Two covers air, airspace, and air defense systems: helicopters, fixed-wing airplanes, UAVs, and drones.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Related Technologies - The one technology which has the seen the greatest expansion of research and fielding activity in recent years is that of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). A research center in 2008 listed 789 UAV programs and UAVs. Reasons for the expanded use are that these systems can extend our vision and reach over any terrain, against any force, with fewer restrictions, dangers, and support requirements than manned systems. Since they are unmanned, they can go into areas where risk to crews might hinder a mission. Uses for UAVs have expanded beyond the primary one of RISTA, to include, security patrolling, delivery of IW systems (e.g., jammers), communications retransmission, attack, counter-air harassment of enemy aircraft, and remote materials delivery. Revolutions in lightweight materials, imagery systems, and control technologies, particularly commercial, have lowered costs and facilitated these changes.
This chapter provides characteristics of selected unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) either in use or readily available to the OPFOR. Therefore, UAVs discussed in this chapter are those likely to be encountered by U.S. forces in various environments and levels of conflict, or are representative of the range of systems fielded and available. The selection of UAVs is not intended to be all-inclusive. New UAV technologies and applications continue to appear.

Partial contents: * Light Helicopters * BO-105 * MD-500MD/Defender * SA-341/342 Gazelle * Attack Helicopters * AH-1F/Cobra * AH-1W/Supercobra * Ka-50/Ka-52 HOKUM/HOKUM-B * Mi-24/35 HIND * Mi-28N/HAVOC * Medium Multirole Helicopters * Lynx * Mi-2/HOPLIGHT * Z-9/Haitun and WZ-9 Gunship * Utility/Multirole Helicopters * AS-532/Cougar * Ka-27/HELIX * Mi-8/HIP-C and Variants * Mi-17/HIP-H and Mi-171Sh Gunship * Transport Helicopters * Mi-6/HOOK * Mi-26/HALO * Reconnaissance Helicopters * Horizon * Rotary-Wing Aircraft Weapons/Munitions * CHAPTER 3 - FIXED-WING AIRCRAFT * Fighter/Interceptor Aircraft * F-5/Freedom Fighter (Tiger) * Jaguar * J-6 (Jian-6)/F-6 * J-7/FISHBED * J-8/FINBACK * MiG-25/FOXBAT-B * MiG-31/FOXHOUND * Mirage III/5/50 * Ground Attack Aircraft * L39/Albatros * Su-17/FITTER * Su-25TM and Su-3 9/FROGFOOT * Multi-Role Aircraft * AJ37/Viggen * EF-2000/Eurofighter * F-4/Phantom * JAS39/Gripen * KFIR (Lion Cub) * MiG-21/FISHBED * MiG-23/MiG-27/FLOGGER * MiG-29/FULCRUM * Mirage 2000 * Mirage F1 * Q-5/FANTAN * Rafale * Su-24/FENCER * Su-27/FLANKER-B and Variants * Su-3 0/FLANKER-F and Su-30MKK * Tornado IDS * Transport Aircraft * An-2/COLT * An-12/CUB * An-26/CURL * IL-18/COOT * IL-76/CANDID * Bomber Aircraft * H-5/Hongzhaji-5 and IL-28/BEAGLE * H-6/Hongzhaji-6 * Tu-22M3/BACKFIRE-C * Tu-95/BEAR * Command and Control Aircraft * A-50E/MAINSTAY AWACS * CHAPTER 4 - UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES * Mini-UAVs and Micro-UAVs * Skylark, Skylark II, and Skylark IV * Skylite B * Zala 421-08 * Weapon-Delivered Aerial Sensor Munitions * Fox AT1 * Fox AT2 * ASN-104 and ASN-105 (formerly D-4) * ASN-207 * Camcopter S-100 * Shmel-1 and Pchela-1K * Vulture * Tu-143 and Tu-243 * Hermes 450S * Hermes 900 * UAVs Used in Attack Missions * Attack UAVs Harpy and CUTLASS * CHAPTER 5 - THEATER MISSILES * Theater Ballistic Miss