Air-to-ground weaponry

Air-to-ground weaponry includes all weapons used by airplanes and helicopters to destroy ground targets. This class of weapons have, since the first world war, take a great importance on the conduct of war. It's the main weaponry of ground-attack aircrafts, helicopters and bombers, as for fighter-bombers and strike fighters too. Nowadays, most aerial vehicles, including fighters and UAV are also able to use those weapons in warfare.

A wide variety of weapons exist for this purpose, depending on range, weight, type of technology and their targets.

Machine gun

Further information: Machine gun and Autocannon

Machine gun LMG 14 Parabellum.

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 8 Browning M2.

GAU-8 Avenger, A-10 Thunderbolt.

Minigun MXU-470, gunship AC-47 Spooky.

M230 30mm, AH-64 Apache.

GAU-17 on a UH-1N Huey. 6 tubes, 3 000 rounds per minute.

Machine guns were one of the first weapons adapted on aircraft, as early as the first world war. They were used to hunt down other aircraft, but also shooting at infantry, vehicles and installations. This weapon is usually mounted on or in the nose, in or under the wings, or on the sides of the hull (in gunships). Those weapons evolved developing different aspects of those weapons : caliber, fire rate, number of machine gun mounted.

During World War II, american planes were mounted with a large number of low caliber machine guns, while european nations, and especially the germans, developed bigger caliber weapons, creating the first autocanons. Gatling guns at that time were not used, as the rail guns were more usefull.

Later, the USA developed new weapons for its vehicules, using the gatling design, as for the M61 Vulcan or the GAU-8 Avenger of the A-10 Thunderbolt. They are the main weapon system of american Gunships, as the AC 130.

Grenade launcher

Further information: grenade launcher

Some helicopters are equipped with automatic grenade launchers, like the M75 and the M129, firing 40x53mm grenades.

Bomb

Further information: Bomb

Rocket

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.

M261, 19 Hydra 70, dutch AH-64 Apache.

Hydra 70 & Hellfire.

Pod XM157, 7 Mk 40.

Missile

Further information: Air-to-surface missile

Cruise missile

Further information: Cruise missile

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V1.

Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka Model 11.

AGM-129 ACM.

Missile Tomahawk.