Glossary
Aviation terms explained simply.
AWACS / AEW&C
Airborne early warning and control: an aircraft with a powerful radar that watches a large area of sky and directs friendly aircraft.
Aerial refuelling
Transferring fuel from a tanker aircraft to another aircraft in flight, so it can fly further or stay airborne longer.
Afterburner
Extra fuel burned in a fighter's jet exhaust for a short burst of much higher thrust, at the cost of very high fuel use.
Canard
A small wing placed in front of the main wing, used on fighters such as the Typhoon, Rafale and J-20 for agility.
Combat radius
How far a military aircraft can fly to a target, carry out its mission and return — roughly a third to a half of its range.
Delta wing
A triangular wing shape that is strong and efficient at high speeds — used on Concorde, the MiG-21 and the Mirage.
Empty weight
The weight of the aircraft itself without fuel, passengers or payload.
Fighter generations
A rough way to group jet fighters by technology: 3rd generation (1960s missiles and radar), 4th (agile, fly-by-wire, e.g. F-16), 4.5 (modern sensors, e.g. Rafale) and 5th (stealth and sensor fusion, e.g. F-35).
Fly-by-wire
A control system in which the pilot's inputs go to computers, which then move the control surfaces electrically instead of through cables and rods.
Hardpoint
A strong mounting point under the wings or fuselage where weapons, fuel tanks or sensor pods can be attached.
Knot and nautical mile
Aviation units: a nautical mile is 1.852 km, and a knot is one nautical mile per hour (1.852 km/h). Altitudes are usually given in feet (1 m ≈ 3.28 ft).
Mach number
Speed compared with the speed of sound in the surrounding air. Mach 1 is the speed of sound (about 1,060 km/h at airliner cruising height); Mach 2 is twice that.
Maximum take-off weight (MTOW)
The heaviest weight at which an aircraft is allowed to take off, including fuel, passengers, cargo and weapons.
Narrow-body
An airliner with a single aisle, usually seating up to six across — for example the A320 and 737.
Payload
Whatever the aircraft carries to earn its keep: passengers, baggage, cargo or weapons.
Range
How far an aircraft can fly on its fuel with a typical load. Ferry range is the maximum distance with extra tanks and no payload.
Service ceiling
The highest altitude at which an aircraft can still climb at a small useful rate (typically 0.5 m/s).
Stealth
Design techniques — special shapes, materials and internal weapon bays — that make an aircraft very hard to detect by radar and infrared sensors.
Supersonic
Faster than the speed of sound (above Mach 1). Supercruise means flying supersonically without using afterburners.
Swing wing (variable sweep)
Wings that can move forward for slow flight and take-off and sweep back for high speed — used on the MiG-27, F-14 and Tu-160.
Thrust
The pushing force produced by an engine, measured in kilonewtons (kN) or pounds-force (lbf). 1 kN ≈ 225 lbf.
Turbofan
A jet engine with a large fan at the front; most of the air bypasses the hot core, making it quieter and more fuel-efficient. Used by almost all modern airliners and fighters.
Turbojet
The earliest type of jet engine, in which all the air passes through the core. Powerful at high speed but thirsty and loud.
Turboprop
A gas-turbine engine that drives a propeller. Very efficient at lower speeds and on short routes.
Turboshaft
A gas-turbine engine that turns a shaft — usually to drive a helicopter's rotors.
UAV / drone
Unmanned aerial vehicle: an aircraft flown remotely or autonomously with no pilot on board.
VTOL / STOVL
Vertical take-off and landing / short take-off and vertical landing — aircraft such as the Harrier and F-35B that can hover and land vertically.
Wide-body
A larger airliner with two aisles, typically seating seven to ten across — for example the 777, A350 and A380.
Wingspan
The distance from one wingtip to the other. For helicopters, the main-rotor diameter is shown instead.