The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, single-engined jet fighter aircraft manufactured for the United States Air Force (USAF). Though designed as a lightweight fighter, it has evolved into a successful multirole aircraft. It is highly maneuverable and has proven its worth in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack. The Falcon is the largest Western fighter program with over 4,000 aircraft built since its production in 1976. Though no longer produced for the Air Force, it is still being made for export. Its relatively low cost and high performance has made it popular worldwide, serving a total of 24 countries.

From the very beginning, the Falcon was intended to be a cost-effective workhorse that could perform various missions. Advanced aerospace science and proven reliable systems from other planes were integrated into the F16. These simplified the aircraft and reduced its size, weight, purchase price and maintenance costs. The F-16 has excellent acceleration, being one of the few jets with a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than one. It can also be armed with a wide variety of air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, rockets or bombs. An all-weather capability allows it to accurately deliver ordnance during non-visual bombing conditions. The F-16C is the upgraded version of the F-16A, with the latest cockpit control and display technology.

The Falcon has participated in numerous conflicts, mostly in the Middle East. Since the end of Operation Desert Storm, it patrolled the Iraqi no-fly zones. Two air-to-air victories were scored in Operation Southern Watch, the first one by an F-16D and the second by an F16C. On January 17, 1993, an F-16C destroyed an Iraqi MiG-23 with an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). The F-16 was also employed by NATO during Operation Allied Force over Yugoslavia, conducting air-to-ground sorties and achieving one or two aerial victories, one by a Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16A and another possibly by a USAF F-16C. A Yugoslavian MiG-29 may have been shot down by an F-16C with two AMRAAMs, but the Serbs subsequently found fragments of a Strela-2M MANPAD in the wreckage of the MiG-29.

The Boeing 747 is a long-haul, widebody commercial airliner. Sometimes called the “Jumbo Jet”, it is known for its impressive size and is one of the world’s most recognizable aircraft. It has held the passenger capacity record for 37 years and was the first commercial wide-body aircraft. It uses a double decker configuration for part of its length, and the hump created by the upper deck has made the plane a highly recognizable icon of air travel. The 747 was expected to become obsolete after sales of 400 units, but it has outlived many of its critics’ expectations. As of June 2007, 1,387 planes had been built, with 120 more on order.

Throughout its history, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA has used several different types of aircraft on a permanent, semi-permanent, or short-term basis. The agency has three 747s: a 747-100, a 747-100SR, and a 747SP. The 747-100 and 747-100SR are currently used as Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) while the 747SP is in use as Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).

The SCAs are used to ferry space shuttles from landing sites back to the launch complex at the NASA Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center, and to and from other locations too distant for the orbiters to be delivered by ground transport. The 747-100 was was acquired from American Airlines in 1974 and was extensively modified in 1976. Its cabin was stripped, mounting struts were added, the fuselage was strengthened, and vertical stabilizers were added to the tail. The avionics and engines were also upgraded. In 1988, in the wake of the Challenger accident, NASA procured the 747-100SR from Japan Airlines on recommendation from the review board. It entered service with NASA in 1990 after similar modifications. It was the first used to ferry the new shuttle Endeavour in 1991.

The E-2 Hawkeye is an aircraft carrier-based tactical Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft and is used for missions including surface surveillance coordination, strike and interceptor control, search and rescue guidance and communications relay. It was manufactured by Grumman Aerospace Corporation and Northrop Grumman.

In 1964, after replacing the E-1, the Hawkeye has been the eyes of the fleet and has served the US Navy around the world. The E-2Cs has provided the command and control for successful operations during the Persian Gulf War. The original E-2C Hawkeye became operational in 1973 and has been through several upgrade programs since then. The E-2 aircraft served and have worked extremely effective with US law enforcement agencies in drug interdictions. During the late 1980s and the early 1990s, the E-2C Hawkeye has supported numerous naval engagements including the 1985 intercept of the aircraft containing the hijackers of the liner Achille Lauro. It has also participated in the strikes against Libya in 1986.

The E-2 Hawkeye has a maximum speed of 374 mph and a range of 200 nauticla miles. It has a crew of five, including equipment operators. The primary users and operators of the E-2C Hawkeyes are the United States Navy, French Navy, Israeli Air Force and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

The P-3 Orion is an American aircraft used for maritime patrol, reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare manufactured by Lockheed.

The P-3 Orion was originally designated as P3V based on the Lockheed L-188 Electra and served as replacement for the postwar era P-2 Neptune. The first production version of the P3 was designated as P-3V-1 and its maiden flight was on April 15, 1961. Many variants of the P-3 Orion was developed.

The Orion has four turboprops, giving it a speed comparable to fast propeller powered fighters and slow turbofan jets such as the A-10. The P-3 was also designed to compete with the British Nimrod. It has an internal bomb bay under the front fuselage and underwing stations, carrying missiles such as the AGM-84 Harpoon, having a long stinger in the tail which houses the magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) and convex windows for observation.

The primary users and operators of the P-3 Orion are the United States Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Royal Australian Air Force and the Republic of Korea Navy. Civilian agencies also operates a number of P-3s and have been N-registered.