List of United States attack aircraft

An AC-130U "Spooky", a type of attack aircraft, over Hulburt Field

This is a list of United States-used attack aircraft, which typically perform tactical bombing and close air support against ground targets.

1919 - 1924

1924-1962

Name Role Manufacturer Image Notes Year of

first flight

Introduction Number built
Douglas XA-2 Douglas Aircraft Company Converted from a Douglas O-2 in 1926. N/A 1
Curtiss Falcon Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company Family of observation and attack aircraft; composes of the A-3, the main attack version, XA-4, and A-5 and A-6 with more powerful engines.
Fokker XA-7 Fokker-America 1931 1
Curtiss A-8 Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company 1931 1932 13
Lockheed Y1A-9 Detroit Lockheed A version of the Lockheed YP-24 that specialized in ground attack. 1931 1
Curtiss YA-10 Shrike Curtiss/Curtiss-Wright 1932 1933 2
Consolidated A-11 Consolidated Aircraft Production attack version of the Consolidated P-30 fighters.
Curtiss A-12 Shrike Curtiss 1933 46
Northrop YA-13/XA-16 Northrop Attack version of the Northrop Gamma. A single example was built as a prototype. It was also known as XA-16 after an engine refit. Never N/A 1
Curtiss XA-14 Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company 1935 1
Martin A-15 Glenn L. Martin Company Proposed attack variant of the Martin B-10; contract fell to the Curtiss XA-14. Never N/A 0
Northrop A-17 / Nomad Northrop 1935 411
Curtiss A-18 Shrike Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company Developed from the Curtiss XA-14. 1935 N/A 13
Douglas A-20 Havoc Douglas Aircraft Company 1938 1941 7,478
Stearman XA-21 Stearman Aircraft 1938 N/A 1
North American NA-40 Attack bomber Developed from the North American XB-21 and into the North American B-25 Mitchell. 1939 N/A 1
Douglas SBD Dauntless / A-24 Banshee Dive bomber Douglas Aircraft Unknown Unknown ~953
Curtiss SB2C Helldiver / A-25 Shrike Dive bomber Curtiss-Wright 1940 1942 7,140
Martin A-30 Baltimore Light bomber /reconnaissance Glenn L. Martin Company 1941 1941 1,575
Douglas A-33 Developed from the Northrop A-17 Unknown 1941 36
Vultee A-31 / A-35 Vengeance Dive bomber Vultee Aircraft 1941 Unknown 1,931
North American A-36 Ground attack/dive bomber North American Aviation Developed from the North American P-51 Mustang. 1942 1942 500
Douglas A-26 Invader Ground attack

Light bomber

Douglas Aircraft Company Originally designed A-26, then designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965 after the Martin B-26 Marauder was retired, then redesignated to A-26. 1942[1][2][3] 1944[1][2][3] 2,503[2][3][4]
Brewster XA-32 Brewster Aeronautical Corporation 1943 N/A 2
Beechcraft XA-38 Grizzly Beechcraft 1944[5] N/A 2[5]
Vultee XA-41 Ground attack Vultee Aircraft 1944 N/A 1
Curtiss XBTC / A-40 Torpedo/dive bomber Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company 1945 N/A 2
Convair XA-44 / XB-53 Convair Project cancelled before two prototypes were built N/A N/A 0
Douglas A-1 (AD) Skyraider Douglas Aircraft Company Formerly designated AD before the 1962 unification of Navy and Air Force designations; served during the Korean War and Vietnam War; had an unusually long career.[6][7] 1945[6][7] 1946[7] 3,180[6][7]
North American A-2 (AJ) Savage Medium bomber North American Aviation Formerly designated AJ prior to the 1962 unification of Navy and Air Force designations. 1948 1950 143[8]
Vought F7U Cutlass Naval multirole fighter Chance Vought 1948 1951 320
Douglas A2D Skyshark Prototype carrier-based attack aircraft Douglas Aircraft Company 1950 N/A 12
Douglas A-3 (A3D) Skywarrior Carrier-based strategic bomber Douglas Aircraft Company Largest aircraft regularly operated from aircraft carriers. 1952 1956 282
Douglas A-4 (A4D) Skyhawk Attack aircraft, fighter, aggressor aircraft Douglas Aircraft Company / McDonnell Douglas 1954 1956 2,960
North American A-5 (A3J) Vigilante Carrier-based nuclear bomber /reconnaissance aircraft[9] North American Aviation 1958 1961 167
Grumman A-6 Intruder Attack aircraft Grumman 1960 1963 693

1962 - Present

Name Role Manufacturer Image Notes Year of

first flight

Introduction Number built
Douglas AC-47 Spooky Ground-attack aircraft and close air support gunship Douglas Aircraft Company Developed from the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, it itself developed from the acclaimed Douglas DC-3. Succeeded by the Fairchild AC-119 & the Lockheed AC-130.[10] First deployed over Vietnam in 1964.[11] 1964[12] 1965 53
Bell AH-1 Cobra Attack helicopter[13] Bell Helicopter Developed from the UH-1 Iroquois/ "Huey."

World's first dedicated armed attack helicopter.[14]

1965[15] 1967[16] 1,116[16]
LTV A-7 Corsair II Ling-Temco-Vought Replacement for the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Its design was derived from the Vought F-8 Crusader. 1965 1967 1,545
Fairchild AC-119 Ground-attack aircraft and close air support gunship Fairchild Aircraft Replaced the Douglas AC-47 Spooky. Unknown 1968 52
Lockheed AC-130 Ground-attack aircraft and close air support gunship for SOF teams Lockheed Martin/Boeing Modified C-130 Hercules. 1967 (AC-130A)[17][18] 1968 (AC-130A)[18] ???
Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne Attack compound helicopter Lockheed Corporation Cancelled due to the winding down of the Vietnam War. 1967 N/A 10
Grumman EA-6B Prowler Electronic warfare/attack aircraft Grumman A converted electronic warfare version of the Grumman A-6 Intruder 1968 1971 170
McDonnell Douglas A-4G Skyhawk Fleet air defense / light attack McDonnell Douglas Export version of the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Unknown 1967 20
Bell AH-1 SeaCobra / SuperCobra Attack helicopter Bell Helicopter 1969 1971 1,271+
Bell 309 KingCobra Attack helicopter prototype Bell Helicopter 1971 (twin-engined)/1972 (single-engined)[19] N/A 2[19]
Fairchild AU-23 Peacemaker Armed gunship, counter-insurgency, utility transport Fairchild Aircraft Used in the Vietnam War by the USAF and RVNAF.[20] 1971 Unknown Unknown
Northrop YA-9 Attack aircraft Northrop Corporation Developed for the United States Air Force A-X program. However, the YA-9 was dropped in favor of the A-10.[21] 1972[21] N/A 2
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II Close air support attack aircraft Fairchild Republic Known for its 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger.[22][23] First production version was delivered in October 1975.[22] 1972[23] October 1977[23] 716[24]
McDonnell Douglas A-12 Avenger II All-weather naval stealth bomber/attack aircraft McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics (planned) Planned attack aircraft for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps; only entered mock-up stage; originally planned to replace the A-6 Intruder.[25] Never N/A 0
Bell YAH-63 Attack helicopter Bell Helicopter Competed in and lost the Advanced Attack Helicopter to the AH-64 Apache. 1975 N/A 3
Boeing AH-64 Apache Attack helicopter Winner of the Advanced Attack Helicopter program. 1975 1986 2,700+
McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet Multirole fighter McDonnell Douglas (1974–1997)

Northrop (1974–1994) Boeing (1997–2000)

Used extensively by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. 1978 1983 1,480
Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk Stealth attack aircraft Lockheed Corporation 1981 1983 64 (5 YF-117As, 59 F-117As)[26][27]
Vought YA-7F Prototype transonic attack aircraft Ling-Temco-Vought/Vought 1989 N/A 0
LTV A-7P Corsair II Ling-Temco-Vought Export LTV A-7 Corsair II for the Portuguese Air Force Unknown Unknown Unknown
Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Carrier-based multirole fighter McDonnell Douglas(1995–1997)

Boeing Defense, Space & Security(1997–present)

Upgraded version of the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. Replaced its predecessor and the Grumman A-6 Intruder. 1995 1999

2001 (IOC)

≥632 as of April 2020
Boeing–Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche Reconnaissance and attack helicopter Boeing Helicopters/Sikorsky Aircraft Stealth helicopter as part of the cancelled Light Helicopter Experimental 1996 N/A 2
Bell AH-1Z Viper Attack helicopter Bell Helicopter 2000 2011 (IOC)[28] 195[28]
Boeing EA-18G Growler Electronic warfare aircraft Boeing Developed from the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. 2006 2009 172 as of October 2021
Lockheed Martin F/A-22 Raptor Air superiority fighter Lockheed Martin Aeronautics / Boeing Integrated Defense Systems Re-designated the F-22 when it entered service in December 2005.[29] 1997 2005[29]
F/A-XX Program/project None Proposed for the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. N/A N/A N/A

References

  1. ^ a b "A-26 Invader – A-26 – Douglas A-26 – Aircraft". Army Air Corps Library and Museum. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  2. ^ a b c "A-26 Invader | Pacific Coast Air Museum | World War II Attack Plane". Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  3. ^ a b c "A-26C Invader". Air Mobility Command Museum. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  4. ^ "A-26B "Invader" – Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum". Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  5. ^ a b "Factsheets: Beechcraft XA-38". National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. 2008. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "A-1H Skyraider". Naval History and Heritage Command - National Naval Aviation Museum. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  7. ^ a b c d "A-1E Skyraider". Hurlburt Field. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  8. ^ "AJ-2 Savage". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  9. ^ "RA-5C Vigilante". National Naval Aviation Museum. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  10. ^ "AC-47 Spooky". Hurlburt Field. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  11. ^ "Gunship I: Spooky". National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  12. ^ "Air Force Armament Museum Foundation". Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  13. ^ "Bell AH-1F Cobra". National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  14. ^ "AH-1W Super Cobra". NAVAIR. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  15. ^ "AH-1W Super Cobra and UH-1N Huey". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  16. ^ a b Pfau, Nathan (21 December 2017). "Vietnam-era AH-1 Cobra ushered in modern attack fleet". U.S. Army. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  17. ^ "Spectre-Association: History of Spectre". Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  18. ^ a b "AC-130A Spectre". Hurlburt Field. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  19. ^ a b Defense Technical Information Center (1972-07-01). DTIC AD0771151: Attack Helicopter Evaluation, Model 309 KingCobra Helicopter.
  20. ^ Green, Brian M. (June 2014). "Niche Aircraft Acquisitions: Complex Things Come In Small Packages" (PDF). DTIC. pp. 38–40. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  21. ^ a b "March Field Air Museum In Riverside, CA - YA-9A, Northrop". Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  22. ^ a b "A-10C Thunderbolt II". Official Website of the United States Air Force. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  23. ^ a b c The A-10 Warthog is 50 years old. Why is it still serving?, Imperial War Museum, retrieved 2023-12-12
  24. ^ "A-10 Thunderbolt II at the Cradle of Aviation Museum". Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  25. ^ "Department of Defense Procurement Coding Manual: Volume 1" (PDF). DTIC. 1989. p. 51. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  26. ^ "15 years after 'officially' retiring its first stealth jet, the US Air Force is looking for help to keep the F-117 flying for another decade". Business Insider. 2 January 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  27. ^ "Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk". National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  28. ^ a b "Bell Completes U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z Program of Record". News - Bellflight. 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  29. ^ a b "F-22 Raptor > Fact Sheet". U.S. Air Force. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
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