Aircraft
(1) (d) “Aircraft” means any vehicle – whether manned or unmanned − that can derive support in the atmosphere from the reactions of the air (other than the reactions of the air against the earth’s surface), including vehicles with either fixed or rotary wings.
[Commentary]
- As used in this Manual, the term aircraft is used in its broadest sense, extending to airplanes (fixed-wing aircraft), helicopters (rotary-wing aircraft) and even balloons, blimps and dirigibles. The definition of aircraft is not limited in terms of function (e.g., combat, transport, refuelling, etc.), status (e.g., military, civilian, etc.), or size (e.g., from large transport aircraft to small drones). Likewise, the definition of aircraft extends to all unmanned aerial vehicles, whether unarmed (UAV) or armed (UCAV), and whether remotely piloted or operating autonomously.
- Aircraft which are lighter than air, like balloons or blimps, are aerostats. Simply put, aerostats float on the air. A powered, steerable aerostat is a dirigible. By contrast, “heavier-than-air” aircraft are aerodynes. In simplest terms, an aerodyne achieves lift by forcing air downward through contact with the aircraft’s surface, especially a fixed-wing aircraft or a rotary-wing aircraft.
- Aircraft may be unpowered (e.g., a glider), powered by propellers, rocket-powered, or powered by one or more jet engines. Jet engines take in air (usually through a turbine driven compressor), burn it and achieve thrust by expelling the exhaust.
- In that the essence of an aircraft is reaction with the air, missiles do not qualify as aircraft because they, except cruise missiles at the time of cruising, do not derive their support from reaction with the air (see Rule 1 (z)).
Categories: Section A: Definitions
