Bharat Rakshak

Aircraft recognition is a learned art. It can only come from living close to a place where you see lot of aircrfat - but that still will not make one adept at instantly recognizing something he has never seen before. The skill is most often picked up by looking at images of dozens or hundreds of different type of aircraft and learning the fine points that differentiate the ones that look similar at first glance. For example - fast flying fighter aircraft nay be visible for less than a second in a gap between trees or a break in clouds and they should be recognizable in that split second. In Bangalore it is often difficult to differentiate between and LA and Mirage 2000 that are seen flashing past very high up for less than a second.

Aircraft recognition is taught to military personnel but is often a learned art for jingos and enthusiasts. I know that many on BRF are accomplished masters in this art and many are not. I myself became an expert at about age 10, but my skills are mainly for military aircraft. I am somewhat less adept at recognizing civil aircraft. My skills have waned somewhat but I am still good and try to keep myself updated. Nowadays there is much material online so we do not have to depend on what I did as a kid - "The Observer's Book of Aircraft" published every year. I collected nearly every one of them - sometimes buying up old issues when I got this and have books from 1959 to the 90s. I may have a few from the 21st century as well - but I can't remember - need to check. They are no longer published and the author died recently.

Some folks may want to try this quiz which I found online. I got 100% in my first attempt but my score (depends on timing) was just under 10,000 - which is an indicator of how quickly and accurately one can recognize shapes and associate them with a name. This is an essential skill for aircraft recognition and comes with practice. Some of the high scorers in that quiz have 19,000 points.

Here is the quiz
http://550cord.com/games/quiz.asp?aircraft

In this thread I will try and post images or silhouettes of common Indian aircraft first and then move on to other aircraft so that anyone who visit this thread can use it as reference material and for skill development.

For other who don't want a "mine is bigger quiz" - here is a nice little fighter aircraft recognition guide - 3.6 MB

http://download.high-g.net/files/Handbo ... nition.pdf

Will post images especially silhouettes as I find them - starting from LCA/Jag etc. Others who find them please go ahead and post

LCA

Mirage 2000

Jaguar

Many versions of the MiG 21 exist. Can anyone take a guess about these 2? I am not sure.

To add to the confusion - here is the now outdated Sukhoi Su-9 "Fishpot" which India never operated.

Here is the Su-7 "Fitter" that the IAF used extensively in 1971

Here is the "Swing wing" version of the Su 7 (called the Su 20) Never operated in India

MiG 23 and MiG 27.

Some early Indian MiG 27s looked like 23s. Could someone please tell the differentiating feature?


MiG 23



MiG 27

The Mig-23 that looked like the MiG-27 was the BN version - sloped nosed etc that looks the same as a MiG-27M - but the key difference - MiG-27 had a six barrelled gatling type gun in the belly , the BN had variable intakes and engine nozzle - while the MiG-27 had fixed intake and nozzle.

Not the variable intake of the BN


a comparision of the 23BN vs 27


BTW that Sukhoi-7 profile pasted - didnt really serve with the IAF - we operated a slightly different version.. i will leave it for others to find out the tiny differences...

Well the TD was indeed a modified Su-7. But the Su-17 Fitter evolved way beyond being called just a "swing wing" version of the Su-7.

hmm....jingos haven't posted any scores

only 7375 bose babu

13k something.

Could manage to score only 9899 in the quiz:-) of course I am a kidoo in this art i must say...

16477. 20 on 20, but I lost a little time on the C-141.

Shiv, I think the first MiG 21that you've posted looks like a bis based on the pronounced 'hump'. The other one looks more like an M/MF - slightly flatter hump there. Of course Jagan gaaru will be able to confirm/deny.

12550

got 2 helicopters wrong

14409
20/20
bit slow on the clicking

19 /20 pts :12218 chopper guessed wrong

any place where i can get the encyclopedia of aircraft's

20/20---16K something....did not realize that there is time element...

18/20 -- 10 K, am a slow clicker...

18/20, mixed up the tankers.....

Shiv - Agree with your comments, and still lovingly maintain my copies of the observers !

15/20. Got a few helicopters wrong.

9670 only...

i got 20/20 14095

I managed to get only 14/20 correct, a score of 8299 . I guess am a noob

shiv, your mig 21 pics - first is bis and second is MF?

14664 for 19/20

Ticked the option-box of S 3 Viking by mistake, for the EA-6

got 14011 20/20

There's also an an adversary aircraft ID test got 10/10 8360 on that. Hesitated a bit on the Mi-6.

uh oh, only 5550 8/10 on threat a/c
helicopter mistakes onlee

OK enough mine is bigger

The following are the Mi 8 and Mi 17. the main visible difference s the taile rotor. it is on the Right (starboard) side for Mi 8 and left (port) fo Mi 17
M- 8



Mi 17



Mi 8 silhouette

Mi6 "Hook"

Formerly the world's largest heavy lift helo

5 bladed rotor. Large wings

Mi 26 Halo
World's biggest heavy lift helo
7 bladed rotor, No wings

Shiv nice find , I never knew something called Mi-6 existed , why do they have wings ?

The Japanese Mitsubishi F1, derived from the Mitsubishi Trainer T2 looks very similar to the Jaguar. Only SDREs are copycats?



Mitsubishi T2



Jaguar

For lift I guess - perhaps those engines were not all that powerful those days.

Check the Harrier and Sea Harrier. Compare with US version AV-8 which has a longer wingspan

Harrier


US version - AV-8

If you don't look carefully, you can mistake a MiG 25 or a MiG 31 for an F 15. If you can't do IFF at BVR imagine the fuk up possible WVR!!

F 15


MiG 25


MiG 31

The Chinese F-7 fighter operated by Pakhanastan can be mistaken for the MiG 21 in WVR combat. This photo is a Sri Lankan example