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Multi-Mission Aircraft

What are Multi-Mission Aircraft? Multi-Mission operations fly everything that General Aviation (GA), the airlines and air charter operators don’t. This includes civil aircraft used for specialized services in many industries.

 
What Defines Multi-Mission Aircraft Operations?
 
Multi-Mission Aircraft include  civil aircraft used for specialized services in industries such as agriculture, construction, media, recreation, law enforcement, medical, training, etc.
 
Confusion can exist around this sector because multiple terms with the same meaning are used to describe it. These include ‘Aerial Work’ and ‘Special Mission’. These, and other terms are all used to define this same third pillar of aviation.
 
What’s the History of Multi-Mission Operations in Aviation?
 
The multi-missions sector has a longer historical tradition than General Aviation, the airlines, or air charter operations, tracing its roots back to 1858 when Gaspard-Felix Tournachon ‘Nadar’ first took aerial photographs of Paris from a hot air balloon.
 
After World War I, with a surplus of aircraft and a large pool of unemployed aviators, innovative pilots began using airplanes for aerial work. Many saw the utility of using aircraft for a wide number of applications.
 
Once the surplus market of aircraft had dried up, and through the Great Depression of the 1930s, aircraft manufacturers continued to produce better, more capable aircraft that incorporated closed cockpits, improved engines, and more. This expanded the lift and the reach of aircraft to carry a new range of loads and specialized equipment.
 
Following World War II, an even greater surplus of aircraft existed, and with global manufacturing capacity and a growing world economy, multi-mission operations continued to grow. The use of mass-production techniques (like those of the auto industry reduced the cost of GA aircraft) with platforms such as the Cessna 172 and Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander seeing widespread use.
 
Because of this, aircraft came to be used increasingly in specialist roles such as crop spraying, policing, firefighting, air ambulances, and more.
 
Additionally, as helicopter technology developed, rotorcraft came into widespread use. Today, with the advancement of digital technologies and with smaller and more economical manned and unmanned platforms, the multi-mission/aerial work industry is developing in line with many other expanding industry sectors that in the past could not afford or realize their business models.
 
What do Multi-Mission Operations Cover Today?
 
Multi-mission operations cover almost anything. With ever expanding technology, the application of aircraft to provide an aerial work service is ever changing and innovating. The core industries that the sector supports includes:
 
  • Agriculture
  • Environment Management
  • Construction and Land Development
  • Real Estate
  • Energy
  • Public Safety
  • Advertising
  • Education
  • Recreation
  • Maritime Management
  • Animal Management
  • Meteorology
  • Science and Research
  • Defense
  • Media
To break things down further, the core types of multi-mission operations or services that you’ll commonly see include (but aren’t limited to):
 
Civil (Commercial Providers)
 
  • Mapping and Surveying
  • Monitoring and Inspecting
  • Photography and Cinematography
  • Broadcasting
  • Advertisement
  • Glider Towing and Skydiving Hoisting
  • Crop Dusting, Monitoring and Seeding
  • Pilot and Crew Training
  • Insurance Risk and Claims Management
 Public Safety (Commercial and Public Providers)
 
  • Police Patrol
  • Police Surveillance and Investigation
  • Fire Fighting
  • Search and Rescue
  • Ambulance and Medical Evacuation
  • Emergency and Disaster Relief

Defense (Commercial Providers, in Support of Public Contracts)

  • Command and Control
  • Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Research and Flight Testing
  • Aerial Targets
  • Pilot and Crew Training
What Defines a Multi-Missions Aircraft?

Multi-mission aircraft can be defined as General Aviation aircraft utilized, modified, or adapted with specialized equipment or systems to accomplish a specific task for hire.
 
With the advent of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones in the aviation community, however, this is not just a manned aircraft aviation sector anymore, and the types of platforms now used in aerial work operations are both manned and unmanned.
 
To further sub-define the type of air vehicles used in routine utility operations, you’ll see every kind of platform from fixed-wing, rotor, and even lighter-than-air (i.e. weather balloons) used for many different specialized applications. These are flying underground in mines, around and above your house, and in the Stratosphere.
 
Many aircraft used in these operations are modified or integrated with systems or components that support the specific task the aircraft’s intended to accomplish. Some will have these components either integrated with the airframe or attached via pods/hard points for quick configuration, allowing the aircraft to be used for multiple roles as required.
 
Some aircraft can even be converted from a manned aircraft to an unmanned air vehicle with a few simple procedures and system changes.
 
The components and systems that make a Multi-Missions aircraft a ‘workhorse’ can vary from a kneeboard, towing brackets, spraying systems, searchlights, rescue hoists, right up to a Seaspray Radar.
 
The interior of an aircraft operating in the sector might be reconfigured from its original layout to make it more functional for a specific operation (with passenger seats removed, an operator station and equipment rack installed, and additional systems in the luggage compartment).
 
Multi-Mission and General Aviation Operations: What's the Difference?
 
Multi-mission operations are civil aircraft used for specialized services. General Aviation operations are civil aircraft used for flights that are not commercial air transport operations or aerial work operations.
 
Looking to the future, with so many changes happening around the world regarding the addition of unmanned technology, global economic shifts, and environmental concerns, it’s plausible to see multi-mission aviation becoming more dominant than General Aviation.
 
More information from aso-group.org
 
You can read more about multi-mission aircraft here on this hub or read our Multi-Mission Aircraft Articles.
  • What is a Multi-Mission Aircraft?
    What is a Multi-Mission Aircraft?
    Find Out More Now
  • An Overview of Manned Multi-Mission Aviation
    An Overview of Manned Multi-Mission Aviation
    Find Out More Now
  • An Overview of Unmanned Multi-Mission Aviation
    An Overview of Unmanned Multi-Mission Aviation
    Find Out More Now
  • Aerial Survey Flying - What are the Options?
    Aerial Survey Flying - What are the Options?
    Find Out More Now

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    How to Select the Right Manned Aircraft for Multi-Mission Operations

    Italian Military Surveillance Helicopter
    Fast Facts

    1. Weigh up the performance and capability characteristics when choosing your Multi-Mission aircraft.

    • Although some aircraft types can be modified for multi-mission operations, there are several aircraft performance and capability characteristics you’ll need to weigh-up when choosing the best one for your operation…
    • If the aircraft you’re considering has yet to be modified, you’ll need to consider the impact on the aircraft’s performance.
    Multi-missions adapted helicopter hovering

    2. Weight and balance, structural integrity and fuel capacity matter...

    • Equipage and configuration changes can impact the weight and balance, structural integrity and fuel capacity of an aircraft.
    • In other words, an aircraft’s speed, range, climb rate, payload capability, runway requirement and altitude limitation could be changed by the modification.
    Diamond DA42 modified for multi-mission operations

    3. Know the regions and airspace you intend to fly within...

    • Aircraft should also be equipped to fly in the specific airspace of the intended region of operations.
    • If you’re buying a pre-equipped, pre-owned multi-mission aircraft, will additional avionics be required?
    Aerial Surveillance Operator working in modified Beech Bonanza cabin

    4. Consider the aircraft's performance, based on its payload.

    • When choosing the right aircraft, it’s useful to consider performance based on its payload.
    • If multiple roles are to be performed with the aircraft, assume a worst-case performance scenario to determine if the aircraft will really be the best fit for your operation.
    Sensors and cameras installed on aircraft underbelly

    5. Speak to a qualified modification shop

    • A modification shop with an STC to undertake the necessary conversion will be able to discuss the impact on the aircraft.
    • And the equipment manufacturers and turnkey solution providers will advise you of the aircraft their equipment and packages are ideally suited to.

    FAQ: Multi-Mission Aircraft

    Your questions about in-flight connectivity answered with the help of experts at
    • What do Multi-Mission aircraft do?

      Manned and unmanned multi-mission aircraft cover a wide range of roles.

      These include air ambulance; aerial mapping; aerial photography; aerial survey; air pollution monitoring; agricultural and forestry applications; border and maritime surveillance; environmental monitoring; fishery patrols; geophysical and mineral surveys; intelligence gathering; powerline and utility routes monitoring; and security.

       

    • Which aircraft are used for Multi-Mission roles?

      There is a new generation of factory-modified survey airplanes available from some OEMs.

      In terms of pre-owned aircraft, unless you’re looking at an older (pre 1970s or 1980s) platform, the number of fixed-wing airframes available for multi-mission roles are restricted to those that either have factory modifications or third party STCs available to modify them. By contrast, helicopter usage can be more easily facilitated as they can be fitted with certified sensor housings.

      Companies throughout Europe and North America offer STCs to modify older airframes (including adding camera hatches and other sensor housings).

    • Where can I buy Multi-Mission aircraft equipment?

      You can find multi-mission surveillance equipment on AvBuyer’s Surveillance Equipment services page.

      Several companies produce cameras, searchlights, sensors, radars and other equipment for installation in multi-mission aircraft, including Airborne Technologies; Flir; Hensoldt; Hexagon Geosystems; Leonardo; Reigl; Safran Electronics & Defense; Thales; TrakkaSystems; and Vexcel.

    • How can I get a Multi-Mission aircraft?

      You can either buy an airplane for multi-mission use, or you can hire or contract a service provider.

      Companies such as UK-based DEA have an equipped fleet of aircraft, trained pilots and technicians available for ISR operations, for example. RVL has a fleet of modified airplanes for hire, and Trackair Services Ltd has an international network of survey modified platforms covering most of the world.

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