What type of aircraft are military gliders?
Q: What type of aircraft are military gliders?
A: Military gliders are a variation of the common glider and have no engines.
Q: How were military gliders used during World War II?
A: During World War II, military gliders were towed into the air by military transport planes or bombers and then released near the front lines to land on any convenient open terrain close to their target.
Q: What materials were used to make military gliders?
A: Military gliders were made from common and inexpensive materials such as wood because they were treated as disposable.
Q: What did troops landing by glider refer to themselves as?
A: Pilots referred to themselves as "tow targets" while the soldiers referred to the gliders as "flying coffins."
Q: What advantages did military gliders have over paratroopers?
A: Gliders had certain advantages over paratroopers in that they could land troops and equipment precisely at the target landing area, be silent, and difficult for the enemy to identify. They also allowed for heavier equipment like anti-tank guns, anti-aircraft guns, small vehicles, such as jeeps, and light tanks (e.g., Tetrarch tank) to be delivered with more precision than parachutes.
Q: How many trained pilots did the United States have during WWII?
A: The United States had about 6,000 trained pilots during WWII.
Q: Are military gliders still used today?
A:Military Gliders are only used today by special forces for silent, small-scale insertion missions due advances in helicopter technology which allow even light tanks to be dropped by parachute with more precision than before.
