About the Site

Jane's All the World's Aircraft is an aviation annual publication founded by John Frederick Thomas Jane in 1909. Long issued by Sampson Low, Marston in Britain (with various publishers in the U.S.), it has been published by Janes Group since 1989/90.
The first volume's title referred to "airships" while all since have referenced "aircraft". After World War I, the format of the book shifted from an oblong ("landscape") format to the present "portrait" orientation. With the 1993/94 edition, the book was divided into two volumes that continue to appear annually. The main volume focuses on aircraft in production while the second book describes older aircraft and upgrades, both military and civil. While 2009 was the centennial year of Jane's All the World's Aircraft, 2013 marked the 100th edition — the disparity due to disruptions (chiefly with volumes covering two years) during the two World Wars. Starting in 1969, Arco (New York) issued the following six volumes in facsimile editions: 1909, 1913, 1919, 1938, 1944-45, and 1950-51.
The author of this website digitizes materials from Jane's All the World's Aircraft yearbooks. Fixed-wing aircraft are of the greatest interest to him. Entries on the site are in alphabetical order by country (including International) and then by manufacturer's name. In the cases of manufacturers producing a diversity of aircraft, those of obvious military potential are presented first. Today the site contains information on more than 500 aircraft and 3400 aircraft manufacturers.

For ease of access to information, entries on individual types of aircraft are subdivided under the following headings:

TYPE: A brief description of the aircraft's function.

PROGRAMME: A record of key events in an aircraft's production history. In the case of significant aircraft, which may have a long and detailed development phase, a short summary lists the key dates in that phase in an easily retrievable format.

CURRENT VERSIONS: Where applicable, details of available models (marks) and cross-reference to earlier versions now out of production.

CUSTOMERS: Present total on order and produced, often in tabular form, for military aircraft and those civil types for which such a list would not be of prohibitive length.

COSTS: Price per unit or programme price, plus any other disclosed information on R&D expenditure.

DESIGN FEATURES: Where appropriate, opens with a broad statement of design objectives and the means by which they were achieved. This is followed by details such as aerofoil section and helicopter rotor speeds.

FLYING CONTROLS: Here is described the method of controlling the aircraft, it being assumed that the reader has a basic understtnding of the function of ailerons, flaps, rudders, trim tabs and the other conventional manoeuvring surfaces. Descriptions are concerned with the method by which the controls are operated (manual/powered) and appropriate control inputs determined (autopilot/fly-by-wire, for example).

STRUCTURE: Configuration, materials and any special manufacturing methods; details of subcontractors or partners producing significant elements of the airframe.

LANDING GEAR: Includes tyre sizes and pressures for wheeled aircraft, as well as ground turning circle. Braking parachutes, where fitted.

POWER PLANT: Number and power of engines; helicopter transmission ratings; fuel capacity. Brief additional details are provided in the Aero-Engines listing.

ACCOMMODATION: Seating arrangements, access, environmental control and, for transport aircraft, cargo loading capacity; type of ejection seat, if fitted.

SYSTEMS: Power generation provisions, de-/anti-icing equipment, pressurisation/air conditioning and similar equipment

AVIONICS: The entry is subdivided into communications, radar, flight aids, instruments, mission equipment (mostly military or law-enforcement) and self-defence (military).

EQUIPMENT: Cargo-handling aids, spraying/firefighting apparatus, lighting, ballistic recovery parachutes and similar items.

ARMAMENT: Fixed and air-dropped/launched weapons listed by the manufacturer as actual or potential armament. Not all items may have been cleared for carriage and not all operators will use those which have.

DIMENSIONS, EXTERNAL: Includes door sizes and certain ground clearances.

DIMENSIONS, INTERNAL: Includes areas and volumes where relevant.

AREAS: Wings, fixed tail surfaces and control surfaces.

WEIGHTS AND LOADINGS: As supplied by the manufacturer, individual aircraft may vary.

PERFORMANCE: Observations as above; all speeds assumed TAS unless stated otherwise.

OPERATIONAL NOISE LEVELS: Internationally recognised measurements of landing and take-off sound at airports.

Aircraft Type Classifications

Class 1: Bomber and surveillance

These are military or paramilitary aircraft of widely differing size and performance.

Class 2: Fighter and trainer

Class 3: Miscellaneous and/or government

Aircraft of diverse or multiple duties employed generally, but not exclusively, by the state.

Class 4: Transport

Generally of a military nature, often with rear loading ramps. The larger aircraft are usually, but not exclusively, jet-powered. Light transports are those not exceeding 5,670 kg (12,500 lb).

Class 5: Airliner and freighter

Civilian passenger and cargo aircraft. Jet power is implied for all large airliners; number of engines given only for medium-size aircraft; regional jets are all twins.

Class 6: Business

The established configuration of a business jet being a twin, only single- and tri-jet configurations are specifically noted. Detailed strata devised by participants in the business jet market are not reproduced here. Instead, the main category is subdivided into small business jets with accommodation for six or fewer passengers; long-range (sub-airliner size) business jets with the 4,000 n mile (7,400 km; 4,600 mile) range necessary to fly from the US eastern seaboard to Western Europe; and the central core of twin-jets with upwards of seven seats.

Class 7: Utility

Restricted to single- and twin-engine passenger or passenger/light freight aircraft with accommodation, typically, for four or six persons. An intermediate category bridging commercial and private ownership. Crop sprayers are included.

Class 8: Amphibian

All such aircraft (including the occasional flying boat) are included here for ease of reference, even those assembled from kits or classified as ultralights.

Class 9: Lightplane (factory built)

Single-prop aircraft seating up to five persons and available only in complete form, unless otherwise stated. The US's LSA category includes some aircraft in Class 9 as well as others categorised as Ultralights, including homebuilts.

Class 10: Utility kitbuilt

This class reflects the growing number of kitbuilt aircraft intended for more than recreational use. The largest has 10 seats and turboprop power.

Class 11: Kitplanes and/or ultralights

One- or two-seat, single-prop machines intended for private ownership. ‘Kitbuilt’ aircraft are in the lightplane category, unless described as ultralights (and flyable as such in at least some countries). Certain aircraft are available only in complete form, while kit manufacturers may offer the option of fly-away aircraft to those requiring the aeroplane, but not the assembly work. A forward slash (/) before the word ‘kitbuilt’ indicates that the aircraft is available complete or as a kit, as in ‘ultralight/kitbuilt’; whereas an ‘ultralight kitbuilt’ is only available in pieces.
The upper weight limit is taken to be 544 kg (some 1,200 lb), although some national limits for ultralights are far lower. In the US, the new Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category extends upwards to 598 kg (1,320 lb), meaning that several European ultralights, while well outside the US equivalent category, fall comfortably within the privileges of the Sport Pilot licence. Typical LSA aircraft appear in a separate list under Class 9, Lightplane (factory built).

Class 12: Rotary wing

Includes tiltrotors, autogyros and lifting platforms. This class not presented on the website.

Class 13: Lighter than air

Includes balloons and airships. This class not presented on the website.