Military Aviation and the Environment: Historical Trends and Comparison to Civil Aviation

Trends in the environmental impact of military aviation between 1960 and 2000 are articulated. The focus is on community noise, local air quality, and global climate impacts and the discussion is restricted to fixed-wing aircraft. Comparisons are made to trends within the commercial air transport industry. The unique features of military aircraft technology and operations responsible for the differences in environmental impacts are described. The discussion also considers the effects of environmental restrictions on the deployment and combat readiness of military aviation services. Regulations designed to mitigate environmental impacts from military and civil aviation are also reviewed