For the military nerds here. If a plane has a 500 mile range, does that mean 500 out and 500 back or just 250 out and 250 back?

a 500 mile range would be a pretty worthless Aircraft .

But that means how far it can fly without refueling.

Getting back, on the same tank of fuel, means your distance is 250 miles or less, so you don't cut it too close.

The variety of answers here confuses the matter more.

I am going to accept that range means completing a mission 500 miles away and having enough fuel to get back.

"Range" is how far you get on a tank of gas before you hit the ground -- ideally with your wheels. A 500nm range would be a one-way trip of just under 500 miles with enough fuel to land safely. Range is not the same as combat radius; which is a measure of how far an aircraft can go, complete its designated mission, and return with enough fuel to land safely. Range is considerably longer than combat radius.

500 miles is the combat radius either in miles or Nautical miles with the aircraft carrying store's not every aircraft carries stores on a combat mission(sortie). That can be extended if the aircraft refuels in flight or has drop tanks.

Ferry Range is the aircraft traveling to one AFB, NAS, MCAS, etc. usually without store's for relocation purposes or being moved forward deployed(Diego Garcia) and is greater than the combat radius.

Range is how far they can fly. 500 mile range is total distance . Combat radius is out and back. A combat radius of 500 miles is out then back, a total range of 1000 miles.

Given that take off uses more fuel than anything else, more like 200 miles each way for a round trip, or 500 miles one way.

As you directed the call to military, most military aircraft have in flight refueling capability and it is standard procedure to use that capability whenever in air time is important. Stating a range in miles ASSUMES direct flight from point A to point B with no contact with hostile forces, which is assumed NOT to be the case for military flights.

its called combat radius

and if they say a aircraft has a 500 mile combat radius

that means it can carry out a mission thats 500 miles away and get back

Laura Simpson?

"range" or "ferry range" is the distance an aircraft can travel and land safely with a specified amount of fuel still left in the tank.

Take a parachute.