Portal:United States Air Force
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The United States Air Force Portal The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. Initially born as the United States Army Air Corps, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947. It was the last branch of the US military to be formed. The USAF is the largest and most technologically advanced air force in the world, with about 5,573 manned aircraft in service (3,990 USAF; 1,213 Air National Guard; and 370 Air Force Reserve); approximately 180 Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles, 2130 Air-Launched Cruise Missiles, and 450 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles; and has 330,159 personnel on active duty, 68,872 in the Selected and Individual Ready Reserves, and 94,753 in the Air National Guard. In addition, the Air Force employs 151,360 civilian personnel. The Department of the Air Force is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Air Force who heads administrative affairs. The Department of the Air Force is a division of the Department of Defense, headed by the Secretary of Defense. The highest ranking military officer in the Department of the Air Force is the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Picture Spotlight
X-2 rocket plane dropped from mothership B-50 Superfortress.
photo source: U.S. Air Force photos Article Spotlight The Kee Bird was a B-29 Superfortress that was specially modified to conduct photo reconnaissance. The aircraft was assigned to the 46th Reconnaissance Squadron based at Ladd Army Airfield, Alaska where it initially flew missions designed to test equipment and procedures for arctic operations and train flight crews for arctic missions. On 20 February 1947 the aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Greenland. The crew was rescued after a four-day search effort, however, the Kee Bird was unable to fly and left on the ice. In 1994 an aircraft restoration team flew to the crash site and attempted to restore the Kee Bird, however, their attempt to fly it out in May 1995 resulted in a fire that destroyed much of the Kee Bird. The wreckage now lies at the bottom of a frozen lake in Greenland. USAF News
Service considering retrofitting late-model C-130's with new engines Summary: The U.S. Air Force is interested in procuring commercial off-the-shelf engines to replace antiquated propulsion systems on C-130 aircraft. At a technology summit in Arlington, Virginia, General Philip Breedlove told of the service's efforts to follow up on the successes of the C-130J upgrade with commercially available fuel efficient engines. Breedlove says the prioritization of use of C-130J's in inter-theater operations for cost savings has tied up logistics. The C-130 also suffers from performance and maintenance issues that have led to the cancellation of the FCS Manned Ground Vehicles program that was unable to fall within weight parameters while maintaining protection requirements. While enhancing the current generation of aircraft, the Air Force is also heading an initiative to develop fuel efficient technologies for the next generation of propulsion systems. the ADaptive Versatile ENgine Technology program seeks to develop an engine that is 30% more efficient than the F119 or F135 engines that power the F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft. The Versatile, Affordable, Advanced Turbine Engines and Highly Efficient Embedded Turbine Engine programs are also being pursued to develop propulsion technologies for sub-sonic military aircraft. Aerospace Vehicle Spotlight The Lockheed F-94 was the United States Air Force's first operational jet-powered all-weather interceptor aircraft. Built to a 1948 USAF specification for a radar equipped interceptor to replace the aging Northrop F-61 Black Widow and North American F-82 Twin Mustang, and specifically designed to counter the threat of the USSR's new Tupolev Tu-4 bombers. The F-94 was derived from the TF-80C (later T-33 Shooting Star) two-seat trainer version of the F-80 Shooting Star, with guns, radar and automatic fire control system added. A detachment was sent to Korea, where it saw some combat in the Korean War, shooting down four enemy fighters. Another detachment was the 59th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, (all-weather, night-fighter interceptor,) which was sent to Goose Bay, Labrador in November, 1952 and placed under the control of NEAC (North East Air Command.) One flight from the 59th FIS was kept at Thule Airbase to back up the DEW-Line (Distant Early warning Radar sites on Greenland.) The F-94B remained in USAF service through 1954 before being transferred to the Air National Guard. The F-94C was retired from USAF service in 1959, as newer and more capable interceptors entered service. Air National Guard units retired their F-94s year later. Biography Spotlight Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold (1886–1950) was an aviation pioneer and Chief of the United States Army Air Corps (from 1938), Commanding General of the U.S. Army Air Forces (from 1941 until 1945) and the first and only General of the Air Force (in 1949). He is the only person to achieve five-star rank in two armed services. Arnold was born 25 June 1886 in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, to a strong-willed physician of Baptist beliefs and strong Mennonite ties. Hap graduated Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, with the class of 1903. On 10 September 1913, he married Eleanor "Bee" Pool, the daughter of a banker and one if his father's patients, with Thomas D. Milling as his best man. Arnold died 15 January 1950 at his home in Sonoma, California, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Did You Know... ... that in World War II, David M. Jones, later a U.S. Air Force Major General, participated in events that formed the basis for two Hollywood movies: Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo and The Great Escape? Jones was one of the Doolittle Raiders, and later a prisoner of war in North Africa — leading the digging of escape tunnels. Quotes
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