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, 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 327,452 personnel on active duty, 115,299 in the Selected and Individual Ready Reserves, and 106,700 in the Air National Guard. In addition, the Air Force employs 171,313 civilian personnel including indirect hire of foreign nationals. 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
Three green lasers fire into space from the Starfire Optical Range at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.
photo source: Air Force Research Laboratory, Directed Energy Directorate gallery Article Spotlight The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). It was created on 1 December 1941 by Administrative Order 9, with Major General John F. Curry as the first CAP national commander. Civil Air Patrol is credited with sinking at least two German U-boats during World War II. Today, CAP is no longer called on to destroy submarines, but is instead is dedicated to education and national service. It is a volunteer organization with a strongly aviation-minded membership. It performs four key missions: emergency services (including search and rescue), aerospace education for youth and the general public, cadet programs, and homeland security. Did You Know... ...that Charles G. Boyd, USAF, is the only American prisoner of war from the Vietnam War to reach the four-star rank?
Aerospace Vehicle Spotlight The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was an advanced, long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed YF-12A and A-12 aircraft by the Lockheed Skunk Works. The SR-71 was unofficially named the Blackbird; its crews often called it the Sled, or the Habu ("snake"). The SR-71 line was in service from 1964, through 1998 for the USAF, through 1999 for NASA. Clarence "Kelly" Johnson was the man behind many of the design's advanced concepts. The SR-71 was one of the first aircraft to be shaped to reduce radar cross section. However, the aircraft was not stealthy and still had a large enough radar signature to be tracked by contemporary systems. The aircraft's defense was its high speed and operating altitude; if a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, the standard evasive action was to simply accelerate. Twelve of the aircraft have been destroyed, though none lost to enemy action. The SR-71 holds the record for flying from New York to London: 1 hour 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds, set on 1 September 1974. On 28 July 1976, an SR-71 broke the world record for its class: an absolute speed record of 2,193.1669 mph (3,529.56 km/h), and a US "absolute altitude record" of 85,068.997 feet (25,929 m). In 1990, a retirement flight of the SR-71 set a coast-to-coast speed record at an average 2,124 mph (3,418 km/h). The entire trip was reported as 68 minutes and 17 seconds. Three additional records were set within segments of the flight, including a new absolute top speed of 2,242 mph measured between the radar gates set up in St. Louis and Cincinnati. Biography Spotlight Lieutenant General Ennis Whitehead (1895 - 1964) joined the U.S. Army after the United States entered World War I in 1917. He trained as an aviator and served in France. Posted to the 3d Aviation Instruction Center where he became a qualified test pilot. Following the war Whitehead returned to school at the University of Kansas. When he graduated he was commissioned a first lieutenant in 1920. Over the following 20 years Whitehead participated in Billy Mitchell's aerial bombing demonstration and served as commander of both the 94th Pursuit Squadron and later the 36th Pursuit Squadron among other assignments. When the U.S. entred World War II Whitehead served in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Through the course of the war he earned a Distinguished Service Cross and was named an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire as he rose to command the Fifth Air Force. After the war he commanded the Far East Air Forces, Continental Air Command, and Air Defense Command. He retired in 1951 after he was passed over for Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. Whitehead died of emphysema on 12 October 1964 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Both his son, Ennis Whitehead, Jr. and his grandson Ennis Whitehead III became generals as well, rising to major general and brigadier general respectively. USAF News
USAF Rescue Capability in Practice Summary: On 8 December 2009 members of the 66th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron (66 ERQS) responded to an emergency medical situation. A member of the Afghan National Army had been shot through both legs while on patrol in Helmand Province. The squadron dispatched a HH-60G Pave Hawk to transport him to a medical facility and pararescure personnel to provide emergency medical assistance during the trip. The incident is an example of the evolving mission of USAF rescue squadrons in Afghanistan. The primary role of USAF rescue squadrons is to recover downed aircrew members behind enemy lines. Pararescue personnel have been accomplishing this mission since the Korean War. During the Vietnam War rescue squadrons recovered 4,120 personnel, 2,780 in combat situations. Since 11 September 2001 rescue squadrons have recovered 470 U.S. and allied personnel in various operations. Over the past decade the mission of rescue squadrons have expanded to include humanitarian response and general casualty evacuation. Since deploying to Afghanistan the 66 ERQS has recorded 253 saves and 580 assists while flying 620 missions while operating from Camp Bastion. Quotes "Since the Nation's birth, it has been the constitutional duty of our military to ensure national survival, defend lives and property, and promote vital interests at home and abroad. The enduring responsibility of the United States Air Force is to provide strategic deterrence for the Nation and fly, fight and win as an integral part of the Joint Team. Together with our brothers and sisters in arms, we underwrite the national strategy of defending the Homeland and assuring allies, while dissuading, deterring and defeating enemies."
Schwartz, General Norton A. (September 3, 2008). "Fly, Fight and Win!". CSAF's Vector. United States Air Force. http://www.af.mil/library/viewpoints/csaf.asp?id=405. Retrieved February 19, 2009. USAF Topics
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