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. Show new content... Photo credit: Danny Myers, 28 May 2003. USAF photo.
Celebration
photo source: Air Force Link Hawgsmoke is a biennial gunnery competition for A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft and pilots. The event began in 2000 as a replacement for the defunct "Gunsmoke" competition. Hawgsmoke allows the A-10 community to meet every two years to share tactics and experiences. The winner of each competition hosts the subsequent event. ... that the unofficial motto of Wild Weasel operators is "You Gotta Be Shittin' Me" (YGBSM)? The motto is said to have orginiated from Jack Donovan, an Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) upon learning the Wild Weasel mission. Aerospace Vehicle Spotlight The KC-135 Stratotanker is the primary aerial refueler in the USAF. The aircraft was designed and built by Boeing based on their 367-80 airframe, the same design that lead to their 707 commercial airliner. The aircraft went into production in 1954 and the first operational KC-135 was delivered to the Air Force in 1957. The aircraft is capable of carrying up to 200,000 lbs. (90,700 kg) of fuel and 83,000 pounds (37,600 kg) of cargo. The Stratotanker has seen extensive service around the world since first being introduced. The aircraft enabled fighters with limited fuel capacity and range to reach targets beyond their normal ability and provided them with the ability to have greater loiter times over target areas. Through the air refueling capability offered by the KC-135 the USAF is able to build and sustain a global logistics network with high efficiency. The Air Force acquired a total of 732 KC-135, with 505 still in service. With the newest KC-135 now more than 40-years old the USAF is seeking to replace it with a newer tanker. Contact difficulties have slowed the acquisition process however, and the KC-135 will likely continue service for the near future. Sergeant John Levitow (1945 - 2000) was an Air Force loadmaster who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War. Levitow was born in Hartford, Connecticut and initially enlisted into the Air Force as a civil engineer. He later cross-trained to become a loadmaster and was assigned to the 3d Special Operations Squadron. While flying a patrol mission on 24 February 1969 Levitow's aircraft, an AC-47 Spooky, Long Binh came under attack and the aircraft responded. As the aircraft began to engage it was hit by a 82-millimeter mortar shell throwing shrapnel through the plane. The explosion also caused a burning Mark 24 magnesium flare to be thrown into the fuselage of the aircraft, near 19,000 rounds of ammunition. Despite being wounded by shrapnel Levitow picked up the flare, crawled to the open cargo door, and threw the flare out of the plane. His actions were credited for saving the aircraft and its eight-man crew. Levitow died of cancer in 2000 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. FalconLaunch-6 Test
Original article by John Van Winkle, U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs Summary: Cadets at the United States Air Force Academy test-fired the FalconLaunch-6 rocket on 4 November in Jacks Valley on the ground of the Academy in Colorado. The goal of the test had been a 10.5 second burn generating about 4,000 pounds of thrust. Instead, the rocket exploded immediately after ignition. Faculty and cadets turned to analyzing the test to determine why the explosion occurred. The FalconLaunch-6 rocket was initially built in the 2006-2007 academic year and a number of tests were postponed until November 2009. Meanwhile, FalconLaunch-7 was successfully launched from the White Sands Missile Range in April 2009 and FalconLaunch-8 rocket is under development with a test launch scheduled for April 2010. The goal of the FalconLaunch program is to develop a method to rapidly deliver a nanosatellite to a suborbital altitude of 328,084 feet, a goal which was surpassed during the FalconLaunch-7 test.
source: http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123176320 News Archive …They know we own their country. We own their airspace…We dictate the way they live and talk.… Military history WikiProject open tasks
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