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Aviation History
1997
1997 - 2328.PDF
'.\JJ1 rUJlXES Ur fttB YJUSiLD *P ,^';:---'«tf^-f'i^^r •HBUeitiQ The B-2 force will eventually total 21, including a refurbished test aircraft around 2010, has been trimmed to 2,850 aircraft. The QDR has left the USAFs bomber, tanker and airlift fleets untouched. The bomber force will consist of 21 B-2s. as wells as 15-1 Bs and B-52I Is. The conventional capability of all three bombers is being improved. The airlift fleet is being modernised with 120 C-I7s, and the USAF plans a gradual renewal of its C-130 force with C-130Js. \ C-5 upgrade, possibly including rc-engineing, is being examined Other QDR changes include a reduction in the planned E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System fleet from 19 to 13 aircraft. The US Air Force has been completely re-organised in recent years, from its flight-line operations up to its head quarters. In 1992, Air Mobility Command (AMC), Air Combat Command (ACQ and Air Force Materiel Command were created, while Strategic Air Command (SAC). Tactical Air Command (TAC), Military Airlift Command (MAC). Air Force Logistics Command and Air Force Systems Command were scrapped. The primary assets of SAC and TAC were combined in ACC. SAC's 15th Air Force tankers were shifted to AMC, which also operates (he former MAC'S transport fleet. I'lie USAF is converting some single-purpose wings to composite wings, providing more versatility and responsive ness by combining multiple aircraft types. ACC, based at Langley AFB, includes the 8th Mr Force with l!-52s, B-Is and !5-2s; the 2nd Air Forces battle-man agement aircraft; the 20th Vir Force's intercontinental bal listic-missiles; and the 1st Air Force at Tyndall AFB, 9th Air Force at Shaw AFB and 12th Air force at Bergstrom AFB. \.\1C, based at Scon AFB, Illinois, has more than 166,000 personnel, half of which are Reserve and Air National Guard forces. It provides rapid, global, airlift and aerial refu elling. Units include the 15th Air Force. March AFB; the 21 st Air Force, Mc( Juire AFBj and the 22nd Air Force locat ed at Travis AFB. Aircraft operated are C-5s and C-141s, plus about half of the former MAC's C-130 and utility fleet, as well as the ('.-17. Nineteen airlift and air-refuelling wings are part of AA1C. \ir Force Space Command, based at Peterson \IK. Colorado, played a key role in the 1991 Gulf conflict and its task is growing as the service depends more on its satellites. Special Operations Command, based at I lurlburt Field, serves as the air component of the unified US Special Operations Command. It is composed of one special-opera tions wing at Hurburt Field (1st SOW) and two special operations groups, 352nd SOG and 353rd SOG at RAF Alconbury, UK, and Kadena AFB. Japan, respectively. Equipment includes AC-130 Spectre gunships, MH-53 Pave Low and MI 1-60 Pave I lawk helicopters, and MC- 130F/II Combat Talon I/II, EC-130 Volant Solo and 11< :- 130 Combat Shadow I lercules variants. Air Education and Training Command at Randolph All! operates more than 1,100 aircraft, including the T-IA, 1 - 3,T-37, T-38 and T-43. The T-l tanker/transport trainer entered service in 1992 and the'1-3 enhanced flight-screen- cr replaced theT-41 in 1993. The USAF and Navj plan to buy 711 Raytheon T-6A Texan lis (Beech KlatUS PC-9 Mklls) to replace T-37s and T-34s, respectively, under the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System programme. Materiel Command, at Wright-Patterson AFB, manages USAF research and development, test and acquisition of major weapons systems. The Pacific Air Forces, with head quarters at I lickam AFB, 1 lawaii, and die US Air Forces in Europe, located at Ramstein AB, Germany, arc responsible for air operations in the Asia-Pacific and F.uropean theatres, respectively. The USAF Reserve's first composite wing was formed at Grissom AFB, when its KC-135 and A-10 units joined to become the 434th Wing. Two Air National Guard (AN( i) and \ir Force Reserve (AFRes) units augment Special Operations Commands operations - respectively, 193rd S( X i at I larrisburg, flying the FC-130F, and 919th SOW at Duke Field, flying the AC-130. Type No Role USAF ACTIVE DUTY FLEET (figures exclude AFRes and ANG) A-10/OA-10 Thunderbolt II 223 CAS/FAC B-1B Lancer B-2A Spirit B-52H Stratofortress C-5A/B Galaxy C-9 Nightingale C-12 Huron C-17 Globemaster III C-21 (Learjet 35) C-23 Sherpa C-27 Spartan C-130 Hercules EC-130 Hercules AC-130 Spectre MC-130 NC-130 C-135 EC-135 0C-135 RC-135 KC-135/N KC-135 Stratotanker253/2 tanker C-137/EC-137 (707) 5/1 trans/ C-141 Starlifter 154 trans E-3 Sentry 32 AEW E-4(747) 4 air comm post E-8 JSTARS 2 surveillance 81 strat bomber 19 strat bomber 85 strat bomber 81 trans 23 trans 36 trans 27 tact lift 76 airlift 3 freight mission 10 trans 200 trans 22 ELINT 21 gunship 55 spec Ops 4 6 trans 16 ELINT 2 19 recce E-9 (Dash 8) EC-18 (707) F-4E/F Phantom F-15/F-15E Eagle F-16 Fighting Falcon F-117 Nighthawk TG-3/4 training glider TG-7 training glider TG-9 training glider TG-10 training glider TG-11 training glider HH-l/UH-1 Iroqouis TH-53/MH-53 HH-60/MH-60 SR-71 Blackbird T-IA Jayhawk T-3 Slingsby Firefly T-37 Tweet T-38/AT-38 Talon T-39 Sabreliner T-41 T-43 (737) U-2/TU-2 UV-18 Twin Otter 2 4 12 620 809 57/3 3/14 9 4 1 2 6/64 6/40 45/13 2 156 112 420 378/73 1 3 10 31/4 2 AIR FORCE RESERVE (AFRES) A/OA-10 Thunderbolt II B-52H Stratofortress C-130 Hercules C-141B Starlifter C-5A Galaxy F-16 Fighting Falcon H-60 Black Hawk KC-135E/R Stratotanker 51 9 141 46 32 73 23 72 AIR NATIONAL GUARD (ANG) A-10 Thunderbolt II B-1B Lancer C-5 Galaxy C-130 Hercules C-141 Starlifter C-21 (Learjet 35) C-22 (747) C-26 (Metro 23) F-15 Eagle F-16 Fighting Falcon H-60 Black Hawk KC-135 Stratotanler T-43 (737) 101 14 13 242 18 4 3 40 116 631 18 224 2 surv recce/surv fighter/attack fighter/attack fighter/attack attack recce/surv trng 4 recce/surv trng trng missile support SAR/Spec Ops SAR/Spec Ops recce trng trng trng trng trng trng trng recce/trng para trng CAS/FAC strat bomber trans trans trans fighter attack special ops/SAR tanker close-air suppt strat bomber trans trans trans airlift trans trans int int special ops/SAR tanker trng US NAVY (USN) The LTS Department of Defense's mid-1997 Quadrcnniel Defense Review (QDR) allowed the US Navy to keep its 12 carrier battle-groups - 11 active and one reserve-and 11 air wings - ten active and one reserve. The 1993 Bottom-Up Review eliminated one active and one reserve air wing. With the decommissioning of the USS Forrestal and USS Hunger in 1993, the USN was left with with six convention ally poweretl and seven nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, including the USS / nkrpme and six Nunit/-class carriers. The USS Saratoga is being mothballed and two Nimii/.-class carriers are under construction for delivery by the end of the decade, when the Navy plans to decommission additional conventionally powered carriers. Under die QDR, planned procurement of the upgraded F- 18L7F has been cut from 1,000 aircraft to a mimum if 548. At the same time, planned USN procurement of the Joint Strike Fighter 0SF) has been increased from 250 to 480. If the JSF is not available as planned in 2008, additional F- I8E/Fs could be acquired, up to a maximum of 748. The two-seat F-18F will replace air-defence F-I4s on USN carrier decks, while the F-18Es will replace current multi-role F-18Cs and, with the JSFs, take over the strike role performed by the A-6 Intruder until its retirement in 1997. The Navy is aiming for a 50-aircraft carrier air-wing consisting of one squadromn for F-18Fs and either one and a half squadrons each of F-18Es and JSFs or two of F-18Es and one ofJSFs. 68 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 10 - 16 September 1997
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