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Aviation History
1998
1998 - 3259.PDF
These include air and space superiority, global attack, rapid global mobility, precision engagement, information superi ority and agile combat support. At the heart of the strategy is long-range striking power from the continental USA, allowing for power projection anywhere on the globe. For example, the Clinton administration in November threatened punishing air strikes against Iraq after President Saddam Hussein blocked the work of United Nations arms inspectors. Nearly 100 combat aircraft, including F-16s, F-117As, F- 15C/Ds, B-1 Bsand B-52I Is from the Air Combat Command (ACC) were mustered to deploy to Southwest Asia. Some 41 support aircraft, including 37 fixed-wing aircraft and four helicopters were also put on alert, as were F-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) and E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (J STARS) air craft. Iraq's capitulation helped head off a US military strike that was already in motion. The USAF continues to refine its ability to deploy forces worldwide, with the latest concept embodied in trie Expeditionary Aerospace Force (EAF). The USAF is organising to handle die twin demands of sudden contingencies, such as the quick buildup of tactical aircraft in die Persian Gulf region in response to Iraqi actions, and "protracted" contingencies such as support of NATO air operations in Bosnia. The EAF concept calls upon active duty, Air Force Reserve (AFR) and Air National Guard (ANG) units to take turns handling short-notice overseas deployments. There will be ten permanent RAFs with two on alert at any given time each one serving for a 90-day period every 15 months. USAF active duty and reserve air units will be organised into the 10 EAFs by the end of 1999. Each will have a full range of capabilities, including as many as 250 fighters, bombers, transports and rankers. The re-organisation serves only as a backdrop for the dras tic cutback in the number of equivalent tactical fighter wings. The USAF today maintains only 12 active and seven reserve fighter wings - down from 16 and 12, respectively. The active duty force size has decreased 36% since the end of the Cold War, but deployments have increased four-fold. In 1999, the average age of USAF aircraft will be 20 years old, and the average age of the aircraft in the year 2015 will be 30years. As a result, USAF officials press ahead with efforts to procure the C-17 long-range airlifter, C-130J turboprop tac tical transport, F-22A air superiority fighter, and eventually the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) to replace their rapidly aging fleet of aircraft. The USAF is buying 120 C-17s, which are able to land on short, austere airfields. It has also stated a requirement for an additional 15 C-17s for special operations missions. At the same time, the C-130J is replacing some aging C-130E/I Is. The stealthy F-22 Raptor, which will cruise at supersonic speeds without afterburner, will succeed the Boeing F-15, but the Pentagon's Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) cut pro jected F-22 procurement from 438 aircraft to 339. Meanwhile, the JSF will come in three variants, a conven tional takeoff and ]anding(CTOL)aircraft,an aircraftcarrier- based attack (CV) variant and a short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) model. JSF will replace the F-l6and A-10 in the USAF. It plans to acquire between 1,700 and 2 .OOOJSFs. Boeing and Lockheed Martin were selected in 1996 as the two design competitors. One contractor will be selected for the engineering and manufacturing development phase in 2001. The Pentagon, meanwhile, sees a continued requirement for up to 94 B-52H Stratrofortress bombers equipped with air-launched cruise missiles. It desires no more than 21 B-2 Spirit stealth bombers. In detail, the ACC includes the assets of the 8th Air Force with i ts B-5211, B-1B Lancer and, eventually, 20 B-2 bombers. ' 1 he 1 st Air Force at Tyndall AFB, Florida, the 9th Air Force at Shaw AFB, South Carolina with its F-15, F-16 and F.-8C aircraft, and the 12th Air Force at Bergstrom AFB, Texas, with its F-117 A, U-2R and E-3 aircraft, round out the ACC. The Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), headquar tered at Scott AFB, Illinois, has 143,000 personnel, the major ity of which are AFR and ANG forces. It provides rapid, global tactical and strategic airlift and aerial refuelling. As the USAF component for US Transportation Command, units include the 15th Air Force, Travis AFB, California, and the 21st Air Force, McGuire AFB, New Jersey. Aircraft operated are all the C-5 and C-141 long-range transports plus the C- 130 tactical transport and the C-17. Fifteen subordinate air lift and air-refuelling wings are part of AMC, including the 22nd Air Refueling Wing with Boeing KC-135 tankers at McConnell AFB, Kansas, and the C-17-cquipped 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston AFB, South Carolina. Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), headquartered at Peterson AFB, Colorado, played a key role in the 1991 Gulf conflict and its task is growing as the service depends more on Aircraft Training System (JPATS) contract to replace USAF T-37Bsand USNT-34Cs for the primary phase of pilottrain- ing beginning in 1999. Other major commands include the AF Materiel Command (AFMC) at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, which manages USAF research and development, test and acquisi tion of major weapons systems. The Pacific Air Forces (PA( IAF) headquartered at Ilickam AFB, I Iawaii, and the US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), located at Ramstein AB, Germany, plan, conduct, and co-ordinate offensive and defensive air operations in the Pacific/Asian theatres and Europe, respectively. The AFR and ANG are now organised as the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) to signify their growing military roles. The ANG has both a state and a federal mission. With 90 wings nationwide, the ANG serves the ACC, AETC, AFSOC and other active-duty air units. With almost 1,200 aircraft, it provides 100% of the USAF's fighter/interceptor force, 44% of tactical airlift, 43% of KC-135 air refueling, and 33% of fighters. Type No Role ACTIVE DUTY USAF OA-10 Thunderbolt II B-1B Lancer 210 77 CAS bomber The F-117A Nigbthawk plays a major part in USAF deployments to the world's troublespots its satellites. The 20th Air Force, meanwhile, controls the USAs 50 Peacekeeper and 530 Minuteman III interconti nental ballistic missiles. 'Ihe Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at I Iurlburt Field, Florida, serves as the USAFs component of US Special Operations Command, a unified command. It is composed of the active duty 16th Special Operations Wing (SOW), Hurlburt Field, the ANGs 193rd SOW with six EC-130E Commando Solo aircraft at Harrisburg,Pennsyivania,andthe919thSOWwithMC-130E Combat Talon I aircraft at Duke Field, Florida, an AFR unit. There are also two special operations aviation groups, the 352nd Special Operations Group and 353rd SOG at RAF Mildenhall, UK, and Kadena ABJapan, respectively. Other equipment include the AC-130H Spectre and AC-130U Spooky gunships, the MC-130P Combat Shadow, A111-5 \1 Pave Low and MH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, the MC- 130H Combat Talon II. and EC-130 Volant Solo aircraft. Air Education and Training Command (AETC) at Randolph AFB, Texas, operates more than 1,100 aircraft, including the T-37, T-38, T-43A, C-21A, T-3, and T-1A Jayhawk trainers. The USAF and US Navy are buying more than 700 T-6A Texan lis under the $4 billion Joint Primary B-2A Spirit B-52H Stratofortress C-5A/B Galaxy C-9 Nightingale C-12 Huron C-17 GLobemaster III C-21 (Learjet) C-23 Sherpa C-27 Spartan C-130 Hercules EC-130 AC-130 MC-130 NC-130 C-135 Stratotanker EC-135 Stratotanker OC-135 Stratotanker RC-135 Stratotanker KC-135 Stratotanker KC-10A Extender C-137/EC-137 C-141 Starlifter C-32A(757) 21 85 81 23 34 120* 76 3 7 197 22 21 59 4 4 14 2 19 257 59 5/1 139 4 bomber bomber transport transport transport transport transport transport transport transport ELINT gunship spops test transport ELINT Open Skies recon tanker tank-trans transport transport VIP/comms FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 2 - 8 December 1998 97
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