1.
Lockheed F-94 Starfire
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The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet aircraft of the United States Air Force. It was developed from the twin-seat Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star in the late 1940s as an all-weather, the aircraft reached operational service in May 1950 with Air Defense Command, replacing the piston-engined North American F-82 Twin Mustang in the all-weather interceptor role. The F-94 was the first operational USAF fighter equipped with an afterburner and was the first jet-powered all-weather fighter to combat during the Korean War in January 1953. It had a brief operational life, being replaced in the mid-1950s by the Northrop F-89 Scorpion. The last aircraft left active-duty service in 1958 and Air National Guard service in 1959, the F-94 was derived from the TF-80C which was a two-seat trainer version of the F-80 Shooting Star. A lengthened nose area with guns, radar and automatic control system was added. Since the conversion seemed so simple, a contract was awarded to Lockheed in early 1949, the early test YF-94s used 75% of the parts used in the earlier F-80 and T-33As. The fire control system was the Hughes E-1, which incorporated an AN/APG-33 radar and this short-range radar system was useful only in the terminal phases of the interception. Most of the operation would be directed using ground-controlled interception, as was the case with the aircraft it replaced. The combination reduced the fuel capacity. The F-94 was to be the first US production jet with an afterburner, the J33-A-33 had standard thrust of 4,000 pounds-force, and with water injection this was increased to 5,400 pounds-force and with afterburning a maximum of 6,000 pounds-force thrust. The YF-94As afterburner had many teething problems with its igniter and the stabilization system. The initial production model was the F-94A, which entered service in May 1950. Its armament was four 0.50 in M3 Browning machine guns mounted in the fuselage with the muzzles exiting just behind the radome, two 165 US Gallon drop tanks, as carried by the F-80 and T-33, could be carried beneath the wingtips. Alternatively, these could be replaced by 1,000 lb bombs, the F-94A was in operational service for only a brief time as it was originally built, and was not received well by its aircrews. Primarily, this was due to the unreliability of its J33 engine, the aircraft was judged as unstable and hard to maneuver at high altitude by its pilots. The pilot and radar operator found that the cockpit was too narrow for them to be able to get in and out of the aircraft quickly during alerts, the clearance for the ejection seats was too small, resulting in several tragic accidents during emergency ejections. The subsequent F-94B, which entered service in January 1951, was virtually identical to the F-94A
2.
354th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
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The 354th Fighter Squadron is part of the 355th Fighter Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft conducting close air support missions, the squadron conducts Close Air Support, Air Interdiction, Forward Air Control – Airborne, and Combat Search and Rescue for theater commanders worldwide. It conducted combat training from, 1971–1982 and forward air control training since 1991. In February 2015, the squadron was deployed to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, twelve A-10s and approximately 300 airmen were deployed. The unit will train alongside NATO allies and deploy to locations in Eastern European NATO nations to further enhance interoperability, cornett, Lloyd H, Johnson, Mildred W. A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization,1946 -1980, peterson AFB, CO, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. Maurer, Maurer, ed. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, washington, DC, Office of Air Force History
3.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
4.
United States Air Force
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The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947. It is the most recent branch of the U. S. military to be formed, the U. S. Air Force is a military service organized within the Department of the Air Force, one of the three military departments of the Department of Defense. The Air Force is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Air Force, who reports to the Secretary of Defense, the U. S. Air Force provides air support for surface forces and aids in the recovery of troops in the field. As of 2015, the service more than 5,137 military aircraft,406 ICBMs and 63 military satellites. It has a $161 billion budget with 313,242 active duty personnel,141,197 civilian employees,69,200 Air Force Reserve personnel, and 105,500 Air National Guard personnel. According to the National Security Act of 1947, which created the USAF and it shall be organized, trained, and equipped primarily for prompt and sustained offensive and defensive air operations. The stated mission of the USAF today is to fly, fight, and win in air, space and we will provide compelling air, space, and cyber capabilities for use by the combatant commanders. We will excel as stewards of all Air Force resources in service to the American people, while providing precise and reliable Global Vigilance, Reach and it should be emphasized that the core functions, by themselves, are not doctrinal constructs. The purpose of Nuclear Deterrence Operations is to operate, maintain, in the event deterrence fails, the US should be able to appropriately respond with nuclear options. Dissuading others from acquiring or proliferating WMD, and the means to deliver them, moreover, different deterrence strategies are required to deter various adversaries, whether they are a nation state, or non-state/transnational actor. Nuclear strike is the ability of forces to rapidly and accurately strike targets which the enemy holds dear in a devastating manner. Should deterrence fail, the President may authorize a precise, tailored response to terminate the conflict at the lowest possible level, post-conflict, regeneration of a credible nuclear deterrent capability will deter further aggression. Finally, the Air Force regularly exercises and evaluates all aspects of operations to ensure high levels of performance. Nuclear surety ensures the safety, security and effectiveness of nuclear operations, the Air Force, in conjunction with other entities within the Departments of Defense or Energy, achieves a high standard of protection through a stringent nuclear surety program. The Air Force continues to pursue safe, secure and effective nuclear weapons consistent with operational requirements, adversaries, allies, and the American people must be highly confident of the Air Forces ability to secure nuclear weapons from accidents, theft, loss, and accidental or unauthorized use. This day-to-day commitment to precise and reliable nuclear operations is the cornerstone of the credibility of the NDO mission, positive nuclear command, control, communications, effective nuclear weapons security, and robust combat support are essential to the overall NDO function. OCA is the method of countering air and missile threats, since it attempts to defeat the enemy closer to its source
5.
Interceptor aircraft
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An interceptor aircraft, or simply interceptor, is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to prevent successful missions by enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. For daytime operations, conventional fighters normally fill the interceptor role, few aircraft can be considered dedicated daytime interceptors. Night fighters and bomber destroyers are, by definition, interceptors of the heavy type, examples of classic interceptors of this era include the F-106 Delta Dart, Sukhoi Su-15 and English Electric Lightning. Dedicated interceptor designs became rare, with the widely used examples designed after the 1960s being the Tornado F3, Mikoyan MiG-25 Foxbat. The first dedicated interceptor squadrons were formed up during World War I in order to defend London against attacks by Zeppelins, early units generally used aircraft withdrawn from front-line service, notably the Sopwith Pup. They were told about their targets prior to take-off from a centralized command center in the Horse Guards building. The Pup proved to have too low performance to intercept the Gotha G. IV bombers. Before Second World War started, offensive bomber speeds had improved so much that it appeared that the mission would be effectively impossible. The visual and acoustic detection had a range on the order of a few miles. This could be addressed by a cover of aircraft. The conclusion at the time was that the bomber will always get through, the introduction of radar upset this equation. Radar was able to detect aircraft at long range, on the order of 100 miles even for early systems and this provided enough time for fighters to start up, climb to altitude and chase down their targets. The introduction of jet power increased speeds from perhaps 200 miles per hour to 600 miles per hour in a single step, although radars also improved in performance, the gap between offense and defense was dramatically reduced. Large attacks could so confuse the defenses ability to communicate information to the pilots that the method of manual ground controlled interception was increasingly seen as inadequate. In the United States, this led to the introduction of the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment to computerize this task. In the 1950s, during the Cold War, an interceptor force was crucial for the great powers. Hence for a period of time they faced rapid development. Thus, the doctrine of mutually assured destruction replaced the trend of defense strengthening and their utility waned as the role became blurred into the role of the heavy air superiority fighters dominant in military thinking at the time
6.
Aerospace Defense Command
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Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Forces, responsible for continental air defence. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980 and its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was established in 1946, briefly inactivated in 1950, reactivated in 1951, and then redesignated Aerospace rather than Air in 1968. Its mission was to air defense of the Continental United States. It directly controlled all active measures, and was tasked to coordinate all passive means of air defense, the air districts established on 16 January 1941 before the Pearl Harbor attack. The four air districts also handled USAAF combat training with the Army Ground Forces and organization and training of bomber, fighter and other units, the USAAFs Aircraft Warning Corps provided air defense warning with information centers that networked an areas Army Radar Stations which communicated radar tracks by telephone. The AWC information centers also integrated visual reports processed by Ground Observer Corps filter centers, AWC information centers notified air defense command posts of the 4 continental air forces for deploying interceptor aircraft which used command guidance for ground-controlled interception. The USAAF inactivated the aircraft warning network in April 1944, Continental Air Forces was activated on 12 December 1944 with the four Air Forces as components to consolidate the CONUS air defense mission under one command. The Continental Air Forces reorganization began in 1945, when ground radar, the Distant Early Warning Line was first conceived—and rejected—in 1946. By 1948 there were only 5 AC&W stations, including the Twin Lights station in NJ that opened in June and Montauk NY Air Warning Station #3 --cf. SAC radar stations, e. g. at Dallas & Denver Bomb Plots. By the time ADC was inactivated on 1 July 1950, ADC had deployed the Lashup Radar Network with existing radars at 43 sites, in addition,36 Air National Guard fighter units were called to active duty for the mission. ADC was reinstated as a command on 1 January 1951 at Mitchel Air Force Base. The headquarters was moved to Ent Air Force Base in Colorado Springs on 8 January 1951 and it received 21 former ConAC active-duty fighter squadrons. ADC was also assigned the 25th, 26th 27th and 28th Air Divisions ADC completed the Priority Permanent System network for Aircraft Warning, gaps were filled by additional Federal Aviation Administration radar stations and the Ground Observation Corps. During the mid-1950s, planners devised the idea of extending the wall of powerful land-based radar seaward with Airborne early warning, the RC-121s, EC-121s and Texas Towers, it was believed, would contribute to extending contiguous east-coast radar coverage some 300 to 500 miles seaward. In terms of the air threat of the 1950s, this meant a gain of at least 30 extra minutes warning time of a bomber attack. ADCs Operation Tail Wind on 11–12 July tested its augmentation plan that required Air Training Command interceptors participate in an air defense emergency, a total of seven ATC bases actively participated in the exercise, deploying aircraft and aircrews and supporting the ADC radar net. As the USAF prepared to deploy the Tactical Air Command E-3 Sentry in the later 1970s, all remaining EC-121s were transferred to the Air Force Reserve, which formed the 79th AEWCS at Homestead Air Force Base, Florida in early 1976. Besides monitoring Cuban waters, these last Warning Stars also operated from NAS Keflavik, final EC-121 operations ended in September 1978
7.
27th Air Division
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The 27th Air Division was a United States Air Force numbered air division and the geographic Air Defense Command region controlled by the 27th AD. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command s Tenth Air Force, at Luke Air Force Base and it was inactivated on 19 November 1969. Activated as the 27 Air Division on 7 September 1950, the unit was assigned to ADC for most of its existence, the wing was discontinued and 94th FIS reassigned directly to 27th Air Division, which had reorganized at Norton in February, one month later. In May 1958, the 27th AD directed an intercept of a declared unknown aircraft. The 27th Air Division was to transfer to the midwest with command of 2 NORAD sectors during deployment of SAGE, the Reno sector was activated 15 February 1959 and the AN/FSQ-7 at Stead Air Force Base was replaced by Backup Interceptor Control at Fallon Naval Air Station by 1970. In February 1959, the Los Angeles Air Defense Sector was activated during the deployment of the Semi Automatic Ground Environment#Deployment as a unit of the 27th AD. However, the Denver SCC/CC was cancelled in March 1959, so instead of moving from the Southwest United States to the interior, the Norton SAGE Direction Center closed in June 1966. When the 27th AD was inactivated in 1969, its mission, personnel, cornett, Lloyd H, Johnson, Mildred W. A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization,1946 -1980, peterson AFB, CO, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. The Development of Continental Air Defense to 1 September 1954, USAF Historical Study No.126, research Studies Institute, USAF Historical Division, Air University. History of Strategic Air and Ballistic Missile Defense, fort McNair, DC, Center for Military History. History of Strategic Air and Ballistic Missile Defense, fort McNair, DC, Center for Military History. Maurer, Maurer, ed. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, washington, DC, Office of Air Force History. Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977, washington, DC, Office of Air Force History. From Whirlwind to MITRE, The R&D Story of The SAGE Air Defense Computer
8.
Oxnard Air Force Base
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Oxnard Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Camarillo, California on the Oxnard Plain approximately 3 miles west of the historic business district. A fighter training airfield during World War II, it was part of the Air Defense Command, later renamed Aerospace Defense Command, Oxnard Airport was opened in 1934 by the County of Ventura and consisted of a 3, 500-foot dirt runway. The first fixed-base operator on the field was Joe Plosser and he owned only two aircraft, but had no housing for them. During the thirties Howard Hughes erected a tent on the airport to shelter his H-1 racer, the County of Ventura paved the runway in 1938 and a large hangar was built by the Works Progress Administration. In 1939 James Elmo McLean opened the Oxnard Flying School with two aircraft, a 40 hp J-3 Cub and a Kinner two-seater. The U. S. Army Air Corps moved its training program onto the airport in 1940 to establish an Air Corps Flying Training Command contract flying school called Mira Loma Flight Academy. Housing was built across the street for the cadets and instructors, the airfield was first activated on 12 September 1940. The school was one of many in California that trained aviation cadets in flying skills. The airport was established when the California State Highway Department constructed an auxiliary landing field with a 5,000 ft runway. These squadrons provided training on high-performance fighters for pilots prior to their deployment to combat theaters. The contract flying school was inactivated on 27 June 1944, the facility, renamed Oxnard Flight Strip, was reassigned to Second Air Force on 1 September 1944, with the 29th Fighter Squadron being assigned from Bakersfield Airport. The 29ths mission was a unit for P-59 Airacomet and P-80 Shooting Star jet aircraft. Oxnard was closed on 10 July 1945 as part of a consolidation of AAF fields at the end of World War II, the County of Ventura officially regained control of the airport from the federal government in 1948 by receiving a final quitclaim deed. The State of California issued the airport an operating permit in 1949, the first scheduled airline flights began in 1946 by Southwest Airlines and later Pacific Airlines, flying Douglas DC-3s and Fokker F-27s respectively. The airfield was reactivated during the Cold War as an Air Defense Command base in 1951, the runway was extended to 8,000 ft, and the Air Force ground station was rebuilt in 1951. Oxnard Air Force Base was assigned to ADCs 27th Air Division, initially part of the Western Air Defense Force, Oxnard was reassigned to the Los Angeles Air Defense Sector in February 1959. Operations began in 1952 with the activation of the 354th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, initially equipped with surplus F-51 Mustangs, the squadron received F-94C Starfire jet interceptors in 1953. The 354th FIS remained at Oxnard until 1955 when it was reassigned to McGhee Tyson Airport/McGhee Tyson AFB, near Knoxville and these units would remain at Oxnard until its closure in 1969
9.
483d Airlift Group
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The 483d Airlift Group is an inactive unit last assigned to Pacific Air Forces at Osan AB Korea. It was assigned to Twenty-Second Air Force as a VIP transport unit for Headquarters and it was inactivated on 1 June 1992. During World War II, the 483d Bombardment Group was the last B-17 Flying Fortress unit trained in the United States and it was deployed to Fifteenth Air Force in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations in 1944. It was later re-activated during the Korean War as a carrier group. The group was constituted as 483d Bombardment Group on 14 September 1943, the group trained with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses under Third Air Force in Florida. While in training at MacDill Field, the 818th Bombardment Squadron, the 483d deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, assigned to Fifteenth Air Force in Southern Italy. Southern Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and the Balkans, assisting the strategic bombardment of enemy industry the group received another DUC for braving fighter assaults and antiaircraft fire to bomb tank factories at Berlin on 24 March 1945. It struck targets in southern France in preparation for Operation Dragoon, the group also operated in support of ground force in northern Italy during the Allied offensive in April 1945 and continued strategic bombardment until German capitulation in May 1945. After V-E Day, assisted with Air Transport Command s Green Project which was the movement of troops from Pisa Airfield to an area in Morocco in preparation for return to the United States. The groups B-17s were dearmed with flooring and seats for 25 passengers installed, the flight crew for this operation consisted of a pilot, copilot, navigator and flight engineer. The 483d carried passengers from Pisa to Port Lyautey Airfield, French Morocco where ATC transports moved them across the Atlantic or to Dakar for movement via South Atlantic Transport Route, the group was inactivated in Italy on 25 September 1945. It flew 215 combat missions and 75 aircraft lost, the group was assigned to the 483d Troop Carrier Wing and controlled the wings operational squadrons. It received a Korean Presidential Unit Citation for these actions, for its actions in transporting United Nations troops in Korea and training with airborne units, the group was one of the first units to earn an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. Between April 1953 and September 1954, the wing aided the French Air Force in Indochina by training personnel, in 1956, the group became non-operational and its squadrons were attached to the 483d Troop Carrier Wing as Far East Air Forces began to convert to the dual-deputy organizational model. It was inactivated in 1958 as the conversion was complete and its squadrons reassigned to the wing, the group was briefly reactivated in the early 90s as the 483d Airlift Group of Military Airlift Command at Osan Air Base, Korea as VIP airlift units were being realigned. Los Angeles, CA, Ward Ritchie Press, the United States Air Forces in Korea 1950-1953. Washington, DC, Office of Air Force History, ann Arbor, MI, 483d Bombardment Group Association. Maurer, Maurer, ed. Air Force Combat Units of World War II, washington, DC, Office of Air Force History
United States
United States Air Force
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
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