1.
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
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The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force. Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft, over 4,500 aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976. Although no longer being purchased by the U. S. Air Force, in 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation, which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta. The F-16 has an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and 11 locations for mounting weapons, the F-16 has also been procured to serve in the air forces of 25 other nations. As of 2015, it is the second most common operational military aircraft in the world. Experiences in the Vietnam War revealed the need for air superiority fighters, boyds work called for a small, lightweight aircraft that could maneuver with the minimum possible energy loss, and which also incorporated an increased thrust-to-weight ratio. Air Force F-X proponents remained hostile to the concept because they perceived it as a threat to the F-15 program, however, the Air Forces leadership understood that its budget would not allow it to purchase enough F-15 aircraft to satisfy all of its missions. The Advanced Day Fighter concept, renamed F-XX, gained political support under the reform-minded Deputy Secretary of Defense David Packard. As a result, in May 1971, the Air Force Prototype Study Group was established, with Boyd a key member and this was the region where USAF studies predicted most future air combat would occur. The anticipated average flyaway cost of a version was $3 million. This production plan, though, was only notional as the USAF had no plans to procure the winner. Five companies responded and in 1972, the Air Staff selected General Dynamics Model 401 and Northrops P-600 for the prototype development. GD and Northrop were awarded contracts worth $37.9 million and $39.8 million to produce the YF-16 and YF-17, respectively, with first flights of both prototypes planned for early 1974. To overcome resistance in the Air Force hierarchy, the Fighter Mafia, the high/low mix would allow the USAF to be able to afford sufficient fighters for its overall fighter force structure requirements. The mix gained broad acceptance by the time of the flyoff, defining the relationship of the LWF. The YF-16 was developed by a team of General Dynamics engineers led by Robert H. Widmer. The first YF-16 was rolled out on 13 December 1973, and its 90-minute maiden flight was made at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California and its actual first flight occurred accidentally during a high-speed taxi test on 20 January 1974. The test pilot, Phil Oestricher, decided to lift off to avoid a potential crash, the slight damage was quickly repaired and the official first flight occurred on time
2.
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker
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The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is a military aerial refueling aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype and it is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transport aircraft. The KC-135 was the US Air Forces first jet-powered refueling tanker, the KC-135 entered service with the United States Air Force in 1957, it is one of six military fixed-wing aircraft with over 50 years of continuous service with its original operator. The KC-135 is supplemented by the larger KC-10, studies have concluded that many of the aircraft could be flown until 2040, although maintenance costs have greatly increased. The aircraft will eventually be replaced by the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus, like its sibling, the commercial Boeing 707 jet airliner, the KC-135 was derived from the Boeing 367-80 jet transport proof of concept demonstrator, which was commonly called the Dash-80. The KC-135 is similar in appearance to the 707, but has a fuselage and is shorter than the 707. The KC-135 predates the 707, and is quite different from the civilian airliner. Boeing gave the future KC-135 tanker the initial designation Model 717, in 1954 USAFs Strategic Air Command held a competition for a jet-powered aerial refueling tanker. Lockheeds tanker version of the proposed Lockheed L-193 airliner with rear fuselage-mounted engines was declared the winner in 1955, in the end, orders for the Lockheed tanker were dropped rather than supporting two tanker designs. Lockheed never produced its jet airliner, while Boeing would eventually dominate the market with a family of airliners based on the 707. In 1954, the Air Force placed an order for 29 KC-135As. The first aircraft flew in August 1956 and the initial production Stratotanker was delivered to Castle Air Force Base, California, the last KC-135 was delivered to the Air Force in 1965. These basic features make it resemble the commercial Boeing 707 and 720 aircraft. The USAF EC-135 Looking Glass was subsequently replaced in its role by the U. S. Navy E-6 Mercury aircraft, the KC-135Q variant was modified to carry JP-7 fuel necessary for the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, segregating the JP-7 from the KC-135s own fuel supply. The tanker also had special fuel systems for moving the different fuels between different tanks, the only external difference between a KC-135R and a KC-135T is the presence of a clear window on the underside of the empennage of the KC-135T where a remote controlled searchlight is mounted. It also has two ground refueling ports, located in rear wheel well so ground crews can fuel both the body tanks and wing tanks separately. Eight KC-135R aircraft are receiver-capable tankers, commonly referred to as KC-135R, All eight aircraft were with the 22d Air Refueling Wing at McConnell AFB, Kansas, in 1994. They are primarily used for extension and Special Operations missions
3.
92d Air Refueling Squadron
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The 92d Air Refueling Squadron is a squadron of the 92d Air Refueling Wings 92d Operations Group, stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. It was first activated shortly before the entry of the United States into World War II as the 2d Reconnaissance Squadron, in April 1942, it was redesignated the 392d Bombardment Squadron. Starting in mid-1942, it began training crews on the Liberator. It ended these operations in July 1943 and began to prepare for overseas movement, after three months of training, the squadron moved to the Central Pacific, where it flew its first combat mission in November. The 392d continued combat operations until March 1945, when it was withdrawn and moved to Hawaii, three months later, the squadron moved to Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, where it equipped with Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers, which it has flown for over fifty years. During the Cold War, the squadron maintained half its aircraft on alert, during the Cuban Missile Crisis all the squadrons tankers were either on alert, deployed, or supporting Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses on airborne alert. The squadron also deployed aircraft to the Pacific to refuel strike aircraft during the Vietnam War, in 1985, the 392d Bombardment Squadron was consolidated with the 92d Air Refueling Squadron. In 1992 the squadron ended its association with Strategic Air Command. Since consolidation, the squadron has deployed personnel and aircraft to support most major United States operations, including combat, although it has not participated as a unit, squadron personnel and aircraft have deployed worldwide to support these operations. The squadron operates the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft conducting air refueling missions. The squadron was first activated at March Field, California in January 1941 as the 2d Reconnaissance Squadron, four months later it moved to New Orleans Airport, Louisiana, where it trained with the Douglas B-18 Bolo. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the returned to California where it participated in antisubmarine patrols. It was redesignated the 392d Bombardment Squadron in April 1942 and assigned directly to the 30th Bombardment Group, in June 1942, the unit added the mission of training aircrews in the B-24 and in the LB-30 Lend Lease version of the Liberator. In July 1943, these operations ceased and the squadron began training to deploy to the Central Pacific and it began combat operations from Canton Airfield in the Phoenix Islands in November 1943. As the war moved closer to Japan, the squadron attacked airfields, the 392d also bombed Wake Island, Guam, Saipan, and harassed other islands in the Carolines and Marianas bypassed by American amphibious forces. In August 1944, the moved to East Field, in the Mariana Islands. During the next six months, the 392d conducted bombing strikes against airfields and shipping at Bonin and Volcano Islands, Iwo Jima, ChiChi Jima and its final bombing mission was at Iwo Jima on 19 February 1945, the same day three Marine divisions invaded the island. The squadron was declared combat ready in September 1958, in March 1959, the 92d flew its first mission supporting Operation Chrome Dome
4.
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
5.
Fighter aircraft
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A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat against other aircraft, as opposed to bombers and attack aircraft, whose main mission is to attack ground targets. The hallmarks of a fighter are its speed, maneuverability, many fighters have secondary ground-attack capabilities, and some are designed as dual-purpose fighter-bombers, often aircraft that do not fulfill the standard definition are called fighters. This may be for political or national security reasons, for advertising purposes, a fighters main purpose is to establish air superiority over a battlefield. Since World War I, achieving and maintaining air superiority has been considered essential for victory in conventional warfare, the word fighter did not become the official English-language term for such aircraft until after World War I. In the British Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force these aircraft were referred to as scouts into the early 1920s, the U. S. Army called their fighters pursuit aircraft from 1916 until the late 1940s. In most languages a fighter aircraft is known as a hunter, exceptions include Russian, where a fighter is an истребитель, meaning exterminator, and Hebrew where it is matose krav. As a part of nomenclature, a letter is often assigned to various types of aircraft to indicate their use. In Russia I was used, while the French continue to use C and this has always been the case, for instance the Sopwith Camel and other fighting scouts of World War I performed a great deal of ground-attack work. Several aircraft, such as the F-111 and F-117, have received fighter designations but had no fighter capability due to political or other reasons, the F-111B variant was originally intended for a fighter role with the U. S. Navy, but it was cancelled. This blurring follows the use of fighters from their earliest days for attack or strike operations against ground targets by means of strafing or dropping small bombs, versatile multirole fighter-bombers such as the F/A-18 Hornet are a less expensive option than having a range of specialized aircraft types. An interceptor is generally an aircraft intended to target bombers and so often trades maneuverability for climb rate, fighters were developed in World War I to deny enemy aircraft and dirigibles the ability to gather information by reconnaissance. Early fighters were very small and lightly armed by later standards, and most were built with a wooden frame, covered with fabric. As control of the airspace over armies became increasingly important all of the major powers developed fighters to support their military operations, between the wars, wood was largely replaced by steel tubing, then aluminium tubing, and finally aluminium stressed skin structures began to predominate. By World War II, most fighters were all-metal monoplanes armed with batteries of guns or cannons. By the end of the war, turbojet engines were replacing piston engines as the means of propulsion, further increasing aircraft speed. Since the weight of the engine was so less than on piston engined fighters. This in turn required the development of ejection seats so the pilot could escape, in the 1950s, radar was fitted to day fighters, since pilots could no longer see far enough ahead to prepare for any opposition. Since then, radar capabilities have grown enormously and are now the method of target acquisition
6.
Aviano Air Base
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Aviano Air Base is a NATO base in northeastern Italy, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. It is located in the Aviano municipality, at the foot of the Carnic Pre-Alps, or Southern Carnic Alps, the Italian Air Force has ownership and administrative control of the base and hosts the U. S. Air Forces 31st Fighter Wing. The 31st FW is the only U. S. fighter wing south of the Alps and this strategic location makes the wing critical to operations in NATOs southern region. The 31st FW maintains two F-16 fighter squadrons, the 555th Fighter Squadron and the 510th FS, allowing the wing to conduct offense, in peacetime, the 31st FW prepares for its combat role by maintaining aircraft and personnel in a high state of readiness. The base is one of six NATO sites in Europe which hold tactical nuclear weapons, Aviano Air Base was established by the Italian government in 1911, and was used as training base for Italian pilots and construction facility for aircraft parts. During World War I, Italy used the airfield in missions against the Austro-Hungarian and German armies, in their honor, the bases name was officially changed to Aeroporto Pagliano e Gori, in 1919. During the war the airfield was overrun by the Austro-German army in the months between November 1917 to November 1918. Between the two wars the airfield was used as a training base. During World War II, both the Italian Air Force and the German Luftwaffe flew missions from Aeroporto Pagliano e Gori, british forces captured the base in 1945, they conducted air operations there until 1947, when the Italian Air Force resumed operational use of the airport. The 1976 earthquake caused no damage to settlement, the 31st Fighter Wing is made up of four groups, each consisting of several squadrons. The 31st Operations Group ensures the combat readiness of two F-16CG squadrons, one air squadron, and one operational support squadron conducting and supporting worldwide air operations. The group prepares fighter pilots, controllers, and support personnel to execute U. S. and NATO war plans and it trains, equips, plans, and provides weather, intelligence, standardization/evaluation, and command and control sustaining global flying operations. The unit employs medical resources and preventive initiatives to ensure Airmen remain mission ready to support the Expeditionary Air Force, U. S. on August 24,1992, when Hurricane Andrew swept across southern Florida, leaving extensive damage in its wake. Every building of Homestead AFB received some damage, many buildings were destroyed, the fighter squadrons evacuated most of the planes before the storm but were unable to return. The squadrons were assigned to wings and the 31st FW began inactivation proceedings. On April 1,1994, the 31st Fighter Wing inactivated at Homestead AFB and subsequently activated at Aviano Air Base, the 31FW received two new squadrons at that time, the 555th and 510th Fighter Squadrons, along with their Block-40 F-16s. The wing immediately become involved with events in Bosnia, part of the former communist country of Yugoslavia, in June 1995, a massive search and rescue operation took place to extract Capt. Scott OGrady of the 555th FS who was shot down over Bosnian-Serb controlled territory in Bosnia. A U. S. Marine Corps CH-53 picked him up after he evaded capture for six days, in August and September, Operation Deliberate Force began and the 31st FW conducted air strikes against Bosnian Serbs conducting ethnic purges among the Muslim population of the country
7.
Operation Linebacker II
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The operation was conducted from 18 to 29 December 1972, leading to several informal names such as The December Raids and The Christmas Bombings. It saw the largest heavy bomber strikes launched by the US Air Force since the end of World War II, all three Vietnamese combatant governments—North Vietnam, the Republic of Vietnam, and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam —would remain intact, as would their separate armies. No new North Vietnamese forces were to be infiltrated from the north, political power would be shared by three groups, the Saigon government, the PRG, and a third force group to be mutually agreed upon by the other two parties. Since it was to work by consensus, nothing could be accomplished by the new council without the agreement of President Thieu. Although there were some issues to be finalized, Kissinger was generally satisfied with the new terms and so notified Nixon. The finalized agreement was to be signed in Hanoi on 31 October, Kissinger then flew on to Saigon on the 18th to discuss the terms with Thieu. The South Vietnamese president was not happy with either the new agreement or with Kissinger, although Kissinger knew Thieus negotiating position, he had not informed him of the changes made in Paris nor had his approval been sought. Kissinger had negotiated on behalf of the South Vietnamese government provisions that he, Thieu completely castigated the agreement and proposed 129 textual changes to the document. The supreme irony, in the words of Stanley Karnow, had now arrived, having fought a war to defend South Vietnams independence, the United States was now denying its legitimacy. Thieu then went one further on 26 October, and publicly released an altered version of the text that made the South Vietnamese provisions look even worse than they actually were. On 20 November, the South Vietnamese revisions, and 44 additional changes demanded by Nixon, were presented to the North Vietnamese delegation by Kissinger. Once the North Vietnamese read the new demands, they began to retract their own concessions and wanted to bargain anew, the talks, scheduled to last ten days, ended on 13 December, with both parties agreeing to resume negotiations. At a subsequent meeting of experts on 16 December, the North Vietnamese side stone-walled from beginning to end, the talks broke down that day, and the Hanoi negotiators refused to set a date for the resumption of negotiations. Nixon was now working against a January deadline, kissingers peace is at hand statement had raised expectations of a settlement among the US population. Also prompting the President toward some form of offensive action was the cost of the force mobilization that had accompanied Operation Linebacker. The additional aircraft and personnel assigned to Southeast Asia for the operation was straining the Pentagons budget, Nixon and Kissinger were convinced that the legislative branch would seize the opportunity to simply write the United States out of the war. Two days after the 16 December deadline had passed, the U. S. bombed Hanoi. Senior Air Force officers James R. Mccarthy and George B. Allison stated years later that the operation had been mainly politically driven, as a negotiation tool to bring the point home
8.
Joseph Kittinger
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Joseph William Kittinger II is a retired colonel in the United States Air Force and a USAF Command Pilot. He was also the first man to make a crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a gas balloon. Born July 27,1928, in Tampa, Florida, Kittinger was educated at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, and he became fascinated with planes at a very young age and soloed in a Piper Cub by the time he was 17. After racing speedboats as a teenager, he entered the U. S. Air Force as a cadet in March 1949. On completion of aviation training in March 1950, he received his pilot wings. He was subsequently assigned to the 86th Fighter-Bomber Wing based at Ramstein Air Base in West Germany, flying the F-84 Thunderjet, in 1954 Kittinger was transferred to the Air Force Missile Development Center at Holloman AFB, New Mexico. It was during this assignment that he flew the plane that monitored flight surgeon Colonel John Stapps rocket sled run of 632 mph in 1955. Kittinger was impressed by Stapps dedication and leadership as a pioneer in aerospace medicine, stapp, in turn, was impressed with Kittingers skillful jet piloting, later recommending him for space-related aviation research work. Stapp was to foster the high-altitude balloon tests that would lead to Kittingers record-setting leap from over 102,800 feet. In 1957, as part of Project Manhigh, Kittinger set a balloon altitude record of 96,760 feet in Manhigh I. Captain Kittinger was next assigned to the Aerospace Medical Research Laboratories at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton and these jumps were made in a rocking-chair position, descending on his back, rather than in the usual face-down position familiar to skydivers. This was because he was wearing a 60 lb kit on his behind, and his pressure suit naturally formed a shape when it was inflated. Excelsior I, Kittingers first high-altitude jump, from about 76,400 feet on November 16,1959, was a near-disaster when an equipment malfunction caused him to lose consciousness, the automatic parachute opener in his equipment saved his life. He went into a spin at a rotational velocity of about 120 rpm. Excelsior II, On December 11,1959, Kittinger jumped again from about 74,700 feet, for this leap, he was awarded the A. Excelsior III, On August 16,1960, Kittinger made the final high-altitude jump at 102,800 feet. Towing a small drogue parachute for initial stabilization, he fell for 4 minutes and 36 seconds, of the jumps from Excelsior, Kittinger said, Theres no way you can visualize the speed. Theres nothing you can see to see how fast youre going, if youre in a car driving down the road and you close your eyes, you have no idea what your speed is
9.
David L. Goldfein
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David Lee Goldfein is a General in the United States Air Force who currently serves as the Air Force Chief of Staff. Before, he served as Air Force Vice Chief of Staff and he was previously Director of the Joint Staff, a position within the Joint Chiefs of Staff who assists the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On April 26,2016, it was announced that Goldfein was nominated to succeed General Mark Welsh as the 21st Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. His confirmation hearing took place on June 16, and he succeeded Welsh on July 1, Gen Goldfein is the second Jewish U. S. Air Force Chief of Staff, after Gen Norton Schwartz, USAF. Goldfein received his commission from the U. S. Air Force Academy in 1983 and he is a Command Pilot with more than 4,200 flying hours in the T-37, T-38, F-16C/D, F-117A, MC-12W, and MQ-9. As commander of the 555th Fighter Squadron, also known as the Triple Nickel,1983 Bachelor of Science degree in philosophy, U. S. C. January 1992 – June 1992, student, USAF Fighter Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev. June 1995 – May 1996, special assistant to the Commander, Allied Air Forces Southern Europe and 16th Air Force, Naples, Italy May 1996 – August 1997, executive officer to the Commander, U. S. July 2001 – July 2002, Deputy Division Chief, Combat Forces, Headquarters U. S. Air Force, Washington, D. C. M. January 2008 – August 2009, Deputy Director of Programs, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Programs, Headquarters U. S. Air Force, August 2009 – August 2011, Director of Operations, Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. August 2011 – July 2013, Commander, U. S. Air Forces Central Command, Southwest Asia August 2013 – August 2015, Director, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D. C. August 2015 – July 2016, Vice Chief of Staff of the U. S. Air Force, Washington, July 2016 – present, Chief of Staff of the U. S. Air Force, Washington, D. C. C. as a lieutenant general
10.
31st Operations Group
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The 31st Operations Group is the flying component of the 31st Fighter Wing, assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. It is stationed at Aviano Air Base, Italy, the group prepares fighter pilots, controllers, and support personnel to execute U. S. and NATO war plans and contingency operations. It trains, equips, plans, and provides weather, intelligence, standardization/evaluation, the 31st Operations Group was reactivated in late October 1991 at Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. On 24 August 1992 the effects of Hurricane Andrew severely damaged Homestead, the groups three F-16 squadrons were relocated to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia and the base declared non-operational because of the damage caused by the hurricane. The result of this was the reassignment of the 31st from Air Combat Command Ninth Air Force to United States Air Forces Europes Sixteenth Air Force on 31 March 1994 without personnel or equipment. The 31st replaced the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base, Italy, and these squadrons transferred their equipment and personnel to the new squadrons at Aviano. Both use the tail code AV for AViano, each F-16 has a tail markings in the squadron colors – Green with the words Triple Nickel in white for the 555th FS and Purple with the words Buzzards in white for the 510th FS. The Block 40s are equipped with the Martin–Marietta Low Altitude Navigation and this consists of two pods, a AAQ-13 navigation pod carried on the left-hand chin pylon and an AAQ-14 targeting pod on the right-hand chin pylon. To differentiate this version the USAF has applied the designation F-16CG/DG, the group fought in North Africa and Italy during the war, returning to Drew Field Florida in August 1945 where it was Inactivated. A SAC Fighter-Escort group during the years of the Cold War. It was reactivated as the 31st Operations Group in 1991, the 31st Pursuit Group was constituted on 22 December 1939 and activated on 1 February 1940, at Selfridge Field, Michigan, with the 39th, 40th and 41st Pursuit squadrons. Its first commander was Lt. Col. Harold H. George, previously commander of the 94th Pursuit Squadron, the group trained and participated in Army maneuvers. The unit was redesignated the 31st Fighter Group on 15 May 1942 and was deployed to the European Theater, most of the group moved to RAF Atcham England where it was assigned to Eighth Air Force. The stationing of the personnel and aircraft was very haphazard, being assigned to various RAF stations in Kent. The ground echelon sailed on the RMS Queen Elizabeth on 4 June 1942 arriving Clyde 10 June 1942, in England, the group was provided with British Supermarine Spitfire Vbs by the Royal Air Force. The 31st Fighter Group was the first group to commence operations with VIII Fighter Command and it flew its first sorties with the RAF on 26 July, and its first squadron operation on 5 August. The 31sts first combat operation was on 19 August 1942, when it supported the Allied raid at Dieppe, once in North Africa, the group attacked motor transports, gun positions, and troop concentrations during the campaign for Algeria and French Morocco. It supported ground troops in Tunisia and provided cover for bomber and fighter aircraft, during May and June 1943, after being re-equipped with Mk VIII and Mk IX Spitfires, it escorted naval convoys in the Mediterranean and bombers on raids to Pantelleria
11.
Martin B-26 Marauder
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The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engined medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company from 1941 to 1945. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was used in the Mediterranean Theater. After entering service with the US Army, the received the reputation of a Widowmaker due to the early models high accident rate during takeoffs. The Marauder had to be flown at exact airspeeds, particularly on final runway approach, the B-26 became a safer aircraft once crews were re-trained, and after aerodynamics modifications. After aerodynamic and design changes, the aircraft distinguished itself as the chief bombardment weapon on the Western Front according to a United States Army Air Forces dispatch from 1946, the Marauder ended World War II with the lowest loss rate of any USAAF bomber. A total of 5,288 were produced between February 1941 and March 1945,522 of these were flown by the Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force. By the time the United States Air Force was created as an independent service separate from the Army in 1947, the Douglas A-26 Invader then assumed the B-26 designation — before officially returning to the earlier A for Attack designation in May 1966. On 5 July 1939, the Glenn L. Martin Company submitted its design, produced by a led by Peyton M. Magruder, to meet the requirement. Martins design was evaluated as superior to the proposals and was awarded a contract for 201 aircraft. The B-26 went from concept to an operational bomber in approximately two years. Additional orders for a further 930 B-26s followed in September 1940, the B-26 was a shoulder-winged monoplane of all-metal construction, fitted with a tricycle landing gear. A gunner manned a turret armed with two.50 in machine guns, while an additional.30 in machine gun was fitted in the tail. The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engines in nacelles slung under the wing, driving four-bladed propellers, the engines were manufactured at the Ford Dearborn Engine plant in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. The first B-26, with Martin test pilot William K, ken Ebel at the controls, flew on 25 November 1940 and was effectively the prototype. Deliveries to the US Army Air Corps began in February 1941 with the second aircraft, in March 1941, the Army Air Corps started Accelerated Service Testing of the B-26 at Patterson Field, Ohio. At least two of the earliest B-26s suffered hard landings and damage to the landing gear, engine mounts, propellers. The type was grounded briefly in April 1941 to investigate the landing difficulties, two causes were found, insufficient landing speed and improper weight distribution. The latter was due to the lack of a dorsal turret, some of the very earliest B-26s suffered collapses of the nose landing gear
United States
United States Air Force
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This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
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United States Air Force Mediterranean Bases