1.
Air Force Special Operations Command
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Air Force Special Operations Command, headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command, AFSOC is also the U. S. Air Force component command to United States Special Operations Command, AFSOC provides all Air Force Special Operations Forces for worldwide deployment and assignment to regional unified combatant commands. Just as it had relinquished control of the C-130 theater airlift fleet to Military Airlift Command in 1975, on 1 August 1987,23 AF headquarters moved to Hurlburt Field, Florida. The commander of AFSOC is Lieutenant General Bradley A. Heithold, major General Eugene Haase is Vice Commander, and Chief Master Sergeant Matthew Caruso is the Command Chief Master Sergeant, Air Force Special Operations Command. The commands SOF units are composed of trained, rapidly deployable airmen who are equipped with specialized aircraft. Another aspect of AFSOC is Special Tactics, the U. S. Air Forces special operations ground force, similar in ability and employment to Marine Special Operations Command, U. S. Army Special Forces and U. S. The commands Special Tactics Squadrons are led by Special Tactics Officers, Special Tactics Squadrons combine Combat Controllers, Tactical Air Control Party, Special Operations Weather Technicians, Pararescuemen and Combat Rescue Officers to form versatile SOF teams. Due to the rigors of the field, Special Tactics year-long training is one of the most demanding in the military. In an attempt to reduce the high attrition, Special Tactics is very selective when choosing their officers, Special Tactics Officers undergo a highly competitive process to gain entry into the Special Tactics career field, ensuring only the most promising and capable leaders are selected. STO leadership and role modeling during the difficult training reduces the rate for enlisted trainees. STO selection is a two-phase process, based on Phase One performance, about eight to 10 applicants are invited to the next phase. Phase Two is a battery of evaluations, ranging from physical fitness and leadership to emotional intelligence. At the end of Phase Two, typically two to four applicants are selected to begin the year-plus Special Tactics training pipeline, consequently, in March 1983, MAC activated Twenty-Third Air Force at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. In October 1983,23 AF helped rescue Americans from the nation of Grenada. During the seven-day operation, centered at Point Salines Airport,23 AF furnished MC-130s, AC-130s, aircrews, maintenance, an EC-130 from the 193rd Special Operations Wing of the Air National Guard also played a psy-war role. In May 1986, the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act led to the formation of the United States Special Operations Command, senators William Cohen and Sam Nunn introduced the Senate bill, and the following month Congressman Dan Daniel introduced a like measure in the House of Representatives. The key provisions of the formed the basis to amend the 1986 Defense Authorizations Bill. This bill, signed into law in October 1986, in part directed the formation of a command responsible for special operations
2.
Clovis, New Mexico
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Clovis is the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico, United States, with a population of 37,775 as of the 2010 census, and a 2014 estimated population of 39,860. Clovis is located in the New Mexico portion of the Llano Estacado, a largely agricultural community, closely bordering Texas, it is noted for its role in early rock music history and for nearby Cannon Air Force Base. Clovis people are considered to be the ancestors of most of the cultures of the Americas. The Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railway system helped to establish Clovis over a hundred years ago, also notable is the Southwest Cheese Company, the largest cheddar cheese producer in North America. It is the city of the Clovis Micropolitan Statistical Area. The eastern New Mexico region was home to the prehistoric Clovis culture, several remains have been found at the Blackwater Draw site, which remains a historical and tourist site. Clovis began in 1906, when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was being constructed through the area and railway engineers were ordered to choose a town site. At first known as Rileys Switch, it was renamed Clovis by the masters daughter, who was studying about Clovis. The settlement built up quickly and in 1909 was incorporated, Clovis had first attracted human beings and then was able to persuade them to remain in this area over 12,000 years ago. The earliest residents are known as Clovis Man, named after an arrow-head or spear-point found near present-day Clovis. Since the most recent ice age retreated north, these nomadic hunters known as the Clovis Man remained in the Southwestern part of New Mexico, on August 24,2008, eight prisoners escaped from the Clovis Jail by shimmying up plumbing pipes. The escape was highlighted on the television show Americas Most Wanted, Clovis celebrated its centennial in 2009. Clovis is located in southeastern Curry County at 34°24′45″N 103°12′17″W,9 miles west of the Texas border, the citys geographic center is at an elevation of 4,281 feet above sea level. Routes 60,70, and 84 pass through the city, US60 and 84 lead west 60 miles to Fort Sumner, while US70 leads southwest 19 miles to Portales and 110 miles to Roswell. The three highways lead east together to the line at Texico, New Mexico, and Farwell. Cannon Air Force Base is 7 miles west of the center of Clovis, as of the census of 2000, there were 32,667 people,12,458 households, and 8,596 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,458.9 people per square mile, there were 14,269 housing units at an average density of 637.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 71. 3% White,7. 32% Black,1. 02% Native American,1. 62% Asian,0. 13% Pacific Islander,14. 98% from other races, Hispanic or Latino were 33. 44% of the population
3.
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
4.
27th Special Operations Wing
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The 27th Special Operations Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. It is assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command, the 27 SOW also is responsible for the Melrose Range, an air training range near the neighboring town of Melrose, New Mexico. The Wings origins date to 1939 as the 27th Bombardment Group, the group fought in the Pacific Ocean and Mediterranean, Middle East and African theatres. Its ground personnel fought as infantry in the 1941–1942 Battle of Bataan with the survivors being forced to march as prisoners in the Bataan Death March and its air echelon went on to be awarded five Distinguished Unit Citations and a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. The Airmen of the 27th were among the most decorated USAAF units of the war, the 27th Special Operations Group carries the lineage and history of its highly decorated World War II predecessor unit. The commander of the 27th Special Operations Wing is Colonel Benjamin Maitre, Fighter Squadrons of the 27th were the 522nd, 523rd and 524th. The 27th was initially equipped with the North American P-51D Mustang, in June 1948 the designation P for pursuit was changed to F for fighter. Subsequently, all P-51s were redesignated F-51s, the mission of the 27th Fighter Wing was to fly long-range escort missions for SAC Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers. With the arrival of the F-82s, the older F-51s were sent to Air National Guard units and it was also believed that the 27th would launch an escort mission, presumably to the Soviet Union, if conflict broke out in Europe. From McChord, the group flew its Twin Mustangs on weather reconnaissance missions over the northwest Pacific, but problems were encountered with their fuel tanks. Decommissioned F-61 Black Widow external tanks were found at Hamilton AFB, with a reduction in tensions, the 27th returned to its home base in Nebraska during September where the unit settled down to transition flying with their aircraft. Four F-82s were deployed to Alaska from McChord where the pilots provided transition training to the 449th Fighter Squadron which used Twin Mustangs in the air defense mission. They remained in Alaska for about 45 days, returning to rejoin the rest of the group at the beginning of November 1948, in January 1949, Eighth Air Force planned a large celebration at Carswell AFB. All of its units were to participate in a coordinated flyover. Most of SACs bombers were to participate, along with SACs only Long Range fighter group, the weather in Nebraska in January that year was especially horrible, with most airports in the Midwest weathered in the day of the display. At Kearney AFB, the base was socked-in with a blizzard, nevertheless, the crews had an early morning mission briefing, the aircraft in the hangars were preflighted and prepared for the flyover mission. Paths were cut though the snow for the aircraft to taxi and somehow the F-82s got airborne, in early 1949, the 27th began carrying out long-range escort profile missions. Flights to Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Bahamas and nonstop to Washington D. C were carried out, for President Trumans 1949 inauguration, the 27th FEW launched 48 aircraft to fly in review, along with several other fighter units, in formation down Pennsylvania Avenue
5.
ICAO airport code
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The ICAO airport code or location indicator is a four-character alphanumeric code designating aerodromes around the world. ICAO codes are used to identify other aviation facilities such as weather stations, International Flight Service Stations or Area Control Centers. Flight information regions are identified by a unique ICAO-code. Code selections in North America were based on existing radio station identifiers, for example, radio stations in Canada were already starting with C, so it seemed logical to begin Canadian airport identifiers with Cxxx. The United States had many pre-existing airports with established mnemonic codes and their ICAO codes were formed simply by prepending a K to the existing codes, as half the radio station identifiers in the US began with K. Most ICAO codes outside the US and Canada have a geographical structure. Most of the rest of the world was classified in a more planned top-down manner, thus Uxxx referred to the Soviet Union with the second letter denoting the specific region within it, and so forth. Europe had too many locations for one starting letter, so it was split into Exxx for northern Europe. The second letter was more specific, EGxx was the United Kingdom, EDxx was West Germany, ETxx was East Germany, LExx was Spain, LAxx was Albania, France was designated LFxx, as the counterpart EFxx was the unambiguously northern Finland. ICAO codes are separate and different from IATA codes, which are used for airline timetables, reservations. For example, the IATA code for Londons Heathrow Airport is LHR, in general IATA codes are usually derived from the name of the airport or the city it serves, while ICAO codes are distributed by region and country. Far more aerodromes have ICAO codes than IATA codes, and to add to the confusion IATA codes are assigned to railway stations. Unlike the IATA codes, the ICAO codes generally have a structure and are comprehensive. In general, the first letter is allocated by continent and represents a country or group of countries within that continent, the second letter generally represents a country within that region, and the remaining two are used to identify each airport. The exception to rule is larger countries that have single-letter country codes. In either case, ICAO codes generally provide geographical context unlike IATA codes, for example, if one knows that the ICAO code for Heathrow is EGLL, then one can deduce that the airport EGGP is somewhere in the UK. On the other hand, knowing that the IATA code for Heathrow is LHR does not enable one to deduce the location of the airport LHV with any greater certainty, there are a few exceptions to the regional structure of the ICAO code made for political or administrative reasons. Similarly Saint Pierre and Miquelon is controlled by France, and airports there are assigned LFxx as though they were in Europe, further, in region L, all available 2-letter prefixes have been exhausted and thus no additional countries can be added
6.
Federal Aviation Administration
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The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States is a national authority with powers to regulate all aspects of civil aviation. The FAAs roles include, Regulating U. S, each LOB has a specific role within the FAA. Airports — plans and develops projects involving airports, overseeing their construction, Air Traffic Organization — primary duty is to safely and efficiently move air traffic within the National Airspace System. ATO employees manage air traffic facilities including Airport Traffic Control Towers, Aviation Safety — Responsible for aeronautical certification of personnel and aircraft, including pilots, airlines, and mechanics. Commercial Space Transportation — ensures protection of U. S. assets during the launch or reentry of commercial space vehicles, the FAA is headquartered in Washington, D. C. as well as the William J. The newly created Aeronautics Branch, operating under the Department of Commerce assumed primary responsibility for aviation oversight, in fulfilling its civil aviation responsibilities, the Department of Commerce initially concentrated on such functions as safety regulations and the certification of pilots and aircraft. It took over the building and operation of the system of lighted airways. The Aeronautics Branch was renamed the Bureau of Air Commerce in 1934 to reflect its status within the Department. As commercial flying increased, the Bureau encouraged a group of airlines to establish the first three centers for providing air traffic control along the airways, in 1936, the Bureau itself took over the centers and began to expand the ATC system. The pioneer air traffic controllers used maps, blackboards, and mental calculations to ensure the separation of aircraft traveling along designated routes between cities. In 1938, the Civil Aeronautics Act transferred the civil aviation responsibilities from the Commerce Department to a new independent agency. The legislation also expanded the role by giving them the authority. President Franklin D. Roosevelt split the authority into two agencies in 1940, the Civil Aeronautics Administration and the Civil Aeronautics Board, CAA was responsible for ATC, airman and aircraft certification, safety enforcement, and airway development. CAB was entrusted with safety regulation, accident investigation, and economic regulation of the airlines, the CAA was part of the Department of Commerce. The CAB was an independent federal agency, on the eve of Americas entry into World War II, CAA began to extend its ATC responsibilities to takeoff and landing operations at airports. This expanded role eventually became permanent after the war, the application of radar to ATC helped controllers in their drive to keep abreast of the postwar boom in commercial air transportation. The approaching era of jet travel, and a series of midair collisions and this legislation gave the CAAs functions to a new independent body, the Federal Aviation Agency. The act transferred air safety regulation from the CAB to the new FAA, the FAAs first administrator, Elwood R. Quesada, was a former Air Force general and adviser to President Eisenhower
7.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
8.
Runway
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According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, a runway is a defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft. Runways may be a surface or a natural surface. Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally the magnetic azimuth of the heading in decadegrees. This heading differs from true north by the magnetic declination. A runway numbered 09 points east, runway 18 is south, runway 27 points west, when taking off from or landing on runway 09, a plane would be heading 90°. A runway can normally be used in both directions, and is named for each separately, e. g. runway 33 in one direction is runway 15 when used in the other. The two numbers usually differ by 18, Runway Zero Three Left becomes Runway Two One Right when used in the opposite direction. In some countries, if parallel runways are too close to each other, at large airports with four or more parallel runways some runway identifiers are shifted by 10 degrees to avoid the ambiguity that would result with more than three parallel runways. For example, in Los Angeles, this results in runways 6L, 6R, 7L. At Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, there are five parallel runways, named 17L, 17C, 17R, 18L, for clarity in radio communications, each digit in the runway name is pronounced individually, runway three six, runway one four, etc. A leading zero, for example in runway zero six or runway zero one left, is included for all ICAO, however, most U. S. civil aviation airports drop the leading zero as required by FAA regulation. This also includes some military airfields such as Cairns Army Airfield and this American anomaly may lead to inconsistencies in conversations between American pilots and controllers in other countries. It is very common in a such as Canada for a controller to clear an incoming American aircraft to, for example, runway 04. In flight simulation programs those of American origin might apply U. S. usage to airports around the world, for example, runway 05 at Halifax will appear on the program as the single digit 5 rather than 05. Runway designations change over time because the magnetic poles slowly drift on the Earths surface, depending on the airport location and how much drift takes place, it may be necessary over time to change the runway designation. As runways are designated with headings rounded to the nearest 10 degrees, for example, if the magnetic heading of a runway is 233 degrees, it would be designated Runway 23. If the magnetic heading changed downwards by 5 degrees to 228, if on the other hand the original magnetic heading was 226, and the heading decreased by only 2 degrees to 224, the runway should become Runway 22. Because the drift itself is slow, runway designation changes are uncommon
9.
Asphalt concrete
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Asphalt concrete is a composite material commonly used to surface roads, parking lots, airports, as well as the core of embankment dams. It consists of mineral aggregate bound together with asphalt, laid in layers, the process was refined and enhanced by Belgian inventor and U. S. immigrant Edward de Smedt. The abbreviation AC is sometimes used for asphalt concrete but can also denote asphalt content or asphalt cement, mixing is generally performed with the aggregate at about 300 °F for virgin asphalt and 330 °F for polymer modified asphalt, and the asphalt cement at 200 °F. Paving and compaction must be performed while the asphalt is sufficiently hot, in many countries paving is restricted to summer months because in winter the compacted base will cool the asphalt too much before it is able to be packed to the required density. HMAC is the form of asphalt concrete most commonly used on high traffic pavements such as those on major highways, racetracks and it is also used as an environmental liner for landfills, reservoirs, and fish hatchery ponds. Superpave, short for superior performing asphalt pavement, is a pavement system designed to provide longer lasting roadways, key components of the system are careful selection of binders and aggregates, volumetric proportioning of ingredients, and evaluation of the finished product. Warm mix asphalt concrete is produced by adding either zeolites, waxes, asphalt emulsions and this allows significantly lower mixing and laying temperatures and results in lower consumption of fossil fuels, thus releasing less carbon dioxide, aerosols and vapors. The usage of additives in hot mixed asphalt may afford easier compaction. Use of warm mix is rapidly expanding, a survey of US asphalt producers found that nearly 25% of asphalt produced in 2012 was warm mix, a 416% increase since 2009. Cold mix asphalt concrete is produced by emulsifying the asphalt in water with soap prior to mixing with the aggregate, while in its emulsified state the asphalt is less viscous and the mixture is easy to work and compact. The emulsion will break after enough water evaporates and the mix will, ideally. Cold mix is used as a patching material and on lesser trafficked service roads. Cut-back asphalt concrete is a form of cold mix asphalt produced by dissolving the binder in kerosene or another lighter fraction of petroleum prior to mixing with the aggregate, while in its dissolved state the asphalt is less viscous and the mix is easy to work and compact. After the mix is laid down the lighter fraction evaporates, because of concerns with pollution from the volatile organic compounds in the lighter fraction, cut-back asphalt has been largely replaced by asphalt emulsion. Mastic asphalt concrete or sheet asphalt is produced by heating hard grade blown bitumen in a green cooker until it has become a liquid after which the aggregate mix is then added. Mastic asphalt concrete is laid to a thickness of around 3⁄4–1 3⁄16 inches for footpath and road applications. HMAC layers are used both in reinforcement operations and in the construction of new reinforcements for medium and heavy traffic, in base layers, they tend to exhibit a greater capacity of absorbing tensions and, in general, better fatigue resistance. In addition to the asphalt and aggregate, additives, such as polymers, Asphalt concrete pavements—especially those at airfields—are sometimes called tarmac for historical reasons, although they do not contain tar and are not constructed using the macadam process
10.
Lockheed AC-130
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The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily armed, long-endurance ground-attack variant of the C-130 Hercules transport fixed-wing aircraft. It carries an array of anti-ground oriented weapons that are integrated with sophisticated sensors, navigation. Unlike other military fixed-wing aircraft, the AC-130 relies on visual targeting, because its large profile and low operating altitudes make it an easy target, it usually flies close air support missions at night. The airframe is manufactured by Lockheed Martin, while Boeing is responsible for the conversion into a gunship, developed during the Vietnam War as Project Gunship II, the AC-130 replaced the Douglas AC-47 Spooky, or Gunship I. Close air support roles include supporting troops, escorting convoys. Air interdiction missions are conducted against planned targets and targets of opportunity, Force protection missions include defending air bases and other facilities. AC-130Us are based at Hurlburt Field, Florida, while AC-130Ws are based at Cannon AFB, New Mexico, the squadrons are part of the Air Force Special Operations Command, a component of the United States Special Operations Command. The AC-130 has a cabin, with the weaponry mounted to fire from the port side of the fuselage. During an attack, the gunship performs a pylon turn, flying in a circle around the target. The AC-130H Spectre was armed with two 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannons, one Bofors 40 mm cannon, and one 105 mm M102 howitzer, after 1994, the 20 mm cannons were removed. The upgraded AC-130U Spooky has a single 25 mm GAU-12 Equalizer cannon in place of the Spectres two 20 mm cannons, a fire control system, and increased ammunition capacity. New AC-130Js based on the MC-130J Combat Shadow II special operations tanker were planned as of 2012, the AC-130W is armed with one 30 mm Bushmaster cannon, AGM-176 Griffin missiles, and GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs. During the Vietnam War, the C-130 Hercules was selected to replace the Douglas AC-47 Spooky gunship in order to improve mission endurance, in 1967, JC-130A 54-1626 was selected for conversion into the prototype AC-130A gunship. The modifications were done at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base by the Aeronautical Systems Division, the analog fire control computer prototype was handcrafted by RAF Wing Commander Tom Pinkerton at the USAF Avionics Laboratory at Wright-Patterson AFB. Flight testing of the prototype was performed primarily at Eglin Air Force Base, followed by further testing, by September 1967, the aircraft was certified ready for combat testing and was flown to Nha Trang Air Base, South Vietnam for a 90-day test program. The AC-130 was later supplemented by the AC-119 Shadow, which proved to be underpowered. Seven more warplanes were converted to the Plain Jane configuration like the AC-130 prototype in 1968, the Surprise Package upgrade included the latest 20 mm rotary cannons and 40 mm Bofors cannon but no 7.62 mm close support armament. The Surprise Package configuration served as a test bed for the avionic systems, in 1970, ten more AC-130As were acquired under the Pave Pronto project
11.
General Atomics MQ-1 Predator
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The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator is an American remotely piloted aircraft built by General Atomics and used primarily by the United States Air Force and Central Intelligence Agency. The aircraft, in use since 1995, has seen combat in war in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the NATO intervention in Bosnia, Serbia, Iraq War, Yemen, Libyan civil war, the intervention in Syria, the USAF describes the Predator as a Tier II MALE UAS. The UAS consists of four aircraft or air vehicles with sensors, a control station. Powered by a Rotax engine and driven by a propeller, the air vehicle can fly up to 400 nmi to a target, loiter overhead for 14 hours, then return to its base. Civilian applications have included border enforcement and scientific studies, and to monitor wind direction, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Pentagon began experimenting with unmanned reconnaissance aircraft in the early 1980s. The CIA preferred small, lightweight, unobtrusive drones, in contrast to the United States Air Force, in the early 1990s, the CIA became interested in the Amber, a drone developed by Leading Systems, Inc. The companys owner, Abraham Karem, was the chief designer for the Israeli Air Force. Karems company had gone bankrupt and been bought up by a U. S. defense contractor. Karem agreed to produce an engine for the vehicle, which had until then sounded like a lawnmower in the sky. The new development became known as the Predator, first flight took place on 3 July 1994 at the El Mirage airfield in the Mojave Desert. The aircraft itself was a derivative of the GA Gnat 750, during the ACTD phase, three systems were purchased from GA, comprising twelve aircraft and three ground control stations. From April through May 1995, the Predator ACTD aircraft were flown as a part of the Roving Sands 1995 exercises in the U. S. The exercise operations were successful, and this led to the decision to deploy the system to the Balkans later in the summer of 1995. By the start of the United States Afghan campaign in 2001, the USAF had acquired 60 Predators, few if any of the losses were from enemy action, the worst problem apparently being foul weather, particularly icy conditions. Some critics within the Pentagon saw the loss rate as a sign of poor operational procedures. In response to the losses caused by weather conditions, a few of the later USAF Predators were fitted with de-icing systems, along with an uprated turbocharged engine. This improved Block 1 version was referred to as the RQ-1B, or the MQ-1B if it carried munitions, the Predator system was initially designated the RQ-1 Predator. The R is the United States Department of Defense designation for reconnaissance, the 1 describes it as being the first of a series of aircraft systems built for unmanned reconnaissance
12.
General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper
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The MQ-9 and other UAVs are referred to as Remotely Piloted Vehicles/Aircraft by the USAF to indicate their human ground controllers. The MQ-9 is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance, the MQ-9 is a larger, heavier, and more capable aircraft than the earlier General Atomics MQ-1 Predator, it can be controlled by the same ground systems used to control MQ-1s. The Reaper has a 950-shaft-horsepower turboprop engine, the greater power allows the Reaper to carry 15 times more ordnance payload and cruise at about three times the speed of the MQ-1. The aircraft is monitored and controlled by aircrew in the Ground Control Station, in March 2011, the U. S. Air Force was training more pilots for advanced unmanned aerial vehicles than for any other single weapons system. The Reaper is also used by the United States Navy, the CIA, U. S. Customs and Border Protection, NASA, the USAF plans to keep the MQ-9 in service into the 2030s. General Atomics began development with the Predator B-001, a proof-of-concept aircraft, abraham Karem is the designer of the Predator. The B-001 was powered by an AlliedSignal Garrett TPE331-10T turboprop engine with 950 shaft horsepower and it had an airframe that was based on the standard Predator airframe, except with an enlarged fuselage and wings lengthened from 48 feet to 66 feet. The B-001 had a speed of 220 knots and could carry a payload of 750 pounds to an altitude of 50,000 feet with an endurance of 30 hours, the company refined the design, taking it in two separate directions. The first was a version, Predator B-002 was fitted with a Williams FJ44-2A turbofan engine with 10.2 kilonewtons thrust. It had payload capacity of 475 pounds, a ceiling of 60,000 feet, the USAF ordered two airframes for evaluation, delivered in 2007. The first two airframes delivered with prototypes B-001 and B-002, B-002 was originally equipped with the FJ-44 engine but it was removed and a TPE-331-10T was installed so that the USAF could take delivery of two aircraft in the same configuration. The second direction the design took was the Predator B-003, referred to by GA as the Altair, which has a new airframe with an 84-foot wingspan, like the Predator B-001, it is powered by a TPE-331-10YGD turboprop. This variant has a capacity of 3,000 pounds, a maximum ceiling of 52,000 feet. In October 2001, the USAF signed a contract for a pair of Predator Bs for evaluation. Designated YMQ-9s due to their role, they were delivered in 2002. The USAF referred to it as Predator B until it was renamed Reaper, operators, stationed at bases such as Creech Air Force Base, near Las Vegas, can hunt for targets and observe terrain using multiple sensors, including a thermographic camera. One claim was that the camera is able to read a license plate from two miles away. An operators command takes 1.2 seconds to reach the drone via a satellite link, the MQ-9 is fitted with six stores pylons, the inner stores pylons can carry a maximum of 1,500 pounds each and allow carriage of external fuel tanks
13.
Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey
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The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing, and short takeoff and landing capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a helicopter with the long-range. In response, the Joint-service Vertical take-off/landing Experimental aircraft program started in 1981, a partnership between Bell Helicopter and Boeing Helicopters was awarded a development contract in 1983 for the V-22 tiltrotor aircraft. The Bell Boeing team jointly produce the aircraft, the V-22 first flew in 1989, and began flight testing and design alterations, the complexity and difficulties of being the first tiltrotor for military service led to many years of development. The United States Marine Corps began crew training for the Osprey in 2000, the Ospreys other operator, the U. S. Air Force, fielded their version of the tiltrotor in 2009. Since entering service with the U. S. Marine Corps and Air Force, the U. S. Department of Defense began the Joint-service Vertical take-off/landing Experimental aircraft program in 1981, under U. S. Army leadership. The defining mission of the Marine Corps has been to perform an amphibious landing, the OSD and Navy administration were against the tiltrotor project, but congressional pressure eventually proved persuasive. The U. S. Navy and Marine Corps were given the lead in 1983, the JVX combined requirements from the U. S. Marine Corps, Air Force, Army and Navy. A request for proposals was issued in December 1982 for preliminary design work, interest was expressed by Aérospatiale, Bell Helicopter, Boeing Vertol, Grumman, Lockheed, and Westland. Contractors were encouraged to form teams, Bell partnered with Boeing Vertol to submit a proposal for an enlarged version of the Bell XV-15 prototype on 17 February 1983. Being the only proposal received, a design contract was awarded on 26 April 1983. The JVX aircraft was designated V-22 Osprey on 15 January 1985, by that March, the first six prototypes were being produced, work has been split evenly between Bell and Boeing. Bell Helicopter manufactures and integrates the wing, nacelles, rotors, drive system, tail surfaces, Boeing Helicopters manufactures and integrates the fuselage, cockpit, avionics, and flight controls. Full-scale development of the V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft began in 1986, on 3 May 1986, the Bell Boeing partnership was awarded a $1.714 billion contract for V-22 aircraft by the U. S. Navy. At this point, all four U. S. military services had plans for V-22 versions. The first V-22 was rolled out with significant media attention in May 1988 and that year, the U. S. Army left the program, citing a need to focus its budget on more immediate aviation programs. In 1989, the project survived two separate votes in the Senate that could have resulted in cancellation, despite the Senates decision, the Department of Defense instructed the U. S. Navy not to spend more money on the V-22. When the V-22s projected development budget greatly increased in 1988, Defense Secretary Dick Cheney tried to remove funding from 1989 to 1992 in an effort to cancel it and he was eventually overruled by Congress, which provided unrequested funding for the program
14.
73d Special Operations Squadron
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The 73d Special Operations Squadron is a unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the 27th Special Operations Group at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. The squadron operates AC-130W Stinger II ground-attack aircraft in support of Air Force Special Operations Command, the 73d SOS is one of the oldest in the Air Force, its origins dating to the formation of the 73d Aero Squadron in February 1918. It served on the Western Front in France during World War I and it was part of Strategic Air Command during the Cold War. The 73d SOS dates to the formation of the 73d Aero Squadron at Rich Field, Waco, the first personnel were 150 privates under the command of 1st Lieutenant Loren W. De Motte, which arrived at the Aviation Camp. Once organized into a unit, the 73d was transferred to Call Field, Wichita Falls, Texas, the men were also trained in aviation mechanic work. On 8 July, orders were received for the unit to proceed to the Aviation Concentration Center, Garden City, Long Island, after an uneventful crossing of the Atlantic, it arrived at the port of Brest, France on 26 August. At Brest, the detachment was detached from the squadron. Initially assigned as a unit to the 1st Day Bombardment Group at Delouze Aerodrome on 12 September. On 4 October, it was ordered to Colombey-les-Belles Airdrome, where it was reassigned to the Second Army, at Colombey, the squadron operated the 6th Air Park, a maintenance and supply organization as part of the 1st Air Depot. It remained in France after the Armistice in November, returning to the United States in June 1919 where it was demobilized at Hazelhurst Field, a new unit, the 73d Headquarters Squadron was constituted in the Regular Army Reserve on 18 October 1927 at San Antonio, Texas. Army reserve officers assigned to the unit participated in training at Kelly Field, Texas. On 8 May 1929, it was re-designated as the 73d Pursuit Squadron, the unit was activated on 15 July 1931 by the Army Air Corps as an active-duty squadron. It was assigned reserve personnel to the 17th Pursuit Group at March Field, California. In 1934 it received new Boeing P-26s but retained the P-12s and it was reorganized and re-designated as the 73d Attack Squadron on 1 March 1935 and assigned to the 17th Attack Group. The squadron was awarded the Frank Luke Trophy for 1935, having the highest gunnery score in the U. S. Army Air Corps, on 5 June 1936 the squadron was consolidated with its World War I predecessor unit, the 73d Aero Squadron. It was re-designated as the 73d Attack Squadron and received Northrop A-17 attack aircraft, the squadron flew reconnaissance flights in support of flood relief in southern California from 2 March to 5 March 1938. Reorganized and re-designated as the 73d Bombardment Squadron on 17 October 1939, being re-equipped with Boeing B-18 Bolos and it was reassigned to McChord Field, Washington,26 June 1940. Relieved from assignment to the 17th Bombardment Group on 3 May 1941, the squadron moved to the new Elmendorf Field, near Anchorage, Alaska in early 1941
15.
John K. Cannon
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General John Kenneth Cannon was a World War II Mediterranean combat commander and former chief of United States Air Forces in Europe for whom Cannon Air Force Base, Clovis, New Mexico, is named. John Kenneth Cannon was born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory and he graduated from Utah Agricultural College in 1914 and was appointed a second lieutenant in the United States Army Infantry Reserve on November 27,1917. He served the infantry at Camp Fremont, California, Camp Mills, New York, the Presidio of San Francisco and he completed pursuit pilot training at Ellington Field, Texas, on April 23,1922, where one of his seven classmates was Lt. Claire Lee Chennault. In the Air Service he became director of flying at Kelly in the fall of 1922, Cannon went to Hawaii in January 1925, assigned to the 6th Pursuit Squadron at Luke Field on Ford Island, where he became operations officer of the 5th Composite Group. Two years later, he was commanding officer of the 94th Pursuit Squadron at Selfridge Field and he returned to Kelly in 1929 as director of pursuit training, with promotion to captain, and became director of training at Randolph Field, Texas, in August 1931. He completed the courses at the Air Corps Tactical School and the Command and General Staff School, with promotion to major in March 1935 and assignment to March Field, California. In June 1938, Cannon went to Buenos Aires, Argentina, while there, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in March 1940 and to colonel in January 1941. That October, he went to Mitchel Field, New York as chief of staff of the 1st Air Force and he was promoted to brigadier general in February 1942. During Operation Torch in November 1942, Cannon was the general of the XII Air Support Command for the Western Task Force during the invasion of French Morocco. He moved to Algeria as commanding general of the XII Bomber Command, in May 1943, Cannon became deputy commanding general of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force under Commander Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham for the Sicilian campaign and the invasion of Italy. General Cannon was responsible for all air operations during the invasion of southern France in August 1944, in March 1945, he was promoted to lieutenant general and named air commander in chief of all Allied Air Forces in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. In May 1945, Lt. Gen. John K. Cannon became commanding general of U. S. Air Forces in Europe USAFE. He earned four Distinguished Service Medals, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Air Medal and decorations from Great Britain, France, Italy, Poland, Yugoslavia and Morocco. General Cannon returned to the U. S. in April 1946 as commanding general of Air Training Command at Barksdale Field, Louisiana. In October 1948, he returned to Europe as commanding general of U. S. Air Forces in Europe, in October 1951, he was promoted to general and appointed commanding general of Tactical Air Command at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. General Cannon retired from the service on March 31,1954, at the time of his retirement, he was senior air officer in point-of-service, holding serial number 3A. He died of an attack on January 12,1955. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, on 8 June 1957, the Clovis Air Force Base in Clovis, New Mexico was renamed Cannon Air Force Base in honor of General Cannon
16.
World War II
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World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the worlds countries—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing alliances, the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. Marked by mass deaths of civilians, including the Holocaust and the bombing of industrial and population centres. These made World War II the deadliest conflict in human history, from late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe, and formed the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan. Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories of their European neighbours, Poland, Finland, Romania and the Baltic states. In December 1941, Japan attacked the United States and European colonies in the Pacific Ocean, and quickly conquered much of the Western Pacific. The Axis advance halted in 1942 when Japan lost the critical Battle of Midway, near Hawaii, in 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France, while the Soviet Union regained all of its territorial losses and invaded Germany and its allies. During 1944 and 1945 the Japanese suffered major reverses in mainland Asia in South Central China and Burma, while the Allies crippled the Japanese Navy, thus ended the war in Asia, cementing the total victory of the Allies. World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world, the United Nations was established to foster international co-operation and prevent future conflicts. The victorious great powers—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers waned, while the decolonisation of Asia, most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to end pre-war enmities, the start of the war in Europe is generally held to be 1 September 1939, beginning with the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. The dates for the beginning of war in the Pacific include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or even the Japanese invasion of Manchuria on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor, who held that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously and this article uses the conventional dating. Other starting dates sometimes used for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939, the exact date of the wars end is also not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 14 August 1945, rather than the formal surrender of Japan
17.
Second Air Force
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The Second Air Force is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and support officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defended the Northwestern United States and Upper Great Plains regions and during the Cold War, was Strategic Air Command unit with strategic bombers and missiles. Elements of Second Air Force engaged in operations during the Korean War, Vietnam War. The Northwest Air District of the GHQ Air Force was activated on 19 October 1940 at McChord Field along with 3 other CONUS districts, the district was redesignated 2nd Air Force on 9 April 1941. 5th Bombardment Wing was assigned to Second Air Force up to 5 September 1941, on 11 December 1941, four days after the Pearl Harbor attack, 2d Air Force was placed under Western Defense Command. However, on 5 January 1942, it was returned to the Air Force Combat Command, from December 1941, 2d Air Force organized air defense for the northwest Pacific Ocean coastline of the United States and flew antisubmarine patrols along coastal areas until October 1942. It appears that immediately after 7 December 1941, only the 7th, 17th, 39th, as the Second Air Force it became predominantly the training organization of B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator heavy bombardment groups. Nearly all new heavy bomb groups organized after Pearl Harbor were organized and trained by Second Air Force OTU units, under the newly organized XX Bomber Command, B-29 aircraft were received from Boeings manufacturing plants and new combat groups were organized and trained. XX Bomber Command and the first B-29 groups were deployed in December 1943 to airfields in India for Operation Matterhorn operations against Japan, a football team made up of Second Air Force personnel defeated Hardin-Simmons University in the 1943 Sun Bowl. A third B-29 organization, XXII Bomber Command was formed by Second Air Force in August 1944, however the organization never got beyond forming Headquarters echelon and Headquarters squadron. Inactivated before any operational groups were assigned, as XX Bomber Command units were reassigned from India to the Marianas, the training of B-29 groups and replacement personnel continued until August 1945 and the end of the Pacific War. With the wars end, Second Air Force was inactivated on 30 March 1946, the command was reactivated on 6 June 1946 under Air Defense Command, at Fort Crook, Nebraska. During this period of the forces history its home base was redesignated Offutt Air Force Base, the Second Air Force assumed responsibility for the air defense of certain portions of the continental United States. In 1947, the 73d Bomb Wing was reactivated with the 338th and 351st Bomb Groups being assigned to it, the wing was assigned to Second Air Force. A third group, the 381st was added in 1948, however SAC was having enough difficulties keeping its front-line active duty bomb units in the air to maintain even minimal pilot proficiency in the late 1940s. The wing and its groups were all inactivated in 1949. The Second Air Force was also assigned the reserve 96th Bomb Wing, which was redesignated an air division. One of these groups was the 440th Troop Carrier Group and it was again inactivated on 1 July 1948
18.
II Bomber Command
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The II Bomber Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Fort George Wright and it was inactivated on 6 October 1943. During World War II, the unit trained large numbers of B-17 Flying Fortress, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama, Office of Air Force History
19.
540th Combat Crew Training Wing
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The 540th Combat Crew Replacement Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last active in 1946 at Colorado Springs, assigned to Continental Air Forces, the 16th Bombardment Wing was first activated at Langley Field, Virginia in 1940 as part of the expansion of the Air Corps expansion in response to the war in Europe. It moved to Bowman Field, Kentucky in the spring of 1941, however, it apparently it did not have sufficient personnel for effective training and operations. It was inactivated in September 1941 and its personnel and equipment, the wing was again activated on 23 June 1942 at Wendover Field, Utah replacing the inactivating 102nd Bombardment Wing. The 16th Wing was responsible for the supervision and control of the training of heavy bombardment groups during the second phase of their operational training. The 16th Wing inherited control from the 102nd Wing of Walla Walla Army Air Field, Ephrata Army Air Field and Geiger Field in Washington, the 16th Wing controlled the training of the following units, which on completion moved to the 17th Bombardment Wing for third phase training. Jul 1942, 91st Bombardment Group, 303rd Bombardment Group, 305th Bombardment Group, aug-Sep 1942, 307th Bombardment Group and 302nd Bombardment Group. Sep-Oct 1942, 88th Bombardment Group and 95th Bombardment Group, oct 1942, 2nd Bombardment Group, 99th Bombardment Group, 100th Bombardment Group, 304th Bombardment Group and 308th Bombardment Group. On 2 November 1942, the Second Air Force reorganized its bombardment training, from that date its wings controlled new bombardment groups from its activation until completion of operational training. The wing also assumed responsibility for training replacement combat crews and it also was assigned Replacement Control Centers at Pueblo Army Air Field, Colorado and Biggs Field, Texas. It was assigned the following OTU groups to conduct training, 39th Bombardment Group at Davis-Monthan Field, Tucson, Arizona, parent group, in May 1945 the wing mission changed to very heavy bombardment group training, which lasted until operations ceased in late 1945. It moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where it was a unit until inactivating in 1946. After 1944 assigned various AAF Base Units, Brig. Gen. Junius W. Jones, c. 1 Sept.1941 Col. Ernest H. Lawson,23 Jun 1942 Brig. Gen. Robert B, Maurer, Maurer, ed. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Washington, DC, Office of Air Force History
20.
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
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The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some models were laid down as export models designated as various LB-30s. At its inception, the B-24 was a design featuring a highly efficient shoulder-mounted. The wing gave the Liberator a high speed, long range. Early RAF Liberators were the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean as a matter of routine, however, the type was difficult to fly and had poor low speed performance. It also had a ceiling and was less robust than the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. While aircrews tended to prefer the B-17, General Staff favored the B-24, the B-24 was used extensively in World War II. It served in every branch of the American armed forces, as well as several Allied air forces and navies, along with the B-17, the B-24 was the mainstay of the US strategic bombing campaign in the Western European theater. Due to its range, it proved useful in bombing operations in the Pacific, long range anti-submarine Liberators played an instrumental role in closing the Mid-Atlantic Gap in the Battle of the Atlantic. The C-87 transport derivative served as a range, higher capacity counterpart to the Douglas C-47 Skytrain. The B-24 was produced in large numbers. At the end of World War II, the Liberator had been surpassed by more modern types such as the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the type was rapidly phased out of US service, although the PB4Y-2 Privateer derivative carried on in service with the US Navy in the Korean War. Two B-24s, one LB-30B and one Liberator V representing a B-24H, are airworthy as of 2016, the Liberator originated from a United States Army Air Corps request in 1938 for Consolidated to produce the B-17 under license. After company executives including President Reuben Fleet visited the Boeing factory in Seattle, Washington and this new fuselage was intentionally designed around twin bomb bays, each one being the same size and capacity of the B-17 bomb bays. In January 1939, the USAAC, under Specification C-212, formally invited Consolidated to submit a design study for a bomber with longer range, higher speed, the specification was written such that the Model 32 would automatically be the winning design. The program was run under the group, Project A. Although the B-24 did not meet Project A goals, it was a step in that direction, Project A led to the development of the Boeing B-29 and Consolidateds own B-32 and B-36. The B-24 had a shoulder mounted high aspect ratio Davis wing and this wing was highly efficient allowing a relatively high airspeed and long range
21.
Colorado Springs Army Air Base
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Peterson AFB has flight operations by the 302d Airlift Wing. In May 1942, units such as the 5th Mapping Squadron arrived and used city facilities, the Second Photographic Group Reconnaissance transferred to Colorado Springs, and the 2nd Group. Land at the Broadmoor was used for maneuvers, and the 2nd Group initially operated without aircraft, personnel were also housed temporarily at Colorado College and a youth camp near the Woodmen sanitorium. The 373d Base HQ and Air Base Sq was activated as the operating unit on 20 Jun 1942. On July 7,1942, HQ PROTU was on the Army Air Base, during air base construction, the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron was activated on July 23,1942, and used the Alamo Garage on Tejon Street. Runways were completed in August 1942, and eponym 1st Lt Edward J. under the control of the Director of Photography since April 1942. The 263rd AAF Base Unit became the Peterson base operating unit on 8 March 1945, designated surplus on 29 July 1946, the U. S. Government returned control of the field to the City of Colorado Springs). In 1946, Tonopah AAF, Clovis AAF, and Casper AAF became detached installations of the base for a short period. The base with new construction was activated 29 September 1947 –15 January 1948, the 23 Photo Sq 19 May 43-9 Aug 48 remained throughout both inactive/surplus periods, and the 4600 Maint & Sup Sq was established at the surplus base on 1 December 1950). The military base at the municipal field reactivated as an installation of Ent AFB,1 Jan 1951 and was operated by Ents 4600 Air Base Group. The military base at Peterson Field gained its own base commander on 28 February 1975. Designated Peterson Air Force Base on March 1,1975, when Ent AFB was being closed, Peterson was the last of the April 1945 Continental Air Forces airbases to be named an air force base
22.
Walker Air Force Base
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Walker Air Force Base is a closed United States Air Force base located three miles south of the central business district of Roswell, a city in Chaves County, New Mexico, US. Opened in 1941 as an Army Air Corps flying school, it was active during World War II, during the early years of the Cold War, it became the largest base of the Strategic Air Command. It is also known for the Roswell UFO incident, an event that happened on 4 July 1947. It is alleged that a flying disc crashed during a thunderstorm near the base at Corona. Walker AFB was named after General Kenneth Newton Walker, a native of Los Cerrillos and he was killed during a bombing mission over Rabaul, New Britain, Papua, New Guinea. Though intercepted by enemy fighters, his group scored hits on nine Japanese ships. General Walker was last seen leaving the area with one engine on fire. For his actions, General Walker was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943, the base was renamed in his honor on 13 January 1948. Funding cutbacks during the Vietnam War led to the closure of the base in 1967, from the beginning, it was designed as a large, expansive facility, given the excellent flying weather in New Mexico. In addition, no less than nine auxiliary landing fields for overflow, enough construction was completed for the base and airfield to be activated and assigned to the United States Army Air Corps Training Command on 20 September 1941. The Roswell Army Flying School was activated on 20 September 1941 and its mission was the training of third-phase aviation cadets in twin-engine aircraft. The school operated Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan twin-engine trainers and four Two-Engine Flying Training Squadrons, in addition to the flying school the Bombardiers school, operated 3 training squadrons also flying the AT-11. In 1943, three twin engine flying training squadrons were added and two additional squadrons were added to the Bombardiers school as additional runways became available. Over 300 trainers filled the large parking ramp, which included Vultee BT-13 and BT-15 Valiant single engine trainers, until the fall of 1944, Second Air Force provided all Boeing B-29 Superfortress transition training for the Army Air Forces. Then, on 12 September 1944, HQ AAF directed Training Command to establish B-29 schools for the transition of crews consisting of pilots, copilots, initially, there were few B-29s available for Training Command to conduct training. However, by January 1945 Roswell AAF had transitioned and the 3030th AAF Base Unit which specialized in B-29 Superfortress 4 engine pilot transition, although there was a bombing target adjacent to the runway, the only items dropped from an aircraft were bags of sand or flour. The practice bombing and gunnery ranges were due south of the air field, in addition to the airfield, the Roswell Prisoners of War camp was built for up to 4800 POWs. Most of the POWs housed at the camp were German and Italian soldiers captured during the North African campaign, the POWs were actually used as construction laborers on local projects and many of Roswells parks were built by POWs
23.
New Mexico
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New Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. It was admitted to the Union as the 47th state on January 6,1912 and it is usually considered one of the Mountain States. New Mexico is fifth by area, the 36th-most populous, inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years before European exploration, New Mexico was colonized by the Spanish in 1598 Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain. Later, it was part of independent Mexico before becoming a U. S. territory and eventually a U. S. state as a result of the Mexican–American War. Among U. S. states, New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanics, the major Native American nations in the state are Navajo, Pueblo, and Apache peoples. The demography and culture of the state are shaped by these strong Hispanic and Native American influences and its scarlet and gold colors are taken from the royal standards of Spain, along with the ancient sun symbol of the Zia, a Pueblo-related tribe. New Mexico, or Nuevo México in Spanish, is incorrectly believed to have taken its name from the nation of Mexico. The name simply stuck, even though the area had no connection to Mexico or the Mexica Indian tribes, Mexico, formerly a part of New Spain, adopted its name centuries later in 1821, after winning independence from Spanish rule. New Mexico was a part of the independent Mexican Empire and Federal Republic of Mexico for 27 years,1821 through 1848, New Mexico and Mexico developed as neighboring Spanish-speaking communities under Spanish rule, with relatively independent histories. The states total area is 121,412 square miles, the eastern border of New Mexico lies along 103° W longitude with the state of Oklahoma, and 2.2 miles west of 103° W longitude with Texas. On the southern border, Texas makes up the eastern two-thirds, while the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora make up the western third, the western border with Arizona runs along the 109°03 W longitude. The southwestern corner of the state is known as the Bootheel, the 37° N latitude parallel forms the northern boundary with Colorado. The states New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah come together at the Four Corners in the corner of New Mexico. New Mexico, although a state, has very little water. Its surface water area is about 250 square miles, the New Mexican landscape ranges from wide, rose-colored deserts to broken mesas to high, snow-capped peaks. Despite New Mexicos arid image, heavily forested mountain wildernesses cover a significant portion of the state, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the southernmost part of the Rocky Mountains, run roughly north-south along the east side of the Rio Grande in the rugged, pastoral north. The most important of New Mexicos rivers are the Rio Grande, Pecos, Canadian, San Juan, the Rio Grande is tied for the fourth-longest river in the United States. Tourists visiting these sites bring significant money to the state, other areas of geographical and scenic interest include Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument and the Gila Wilderness in the southwest of the state
24.
Air Training Command
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Air Training Command is a former United States Air Force Major Command designation. It was headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, but was formed at Barksdale Air Force Base. It was re-designated as Air Education and Training Command following a merger with Air University on 1 July 1993. ATC was organized on 1 July 1946 as a re-designation of Army Air Forces Training Command as part of the re-organization of the United States Army Air Forces after World War II. For nearly 50 years, ATC was the training organization of the United States Air Force from its inception as an independent service in September 1947. It provided pilot and aircrew training, technical training, and enlisted, at the end of the Cold War, it was merged with Air University in July 1993 as part of a major top-to-bottom reorganization of the USAF. On 1 July 1946, Army Air Forces Training Command was re-designated as Air Training Command, the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 and the end of the war in the Pacific in September 1945 began a rapid demobilization of the U. S. armed forces. Large numbers of training bases were closed and units were discontinued in late 1945. For that reason, ATC was organized in the summer of 1946 to become the training organization of the postwar USAAF. One of the organizational changes of the postwar USAAF was the elimination of the command organizational echelon. ATC was organized around the AAFTCs Flying Training Command and Technical Training Commands, a third Division was formed with the creation of the ATC Indoctrination Division, which was organized around the Military Training Center in San Antonio, Texas. All three Divisions of ATC were co-equal in status, in June 1946, the USAAF discontinued the World War II Flying Training Wings allocated to AAFTC and each training installation was commanded by its designated Army Air Forces Base Unit. The Army Air Forces had set a goal of 70 groups, however. Instead, the USAAF had to downscale its plans, settling on 55 groups, Congress passed the National Security Act of September 1947, and soon after, the Air Force became a separate service with its own civilian service secretary, equal to the Army and Navy. By 31 December 1947, the USAF was 55 groups strong, earlier in the year, the ATC commander, Lieutenant General John K. Cannon, had told General Carl A. The initial training bases of Air Training Command were, ATCs Flying Division began its first jet fighter transition course at Williams Field in 1946, however, by early 1947, the USAAF had sped up its conversion to jet aircraft. The only way training needs could be met was by limiting course quotas to commands already using jet aircraft, also, the training program was handicapped by the fact that no dual-control jet trainer aircraft existed. In addition, the training program was consolidated into two classes, Basic and Advanced
25.
Texas
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Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Other major cities include Austin, the second most populous state capital in the U. S. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the states struggle for independence from Mexico. The Lone Star can be found on the Texan state flag, the origin of Texass name is from the word Tejas, which means friends in the Caddo language. Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, although Texas is popularly associated with the U. S. southwestern deserts, less than 10 percent of Texas land area is desert. Most of the centers are located in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests. Traveling from east to west, one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, the term six flags over Texas refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas, Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming an independent Republic. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as the 28th state, the states annexation set off a chain of events that caused the Mexican–American War in 1846. A slave state before the American Civil War, Texas declared its secession from the U. S. in early 1861, after the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation. One Texan industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle, due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy. The states economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries initiated a boom in the state. With strong investments in universities, Texas developed a diversified economy, as of 2010 it shares the top of the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with California at 57. With a growing base of industry, the leads in many industries, including agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace. Texas has led the nation in export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product. The name Texas, based on the Caddo word tejas meaning friends or allies, was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves, during Spanish colonial rule, the area was officially known as the Nuevo Reino de Filipinas, La Provincia de Texas. Texas is the second largest U. S. state, behind Alaska, though 10 percent larger than France and almost twice as large as Germany or Japan, it ranks only 27th worldwide amongst country subdivisions by size. If it were an independent country, Texas would be the 40th largest behind Chile, Texas is in the south central part of the United States of America. Three of its borders are defined by rivers, the Rio Grande forms a natural border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south
26.
Tactical Air Command
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Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base and it was inactivated on 1 June 1992 and its personnel and equipment absorbed by Air Combat Command. Tactical Air Command was established to provide a balance between strategic, air defense, and tactical forces of the post–World War II U. S. Army Air Forces followed by, in 1947, the U. S. Air Force. In 1948, the Continental Air Command assumed control over air defense, tactical air, after two years in a subordinate role, Tactical Air Command was established as a major command. World War II showed the effectiveness of air power in supporting army ground forces. However, the demobilization in late 1945 meant that the huge air armada that had brought Germany to her knees. Following the end of World War II, Headquarters United States Army Air Forces had little funding and most wartime personnel had been released from active duty and returned to civilian life. Many USAAF aircraft were being sent to storage or scrapyards, although the tension with the Soviet Union meant that combat military air forces were still needed. The big questions were how large and what kind of forces, a major realignment of the USAAF was undertaken in early 1946. As part of the realignment, three major divisions within the Continental United States were formed, Strategic Air Command, Tactical Air Command. Each was given a specific responsibility, using assets prescribed to accomplish the assigned mission, Tactical Air Command was formed to command, organize, equip, train and administer assigned or attached forces. It was to plan for and participate in tactics for fighter, light bombardment and these included tactical fighters, tactical bombers, tactical missiles, troop carrier aircraft, assault, reconnaissance, and support units. TAC also planned for and developed the capability to deploy tactical striking forces anywhere in the world, during its existence, Tactical Air Command deployed personnel, material and/or aircraft to Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Australia in support of its prescribed mission. TACs original authorization was 25,500 officers and enlisted men, aircraft assets available consisted of propeller-driven North American P-51 Mustangs, Republic P-47 Thunderbolts and a handful of the new jet-powered Lockheed P-80 Shooting Stars. TAC was also given control of the Third Air Force, Ninth Air Force, on 18 September 1947, the United States Air Force was established as a separate military force, with TAC as one of its major commands. At the time, there was only one U. S. Air Forces in Europe tactical air unit available in Europe, TAC was called upon to send additional units and aircraft to Europe to reinforce the 86 FG. The 36th Fighter Group, flying Lockheed F-80B Shooting Stars, was transferred from Howard AFB in the Panama Canal Zone to Furstenfeldbruck Air Base near Munich. In addition to fighter aircraft, TAC also deployed available C-47 Skytrain transports to Europe, transferring them to USAFE
27.
Air National Guard
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When Air National Guard units are used under the jurisdiction of the state governor they are fulfilling their militia role. However, if federalized by order of the President of the United States and they are jointly administered by the states and the National Guard Bureau, a joint bureau of the Army and Air Force that oversees the National Guard of the United States. The ANG of the territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands have no aircraft assigned, ANG units typically operate under Title 32 USC. However, when operating under Title 10 USC all ANG units are operationally-gained by an active duty USAF major command. ANG units of the Combat Air Forces based in the Continental United States, conversely, CONUS-based ANG units in the Mobility Air Forces, plus the Puerto Rico ANGs airlift wing and the Virgin Islands ANGs civil engineering squadron are gained by the Air Mobility Command. The vast majority of ANG units fall under either ACC or AMC, established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U. S. S. When not in a status, the Air National Guard operates under their respective state. The exception to rule is the District of Columbia Air National Guard. Because both state Air National Guard and the Air National Guard of the United States relatively go hand-in-hand, Air National Guard of the United States units or members may be called up for federal active duty in times of Congressionally sanctioned war or national emergency. The United States Air National Guard has about 110,000 men and women in service, even traditional part-time air guardsmen, especially pilots, navigators/combat systems officers, air battle managers and enlisted aircrew, often serve 100 or more man-days annually. As such, the concept of Air National Guard service as representing only one weekend a month, the Georgia Air National Guard and the Kansas Air National Guard previously flew the B-1B Lancer prior to converting to the E-8 Joint STARS and KC-135R Stratotanker, respectively. In addition, the 131st Fighter Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard transitioned from flying the F-15C/D Eagle at St and these proposals were eventually overruled and cancelled by the U. S. Congress. As state militia units, the units in the Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command and they are under the jurisdiction of the United States National Guard Bureau unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. Air National Guard units are trained and equipped by the United States Air Force, the state ANG units, depending on their mission, are operationally gained by a major command of the USAF if federalized. Air National Guard personnel are expected to adhere to the moral and physical standards as their full-time active duty Air Force. The same ranks and insignia of the U. S. Air Force are used by the Air National Guard, the Air National Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in a service members home state or equivalent. The creation of the regiments was caused by the perceived need to defend the Bay Colony against American Indians. This organization formed the basis of subsequent colonial and, post-independence, state and this distinction accounts for why there are no National Guard components in the U. S. Navy, U. S. Marine Corps or U. S. Coast Guard
28.
140th Fighter-Bomber Wing
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The 140th Wing is a unit of the Colorado Air National Guard, stationed at Buckley Air Force Base, Aurora, Colorado. If activated to service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. The 140th Wing flies F-16C/D/ Falcons and C-21 Learjet and it also carries out 137th Space Warning Squadron and Civil Engineering missions. The 120th Fighter Squadron assigned to the Wings 140th Operations Group, is a descendant organization of the World War I 120th Aero Squadron, established on 28 August 1917. It was reformed on 27 June 1923, as the 120th Observation Squadron, the wartime 370th Fighter Group was re-activated and re-designated as the 140th Fighter Group, and was allotted to the Colorado Air National Guard on 24 May 1946. It was organized at Buckley Field, Colorado, and was extended federal recognition on 1 October 1946 by the National Guard Bureau, the unit was the first Air National Guard group receiving federal recognition. The 140th Fighter Group was entitled to the history, honors and it was assigned to the 86th Fighter Wing. The 140th Fighter Group consisted of the 120th Fighter Squadron at Buckley Field, as part of the Continental Air Command Fourth Air Force, the unit trained for tactical fighter missions and air-to-air combat. On 31 October 1950 the 86th Fighter Wing was inactivated, the unit was ordered to the new Clovis Air Force Base, New Mexico, which arrived in October 1951. The federalized 140th was an organization of activated Air National Guard units, composed of the 120th, the 187th Fighter Squadron. The 140th and its components were equipped with F-51D Mustangs, and were re-designated as Fighter-Bomber squadrons on 12 April 1951, during their period of federal service, many pilots were sent to Japan and South Korea to reinforce active-duty units. Three hundred and seventy five airmen of the 140th FBW volunteered to take part in the phase of the Charlie Shot of Operation Tumbler-Snapper which was a nuclear bomb test in Nevada. On 22 April 1952, they were among the first troops to go to zero a hour after the detonation to simulate an attack. It was also the first time the media was allowed to witness a nuclear test, on 15 November 1952, the elements of the 140th returned to Air National Guard control in their respective states. Upon return to Colorado state control, the 140th was re-equipped by Tactical Air Command with F-80C Shooting Star jets, on 1 July 1955, the Wing was redesignated as the 140th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, being assigned to the 34th Air Division, Air Defense Command. In 1958, the 140th FIW implemented the ADC Runway Alert Program, in 1960 the F-86s were again replaced by the F-86L Sabre Interceptor, a day/night/all-weather aircraft designed to be integrated into the ADC SAGE interceptor direction and control system. The 140th was transferred back to Tactical Air Command in January 1961, the 140th deployed to Incirlik, Turkey, for 15 days in 1967, to take part in a NATO exercise called Deep Furrow. On 26 January 1968, the 140th Tactical Fighter Wing was federalized and taken under the jurisdiction of Twelfth Air Force, the Wings 120th TFS was reassigned to the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, its aircraft/personnel/equipment being reassigned to Phan Rang AB, South Vietnam
29.
Korean War
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The Korean War began when North Korea invaded South Korea. The United Nations, with the United States as the principal force, China came to the aid of North Korea, and the Soviet Union gave some assistance. Korea was ruled by Japan from 1910 until the days of World War II. In August 1945, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, as a result of an agreement with the United States, U. S. forces subsequently moved into the south. By 1948, as a product of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, Korea was split into two regions, with separate governments, both governments claimed to be the legitimate government of all of Korea, and neither side accepted the border as permanent. The conflict escalated into open warfare when North Korean forces—supported by the Soviet Union, on that day, the United Nations Security Council recognized this North Korean act as invasion and called for an immediate ceasefire. On 27 June, the Security Council adopted S/RES/83, Complaint of aggression upon the Republic of Korea and decided the formation, twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force, with the United States providing 88% of the UNs military personnel. After the first two months of war, South Korean forces were on the point of defeat, forced back to the Pusan Perimeter, in September 1950, an amphibious UN counter-offensive was launched at Inchon, and cut off many North Korean troops. Those who escaped envelopment and capture were rapidly forced back north all the way to the border with China at the Yalu River, at this point, in October 1950, Chinese forces crossed the Yalu and entered the war. Chinese intervention triggered a retreat of UN forces which continued until mid-1951, after these reversals of fortune, which saw Seoul change hands four times, the last two years of fighting became a war of attrition, with the front line close to the 38th parallel. The war in the air, however, was never a stalemate, North Korea was subject to a massive bombing campaign. Jet fighters confronted each other in combat for the first time in history. The fighting ended on 27 July 1953, when an armistice was signed, the agreement created the Korean Demilitarized Zone to separate North and South Korea, and allowed the return of prisoners. However, no treaty has been signed, and the two Koreas are technically still at war. Periodic clashes, many of which are deadly, continue to the present, in the U. S. the war was initially described by President Harry S. Truman as a police action as it was an undeclared military action, conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. In South Korea, the war is referred to as 625 or the 6–2–5 Upheaval. In North Korea, the war is referred to as the Fatherland Liberation War or alternatively the Chosǒn War. In China, the war is called the War to Resist U. S
30.
Colorado Air National Guard
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The Colorado Air National Guard is the aerial militia of the U. S. State of Colorado. It is, along with the Colorado Army National Guard, an element of the Colorado National Guard, the units of the Colorado Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Colorado through the office of the Colorado Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Colorado Air National Guard is headquartered in Centennial, and its commander is currently Major General H. Michael Edwards. The Colorado Air National Guard 120th Fighter Squadron was the first federally recognized Air National Guard unit after the Second World War, under the Total Force concept, Colorado Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force. Colorado ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. They are able to survive and operate through all phases of trans/post nuclear attack, the Colorado Air National Guard origins date to 28 August 1917 with the establishment of the 120th Aero Squadron as part of the World War I American Expeditionary Force. The 120th served in France on the Western Front, then after the 1918 Armistice with Germany was demobilized in 1919. The Militia Act of 1903 established the present National Guard system, units raised by the states but paid for by the Federal Government, if federalized by Presidential order, they fall under the regular military chain of command. On 1 June 1920, the Militia Bureau issued Circular No.1 on organization of National Guard air units, on 27 June 1923 the 120th Observation Squadron, 45th Division, Aviation was mustered into service as part of the Colorado Army National Guard. It is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. Initially composed of eight officers and 50 enlisted members, the unit flew Curtis JN-4Es - an aircraft which proved to be unsuitable for flying at Denver elevations, one year later, the 120th began flying out of Lowry Field. The brand new airfield was named in honor of 2nd Lt. Francis B, Lowry who was shot down and killed near Crepion, France in 1918 while on a photographic mission. Mobilization for World War II took place on January 6,1941,11 months prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the unit, then 19 officers and 116 enlisted members, moved to Biggs Field, Texas. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units, the modern Colorado ANG received federal recognition on 3 July 1946 as the 86th Fighter Wing at Buckley Field, Denver. Its 140th Fighter Group was also formed at Buckley Field, with the 120th Fighter Squadron equipped with F-51 Mustangs, the 200th Airlift Squadron flies C-21A Learjets with a Special Air Mission for VIP personnel, along with aeromedical evacuation. The 137th Space Warning Squadron at Greeley Employs the Air Forces only strategic survivable, mobile ground system to receive early warning data
31.
Utah
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Utah is a state in the western United States. It became the 45th state admitted to the U. S. on January 4,1896, Utah is the 13th-largest by area, 31st-most-populous, and 10th-least-densely populated of the 50 United States. Utah has a population of more than 3 million, approximately 80% of whom live along the Wasatch Front, Utah is bordered by Colorado to the east, Wyoming to the northeast, Idaho to the north, Arizona to the south, and Nevada to the west. It also touches a corner of New Mexico in the southeast, approximately 62% of Utahns are reported to be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or LDS, which greatly influences Utahn culture and daily life. The LDS Churchs world headquarters is located in Salt Lake City, Utah is the only state with a majority population belonging to a single church. The state is a center of transportation, education, information technology and research, government services, mining, in 2013, the U. S. Census Bureau estimated that Utah had the second fastest-growing population of any state. St. George was the metropolitan area in the United States from 2000 to 2005. Utah also has the 14th highest median income and the least income inequality of any U. S. state. A2012 Gallup national survey found Utah overall to be the best state to live in based on 13 forward-looking measurements including various economic, lifestyle, the name Utah is derived from the name of the Ute tribe. It means people of the mountains in the Ute language, according to other sources Utah is derived from the Apache name Yudah which means Tall. These Native American tribes are subgroups of the Ute-Aztec Native American ethnicity and were sedentary, the Ancestral Pueblo people built their homes through excavations in mountains, and the Fremont people built houses of straw before disappearing from the region around the 15th century. Another group of Native Americans, the Navajo, settled in the region around the 18th century, in the mid-18th century, other Uto-Aztecan tribes, including the Goshute, the Paiute, the Shoshone, and the Ute people, also settled in the region. These five groups were present when the first European explorers arrived, the southern Utah region was explored by the Spanish in 1540, led by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, while looking for the legendary Cíbola. A group led by two Catholic priests—sometimes called the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition—left Santa Fe in 1776, hoping to find a route to the coast of California, the expedition traveled as far north as Utah Lake and encountered the native residents. The Spanish made further explorations in the region, but were not interested in colonizing the area because of its desert nature, in 1821, the year Mexico achieved its independence from Spain, the region became known as part of its territory of Alta California. European trappers and fur traders explored some areas of Utah in the early 19th century from Canada, the city of Provo, Utah was named for one, Étienne Provost, who visited the area in 1825. The city of Ogden, Utah was named after Peter Skene Ogden, in late 1824, Jim Bridger became the first known English-speaking person to sight the Great Salt Lake. Due to the salinity of its waters, Bridger thought he had found the Pacific Ocean
32.
Wyoming Air National Guard
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The Wyoming Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of Wyoming, United States of America. It is, along with the Wyoming Army National Guard, an element of the Wyoming National Guard, as state militia units, the units in the Wyoming Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Wyoming though the office of the Wyoming Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. Wyoming ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units. The Wyoming Air National Guard was first organized in a hangar on the southwest side of Cheyenne Municipal Airport, Wyoming. It was extended federal recognition and activated on 11 August 1946 and was equipped with F-51D Mustangs. The 187th Fighter Squadron was activated on 1 April 1951 for service during the Korean War, with assigned to Clovis Air Force Base, New Mexico, West Germany, Okinawa. In Korea,18 Wyoming ANG pilots flew 1,500 combat missions, in 1956 the Wyoming ANG became the 187th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. Two years later, during 1958, it received its first F-86L Sabre, on 21 June 1963 it received the Lockheed C-121 Constellation aircraft and expanded its military airlift role to worldwide mission capabilities. During early 1966 the unit became the 153rd Military Airlift Group, in 1972, the Wyoming Air Guard received its first C-130B Hercules aircraft, which the unit continues to fly over 30 years later. In 1975, the Wyoming Air Guard was selected for the role of aerial firefighting. Two Wyoming C-130s were equipped with MAFFS and began water/fire retardant bombing of fires throughout the United States and those fire fighting missions still continue through the present. In the meantime, the 153rd Tactical Airlift Group expanded to regularly flying missions with the United States Southern Command out of Howard Air Force Base, Panama, as part of Operation Phoenix Oak. From supplying embassies in Central and South America, to searching for sinking ships in the middle of tropical storms and those missions continued through Operation Just Cause, the United States invasion of Panama in 1989-90. During that time, the Wyoming 187th Aeromedical Evacuation Flight and the 153rd Clinic were both activated, with a number of those medical personnel being sent to Saudi Arabia. After the end of hostilities, Wyoming Guard members continued with Operation Provide Comfort, during 1993 and early 1994, the 153rd Airlift Group traded its older C-130B model aircraft for new Lockheed C-130H3 models, which greatly enhanced the Wyoming ANGs worldwide flying capabilities
33.
Air Combat Command
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Air Combat Command is one of ten Major Commands in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force at the Pentagon. ACC is headquartered at Langley Field, Joint Base Langley–Eustis, Virginia and its commander is General Herbert Hawk Carlisle, with Major General Jerry D. Harris Jr. as Vice Commander, and Chief Master Sergeant Steve K. McDonald as the Command Chief Master Sergeant, in addition, ACC augments the forces of the United States European Command, United States Pacific Command and United States Central Command when needed. Air Combat Command consists of approximately 98,000 active duty members, in 2015, responsibility for the B-1 Lancer bomber fleet was also transferred from ACC to AFGSC. Air Combat Command was created 1 June 1992 after the inactivation of the Tactical Air Command, Strategic Air Command, furthermore, ACC had some KC-135 and KC-10 aerial refueling tankers and C-130 tactical airlift aircraft in its composite, reconnaissance, and certain other combat wings. In 1993, control of the ICBM force was transferred to the Air Force Space Command until transferred again to Air Force Global Strike Command on 1 Dec 2009. S, Air Force and the U. S. Navy. Historically, combat command was an air unit designation. During 1941 and early 1942, the air units of the War Department, formerly known as the GHQ Air Force. The AFCC was dissolved in the reorganization of the United States Army, effective 9 March 1942, not long after activation, ACC underwent organizational and mission changes. The first such change was the transfer of the combat search. With the realigning of search and rescue units, ACC gained additional resources, the formal transfer took place on 1 February 1993, when the Air Rescue Service was assigned to ACC. On 2 July of the year, the ARS was disestablished. The USAF Combat Rescue School was subsequently assigned to the 57th Wing at Nellis AFB, one of the most significant changes for Air Combat Command resulted from an overhaul of flying training responsibilities. Following its activation, ACC was responsible for aircrew training, including initial weapon system. On 1 July 1993, the 58th and 325th Fighter Wings—F-16 and F-15 training units transferred from ACC to Air Education and Training Command. Concurrently, Luke AFB, Arizona, and Tyndall AFB, Florida, for which those respective wings were the host units, however, on 1 October 2012, both Tyndall AFB and the 325th Fighter Wing returned to the control of ACC. The next major change resulted from a fine-tuning of aerial refueling. From its activation, Air Combat Command had assumed ownership of some C-130 Hercules theater airlift assets and KC-10 Extender, there was historical precedent for the reassignment of C-130s to Air Combat Command
34.
1st Special Operations Wing
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The 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida is one of three United States Air Force active duty Special Operations wings and falls under the Air Force Special Operations Command. The 1st Special Operations Wing is an organization of the 16th Pursuit Group. The wing has units located at Hurlburt Field, Florida, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, the wings motto of Keeping the Air Commando promise to provide reliable, precise Air Force special operations air power. Any Time, Any Place, has shown to be true since the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. MH-53 Pave Lows responded almost immediately to support efforts in New York City and Washington. Since the Global War on Terrorism began in October 2001, 1st SOW aircraft have flown more than 25,000 combat sorties, the wing has also deployed more than 8,500 personnel to 16 geographic locations around the world. The continued high operations tempo of the 1st SOW truly put the Air Commandos assigned here at the tip of the spear, the following units and aircraft are assigned to the 1st Special Operations Wing, The units current emblem was approved on 6 June 1963. The 16th Pursuit Groups emblem was approved in 1934 and it has four lightning bolts—representing the four assigned squadrons—depicting destruction from the sky. The unit, however, was not activated until 1 December 1932, the 16th Pursuit Group spent its entire existence in the defense of the Panama Canal. The Group was progressively redesignated, in keeping with the changes sweeping through the Army Air Corps, becoming first the 16th Pursuit Group in 1939 and it was disbanded in the Canal Zone on 1 November 1943. Although subordinate squadrons assigned to the Group changed over the years the Group headquarters remained at Albrook Field throughout its existence. S. In June 1941, relief for the P-36As arrived in the form of 6 Curtiss P-40Bs and 64 P-40Cs, as of the outbreak of war in December 1941, the Group had 20 serviceable P-40Cs but 10 new P-40Es had arrived, although one of these was promptly crashed. One other P-40C didnt have a prop, and all elements of the Group were dispersed at Albrook Field, besides these, the Group had 23 P-40Cs, eight P-40Es and 14 of its former P-36As back at Albrook. 2 to attempt to get the men assigned at Group back into the midst of field operations that were being endured by the subordinate squadrons, in actuality, the Group was disbanded on 31 October 1943, at which time the HHS still had a solitary Curtiss P-36A assigned. The Command and Control responsibilities of the surviving former Squadrons of the Group then came under the umbrella of the XXVI Fighter Command. The next unit in the lineage of the 1 SOW is the 1st Air Commando Group, president Franklin D. Roosevelt, amidst the Quebec Conference in August 1943, was impressed by Brigadier Orde Wingates account of what could be accomplished in Burma with proper air support. To comply with Roosevelts proposed air support for British long range penetration operations in Burma, in March 1944, they were designated the 1st Air Commando Group by USAAF Commander General Hap Arnold. Arnold chose Colonel John R. Alison and Colonel Philip Cochran as co-commanders of the unit, General Claire Lee Chennault lobbied to Arnold, who knew Alison from service at Langley Field, suggesting Alison be given the new command
35.
Hurlburt Field
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Hurlburt Field is a United States Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the Town of Mary Esther. It was named for First Lieutenant Donald Wilson Hurlburt, who died in a crash at Eglin, the installation is nearly 6,700 acres, and employs nearly 8,000 military personnel. This facility is assigned a location identifier of HRT by the Federal Aviation Administration. Hurlburt began as a training field for the much larger Eglin Field. It was initially designated Eglin Auxiliary Field No, however, once separated, the facility retained its history and kept all building numbers the same, i. e. all start with a 9. The facility had previously named the Eglin-Hurlburt Airdrome until 1943, Hurlburt Field, March 1944. 9, October 1944, with the current name official on January 13,1948, the base commander of Eglin Main was also responsible for Hurlburt, 1942–1946, but when the base reactivated on February 1,1955, it gained a separate commander. He died on either October 1,1943, or October 2,1943 when his Lockheed AT-18 Hudson gunnery trainer, 42-55591, crashed during take-off at Eglin. Auxiliary Field No.10 was later named Eglin Dillon Airdrome, now known primarily as Outlying Field Choctaw, hurlburts nephew was Captain Craig D. Button, USAF, noted for his mysterious flight and crash of an A-10 Thunderbolt on April 2,1997. Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle and his Raiders could not have practiced take offs with their B-25 Mitchell bombers at Auxiliary Field No,9, as it, and the requisite hard-surfaced runway, did not exist in March 1942. A former Hurlburt Field base commander in the 1950s may have started this story, nonetheless, the short cross-field former runway, near the southern end of Hurlburt Fields main runway, is now named the Doolittle Taxiway. Other Eglin fields, including Wagner Field/Eglin Auxiliary Field No,1, and Duke Field/Eglin Auxiliary Field No. 3, were used during this training, Navy personnel from NAS Pensacola, as flight deck shirt crew, represented that services contribution to the Tokyo mission. The atomic missions put paid to this operation and this launch site is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The 4751st Air Defense Wing was organized at Hurlburt on October 1,1957 and it was redesignated the 4751st Air Defense Missile Wing on January 15,1958 and discontinued on July 1,1962 when Tactical Air Command took over the field. Its subordinate 4751st Air Defense Missile Squadron continued operations as a tenant until November 30,1979 and it operated IM-99/CIM-10 Bomarc surface-to-air missiles from this site. The 6555th Guided Missile Wing operated CGM-13/TGM-13 Mace cruise missiles from the island, the final Mace launches from Hurlburt Site A-15 took place in June 1974. Hurlburt Field fell into disrepair following World War II, but was reactivated in 1955, the 17th Bombardment Wing was reactivated on April 1,1955 and assigned to the Ninth Air Force, with the 34th, 37th
36.
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
37.
Lockheed MC-130
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Members of the family include the MC-130E Combat Talon I, MC-130H Combat Talon II, MC-130W Combat/Dragon Spear, MC-130P Combat Shadow, and MC-130J Commando II. A possible MC-130 variant, designated the XFC-130H, did not proceed beyond the development stage, the Air Force is acquiring the new production MC-130J to replace the Combat Talons and Combat Shadows. The MC-130E was the first Combat Talon and was developed to support special operations missions during the Vietnam War. Eighteen were created by modifying C-130E transports, and four lost through attrition, an updated Combat Talon II was developed in the 1980s from the C-130H variant of the Hercules and went into service in the 1990s. Four of its 24 original aircraft have been lost in operations, the Combat Shadows were built during the Vietnam War for search and rescue operations and repurposed in the 1980s as AFSOC air-refueling tankers, with the last of the 24 retired in 2015. The Combat Spear was developed in 2006 as a version of the Combat Talon II but was reconfigured and designated the AC-130W Stinger II in 2012. The Commando II became operational in 2011 as the current special operations MC-130 to replace all other extant variants,33 of the planned 37 are in the USAF inventory as of May 2016. Two highly classified testbed aircraft, were assigned to Project Thin Slice to develop a low-level clandestine penetration aircraft for Special Forces operations in Southeast Asia. In 1964, Lockheed was ordered to adapt the C-130Es after six C-123B Providers modified for unconventional warfare under Project Duck Hook proved inadequate for the new MACV-SOG. The modifications under Thin Slice and its August 1966 successor Heavy Chain were code-named Rivet Yard, discrete modification tests were conducted by the 1198th Operational Evaluation and Training Squadron, out of Area II of Norton AFB at San Bernardino, California,30 miles east of Ontario. As the Thin Slice aircraft were being developed,14 C-130Es were purchased for SOG in 1965 for similar modification, the first aircraft were production C-130Es without specialized equipment that were produced at Lockheeds facility in Marietta, Georgia. Three production airplanes per month were given the Fulton STARS system, the velvet black-and-green scheme drew the nickname Blackbirds. As installation was completed, the Blackbirds were returned to Ontario for installation of the electronics package, the modified aircraft became known as Clamps. The aircraft collectively were assigned the designation Combat Talon in 1967, the Fulton Surface-To-Air Recovery System was used to extract personnel and materials via air. A large helium balloon raised a nylon lift line into the air, the yoke snagged the line and released the balloon, yanking the attached cargo off the ground with a shock less than that of an opening parachute. A sky anchor secured the line and wires stretched from the nose to both leading wing tip edges protected the propellers from the line on missed snag attempts. Crew members hooked the snagged line as it trailed behind and attached it to the hydraulic winch, a major effort at upgrading the system, Project 46, was pursued from 1986 to 1989, but at its conclusion, use of the STARS system for live extractions remained suspended. The Fulton STARS equipment of all Combat Talons was removed during 1998, Rivet Clamp installation began with four STARS-equipped C-130s completed by March 1966, followed by installations in eight further aircraft in July 1966 and January 1967
38.
27th Special Operations Group
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The 27th Special Operations Group is the flying component of the 27th Special Operations Wing, assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command. The group is stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, during World War II, its predecessor unit, the 27th Bombardment Group fought in the Pacific Ocean and Mediterranean, Middle East and African theatres. Its ground personnel fought as infantry in the 1941–1942 Battle of Bataan with the survivors being forced to march as prisoners in the Bataan Death March and its air echelon went on to be awarded five Distinguished Unit Citations and a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. The Airmen of the 27th were among the most decorated USAAF units of the war, the 27th Special Operations Group accomplishes global special operations taskings as an Air Force component member of the United States Special Operations Command. It conducts infiltration/exfiltration, combat support, helicopter and tilt-rotor aerial refueling, psychological warfare, there are several squadrons within the group. The group consisted of the 15th, 16th and 17th Bombardment Squadrons, in October of that year the group moved to Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, less the 15th Bombardment Squadron, which was reassigned to V Air Support Command on 14 October. On 21 October the group was ordered to the Philippine Islands in response to the crisis in the Pacific. Arriving at Fort William McKinley in the Philippines on 20 November, concern grew as days turned into weeks and still the planes had not arrived. When the Imperial Japanese Army attacked the Philippines on 9 December 1941, unknown to the 27th BG Airmen, to avoid capture or destruction, the ship carrying the planes was diverted to Australia when the war escalated. On 18 December Major John H. Flying from Darwin, the arrived in Brisbane on 24 December to pick up their A-24s off the ship USAT Meigs. However, as a swift Japanese advance prevented his group from returning to the Philippines, the ground echelon of the 27th still in the Philippines was evacuated south from Luzon on 25 December to the Bataan Peninsula, arriving to form the 2nd Battalion Provisional Infantry Regiment. After surrendering, they were forced to endure the infamous Bataan Death March, of the 880 or so Airmen who were taken, less than half survived captivity. However, a number of officers and enlisted men of the 27th Bomb Group were evacuated out of the Philippines in five U. S. Navy submarines just before it was overrun by the Japanese during April. In Australia, the airmen and aircraft of the 27th Bomb Group reformed into a combat unit. In early 12 February pilots of the 91st Sqdn flew their A-24s with gunners from Brisbane to Malang Java in the colonial Dutch East Indies to defend the island, the group participated in an attack on the Japanese invasion fleet landing troops on Bali. The attacks, carried out during the afternoon of 19 February and throughout the morning of 20 February, caused little damage, the group was credited with the sinking of a Japanese cruiser and a destroyer. From 27 February through 1 March, three A-24s of the 91st Sqdn participated in Battle of the Java Sea, for their heroic efforts in the Philippines and the Southwest Pacific during late 1941 and early 1942, the 27th Bombardment Group received three Distinguished Unit Citations. The remaining A-24 aircraft were added to the 8th Bombardment Squadron. On 4 May, on 4 May the 27th Bombardment Group was reactivated without personnel or equipment at Hunter AAF Georgia
39.
United States Census Bureau
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The United States Census Bureau is a principal agency of the U. S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureaus primary mission is conducting the U. S. Census every ten years, in addition to the decennial census, the Census Bureau continually conducts dozens of other censuses and surveys, including the American Community Survey, the U. S. Economic Census, and the Current Population Survey, furthermore, economic and foreign trade indicators released by the federal government typically contain data produced by the Census Bureau. The Bureaus various censuses and surveys help allocate over $400 billion in federal funds every year and help states, local communities, the Census Bureau is part of the U. S. Department of Commerce and its director is appointed by the President of the United States. The Census Bureau now conducts a population count every 10 years in years ending with a 0. Between censuses, the Census Bureau makes population estimates and projections, the Census Bureau is mandated with fulfilling these obligations, the collecting of statistics about the nation, its people, and economy. The Census Bureaus legal authority is codified in Title 13 of the United States Code, the Census Bureau also conducts surveys on behalf of various federal government and local government agencies on topics such as employment, crime, health, consumer expenditures, and housing. Within the bureau, these are known as surveys and are conducted perpetually between and during decennial population counts. The Census Bureau also conducts surveys of manufacturing, retail, service. Between 1790 and 1840, the census was taken by marshals of the judicial districts, the Census Act of 1840 established a central office which became known as the Census Office. Several acts followed that revised and authorized new censuses, typically at the 10-year intervals, in 1902, the temporary Census Office was moved under the Department of Interior, and in 1903 it was renamed the Census Bureau under the new Department of Commerce and Labor. The department was intended to consolidate overlapping statistical agencies, but Census Bureau officials were hindered by their role in the department. An act in 1920 changed the date and authorized manufacturing censuses every 2 years, in 1929, a bill was passed mandating the House of Representatives be reapportioned based on the results of the 1930 Census. In 1954, various acts were codified into Title 13 of the US Code, by law, the Census Bureau must count everyone and submit state population totals to the U. S. President by December 31 of any year ending in a zero. States within the Union receive the results in the spring of the following year, the United States Census Bureau defines four statistical regions, with nine divisions. The Census Bureau regions are widely used. for data collection, the Census Bureau definition is pervasive. Title 13 of the U. S. Code establishes penalties for the disclosure of this information, all Census employees must sign an affidavit of non-disclosure prior to employment. The Bureau cannot share responses, addresses or personal information with anyone including United States or foreign government, only after 72 years does the information collected become available to other agencies or the general public
United States Air Force
27th Special Operations Wing
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
This article incorporates 
