An air force, in some countries called an army air corps in the past, is in the broadest sense, is the national military or armed service that primarily conducts aerial warfare. For the military meaning see Armed forces. For the Soviet sports society see Armed Forces (sports society Armed Forces Air power redirects here for electrical and mechanical energy supplied by air movement see Wind power The term "air force" may also refer to a tactical air force or numbered air force, which is an operational formation within a national air force. The term Tactical Air Force was used by the Air forces of the British Commonwealth during the later stages of World War II, for formations of more than one This is a list of Numbered Air Forces (NAF of the United States Air Force Historically a NAF is a level of command below a MAJCOM (Major Command
Air forces typically consist of a combination of fighters, bombers, helicopters, transport planes and other aircraft. A fighter aircraft is a Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other Aircraft, as opposed to a Bomber, which is designed A bomber is a Military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets primarily by dropping Bombs on them History Since 400 AD Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys. A cargo aircraft (also known as freighters or freight aircraft) is an Fixed-wing aircraft designed or converted for the carriage of goods rather Many air forces are also responsible for operations of military space, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), and communications equipment. Some air forces may command and control other air-defense assets such as antiaircraft artillery, surface-to-air missiles, or anti-ballistic missile warning networks and defensive systems. A surface to air missile ( SAM) or ground-to-air missile ( GTAM) is a Missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy Aircraft An anti-ballistic missile (ABM is a Missile designed to counter Ballistic missiles (a missile for Missile defense)
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Organization
Air forces typically operate numerous types of aircraft. These may include
- Fighters, used to destroy other aircraft;
- Bombers and Ground-attack aircraft, used to attack ground targets;
- Reconnaissance Aircraft;
- Electronic Warfare
- Airborne Early Warning Aircraft;
- Maritime Patrol Aircraft;
- Transport Aircraft;
- Tankers which provide aerial in-flight refuelling for other aircraft;
- Helicopters, used for attack, rescue or transport;
- and Training Aircraft. A fighter aircraft is a Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other Aircraft, as opposed to a Bomber, which is designed A bomber is a Military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets primarily by dropping Bombs on them Ground-attack aircraft are military aircraft designed to attack targets on the ground and are often deployed as Close air support for and in proximity to their own ground forces Reconnaissance (also scouting) is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information Electronic warfare ( EW) is the use of the Electromagnetic spectrum to effectively deny the use of this medium by an adversary while optimizing its use by friendly Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water Generally conducted by Military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying A cargo aircraft (also known as freighters or freight aircraft) is an Fixed-wing aircraft designed or converted for the carriage of goods rather Aerial refueling, also called air refueling, in-flight refueling ( IFR) air-to-air refueling ( AAR) or tanking, is History Since 400 AD Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys. A trainer is an Aircraft used to develop piloting navigational or war-fighting skills in flight crew
Air forces also operate numerous types of satellites. These satellites provide services such as:
- Secure and unsecure communications
- Position, navigation and timing
- Missile warning
- Weather data
- Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR)
Some air forces such as the British Royal Air Force (RAF) have a unique rank structure loosely based on naval ranks; other air forces such as the United States Air Force (USAF) have a rank structure on the Enlisted side that is unique, but the Officer corps uses Army-style rank. Air forces of most of the countries use ranking system similar to Armies. Other Ranks (OR 1 - 9 See also NATO Ranks and insignia of NATO Ranks and insignia of NATO Armies Officers Officers (OF 1 - 10 See also Air force officer rank insignia NATO Ranks and insignia of NATO Finally, there are air forces such as Soviet Air Force that use Army-style ranks for both Enlisted and Officer corps. The Soviet Air Force, also known under the abbreviation VVS, transliterated from Russian: ВВС, Военно-воздушные силы ( Voenno-Vozdushnye Most (but not all) wear blue-grey uniforms ('air force', as opposed to 'navy', blue), a practice pioneered by the Royal Air Force. Air Force blue is a medium shade of the Colour azure. This shade gets its name from the medium bluish - Gray colour which is associated with the Navy blue is a dark shade of the Color Blue. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with white worn by officers in the Royal Navy since The Royal Air Force uniform is the standardized military dress worn by members of the Royal Air Force. The organization structures of the air forces also vary: some air forces (such as the USAF and RAF) are divided into commands, groups and squadrons; others (such as the Soviet Air Force) have an Army-style organizational structure. A command in military use has several meanings In referring to Military organization it is a collection of units or a group of personnel under the Group is a term used by different Air forces for an element of Military organization. A squadron is a small unit or formation of Cavalry, armour, Aircraft (including Balloons) or Warships Army
For every aircraft, there are pilots responsible for flying the aircraft, there are maintenance personnel who launch the aircraft and maintain it when on ground, air traffic controllers, communications crew, satellite operators, administrative personnel, and medical personnel; in some air forces, there are officers responsible for strategic nuclear weapons such as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Although the majority of the senior leadership of most air forces are pilots, the majority of the personnel are not. Some air forces operate anti-aircraft artillery (now with radars and missiles), and a few air forces have their own paratroopers, or ground defence personnel charged with defending Air Bases, their supply lines and surrounding areas from hostile ground forces, such as the British RAF Regiment or the French Fusiliers Commandos de l'Air. Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defense, is any method of engaging hostile military Aircraft in defence of ground objectives, ground or naval forces Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range altitude direction or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as Aircraft, ships A missile (see also pronunciation differences) is a self-propelled explosive Projectile used as a weapon towards a target Paratroopers are Soldiers trained in Parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force. The Royal Air Force Regiment ( RAF Regt) is a specialist Airfield defence Corps founded by Royal Warrant in 1942 ( French for "Fusilier Commandos of the Air" These personnel of France's Armée de l'Air are equivalent to the United Kingdom 's RAF Regiment Some Air Forces also include their own Special Forces, which may include aircrews and aircraft tasked with special missions such as surveillance or insertion operations, or ground-based personnel such as the American Air Force Special Tactics or the Malaysian PASKAU units, who provide support to Air Force or Special Forces operations by performing functions such as combat search and rescue, explosive ordnance disposal, and forward air control. In most countries special forces (SF is a generic term for highly-trained Military teams/units that conduct specialized operations such as Reconnaissance PASKAU - (formerly the Malaysian abbreviation of Pasukan Khas Udara, Special Operations Team of RMAF) is an elite force within Royal Malaysian Air Force Bomb disposal is the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe A forward air controller (FAC is a qualified individual who from a forward position on the ground or in the air directs the action of Military aircraft engaged Given the pilots' special status, they often wear special insignia in the form of a vol or "wings". Vol is also the abbreviation for the constellation Volans. Vol is also the colloquial term for Volatility. For other uses see Brevet. For the American equivalent see Aircrew Badge. Other air crews might wear variations of such insignia.
The United States Air Force also has an auxiliary unit called the Civil Air Patrol. CAP is a non-profit organization that performs 95% of all inland searchs in the United States. There are units in every state. The air force supplies and helps the Civil Air Patrol.
History
Main article: Aerial warfare
Origins
- See also: History of military ballooning
The origins of military aviation lie in the use of balloons as a reconnaissance aid to ground-based commanders. Air power redirects here for electrical and mechanical energy supplied by air movement see Wind power See also Balloon (aircraft Balloons were the first mechanisms used in air warfare "Ballooning" redirects here For the behavior of Spiders and other Arthropods see Ballooning (spider. The French made use of a balloon at the Battle of Fleurus in 1794 and the Americans were the first to employ balloons on a major scale during the American Civil War. In the Battle of Fleurus ( June 26, 1794) French forces under Jourdan defeated an Austrian army under Saxe-Cobourg in one Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South
The British first experimented with balloons in 1863 and in 1888 a School of Ballooning was established. The School of Ballooning was a training and test centre for British Army experiments with Airships.
Heavier-than-air military aircraft
Balloon corps are not generally regarded as examples of an air force. However, with the invention of heavier-than-air flying machines in 1903, armies and navies began to take interest in this new form of aviation.
The first aviation force in the world was the Aviation Militaire of the French Army formed in 1910, which eventually became L'Armée de l'Air. The French Air Force ( French: Armée de l'Air (ALA literally Air Army) is the Air force of the French Armed Forces. The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre (Land Army is the land-based component of the French Armed Forces and its largest Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The French Air Force ( French: Armée de l'Air (ALA literally Air Army) is the Air force of the French Armed Forces. During World War I France, Germany, Italy and the British Empire all possessed significant aviation forces of bombers and fighters, the latter produced numerous flying aces. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All A bomber is a Military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets primarily by dropping Bombs on them A fighter aircraft is a Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other Aircraft, as opposed to a Bomber, which is designed The word " ace " comes from the Old French word 'as' (from Latin 'as' meaning 'a unit' from the name of a small Roman coin
Independent air forces
An independent air force is one which is a separate branch of a nation's armed forces and is, at least notionally, on equal terms to that nation's army or navy.
The Finnish Air Force claims to be the first independent air force in the world. The Finnish Air Force (FAF ( Finnish: Ilmavoimat, Swedish: Flygvapnet) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. When it was founded on 6 March 1918[1], it consisted of one aircraft and was commanded by a junior officer. Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common However, it is generally recognized that the British Royal Air Force was the first independent air force of any size. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The RAF was founded on 1 April 1918 by merging the British Army's Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Navy's Air Service. Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Royal Flying Corps (RFC was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British On establishment the RAF comprised over 20,000 aircraft, was commanded by a Chief of the Air Staff who held the rank of Major General and was governed by its own government ministry (the Air Ministry). The Chief of the Air Staff is the professional head of the Royal Air Force and a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Air Force Board. Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries The Air Ministry was formerly a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force.
After the war, Germany had been banned by the Versailles Treaty from having an air force, but the Luftwaffe was brought into existence in 1935. The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. Italy's Regia Aeronautica became an independent force back in 1923, while France's L'Armée de l'Air gained independence only in the mid-1930s. The Royal Air Force ( Regia Aeronautica) was the name of the Italian Air Force established as an independent service from 1923 until the The French Air Force ( French: Armée de l'Air (ALA literally Air Army) is the Air force of the French Armed Forces. The Soviet Air Force had been more or less autonomous since 1924, while the United States Air Force didn't gain independence status until September 18, 1947. The Soviet Air Force, also known under the abbreviation VVS, transliterated from Russian: ВВС, Военно-воздушные силы ( Voenno-Vozdushnye
The two World Wars
Germany was the first country to use its air force to drop bombs on enemy cities. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. In the First World War it used its zeppelins (airships) to drop bombs on British cities. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All A Zeppelin is a type of Rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century based on designs he had outlined Terminology In some countries airships are also known as dirigibles from the French (fr ''diriger'' to direct plus -ible) meaning "directable" At that time, Britain did have aircraft, though her airships were less advanced than the zeppelins and were very rarely used for attacking; instead they were usually used to spy on German U-boats (submarines). U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word, itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot ( undersea boat) and refers A submarine is a Watercraft that can operate independently below water as distinct from a Submersible that has only limited underwater capability Planes at that point were primitive world wide, they only travelled at around 50 mph and were very vulnerable to attack. The average pilot at that time would only live for one week after they completed their training.
By the time the Second World War started, planes had become much safer, faster and more reliable. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including They were adopted as standard for bombing raids and taking out other aircraft because they were much faster than airships. The World's largest military Air Force by the start of the Second World War in 1939 was the Red Air Force, and although much depleted, it would stage the largest air operations of WWII over the four years of combat with the Luftwaffe. The Soviet Air Force, also known under the abbreviation VVS, transliterated from Russian: ВВС, Военно-воздушные силы ( Voenno-Vozdushnye ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. The war's most important air operation, known as the Battle of Britain, took place during 1940 over Britain and the English Channel between Britain's Royal Air Force and Germany's Luftwaffe over a period of several months. The Battle of Britain (German ''Luftschlacht um England'' is the name given to the sustained strategic effort by the German Luftwaffe during the summer and ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. In the end Britain emerged victorious and this caused Adolf Hitler to give up his plan to invade Britain. Other prominent operations during the Second World War include the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in 1941, the Allied bombing of Germany during 1942-1944, and the Red Air Force operations in support of strategic ground offensives on the Eastern Front. The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation, as it was called by the Imperial General Headquarters) was a surprise Military strike conducted by The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku The Soviet Air Force, also known under the abbreviation VVS, transliterated from Russian: ВВС, Военно-воздушные силы ( Voenno-Vozdushnye The Eastern Front of World War II (die Ostfront 1941-1945, der Rußlandfeldzug 1941-1945 (Russian campaign or der Ostfeldzug 1941-1945 (Eastern Campaign
Strategic bombing
The air force's role of strategic bombing against enemy infrastructures was developed during the 1930s by the Japanese in China and by the Germans during the Spanish Civil War. Strategic bombing is a Military strategy used in a Total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability to wage war rather The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of This role for the bomber was perfected during World War II, during Allied "Thousand Bomber Raid" operations. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The need to intercept these bombers, both during the day and at night, accelerated fighter aircraft developments. The war ended when United States Army Air Force Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers dropped two atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in August 1945. The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. The Japanese city of ( is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshū, the largest of Japan 's ( is the Capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan.
Post World War II
The United States Air Force finally became an independent service in 1947. As the Cold War began, both the USAF and the Soviet Air Force built up their nuclear-capable strategic bomber forces. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Several technological advances were widely introduced during this time: the jet engine; the missile; the helicopter; and inflight refueling. specific --->A jet engine is a Reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet of Fluid to A missile (see also pronunciation differences) is a self-propelled explosive Projectile used as a weapon towards a target History Since 400 AD Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys. Aerial refueling, also called air refueling, in-flight refueling ( IFR) air-to-air refueling ( AAR) or tanking, is
Communist China has also developed a large air force (which, contrary to popular belief, is in fact quite independent from the ground force), initially with aid from the Soviet Union, and later on its own. Both the US and the USSR supplied large numbers of aircraft, technical advice and training to their allied nations.
During the 1960s, Canada took the unusual step of merging the Royal Canadian Air Force with the army and the navy to form the unified Canadian Forces, with a green uniform for everyone. The Canadian Forces (CF ( French: Forces canadiennes) are the unified Armed forces of Canada, governed by the National Defence This proved very unpopular, and recently the air force (and the navy) have re-adopted their distinct identities (although structurally they remained a unified force). Perhaps the latest air force to become "independent" is the Irish Air Corps, which changed its uniform from army green to blue in the 1990s. The Irish Air Corps (Aer Chór na hÉireann provides the air defence function of Oglaigh na hÉireann ( the Irish Defence Forces) in support of the Army and
Air Armies
Several countries title their military aviation Air Army, notably France. In such countries the army is officially called the Land Army, although in common usage "army" retains its meaning of a land force.
However, in the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation the Air Army also refers to a military formation, and during WWII eighteen Air Armies operated as part of the Red Army Order of Battle of the Military units and formations of the Soviet Union in World War II. A military organization is a way of structuring the armed forces of a State as a need to offer Military capability required by the National defence policy An Air Army was a large military formation comprising several corps or divisions in the forces of the Soviet Union and the Japanese Empire before during and after the Second World War The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya An order of battle was in its original form during the European period of Medieval warfare the order in which troops were positioned relative to the position of the Army commander The Air Armies were divided into the air forces of the military district PVO, the Frontal Aviation Air Armies assigned one to each Front, and the Anti-Air Defense Armies that included anti-aircraft guns and interceptors. Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defense, is any method of engaging hostile military Aircraft in defence of ground objectives, ground or naval forces Brandon Tomacello is in the air force
See also
'[List of USAF aircraft models]http://www.airforcemodelworks.com
References
This alphabetically arranged list of Air forces identifies the current and historical names and Roundels for the military aviation arms of countries fielding an air Air power redirects here for electrical and mechanical energy supplied by air movement see Wind power Life support, or aircrew life support, in Aviation,is the field centered on and related technologies used in ensuring the safety of Aircrew, particularly Air power redirects here for electrical and mechanical energy supplied by air movement see Wind powerDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic