Air force is the branch of a nation’s armed forces responsible for military operations in the air. An air force consists of pilots and other personnel, aircraft, support equipment, and military bases. Some air forces also have guided missiles and spacecraft.
Most countries have some type of air force. More powerful nations have an independent air force equal in rank to the other branches of the nation’s armed forces. These countries usually also have an air force unit in their army and navy. Many smaller, less powerful nations have an air unit as part of their army or navy.
Air forces differ greatly in size and fighting strength, depending on a nation’s wealth, technology, and national defense needs. The large air forces of industrialized nations have modern bombers, fighters, transport planes, helicopters, and other aircraft. Most developing nations cannot afford the advanced technology required to build a modern air force. But some have assembled relatively strong air forces through loans and trade with industrialized nations. Many smaller developing nations have air forces that consist of older aircraft.
The United States and Russia have the most powerful and complex air forces. These forces include thousands of aircraft and long-range missiles, some with nuclear warheads. Other powerful nations, including China, France, and the United Kingdom, also have such missiles.
Until the development of airplanes and guided missiles in the 1900’s, nations relied on armies and navies for military power. The operations of these forces, however, are limited by land and sea barriers. Today, armies and navies remain extremely important. But the main striking force of the most powerful nations consists of airplanes and guided missiles.
The role of air forces
A nation’s air force may have several different roles depending on the country’s security needs. Air forces within an army or navy support the operations of that branch. A navy’s air force, for example, may operate attack and reconnaissance (observation) planes from aircraft carriers to obtain information about operations in enemy territory. A navy’s air force may also patrol its country’s coastline. An air force that serves as a separate military branch, however, usually has several roles related to establishing control of the air. These roles include (1) combat, (2) defense, and (3) transport.
Combat missions
involve fighting directly against an enemy force. The two chief types of combat missions are strategic and tactical. In strategic missions, air forces operate over long distances, usually traveling from one continent to another. The most common strategic missions involve attacks with bombs and long-range missiles against specific targets in enemy cities and industrial areas. Strategic attacks are designed to destroy the enemy’s ability and desire to fight.
Tactical missions are short- or medium-range operations carried out in cooperation with ground or sea forces in battle. Such missions include attacks on enemy ground forces and counter air tactical missions. In these missions, fighter planes may attack enemy aircraft to gain control of the air over a battle area. In interdiction attacks, aircraft strike transportation networks and other targets behind enemy lines. Such attacks prevent enemy forces and supplies from reaching the battlefield.
Defense missions
protect a nation’s territory from enemy attack. Advanced air forces use radar stations and satellites to detect surprise attacks by enemy bombers or missiles. In case of such an attack, an air force uses missiles and fighter planes to shoot down enemy bombers and missiles.
The threat of a counterattack can also serve as part of a nation’s air defenses, especially among nations that have nuclear weapons. Nations may avoid launching a nuclear attack because of their fear of a counterattack.
Transport missions,
also called airlifts, support a nation’s combat operations by moving troops and equipment quickly by air. In a strategic airlift, aircraft transport troops and equipment over long distances. A tactical airlift provides air support to battlefield operations. For example, aircraft may drop paratroopers and supplies in a battle area or behind enemy lines. In peacetime, air forces may transport food and other supplies to areas struck by disaster.
Other missions
include reconnaissance and air rescue. Reconnaissance missions gather military information using visual observation, or cameras, radar, and other sensing devices aboard aircraft and satellites. Air rescue missions use small airplanes or helicopters to rescue people trapped in dangerous areas.
The organization of air forces
The leader of an independent air force may be a chief of staff or air marshal and hold the rank of general. In the U.S. Air Force, however, the highest authority is the secretary of the Air Force, a civilian appointed by the President. Air forces of smaller countries often come under the command of the army or navy.
The squadron is the basic administrative unit of air forces. A squadron usually consists of aircraft of one type or model. Most fighter and attack squadrons have 18 to 24 assigned aircraft, which are usually grouped into smaller units of 2 to 4 planes called flights. Bomber squadrons typically have from 10 to 19 assigned aircraft. Two or more squadrons form units called groups or wings. In large air forces, these units may combine to form larger divisions or commands.
Aircraft and missiles
Aircraft
are usually classified by their function. The main types of aircraft are (1) attack and fighter aircraft, (2) bombers, (3) transport aircraft, and (4) reconnaissance aircraft.
Attack and fighter aircraft are designed for speed and maneuverability in combat. They usually have a crew of one or two and carry missiles or bombs, depending on their mission. These aircraft attack enemy planes and ground targets or defend against air attacks.
Bombers are usually large, medium-range or long-range planes that carry a combination of bombs and guided missiles for striking strategic targets. Only a few nations with powerful air forces have bombers. Bomber crews range in size from about four to six people.
Transport aircraft carry troops or cargo. The crew of a typical transport plane includes a pilot, copilot, navigator, flight engineer, and one or more loadmasters responsible for the cargo or passengers.
Reconnaissance aircraft carry cameras or electronic sensors to gather information about enemy forces. Reconnaissance aircraft include both airplanes specifically designed for reconnaissance and modified versions of other aircraft.
Other aircraft include trainers, tankers, and helicopters. Trainers are used to train pilots. Tankers refuel other aircraft in flight. Some helicopters transport troops and equipment over short distances. Others, called helicopter gunships, carry guns and missiles and are used in combat. Others transport troops and equipment over short distances.
Missiles
used by air forces may be launched from the ground or from aircraft. Ground-launched strategic missiles include intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM’s) and intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM’s). ICBM’s can deliver a nuclear warhead to a target up to 9,200 miles (15,000 kilometers) away. IRBM’s can reach from about 1,700 to 3,400 miles (2,700 to 5,500 kilometers). In some nations, such as in the United States, the air force is responsible for ICBM’s. But in others, including China and Russia, these missiles fall under a separate command. Air forces defend against ballistic missile attacks with ground-launched antiballistic missiles (ABM’s).
Air-launched missiles include both strategic and tactical missiles. Bombers carry air-launched strategic missiles, such as the cruise missile, that can hit targets hundreds of miles or kilometers away. Fighter and attack aircraft and helicopters fire tactical air-to-air missiles (AAM’s) at enemy aircraft and air-to-surface missiles (ASM’s) at ground targets.
Major air forces of the world
The power of an air force depends on the quality of its technology, training, and equipment. The world’s most powerful air forces have advanced aircraft, well-trained crews, and efficient maintenance and supply systems. They include the air forces of the United States, China, Russia, India, France, North Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Israel. Other important air forces include those of Italy, Turkey, and Ukraine. However, these forces are smaller and less technologically advanced.
The United States Air Force
has about 2,800 combat aircraft, including about 1,400 fighter and attack aircraft and about 140 bombers on active duty. The Air National Guard also has about 590 fighter and attack aircraft, and the Air Force Reserve has about 110. The Air Force also operates several satellite and radar systems. It has about 325,000 active members, along with about 70,000 in the Air Force Reserve. An additional 105,000 people serve in Air National Guard units, which are administered by the states. The U.S. Air Force commands about 400 ICBM’s but no IRBM’s. Under a 1987 treaty, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to eliminate their IRBM’s.
The U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard all have their own air force units. The U.S. Navy has a large air arm with thousands of combat airplanes and hundreds of helicopters. The U.S. Army air unit includes thousands of helicopters.
The Chinese Air Force
has about 2,300 combat planes. Many of its planes are based on Russian designs. About 395,000 people serve in the Air Force. China’s Navy operates hundreds of additional combat aircraft. China also has about 100 ICBM’s and IRBM’s under a separate strategic force.
The Russian Air Force
has about 1,200 active combat aircraft, primarily fighters. The Air Force has about 165,000 members. A separate strategic force controls about 330 ICBM’s. Another force for space operations launches and operates military satellites. The Russian Navy’s aviation branch has hundreds of additional combat airplanes and armed helicopters.
The Indian Air Force
has about 810 combat aircraft. India’s Air Force also controls a large arsenal of surface-to-air missiles. About 127,000 people serve in the Air Force. India’s naval air force has additional combat airplanes and armed helicopters.
The French Air Force
has about 290 combat aircraft, mostly fighter and attack planes. The force has about 41,000 members. A separate strategic air force operates about 20 bombers equipped with IRBM’s. The French Navy has hundreds of additional combat airplanes and helicopters.
The North Korean Air Force
has about 550 active combat planes. About 110,000 people serve in the Air Force.
The German air force,
called the Luftwaffe, includes about 220 active attack and fighter aircraft, with additional combat airplanes and armed helicopters in the navy’s air unit. About 23,000 people serve in the Luftwaffe.
The British air force,
called the Royal Air Force (RAF), has about 250 active combat aircraft, mostly fighter and attack airplanes. It has about 34,000 members. The Royal Navy’s air arm has hundreds of additional combat airplanes and helicopters.
The Israeli Air Force
has about 350 active combat planes and about 140 armed helicopters. The Air Force has about 34,000 members.
History
Early air forces.
The first air force was established by France in 1794, during a war against several other European nations. The air force flew large balloons filled with hot air or gas. The French used the balloons to observe movements of enemy troops.
The first air attack took place in 1849. Austria controlled much of Italy at that time, and the people of Venice revolted. The Austrians attached bombs with slow-burning fuses to small, paper hot-air balloons. But most of the bombs missed their targets and caused little damage.
During the American Civil War (1861-1865), both the Union and Confederate armies used balloons. The Union Army organized a balloon corps to direct artillery fire and observe Confederate troop movements. Almost every major army in the world soon established a balloon corps.
Balloons became much less important in warfare after Orville and Wilbur Wright made the world’s first airplane flight in 1903. By 1909, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, and the United States had purchased planes for their armed forces. In 1912, the United Kingdom established the Royal Flying Corps as the air arm of the Royal Army and Navy. In 1918, the corps became the Royal Air Force, the first independent air force.
World War I
began in 1914. In the war, the Allies, who included the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States, fought the Central Powers, who included Germany and Austria-Hungary. At that time, most airplanes flew at a maximum speed of about 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour. They could reach an altitude of about 10,000 feet (3,000 meters). By 1918, when the war ended, the maximum speed of aircraft had reached about 120 miles (190 kilometers) per hour, and maximum altitude had more than doubled. Planes also had become much more maneuverable.
At the beginning of the war, the fighting nations used planes only for observing enemy ground movements. Aircraft soon began to exchange gunfire, but many could not shoot forward because the plane’s propeller was in front. Bullets might shatter the spinning blades of the propeller. In 1915, a Dutch designer, Anthony Fokker, developed a machine gun for the Germans that fired only when the propeller blades were not blocking the muzzle. The Allies began to use a similar gun in 1917.
During the war, pilots fought air battles called dogfights, and fliers who shot down five or more enemy planes became known as aces. Toward the end of the war, battles between squadrons of airplanes replaced most combat between single pilots. Early in the war, pilots had dropped bombs by hand. Later, they used mechanical devices to release the bombs. By 1917, some planes could carry up to 3,000 pounds (1,400 kilograms) of bombs.
In September 1918, American officer Billy Mitchell directed the largest air assault of the war. He commanded about 1,500 Allied aircraft in a mission over St.-Mihiel in France, where the Germans had advanced. The Allied planes gained control of the air, dropped bombs behind the German lines, and attacked enemy ground forces. Two months later, the Allies won the war.
The growth of national air forces.
Although many nations reduced their armed forces after World War I, the success of the airplane caused them to gradually develop their airpower. This policy often produced competition between a country’s new air service and older army and navy. In the United States, for example, Billy Mitchell and other aviation leaders argued vigorously for greater emphasis on airpower. Mitchell became so bitter in his criticism of the U.S. defense program that he was court-martialed for defying his superior officers. In 1946, after events had confirmed many of Mitchell’s predictions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration. During the 1920’s and early 1930’s, France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden formed independent air forces.
World War II.
Airpower played a vital role in deciding the outcome of World War II. In the war, Germany, Italy, Japan, and other Axis powers fought the Allies, who included the United Kingdom, Canada, China, the Soviet Union, and the United States.
The war began
in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. The Germans used a new method of warfare called blitzkrieg (lightning war). Germany’s air force, the Luftwaffe, bombed Polish troops, destroyed airfields, and struck at key cities, highways, and railroads. On the ground, tanks and infantry overwhelmed the Polish forces. Between April and June 1940, Germany attacked and defeated Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.
The Germans planned to invade the United Kingdom next, but first they had to defeat the Royal Air Force. In July 1940, the Luftwaffe started to bomb British ships and ports. German air raids on London began in September. The RAF was outnumbered, but it had better planes and pilots than the Luftwaffe. The British also had developed radar and a decoding device that enabled them to read coded German messages. Both developments were carefully guarded secrets that helped the RAF intercept Luftwaffe raids. By October, the RAF had shot down more than 1,700 attacking planes and had lost about 900 of its own. Germany postponed its plans to invade the United Kingdom, but air raids on British cities continued.
The United States entered the war
on Dec. 8, 1941, the day after about 360 Japanese aircraft attacked the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The attack destroyed or damaged 21 ships and more than 300 planes, temporarily crippling the Pacific Fleet and Hawaii’s air defense.
Loading the player...Attack on Pearl Harbor
In mid-1942, American airpower halted Japanese advances in the Pacific in two important battles at sea. In the Battle of the Coral Sea, in May, each side attacked the other with planes launched from aircraft carriers. The opposing warships never got close enough to see or fire on an enemy ship. Japan lost more planes, but fewer ships, than the United States lost in the battle. Neither side won, but the battle prevented a Japanese assault on New Guinea. A month later, in the Battle of Midway, Japan lost 4 aircraft carriers and more than 200 planes. The United States lost 1 carrier and about 150 airplanes. The battle blunted Japan’s naval strength for the rest of the war and ended the threat of a Japanese attack on Hawaii and the United States.
By mid-1942, Japan had captured large parts of China and had cut off the country’s main supply routes. To help China continue fighting Japan, Allied forces flew supplies from India to China over the Himalaya, the world’s tallest mountain range. This dangerous route was called the “Hump.” During this airlift, which lasted almost three years, the Allies carried about 650,000 short tons (590,000 metric tons) of supplies to China.
The Allies attacked Germany
in 1943, when the United Kingdom and the United States started a bombing offensive that lasted almost until the end of the war. The RAF bombed German cities at night, and American planes attacked enemy industries during the day. In 1944, the Luftwaffe began to use jet fighter planes. These planes could fly nearly 550 miles (885 kilometers) per hour, compared with about 400 miles (640 kilometers) per hour for propeller-driven fighters. Germany also developed the first guided missiles, the V-1 and V-2. In 1944 and 1945, the Germans fired more than 12,000 missiles at enemy cities. But these technological advances came too late to affect the outcome of the war. Germany surrendered in May 1945.
In August 1945, American B-29 bombers dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombers had flown from Tinian Island, 1,360 miles (2,189 kilometers) away. Japan surrendered in September, and the war ended.
The development of jet aircraft
in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s greatly increased the range and speed of attacking planes. In 1939, a German Heinkel He 178 made the first successful jet-powered flight. By 1944, Germany had developed the Messerschmitt Me 262, the first jet to fly combat missions. The first American jet plane, the Bell XP-59, flew in 1942 but was little used in World War II. After the war, several nations, including the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and the United States, rapidly developed jet-powered air forces. Soon each of these nations operated a fleet of jet fighters and long-range bombers. By the late 1950’s, France and China also began developing jet-powered air forces.
Air forces in the nuclear age.
The United States emerged as the most powerful nation at the end of World War II. It was the only nation with atomic weapons and the aircraft to use them. But the Soviet Union soon began to challenge the United States, competing for power and international influence in a struggle known as the Cold War. In 1949, the Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb. Several other nations have developed nuclear weapons since then.
The Soviet Union successfully tested its first ICBM in 1957, several months before the first successful United States test. The Soviets also launched the first space satellite in 1957. The United States and the Soviet Union competed for supremacy in missiles and space. They also developed antiballistic missiles (ABM’s) designed to destroy enemy missiles in flight. To provide warning of a missile attack, the two nations set up missile detection systems on the ground and in space.
By the late 1960’s, the number of missiles and nuclear warheads had grown alarmingly large. In 1969, the United States and the Soviet Union began a series of conferences in an effort to limit each country’s missile strength. After several more conferences in the 1970’s and 1980’s, they agreed to eliminate their IRBM’s. See Arms control.
Many smaller nations established strong air forces during the 1980’s by obtaining aircraft from the United States or the Soviet Union. These nations included Finland, Hungary, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.
The Soviet Union began withdrawing its forces from Eastern Europe in 1990. In 1991, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to reduce their long-range missiles and bombers, including their ICBM forces, by about a third. They also ended a continuous alert for long-range bombers carrying nuclear weapons and took other steps to reduce the threat of a nuclear air attack. This alert had been in effect in the United States since 1957. In late 1991, the Soviet Union broke up. These developments reduced the threat of nuclear war and the need for huge armed forces. As a result, most major air forces made cuts in personnel and equipment in the 1990’s.
Air forces in limited wars.
Fear of a massive nuclear war has helped prevent nations with nuclear weapons from using them. In all wars fought since World War II, nations restricted the weapons they used, the targets they attacked, and the areas of battle in order to avoid a nuclear conflict. In such wars, called limited wars, air forces played an important role.
The Korean War (1950-1953)
brought the first combat between jet aircraft. The United States and other members of the United Nations aided South Korea, and the Soviet Union and China assisted North Korea. United States military leaders limited attacks on military targets, but airplanes often fought each other. As many as 150 jet fighters took part in some air battles. Each side adopted the principle of asylum, which allowed aircraft to withdraw from the battle zone without being pursued. Neither side won complete victory in this war.
During the Vietnam War (1957-1975),
the United States supported South Vietnam, and the Soviet Union and China backed North Vietnam and the Viet Cong rebels of South Vietnam. From 1965 to 1968, the U.S. Air Force and the air arm of the U.S. Navy conducted frequent bombing raids against North Vietnam and later attacked targets in South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The U.S. Air Force used helicopter gunships to locate and attack enemy forces in the jungles and mountains. United States helicopters also rescued downed aviators, transported the wounded, and carried supplies and troops. In 1969, the United States began withdrawing its troops from Vietnam. The United States removed the last of its troops and stopped its air attacks in 1973. Two years later, the war ended with a North Vietnamese and Viet Cong victory.
Wars in the Middle East.
In 1967, the Israeli Air Force destroyed most of the air forces of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria in the Six-Day War. Egypt rebuilt its air force and, in 1973, staged a surprise attack with Syria against Israel. For a brief period, Egypt established control of the skies. Israel’s airpower, however, regained control and helped drive back the attackers. An airlift of supplies from the United States also helped Israel win the war.
In the Persian Gulf War of 1991,
airpower played a decisive role. In that war, a coalition of nations led by the United States drove Iraq out of Kuwait. Before the war began, the coalition moved huge amounts of equipment to the Persian Gulf region in one of the largest airlifts in history.
Coalition air forces began the war in mid-January 1991 with massive bombing of targets in Iraq and Kuwait. The United States Air Force used precision-guided “smart” bombs and the F-117 “stealth” fighter-bomber. The special design and surface materials of “stealth” bombers make them difficult to detect with radar. The coalition quickly gained control of the air, destroying many Iraqi aircraft on the ground and forcing many others to flee to Iran. When the coalition launched a ground attack in late February, the air war had so devastated the Iraqis that they surrendered within days.
In the Iraq War (2003-2011),
a U.S.-led coalition sought to rid Iraq of banned weapons and to remove Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from power. The war began in March 2003 with intense bombing by coalition air forces of targets related to air defense, weapons systems, and the leadership of Iraq’s ruling Baath Party. In April, after extensive air attacks against Iraqi ground troops, coalition ground forces captured Baghdad, Iraq’s capital, ending Hussein’s rule. Nearly every bomb dropped in the war was precision-guided by laser or satellite. The main combat phase of the war ended in May 2003. Coalition forces, facing strong opposition from Iraqi militants, remained in Iraq until late 2011.
