OneHundredTenYearsofFlight USAF Chronology of Significant

Air and Space Events

1903-2012

Daniel L Haulman

Updated by Priscilla D. Jones &

Robert D. Oliver
1903

December 17: Orville and Wilbur Wright piloted a powered heavier-than-air aircraft for the first time at Kill Devil Hill, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Controlling the aircraft for pitch, yaw, and roll, Orville completed the first of

four flights, soaring 120 feet in 12 seconds. Wilbur completed the longest

flight of the day: 852 feet in 59 seconds. The brothers launched the airplane

from a monorail track against a wind blowing slightly more than 20 miles per

hour.

1

The first powered and controlled airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

1904

August 3: Capt. Thomas S. Baldwin demonstrated the first successful U.S. dirigible

at Oakland, California, flying the airship in a circuit.

September 20: Wilbur Wright completed the first circular flight at Huffman Prairie,

near Dayton, Ohio.

1905

October 5: The Wright brothers’ Wright Flyer III, the first practical airplane, flew

for more than half an hour near Dayton, Ohio, covering nearly 24 miles.

October 9: The Wright brothers wrote to the U.S. War Department, describing their

new flying machine and offering it to the Army for purchase. Misunderstanding

the offer as a request for funds to conduct invention research, the Board of Ordnance and Fortification turned them down.

1903–5
1906

May 22: The U.S. Patent Office issued a patent on the Wright brothers’ three-axial

airplane-control system.

September 13: Alberto Santos-Dumont, a Brazilian living in France, made the first airplane flight in Europe at Bagatelle. His airplane flew only 23 feet that day, but on

October 23 Santos-Dumont flew his machine 196 feet.

1907

August 1: The Army’s Signal Corps established a new Aeronautical Division under

Capt. Charles deForest Chandler to take charge of military ballooning and air

machines.

December 23: Brig. Gen. James Allen, chief signal officer, issued the first specification for a military airplane. It called for an aircraft that could carry two people, fly at a minimum speed of 40 miles per hour, go 125 miles without stopping, be controllable for flight in any direction, and land at its takeoff point

without damage.

2

Orville and Wilbur Wright. They took turns flying the first successful airplane.

1906–7
1908

January 21: The Signal Corps announced a specification for an Army airship. It

called for an aircraft that could fly for two hours, carry two persons, and maintain a minimum speed of 20 miles per hour.

February 10: The Wright brothers and Capt. Charles S. Wallace of the Signal Corps

signed the first Army contract for an airplane.

February 24: The Army signed a contract with Capt. Thomas S. Baldwin for a government airship at a price of $6,750.

April 30: Aviation enthusiasts in the 1st Company, Signal Corps, New York

National Guard, organized an “aeronautical corps” to learn ballooning—the

earliest known involvement of guardsmen in aviation.

May 14: Charles Furnas became the first airplane passenger when he rode aboard

an aircraft flown by Wilbur Wright at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

May 19: Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge flew an airplane called the White Wing, designed

by F. W. “Casey” Baldwin, thus becoming the first Army officer to solo in an

airplane.

August 28: After flight tests at Fort Myer, Virginia, the Army accepted Army Dirigible No. 1 from Capt. Thomas S. Baldwin.

September 3: Orville Wright began flight tests of the Wright Flyer at Fort Myer, Virginia.

3

The Wright Flyer. Its rear-mounted propeller pushed the biplane forward, and wing

warping provided control.

1908
September 17: Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge of the Army became the first U.S. military

member to die in an airplane accident when he crashed with pilot Orville

Wright during a flight test at Fort Myer, Virginia. A propeller split and broke

a wire supporting the rudder. The accident delayed Signal Corps acceptance

of an airplane for almost a year.

1909

July 25: Louis Bleriot of France made the first flight in an airplane across the English Channel, flying from Les Barraques, France, to Dover, England.

July 27: Orville Wright, with Lt. Frank P. Lahm as passenger, performed the first

official Army flight test at Fort Myer, Virginia. They flew for over an hour,

meeting one of the specification requirements for a military airplane.

August 2: The Army accepted its first airplane from the Wright brothers after the

aircraft met or surpassed all specifications in flight tests at Fort Myer, Virginia.

The Army paid the Wrights the contract price of $25,000 plus $5,000 for

speed in excess of 40 miles per hour.

August 25: The Army leased land at College Park, Maryland, for the first Signal

Corps airfield.

4

The first Army airplane, a Wright Flyer

Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge and Dr.

Alexander Graham Bell

1908–9
5

October 26: At College Park, Maryland, after instruction from Wilbur Wright, Lt.

Frederick E. Humphreys and Lt. Frank P. Lahm became the first Army officers to solo in a Wright airplane.

November 3: Lt. George C. Sweet became the first Navy officer to fly when he

accompanied Lt. Frank P. Lahm of the Army on a flight at College Park,

Maryland. Lieutenant Sweet was the official observer for the Navy at the trials

for the Wright Flyer.

1910

January 19: The Army’s Lt. Paul W. Beck, flying with Louis Paulhan in a Farman airplane, dropped three two-pound sandbags over a target at an air meet in Los

Angeles, testing the feasibility of using aircraft for bombing.

February 15: The Signal Corps moved flying training to Fort Sam Houston, near

San Antonio, Texas, because of the cold, windy winter weather at College

Park, Maryland.

March 2: Lt. Benjamin D. Foulois made his first solo flight at Fort Sam Houston,

Texas. At the time, he was the only pilot assigned to the Aeronautical Division of the Army Signal Corps and, thus, the only one with flying duty.

March 19: At Montgomery, Alabama, Orville Wright opened the first Wright Flying School on a site that later became Maxwell Air Force Base.

July 1: Capt. Arthur S. Cowan replaced Capt. Charles deForest Chandler as commander of the Signal Corps’s Aeronautical Division.

August 4: Elmo N. Pickerill made the first radio-telegraphic communication

between the air and ground while flying solo in a Curtiss pusher from Mineola, Long Island, to Manhattan Beach and back.

An early Curtiss aircraft equipped with a steering wheel

1909–10
August 18: At Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Oliver G. Simmons, the Army’s first civilian airplane mechanic, and Cpl. Glen Madole added wheels to Signal Corps

Airplane No. 1, producing a tricycle landing gear and eliminating the need for

a launching rail or catapult.

August 20: The Army’s Lt. Jacob Fickel fired a rifle from a Curtiss biplane toward

the ground at Sheepshead Bay Track, near New York, becoming the first U.S.

military member to shoot a firearm from an airplane.

September 2: Blanche Scott became the first American woman pilot when she

soloed over Keuka Lake at Hammondsport, New York.

October 11: Over Saint Louis, Missouri, in a Wright biplane piloted by Arch

Hoxsey, former president Theodore Roosevelt became the first U.S. president to fly.

November 14: Eugene Ely, a Curtiss exhibition pilot, took off from the deck of the

USS Birmingham while it was anchored in Hampton Roads, Virginia, thus

becoming the first pilot to fly from the deck of a Navy ship.

1911

January 17: Glenn H. Curtiss established an aviation school and experimental station on North Island, San Diego, California. This site later became the Signal

Corps Aviation School.

January 18: Eugene Ely landed on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania while it was

anchored in San Francisco harbor, becoming the first pilot to land on the

deck of a ship.

January 21: Lt. Paul W. Beck made the Army’s first radio communication from an

airplane, sending telegraphic signals to a station on the ground at Selfridge Field,

Michigan.

January 28: Lt. Theodore G. Ellyson became the first Navy officer to pilot an airplane when he inadvertently took off in a Curtiss pusher airplane while taxiing at San Diego.

February 27: At Fort McIntosh, Laredo, Texas, on the Mexican border, Lt. Benjamin D. Foulois and Wright instructor pilot Phillip O. Parmelee first demonstrated the use of an airplane in coordination with Army ground troops. They

used a new Wright B Flyer lent by magazine publisher Robert F. Collier.

March 3: Congress passed the first direct appropriation for U.S. military aviation,

devoting “not more than $125,000 . . . for the purchase, maintenance, operation and repair of aeroplanes and other aerial machines” for fiscal year 1912.

6

1910–11
April 27: The Signal Corps accepted its second and third military airplanes, a Curtiss IV Model D and a Wright Type B, at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio,

Texas.

May 8: The Navy ordered its first airplane, an A–1 amphibian, from Glenn Curtiss.

By July the service was flying this aircraft at Hammondsport, New York.

June 20: When he returned from the Army Signal School at Fort Leavenworth,

Kansas, Capt. Charles deForest Chandler replaced Capt. Arthur S. Cowan as

head of the Aeronautical Division.

July 3: The Army Signal Corps designated the flying field at College Park, Maryland,

as the Signal Corps Aviation School. The War Department appointed Capt.

Charles deForest Chandler as the school’s commander. Among the school’s

instructors were 2d Lt. Henry H. “Hap” Arnold and 2d Lt. Thomas DeWitt

Milling, who had just learned to fly at the Wright school in Dayton, Ohio.

7

Lt. Henry H. Arnold in a Wright B airplane, College Park, Maryland,

1911. Arnold was commander of the Army Air Forces in World War

II.

1911
8

July 19: Orville Wright delivered the Navy’s first Wright airplane (a Wright B land

machine) at Annapolis, Maryland. The aircraft was subsequently converted into

a seaplane by the addition of twin floats.

September 23: Earle L. Ovington delivered mail by air from Nassau Aerodrome to

Mineola, New York, for which he was named Airmail Pilot No. 1 by Postmaster General Frank H. Hitchcock. Ovington was the first airmail carrier to

cover a set route from one regularly established post office to another.

Postmaster General Frank H. Hitchcock hands Earle L. Ovington a bag of mail for

the first airmail delivery on September 23, 1911. The load consisted of 640 letters

and 1,280 postcards.

October 10: At College Park, Maryland, Lt. Thomas DeWitt Milling tested a bombsight and bomb-dropping device invented by Riley E. Scott, who accompanied

him in a Wright Flyer. These were the first Army tests of such devices.

October 18: Capt. George W. McKay of Michigan became the first National Guard

pilot.

October 22: Capt. Carlo Piazza of Italy, piloting a Bleriot XI, conducted the first

wartime military airplane flight, reconnoitering Turkish positions in Libya.

That same day, another Italian airplane became the first to be hit by ground

fire.

1911
November 1: Lt. Giulio Gavotti of Italy, flying an Etrich Taube aircraft, dropped

bombs from an airplane in war for the first time, attacking Turkish positions

in Libya.

November 5: In 49 days, Calbraith Perry Rodgers, flying a Burgess-Wright biplane,

completed the first transcontinental flight from New York to Pasadena, California—a distance of 3,390 miles.

November 28: The Signal Corps Army Aviation School moved temporarily from

College Park, Maryland, to Augusta, Georgia, because the climate there was better for winter flying.

1912

February 17: The Army published its first physical examination requirements for

pilots.

February 23: War Department Bulletin no. 2 for 1912 established the rating “military aviator.”

March 1: Albert Berry made the first attached-type parachute jump over Jefferson

Barracks, Saint Louis, Missouri, at an altitude of 1,500 feet from a Benoist

pusher airplane.

March 21: Lt. Frank P. Lahm flew Signal Corps No. 7, a Wright Model B aircraft, at

Fort William McKinley in the Philippine Islands—the first flight of an airplane

at an overseas base.

May 30: At the age of 45, Wilbur Wright died of typhoid fever at Dayton,

Ohio.

June 14: After training at the Army Air School in the Philippines, Cpl. Vernon

Burge became the Army’s first enlisted pilot.

July 5: Capt. Charles deForest Chandler, 2d Lt. Thomas D. Milling, and 2d Lt.

Henry H. Arnold became the first Army pilots to qualify as military aviators.

November 5–13: The Army used aircraft for artillery adjustment for the first time at

Fort Riley, Kansas. Capt. Frederick B. Hennessy, Lt. Henry H. Arnold, and

Lt. Thomas DeWitt Milling signaled the ground, using radiotelegraphy, drop

cards, and smoke signals.

November 12: Lt. Theodore G. Ellyson, the Navy’s first pilot, successfully

launched a Curtiss seaplane, using a catapult mounted on a float

anchored in the Anacostia River opposite the Navy Yard in Washington,

D.C. This device was a forerunner of the catapult used on aircraft carriers.

9

1911–12
December 8: The Signal Corps established an aviation school at North Island, San

Diego, where Lt. Thomas DeWitt Milling developed the quick-release safety

belt.

1913

February 17: The Army first tested an automatic pilot device made by Lawrence

Sperry, who called it a gyrostabilizer.

March 2: Congress approved flight pay of 35 percent over base pay to reward officers who volunteered for aviation duty.

March 5: The Signal Corps established the 1st Provisional Aero Squadron at

Texas City, Texas, to support U.S. troops responding to a revolution in

Mexico. Designated a permanent unit in December and currently active as

the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, it is the oldest squadron in the Air

Force.

May 10: Didier Masson, flying for Gen. Alvaro Obregon during the Mexican Revolution, conducted the first aerial bombing in the western hemisphere, attacking gunboats in the Gulf of California.

August 8: An airplane flew in Hawaii for the first time, piloted by Lt. Harold Geiger of

the Army from a new aviation school at Fort Kamehameha. The aircraft, a Cur10

A Curtiss G tractor biplane. First purchased by the Army in 1911, its front-mounted

propeller pulled the aircraft through the air.

1912–13
tiss E two-seater (Signal Corps No. 8), soared over Pearl Harbor. Established in

July, the school operated only about a year.

c. November 30: Phil Rader and Dean Ivan Lamb, flying for opposing sides in the

Mexican Revolution, engaged in the first aerial combat, firing pistol shots at

one another over Naca, Mexico.

1914

January 1: Tony Jannus inaugurated America’s first regularly scheduled airline when

he flew passengers between Saint Petersburg and Tampa, Florida, in a

Benoist flying boat.

January 15: The Signal Corps Aviation School at San Diego issued an order prescribing the first safety regulations, which required aviators to wear helmets

and coats.

January 31: The Navy established its first air station at Pensacola, Florida.

February 24: An Army investigative board at the Signal Corps Aviation School at

San Diego recommended discontinuance of pusher-type airplanes, noting the

large number of accidents and deaths in them. In a crash, a rear-mounted

engine would often break loose and fall on the pilot. This recommendation

threatened to condemn the Army’s Wright airplanes, all of which were pusher

types.

May 6: A Curtiss AH–3 hydroairplane, flown by Lt. P. N. L. Bellinger and Lt.

R. C. Saufley of the Navy in a reconnaissance mission over Mexican positions near Vera Cruz, became the first U.S. airplane hit by hostile ground

fire.

June 24: The Signal Corps Aviation School at San Diego received its first Curtiss J, Signal Corps No. 29. Features of this airplane were later combined

with those of the Curtiss N, received on December 11, to create the JN–2

trainer.

July 7: The U.S. government issued a patent to Dr. Robert H. Goddard for a multistage rocket design. On July 14, the government issued another patent to

Goddard for a liquid-fueled rocket design. These designs laid the foundation

for future spaceflights.

July 18: Congress passed a law creating an Aviation Section of the Army Signal

Corps, which replaced the Aeronautical Division. Lt. Col. Samuel Reber, who

had served as the last commander of the division, became the first commander of the Aviation Section, which consisted of only 19 officers and 101

enlisted men.

July 28: Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, setting off World War I. On

behalf of Serbia, Russia mobilized for war with Austria-Hungary, and when

11

1913–14
Russia refused to stop mobilization, Austria-Hungary’s ally Germany on

August 1 declared war on Russia. Two days later, Germany declared war on

Russia’s ally France and invaded Belgium, bringing Great Britain into the war

on the side of France, Russia, and Serbia.

August 9–10: The French dirigible Fleurus became the first Allied aircraft to fly over

enemy territory during World War I.

August 19: The British Royal Flying Corps began aerial reconnaissance of the German lines in Belgium.

August 24: By maneuvering, three Royal Flying Corps airplanes forced down a German airplane. The crew of one of the British planes landed, chased away the

German crew, and then set the enemy airplane afire. This incident constituted

the first aerial victory.

September 22: The first strategic bombardment mission took place when

British aircraft bombed zeppelin sheds in Düsseldorf and Cologne, Germany.

December 11: Flying a Burgess-Wright biplane, Lt. Herbert A. Dargue and Lt.

Joseph O. Mauborgne of the Army demonstrated two-way radio communications between the air and ground in the Philippines.

1915

January 19–20: Two German zeppelins, L.3 and L.4, bombed Great Britain for the

first time, striking Great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn.

March 3: Congress created the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics,

which eventually evolved into the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

April 1: Lt. Roland Garros of France became the first pilot to shoot down an airplane with a machine gun attached to the fuselage so that it would point wherever the aircraft did. The gun was mounted behind the metal-plated propeller,

which deflected the bullets that hit it.

May 20: The Army accepted its first Curtiss JN–2 aircraft, for use by the 1st Aero

Squadron. This craft was the first mass-produced U.S. airplane.

May 31: Capt. Erich Linnarz and his crew in the German zeppelin LZ–38 dropped

bombs on London for the first time. About 150 small bombs set approximately 41 fires that killed seven people and injured 35.

June 7: In a Morane-Sulnier monoplane, Sublieutenant Reginald A. J. Warneford, a British pilot, dropped 20-pound bombs on German zeppelin

LZ–37 as it approached England from Belgium. The British government

12

1914–15
awarded him the Victoria Cross for the first wartime destruction of an airship.

July 1: German aviator Kurt Wintgens became the first pilot to shoot down an

enemy airplane with a machine gun synchronized to fire through the propeller

without hitting it. Produced by Anthony Fokker, the device gave the Germans

temporary air superiority.

August 12: A British seaplane launched a torpedo that destroyed an enemy vessel in the Dardanelles, marking the first time an airplane had sunk a

ship.

November 1: Capt. Raynal Cawthorne Bolling organized the Aviation

Detachment, 1st Battalion, Signal Corps (later the First Aero Company), New York National Guard, recognized as the first genuine

National Guard aviation unit. Captain Bolling was appointed as the

first commander.

November 6: Cmdr. Henry C. Mustin of the Navy launched the first airplane by catapult from a moving vessel—the USS North Carolina—in Pensacola Bay,

Florida.

1916

March 15: The 1st Aero Squadron, under Capt. Benjamin D. Foulois, became the first

U.S. aviation unit to engage in field operations when it joined Brig. Gen. John

J. Pershing’s punitive expedition against Mexican revolutionary leader Pancho Villa.

March 21: The French air service authorized formation of the Escadrille Americaine, later known as the Lafayette Escadrille. Composed of pilots from the

United States, many of whom later served in U.S. air units, this French unit

trained Americans in aerial combat.

April 7: Mexicans fired on Army aviators Lt. Herbert A. Dargue and Capt. Benjamin D. Foulois at Chihuahua City, Mexico, when they landed with dispatches for the U.S. consul.

13

Curtiss JN–3s of the 1st Aero Squadron at Columbus, New Mexico, during the campaign against Pancho Villa, 1916

1915–16
May 20: Lt. Col. George O. Squier assumed command of the Signal Corps’s Aviation Section, replacing Lt. Col. Samuel Reber.

June 18: H. Clyde Balsley of the Lafayette Escadrille became the first American aviator shot down during World War I.

June 30: For the first time, two nations conducted combined air operations

when the British and the French air services worked together on the

western front in preparation for the Somme offensive, which began on

July 1.

July 13: Commanded by Capt. Raynal C. Bolling, the First Aero Company, New

York National Guard, was mobilized during the border crisis with Mexico. It

trained at Mineola, New York, but did not deploy to the Mexican border.

This marked the first time a National Guard air unit was called up for federal

service.

September 2: Army aviators first demonstrated airplane-to-airplane radio communication over North Island, San Diego, when Lt. William A. Robertson and Cpl. Albert D. Smith, flying in one plane, communicated by

radiotelegraph with an airplane flown by Lt. Henry A. Dargue and Capt.

Clarence C. Culver.

December 30: The Army established an aviation school just north of Hampton, Virginia. Renamed Langley Field in 1917, it is the oldest currently active USAF

base.

1917

February 19: Lt. Col. John B. Bennet became chief of the Aviation Section of the

Signal Corps, replacing Lt. Col. George O. Squier, who became chief signal

officer.

April 6: President Woodrow Wilson signed a congressional declaration of war

against Germany, by which the United States entered World War I.

April 30: Maj. William C. Mitchell became the first Army officer to fly over enemy

lines in World War I, less than a month after the United States entered the

war. He flew as an observer in a French aircraft.

May 16: President Woodrow Wilson established an Aircraft Production Board to

supervise the manufacture of U.S. aircraft and parts for the nation’s participation in World War I.

May 20: An airplane sank a submarine for the first time when a British flying boat

destroyed German submarine U–36 in the North Sea.

14

1916–17
May 26: Maj. Townsend F. Dodd became the first aviation officer on the staff of

Maj. Gen. John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary

Forces.

June 17: The Aeronautical Mission, Aircraft Production Board, led by Maj.

Raynal C. Bolling (the Bolling Mission), sailed for Europe. It was

charged with determining the types of aircraft the United States should

build and with surveying British, French, and Italian aircraft-manufacturing techniques.

July 3: The American Expeditionary Forces began arriving in France.

July 24: Congress appropriated $640 million for Army aviation and authorized the Aviation Section to expand to 9,989 officers and 87,083 enlisted men. No earlier

appropriation had come close to this amount.

July 27: A British DeHavilland DH–4 aircraft arrived in the United States to serve

as a model for the first American-built aircraft equipped with the U.S.-made

Liberty 12-cylinder engine.

September 3: Brig. Gen. William L. Kenly was appointed first chief of the Air Service, American Expeditionary Forces, thus becoming the first single head of all

U.S. air activities in-theater. Col. William “Billy” Mitchell became air commander, Zone of Advance.

September 13: The 1st Aero Squadron arrived in France as the first air unit to serve

with the American Expeditionary Forces.

October 18: The Signal Corps established an experimental laboratory at McCook

Field, Dayton, Ohio, to test new aviation technology.

October 29: The first American-built DH–4 was completed and flown at Dayton,

Ohio.

November 7: Eugene J. Bullard, an American in French service, became the first

black fighter pilot to claim an aerial victory.

November 27: Brig. Gen. Benjamin D. Foulois replaced Brig. Gen. William L.

Kenly as chief of the Air Service, American Expeditionary Forces.

1918

January 19: The U.S. School of Aviation Medicine began operations under Maj.

William H. Wilmer at Hazelhurst Field, Mineola, New York, to train medical

doctors and nurses to treat U.S. military aviation personnel.

January 20: Col. William “Billy” Mitchell became chief of Air Service, I Army

Corps, upon its organization at Neufchateau, France.

15

1917–18
February 5: Lt. Stephen W. Thompson, flying as a gunner in a French-piloted airplane,

became the first Army soldier to score an aerial victory.

16

Many American pilots in World War I flew the Nieuport 28, a French fighter.

February 18: The 103d Aero Squadron, composed of former members of the

Lafayette Escadrille and using Spad airplanes, began operating at the front

under tactical control by the French.

March 5: The 2d Balloon Company became the first Army air unit to serve with

American troops at the front in World War I when it began operations under

I Corps at the Toul Sector.

March 11: Lt. Paul Baer of the 103d Aero Squadron earned the first Distinguished Service Cross awarded to a member of an Army air unit by

becoming the first pilot with an American squadron to down an enemy

airplane. U.S. pilots with earlier aerial victories had served with the

French.

April 1: The Royal Air Force emerged from the combined resources of the Royal

Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service.

April 14: Lt. Douglas Campbell and Lt. Alan F. Winslow became the first members of the 94th Aero Squadron to shoot down enemy aircraft when they

downed two German fighters within minutes of each other over Toul Airdrome.

April 21: Capt. A. Roy Brown, a Canadian member of Britain’s Royal Air Force,

shot down Baron Manfred von Richthofen, Germany’s “Red Baron.”

Richthofen, the leading ace of the war, had shot down 80 airplanes.

1918
17

April 23: The first shipment of U.S. Liberty aircraft engines arrived in France.

April 29: Lt. Edward V. Rickenbacker, who later became the leading U.S. ace of

World War I with 26 victories, shot down his first airplane.

May 5: The 1st Pursuit Group was organized at Toul, France, to coordinate the 94th

and 95th Aero Squadrons. Now the 1st Operations Group, 1st Fighter Wing,

it is the oldest USAF group in existence.

May 11: The first American-built DH–4, equipped with a Liberty engine, arrived in

France for service with the American Expeditionary Forces.

The DeHavilland DH–4. Many U.S. Air Service pilots in France during World

War I flew this British-designed airplane.

May 15: Army pilots began flying the government’s first permanent airmail route—

Washington, D.C., to New York.

May 19: Raoul G. Lufbery, who earned 17 aerial victories with the Lafayette Escadrille

before transferring to the American Expeditionary Forces, lost his life in combat.

He had passed much of his knowledge of aerial warfare to fledgling American

fighter pilots such as Eddie Rickenbacker.

May 20: Army aviation was separated from the Signal Corps with the formation of

two new War Department bureaus—the Division of Military Aeronautics,

under Maj. Gen. William L. Kenly, and the Bureau of Aircraft Production,

under John D. Ryan, who was named director nine days later.

May 24: The War Department recognized the Division of Military Aeronautics and

the Bureau of Aircraft Production as constituents of the Army Air Service.

May 29: Brig. Gen. Mason M. Patrick became chief of Air Service, American Expeditionary Forces.

1918
18

June 12: The 96th Aero Squadron conducted the first daylight bombing by an

American unit when it attacked enemy-held marshalling yards at DommaryBaroncourt, France.

August 2: U.S.-built airplanes patrolled the front lines for the first time when 18

DH–4 airplanes of the 135th Observation Squadron flew from an airdrome

at Ourches, France.

August 28: John D. Ryan, already the director of the Bureau of Aircraft Production,

became assistant secretary of war and the first director of the Army Air Service, giving him control over both the Bureau of Aircraft Production and the

Division of Military Aeronautics.

September 12–15: Brig. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell commanded the largest air

armada ever assembled—1,481 Allied airplanes—during the first major American offensive of the war at Saint-Mihiel, France.

September 25: Capt. Edward V. Rickenbacker of the 94th Aero Squadron earned

the Medal of Honor by shooting down two enemy airplanes in a group of

seven he attacked near Etain, France.

September 29: Lt. Frank Luke of the 27th Aero Squadron lost his life in aerial combat after having destroyed 18 enemy balloons and airplanes in 17 days. He

was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.

October 2: The United States successfully flight-tested a pilotless aircraft called the

Kettering “Bug” at Dayton, Ohio.

October 6: Second Lt. Erwin R. Bleckley of the Kansas National Guard, flying as

an aircraft observer with the 50th Aero Squadron, and his pilot, 1st Lt. Harold

E. Goettler, were killed after repeatedly trying to locate and resupply the

famous “lost battalion,” which had been cut off by German forces in the

Argonne Forest. Each man was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor,

accounting for half of such awards made to Army aviators during World War

I.

October 12: Members of the 185th Aero Squadron flew the first U.S. night-pursuit

operations in France.

October 30: Capt. Edward V. Rickenbacker, the highest-ranking U.S. ace of World

War I, scored his 26th and final aerial victory.

November 6: At Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, Dr. Robert H. Goddard

demonstrated tube-launched, solid-propellant rockets, forerunners of the

bazooka—an antitank weapon of World War II.

November 10: The 3d Aero Squadron flew the last Army Air Service patrol over

enemy lines in World War I. The next day, the Allies and Germany agreed

to an armistice.

1918
December 22: Four Curtiss JN–4 “Jenny” aircraft, with pilots under the command

of Maj. Albert D. Smith, completed the Army’s first transcontinental flight,

landing at Jacksonville, Florida, after departing San Diego on December 4.

19

Capt. Edward V. Rickenbacker and a Spad 13

Many Air Service pilots first learned to fly in the Curtiss JN–4 “Jenny.”

1918
1919

January 2: Maj. Gen. Charles T. Menoher became director of the Army Air Service.

April 28: At McCook Field, Ohio, Leslie L. Irvin first tested a free-type backpack

parachute designed by James F. Smith for the Army, jumping from a DeHavilland DH–9 at 1,500 feet. Although he broke an ankle on landing, Irvin survived the test. After further testing, the Army ordered 400 such parachutes

later that year from Irvin’s company.

May 19: MSgt. Ralph W. Bottriell became the first member of the Army to jump

from an airplane with a backpack-type parachute, later receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross for this feat.

May 27: Lt. Cmdr. Albert C. “Puffy” Read and his five-man crew in a Navy Curtiss

NC–4 Flying Boat completed the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by air,

traveling from Newfoundland to Portugal, stopping once in the Azores.

June 15: Capt. John Alcock and Lt. Arthur W. Brown of Great Britain completed

the first nonstop crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by air, flying from Saint Johns,

Newfoundland, to Clifden, Ireland.

July 13: The first airship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, the British R–34, landed at

Roosevelt Field, Long Island, after leaving England on 2 July.

October 27: A board led by Maj. Gen. Charles T. Menoher, director of the Air

Service, released a report that rejected the proposals of Rep. Charles F. Curry

of California and Sen. Harry S. New of Indiana for an air force department

separate from the Army and Navy.

20

Personnel of the 11th Aero Squadron Day Bombardment, Maulan, France, 1918

1919
October 30: Personnel at McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio, tested a reversible-pitch

propeller, an invention that allowed an aircraft to slow down and stop more

rapidly when landing on short runways.

November 9: Flying a Martin bomber, Lt. Col. Rutherford S. Hartz and his Army

crew completed the first flight around the rim of the United States, covering

9,823 miles in 108 days.

1920

February 22: The first U.S. transcontinental mail-service flight landed in New

York. U.S.-built DeHavilland DH–4s completed the mission in 14 segments.

June 4: Congress passed the National Defense Act to establish the Air Service

on a permanent basis as a combatant arm of the Army, making it the

equivalent of the infantry, cavalry, and artillery. Congress also created the

rating of “airplane pilot” and authorized flying pay of 50 percent above

base pay.

October 14: The Navy began tests to determine the effectiveness of aerial attacks

against ships, dropping sand-filled dummy bombs on the old battleship Indiana at Tangier Sound in Chesapeake Bay.

November 1: Aeromarine West Indies Airways began flights between Key West,

Florida, and Havana, Cuba, thus inaugurating U.S. international passenger

service.

November 1: A Field Officers School opened at Langley Field, Virginia, under Maj.

Thomas DeWitt Milling. Later known as the Air Service Tactical School and,

later still, the Air Corps Tactical School, it taught students the tactical employment of aviation and became the most important source of Army air doctrine

between the world wars.

1921

July 21: Under the leadership of Brig. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell, Martin and

Handley Page bombers from the Army’s 1st Provisional Air Brigade bombed

and sank the captured German battleship Ostfriesland in Chesapeake Bay.

The tests proved General Mitchell’s contention that airplanes could sink the

largest and most powerful naval vessels.

July 29: Hoping to demonstrate the vulnerability of Atlantic seaboard cities to air

attack, Brig. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell led 19 bombers in a mock raid

against New York City, after which he concluded that his target had been theoretically destroyed. He used this raid to support his argument that the Army

21

1919–21
22

Martin MB–2 bomber. Air Service pilots used such bombers to sink the Ostfriesland.

and its aviation arm should assume responsibility for defense of the nation’s

shores.

August: The Ordnance Engineering Corporation (Orenco), in association with Curtiss, delivered to the Army the Curtiss Orenco, the first single-seat fighter of

indigenous U.S. design to achieve production status.

September 13: A report recommending a Department of National Defense with a

branch for aviation, written by Brig. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell for Maj. Gen.

Charles T. Menoher, chief of the Air Service, was leaked to the press.

October 5: Maj. Gen. Mason M. Patrick replaced Maj. Gen. Charles T. Menoher

as chief of the Air Service.

December 1: The Navy dirigible C–7 became the first helium-filled airship to fly

when it journeyed from Hampton Roads, Virginia, to Washington, D.C., and

returned.

Airships over Langley Field, Virginia, 1921

1921
1922

March 20: At Norfolk, Virginia, the Navy commissioned its first aircraft carrier, the

USS Langley (converted from the collier Jupiter).

1923

January 9: An autogiro aircraft designed by Juan de la Cierva made its first

flight, in Spain, with Lt. Alejandro G. Spencer of the Spanish army at

the controls. The revolutionary new aircraft looked like an airplane

but depended on an overhead rotor instead of conventional wings for

lift.

March 27: A War Department board headed by Maj. Gen. William Lassiter

recommended legislation to reorganize and expand the Air Service,

including a suggestion to provide aviation forces that could operate under

a general headquarters to accomplish strategic missions independent of

surface forces.

May 3: Flying a Fokker T–2 airplane, Lt. Oakley G. Kelly and Lt. John A.

Macready completed the first nonstop transcontinental flight, traveling

from New York to San Diego, a distance of 2,520 miles, in slightly less

than 27 hours.

May 14: The Army accepted delivery of the first PW–8 prototype, the progenitor of the famed Curtiss Hawk series of sturdy post–World War I biplane

pursuit aircraft. The “W” designated a water-cooled engine.

June 20: The Army’s first all-metal airplane, the Gallaudet CO–1, a monoplane with

a Liberty-12 400-horsepower engine, made its initial flight. The Air Service

Engineering Division designed it as an observation airplane, but only three

were built.

June 27: Lt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. John P. Richter, flying a DH–4, together

with Lt. Virgil Hine and Lt. Frank W. Seifert, flying another DH–4, performed the first pipeline aerial refueling, which occurred over San

Diego.

August 22: The XNBL–1 Barling bomber, named after its designer, made its

first flight. A six-engine (four tractor and two pusher engines) triplane, it was the Air Service’s largest bomber and carried heavier

loads than previous U.S. bombers; however, its slow speed made it

impractical.

October 10: The Navy commissioned the first American-built dirigible, the Shenandoah, which used inert helium rather than explosive hydrogen gas for lift.

23

1922–23
1924

March 4: After six hours of bombing, Air Service crews in two Martin bombers

and two DH–4s broke an ice jam in the Platte River at North Bend,

Nebraska.

July 1: The U.S. Post Office began the first regular transcontinental airmail service

with a route between New York and San Francisco, including stops at

Chicago, Omaha, and Salt Lake City.

September 28: Flying two Douglas World Cruisers—the Chicago and the New

Orleans—Lt. Lowell H. Smith, Lt. Leslie P. Arnold, Lt. Erik H. Nelson,

and Lt. John Harding of the Air Service completed the first flight around

the world, which they had begun on 6 April. Two other Douglas World

Cruisers—the Seattle and the Boston—crashed on the way, but the pilot

and mechanic of the Boston, Lt. Leigh Wade and SSgt. Henry H.

Ogden, respectively, completed the flight in a replacement aircraft, the

Boston II.

October 15: The German zeppelin ZR–3 completed a flight from Friedrichshafen,

Germany, to Lakehurst, New Jersey. Renamed the Los Angeles, it was the

first dirigible sent from Germany to the Navy under a reparations agreement.

October 28: In a fog-dispersing experiment, Air Service airplanes dropped electrically charged sand on cloud formations 13,000 feet over Bolling Field, Washington, D.C. The clouds diminished.

24

The NBL–1 Barling bomber could fly neither fast enough nor high enough to be

practical.

1924
1925

April 13: Henry Ford established the first regularly scheduled commercial airfreight

line in the United States between Detroit and Chicago.

September 3: The Navy dirigible Shenandoah broke apart and crashed during a violent storm over Ava, Ohio, killing 14 of 43 persons aboard.

September 5: Col. William “Billy” Mitchell charged that the loss of a Navy airplane on a flight from California to Hawaii and the loss of the Navy dirigible Shenandoah in Ohio resulted from “incompetency,” “criminal negligence,” and “almost treasonable administration” by the Navy and War

Departments. As a result, President Calvin Coolidge ordered Mitchell’s

court-martial.

November 30: A board appointed by President Calvin Coolidge and headed by

Dwight W. Morrow released a report recommending conservative reorganization of the Air Service and its redesignation as the Air Corps, rather than

establishment of an independent air force coequal with the Army and Navy.

The Morrow Board Report also recommended a five-year expansion plan for

Army aviation.

December 17: After a seven-week trial, the Army convicted Col. William “Billy”

Mitchell of violating the 96th article of war by having made “insubordinate” statements. Sentenced to five years’ suspension of rank, pay, and command, he

resigned from the Army shortly thereafter.

1926

March 16: At Auburn, Massachusetts, Dr. Robert H. Goddard successfully

launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket.

May 9: In a Fokker C–2 Trimotor monoplane, Lt. Cmdr. Richard E. Byrd of

the Navy and civilian pilot Floyd Bennett completed the first flight over

the North Pole, taking off and landing at the Norwegian island of

Spitzbergen.

May 20: President Calvin Coolidge signed the Air Commerce Act, the first federal

legislation to regulate civil aeronautics.

July 2: The Air Corps Act redesignated the Army Air Service as the Army Air Corps

and created an assistant secretary of war for air, as recommended by the Morrow Board in November 1925. On the same day, Maj. Gen. Mason M.

Patrick, chief of the Air Service, became chief of the Air Corps. Congress also

established the Distinguished Flying Cross, directing that it be awarded to individuals for outstanding flying achievements since April 6, 1917.

25

1925–26
1927

May 2: Maj. Herbert A. Dargue and his crews completed a Pan American goodwill

flight, departing December 21, 1926, from San Antonio, Texas; visiting South

American countries and the West Indies; and ending in Washington, D.C.—

a distance of more than 22,000 miles. Five amphibious AO–1A airplanes had

begun the flight, but one crashed in Argentina, killing two Air Service members.

May 21: In his airplane Spirit of St. Louis, Charles A. Lindbergh, a captain in the

Missouri National Guard’s 110th Observation Squadron, completed the first

solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, from New York to Paris, a distance of 3,610 miles, in 33 hours and 39 minutes. By act of Congress, Lindbergh received the Medal of Honor for this flight.

26

Charles Lindbergh and the Spirit of St. Louis

June 29: Lt. Lester J. Maitland and Lt. Albert F. Hegenberger of the Air Corps completed the first nonstop flight between California and the Hawaiian Islands in

a Fokker C–2 Trimotor called Bird of Paradise. They flew 2,407 miles from

Oakland to Wheeler Field, Oahu, in 25 hours and 50 minutes.

November 16: The Navy commissioned its second aircraft carrier, the USS

Saratoga. Much larger than the earlier USS Langley, the ship displaced 36,000

tons and had a flight deck almost 900 feet long, with an island superstructure

for flight control.

1927
December 14: Maj. Gen. James E. Fechet replaced Maj. Gen. Mason M. Patrick as

chief of the Air Corps.

1928

June 8: In a Fokker F–7 trimotor called Southern Cross, Sir Charles KingsfordSmith of Australia and a three-man crew completed the first flight from the

United States to Australia, taking off at Oakland, California, and landing at

Brisbane after stops in the Hawaiian and Fiji Islands. The flight covered 7,400

miles.

1929

January 7: Maj. Carl Spaatz, Capt. Ira C. Eaker, 1st Lt. Harry A. Halverson, 2d Lt.

Elwood R. Quesada, and SSgt. Roy W. Hooe set an endurance record for a

refueled airplane in flight, having flown for 150 hours, 40 minutes, and 15 seconds since January 1 in the Question Mark, a Fokker C–2 Trimotor airplane.

Refueling 37 times in the air, they demonstrated the practicality of aerial refueling. Two Douglas C–1 aircraft, each with a three-man crew, provided the

fuel. Capt. Ross G. Hoyt, 1st Lt. Auby C. Strickland, and 2d Lt. Irvin A.

Woodring served as one tanker crew. 1st Lt. Odas Moon, 2d Lt. Andrew F.

Solter, and 2d Lt. Joseph G. Hopkins served as the other.

27

The Question Mark set a flight-endurance record in 1929.

1927–29
28

August 15: Flying a Buhl sesquiplane called Spokane Sun God, Lt. Nicholas B.

Mamer and Arthur Walker traveled nonstop from Spokane, Washington,

to the east coast and back, refueling in the air 11 times on the 7,200-mile

flight.

August 29: Graf Zeppelin, under the command of Dr. Hugo Eckener, completed

the first airship flight around the world. Originating and ending in Lakehurst,

New Jersey, the trip took 21 days.

September 24: Lt. James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle made the first instruments-only

flight, from takeoff to landing. He flew over Mitchel Field, New York, in a

Consolidated NY–2 airplane with a completely covered cockpit, accompanied by a check pilot who monitored the flight.

November 29: Cmdr. Richard E. Byrd of the Navy made the first flight over the

South Pole in the Floyd Bennett, a Ford C–4 Trimotor airplane piloted by

Bernt Balchen and named for the pilot who had taken Byrd over the North

Pole in 1926.

1930

June 20: The Air Corps established Randolph Field at San Antonio, Texas, for

primary and basic pilot training. Known as the “West Point of the Air,”

the field eventually became headquarters of Air Education and Training

Command.

October 8: Near Rome, Maj. Marinello Nelli of Italy’s Regia Aeronautica completed the first official helicopter flight in a twin-rotor aircraft designed by Corrandino D’Ascanio. The craft flew to a height of 59 feet on a flight that lasted

more than eight minutes.

October 25: Transcontinental and Western Air, Incorporated, inaugurated the

first transcontinental passenger air service between New York and Los

Angeles.

November 10: Flying a Lockheed Sirius Blue Flash powered by a Pratt and Whitney Wasp radial engine, Capt. Roy W. Ammel of the Army completed the

first solo nonstop flight from New York to the Panama Canal Zone, having

flown 2,700 miles in 24 hours and 35 minutes.

1931

January 9: Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Army chief of staff, and Adm. William V.

Pratt, chief of naval operations, came to a verbal agreement that the Army Air

Corps would have primary responsibility for coastal defense.

1929–31
May 21–30: Brig. Gen. Benjamin D. Foulois, assistant to the chief of the Air Corps,

commanded a provisional division in the largest Air Corps maneuvers to date,

involving 667 airplanes and 1,400 men in flights over several northeastern and

midwestern states. Foulois coordinated the operations of a pursuit wing, a

bombardment wing, an attack group, two observation wings, and a transport

group.

May 27: The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics began operating

the first full-scale wind tunnel for testing airplanes at Langley Field, Virginia.

July 15: The Air Corps Tactical School moved from Langley Field, Virginia, to

Maxwell Field, Alabama. It produced most of the Air Corps’s air doctrine during the 1930s, including the concept of long-range, high-altitude daylight precision bombing of selected military and industrial targets—the fundamental strategy

of the Army Air Forces in World War II.

September 26: At Newport News, Virginia, the Navy laid the keel of the USS

Ranger, the first ship designed from scratch as an aircraft carrier.

October 5: Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon, Jr., completed the first nonstop flight across the Pacific, flying from Japan to Wenatchee, Washington.

October 7: The Navy, with Army observers present, tested a new bombsight

invented by Carl J. Norden. Subsequently, the Navy provided the Air Corps

with these Norden bombsights—the most advanced devices of their kind used

by the Army Air Forces in World War II.

December 20: Maj. Gen. Benjamin D. Foulois succeeded Maj. Gen. James E.

Fechet as chief of the Air Corps.

29

Maj. Gen. Benjamin D. Foulois, chief of

the Air Corps from 1931 to 1935

1931
30

1932

March 20: The Boeing XP–26, prototype of the P–26, flew for the first time. The

P–26 became the first all-metal monoplane fighter procured by the Air Corps

and the last Army pursuit airplane with an open cockpit, fixed landing gear,

and external-wire wing bracing.

The metal Boeing P–26 of the 1930s was better than fabric-covered biplanes, but

the drag of its nonretractable landing gear and open cockpit kept it from being as

fast as contemporary bombers.

May 9: At Dayton, Ohio, Capt. Albert F. Hegenberger completed the first

blind solo flight on instruments alone, without even a check pilot

aboard.

May 21: Amelia Earhart completed the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic

Ocean by a woman, flying in a Lockheed Vega from Newfoundland to Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

August 25: Amelia Earhart became the first woman to complete a nonstop transcontinental flight, from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey.

1933

April 4: The Navy dirigible Akron crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the New Jersey coast, killing 73 people, including Rear Adm. William A. Moffett, chief of

the Navy’s Bureau of Aeronautics.

July 22: Wiley Post completed the first solo flight around the world, covering almost

15,600 miles in fewer than eight days. He flew a Lockheed Vega called Winnie Mae.

October 11: Secretary of War George H. Dern approved the report of an Army

board chaired by Maj. Gen. Hugh A. Drum, which recommended establishment of a General Headquarters Air Force. The Drum Board recommended

that the General Headquarters Air Force be equipped with more than 1,000

1932–33
aircraft that could be used in combat. Air Corps aircraft not assigned to General Headquarters Air Force would be used for garrison duty, Army observation, and training.

November 27: The Army accepted delivery of its first production-model Martin

B–10, the nation’s first all-metal monoplane bomber produced in quantity.

The twin-engine airplane featured an internal bomb bay, retractable landing

gear, rotating gun turret, and enclosed cockpit. A precursor of World War II

bombers, the B–10 could fly faster than contemporary pursuit aircraft and

much faster than previous biplane and triplane bombers.

31

Airmail control officer dispatching a Douglas O–25C at Boise, Idaho

The Martin B–10 bomber featured an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing

gear.

1934

February 19: After President Franklin D. Roosevelt cancelled existing airmail contracts with commercial airlines because of perceived fraud and collusion, the

Air Corps began delivering airmail. The Army initially flew 18 routes, with 62

trips a day—fewer than the commercial carriers had flown. However, the Air

Corps could not handle this on just a 10-day notice, so the routes and schedules had to be reduced.

1933–34
March 10: The Army Air Corps temporarily suspended domestic airmail deliveries

because of nine crash fatalities. Lack of instruments in Army aircraft for night

and bad-weather flying contributed to the accidents. After some reorganization, equipment overhauls, and reduction of routes and flights, Air Corps airmail flights resumed on March 19.

June 1: Commercial airlines resumed airmail service under new government contracts, relieving the Army Air Corps of that responsibility.

June 28: The Army and the Boeing Aircraft Company signed a contract for the

design of a B–15, the first four-engine monoplane bomber and ancestor of the

B–17 Flying Fortress.

July 18: A War Department board headed by Newton D. Baker, former secretary of war, issued a report recommending formation of a centrally

controlled aerial strike force. The Drum Board had come to the

same conclusion in its recommendation in 1933 for a General Headquarters Air Force.

August 20: Lt. Col. Henry H. Arnold and 10 Martin B–10 bomber crews completed

a month-long air trip of more than 7,000 miles from Bolling Field, Washington, D.C., to Fairbanks, Alaska, and back.

1935

January 12: Amelia Earhart, flying a Lockheed Vega, completed the first solo flight

from Hawaii to California.

February 12: The airship USS Macon crashed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of

California. Two persons died.

March 1: The War Department activated the General Headquarters Air

Force under Brig. Gen. Frank M. Andrews at Langley Field, Virginia,

to manage tactical air units in the United States, with the exception of

observation squadrons allotted to ground forces. This action largely

fulfilled the recommendations of the Drum and Baker Boards of

1933 and 1934.

March 14: Chancellor Adolf Hitler of Germany publicly celebrated the naming of

a German fighter squadron after Manfred von Richthofen, revealing the existence of a German air force—the Luftwaffe. Such a force had been prohibited

by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles.

March 28: Dr. Robert H. Goddard launched the first rocket equipped with gyroscopic controls. It reached a height of 4,800 feet and a speed of 550 miles per

hour.

32

1934–35
November 29: The Pan American Airways China Clipper, a Martin 130 four-engine

flying boat, completed the first transpacific airmail flight between San Francisco and Manila, the Philippines.

December 17: The DC–3, a revolutionary new airliner that became the most popular transport in the world, flew for the first time.

December 22: Brig. Gen. Oscar Westover succeeded Maj. Gen. Benjamin D.

Foulois as chief of the Air Corps.

December 27: The Air Corps’s 5th Group (Composite) dropped bombs to divert

lava flowing from Mauna Loa volcano, which was threatening the city of Hilo,

Hawaii.

1936

February 19: William “Billy” Mitchell died in New York City. He was buried in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

June 6: The Socony-Vacuum Oil Company of Paulsboro, New Jersey, began

producing 100-octane aviation gasoline, which provided more power

for aircraft engines, allowing planes to fly faster and carry heavier

weights.

June 7: Flying from New York to Los Angeles entirely on instruments, Maj. Ira C.

Eaker completed the first transcontinental “blind” flight.

June 16: Seversky Aircraft Company won a contract to provide the Air Corps with

P–35 airplanes—the Army’s first single-seat fighters with enclosed cockpits and

retractable landing gear.

July 26: German airplanes arrived in Morocco to airlift the Army of Africa to Spain

at the opening of the Spanish Civil War. Gen. Francisco Franco of Spain

commanded this army.

November 4: The Pan American Hawaiian Clipper completed the first regular passenger transpacific flight from Alameda, California, to Manila, the Philippines, and back.

1937

March 1: The 2d Bombardment Group at Langley Field, Virginia, acquired its

first YB–17A, the prototype of the B–17 Flying Fortress. Equipped with

multiple machine guns to defend itself against fighters swift enough to

catch it, the B–17 was designed to fly unescorted to long-range enemy

targets.

33

1935–37
April 12: Frank Whittle tested the first practical jet engine in a laboratory at Cambridge University, England.

April 26: German airplanes of the Kondor Legion bombed the Spanish town of

Guernica, leaving 6,000 dead. The air raid inspired a famous antiwar painting

by Pablo Picasso.

May 6: The German dirigible Hindenburg, the largest and most luxurious airship

ever built, burned while mooring at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Thirty-five people

died in the disaster.

July 2: Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in

their attempt to fly around the world, a trip they had begun on May 21 from

San Francisco eastward.

1938

February 27: A flight of six B–17s under Lt. Col. Robert D. Olds completed a

goodwill flight from Miami, Florida, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and back

to Langley Field, Virginia. The flight of about 10,000 miles had begun on

February 17.

May 12: Three Army B–17 crews intercepted the Italian ocean liner Rex in the

Atlantic Ocean 700 miles from U.S. shores, proving the potential of longrange bombers in coastal defense. The demonstration backfired when the

Navy demanded that Air Corps bombers be restricted to within 100 miles of

the coast.

August 12: Three B–17 crews of the 2d Bombardment Group under the command

of Maj. Vincent J. Meloy completed a goodwill mission from Langley Field,

Virginia, to Bogotá, Colombia.

August 22: The Civil Aeronautics Act placed all nonmilitary aviation under the regulatory authority of the Civil Aeronautics Authority.

August 24: The Navy flew the first drone target in the United States—a radiocontrolled JH–1—to test antiaircraft batteries on the aircraft carrier USS

Ranger.

September 29: Maj. Gen. Henry H. Arnold became chief of the Army Air Corps,

formally taking the place of Maj. Gen. Oscar Westover, who died in an airplane crash at Burbank, California, on September 21.

October 14: Edward Elliott conducted the first flight test of the Curtiss XP–40 at

Buffalo, New York. The XP–40 was the prototype of the P–40 of World War

II fame.

November 14: At a secret White House meeting with his military leaders, President

Franklin D. Roosevelt called for an Air Corps of 20,000 airplanes. Although

34

1937–38
he could not immediately request sufficient funds for the program from Congress, Roosevelt committed his administration to a vastly expanded air force.

1939

February 14: Maj. Caleb V. Haynes and his crew flew the Boeing XB–15, laden with

more than 3,000 pounds of medical supplies, from Langley Field, Virginia, to

Chile for the relief of earthquake victims. The flight demonstrated not only

U.S. humanitarian-airlift capabilities, but also the range and payload of the

new airplane.

April 3: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Defense Act of 1940,

which provided the Army Air Corps more than 48,000 personnel, a $300 million budget, and 6,000 airplanes. It also authorized the Air Corps to train

black pilots.

May 20: Pan American Airways initiated the first regularly scheduled passenger and

airmail service across the Atlantic Ocean.

August 27: The Heinkel He–178 made the first jet-powered aircraft flight at

Marienhe Airfield, Germany.

September 1: Germany invaded Poland, precipitating World War II. Two days

later, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany.

December 16: Maj. Gen. Delos C. Emmons assumed command of General Headquarters Air Force, succeeding Maj. Gen. Frank Andrews.

1940

April 9: German troops invaded Denmark and Norway, landing troops from

the air for the first time in war to seize an airfield at Stavanger, Norway.

April 15: The War Department issued a new field manual, FM 1-5, on the

employment of Army aviation. It advocated the centralized use of air

power against strategic and interdiction targets and mentioned that

airplanes could be used to support tactical commanders on the battlefield.

May 13: Igor I. Sikorsky flew in his VS–300 (Vought-Sikorsky) helicopter in its first

truly free flight. Previous experimental flights had consisted of short, tethered

hops.

May 16: President Franklin D. Roosevelt called for the production of 50,000 airplanes a year.

35

1938–40
July 8: The Air Corps established training centers at Randolph Field, Texas;

Maxwell Field, Alabama; and Moffett Field, California.

July 8: The Boeing 307B Stratoliner, featuring a pressurized cabin, made its first

commercial airline flight. Boeing later produced the first bombers with pressurized cabins.

August 8: The German Luftwaffe began a systematic and sustained campaign of air raids on British airfields, hoping to destroy the Royal Air

Force so that a cross-channel invasion of Great Britain would be

practical. Also known as Eagle Day, this date marked the beginning

of the Battle of Britain.

September 2: The United States agreed to transfer 50 destroyers to Great Britain in

exchange for air and naval bases at eight strategic points on islands in the

Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

September 7: On the orders of Adolf Hitler, the Luftwaffe began to target

British cities such as London, partly to avenge a British attack on

Berlin and partly to destroy British morale. The shift from attacks on

military targets only stiffened the will of the English people to resist

and allowed the Royal Air Force to recover from the Luftwaffe campaign against its airfields.

September 16: Congress passed the Selective Service Act, which not only instituted a peacetime draft, but also required all arms and services to enlist

blacks.

September 16: The War Department announced that the Civil Aeronautics

Authority would cooperate with the Army to develop black aviation

units.

September 17: Intelligence intercepts of German communications confirmed that

Hitler had postponed the invasion of England. Because the Luftwaffe had

failed to win control of the air over the English Channel, victory in the Battle

of Britain went to the Royal Air Force.

October 8: The Royal Air Force announced formation of the first Eagle Squadron,

a fighter unit consisting of U.S. pilot volunteers.

November 1: The Air Corps activated the Hawaiian Air Force, later redesignated

Seventh Air Force, at Fort Shafter in the Hawaiian Islands.

1941

March 11: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Lend-Lease Act, which

authorized the lending of war materiel, including aircraft, to any nation whose

defense he considered vital to that of the United States. By the end of the war,

36

1940–41
the United States had supplied its Allies with some 43,000 airplanes, most of

them ferried or shipped to Great Britain and the Soviet Union.

March 22: The 99th Pursuit Squadron, the first black flying unit, was activated at

Chanute Field, Illinois, under the command of Capt. Harold R. Maddux.

April 9: The Danish government in exile agreed to allow the United States to construct and operate airfields in Greenland.

May 6: The Republic P–47 Thunderbolt flew for the first time, with company test

pilot Lowery Brabham at the controls.

May 14: Twenty-one B–17 Flying Fortresses completed the first mass flight of

bombers over the Pacific Ocean, landing at Hickam Field, Hawaii, after taking off from Hamilton Field, California, the previous day.

June 16: The Consolidated B–24 Liberator, a four-engine bomber that could fly

faster and farther than the similarly sized B–17, entered the Air Corps inventory. More than 18,000 B–24s were produced during World War II, a greater

number than any other U.S. aircraft.

37

The B–24 Liberator heavy bomber

June 20: The War Department established the Army Air Forces under Maj. Gen.

Henry H. Arnold. It encompassed both the Office of the Chief of the Air

Corps under Maj. Gen. George Brett, who was responsible for research,

development, supply, and maintenance, and Air Force Combat Command

(formerly General Headquarters Air Force) under Lt. Gen. Delos C.

Emmons, who was responsible for doctrine and operational training.

1941
June 22: Nazi Germany and its Axis allies launched Operation BARBAROSSA, an

overwhelming invasion of the Soviet Union by more than 100 divisions. The

Luftwaffe spearheaded the assault, and by the end of the day, Germany

claimed to have destroyed over 1,200 Soviet aircraft—899 on the ground and

400 in the air.

July 7: U.S. forces occupied Iceland, which became an important staging base for

U.S. airplanes on the way to England.

July 8: The Royal Air Force used B–17s in war for the first time in a daylight raid

on Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

July 19: Capt. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., a West Point graduate whose father had been

the first black graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, reported to Tuskegee

Institute in Alabama with 12 aviation cadets to begin flight training as the first

class of black pilot candidates in the U.S. military.

August 4: The Air War Plans Division of the War Department, which included Lt.

Col. Harold L. George, Lt. Col. Kenneth N. Walker, Maj. Haywood S. “Possum” Hansell, Jr., and Maj. Laurence S. Kuter, began formulating a plan to

project the aircraft necessary to defeat Germany. The plan, called AWPD-1,

completed on August 12, outlined a strategic bombing campaign against key

enemy target sets.

August 12: Capt. Homer Boushey, Jr., flying an Ercoupe civilian airplane, made the

first rocket-assisted takeoff at Wright Field, Ohio. This technique later

allowed heavily loaded airplanes to take off in less space and time.

38

Maj. Gen. Henry H. Arnold, chief of the Army Air Forces, and his staff in 1941.

Left to right: Lt. Col. Edgar P. Sorenson, Lt. Col. Harold L. George, Brig. Gen. Carl

Spaatz, Arnold, Maj. Haywood S. Hansell, Jr., Brig. Gen. Martin F. Scanlon, and

Lt. Col. Arthur W. Vanaman

1941
September 12: Nine B–17 Flying Fortresses completed a weeklong flight from

Hawaii to the Philippines by way of Midway; Wake Island; Port Moresby,

New Guinea; and Darwin, Australia.

September 17: During the Louisiana maneuvers, the Army dropped paratroopers

for the first time in a tactical exercise. Thirteen DC–3s acquired for the purpose dropped a parachute company.

September 20: The Army Air Forces activated the Philippine Department Air

Force—later called Far East Air Force and still later Fifth Air Force—at Nichols

Field, Luzon, in the Philippines.

December 1: By executive order, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the

Civil Air Patrol to facilitate civil defense during World War II. Including

among its members 17-year-old men not yet of draft age, the Civil Air Patrol

flew small liaison aircraft on disaster-relief missions or on missions to patrol

the U.S. coasts to detect enemy submarine activity. In the fall of 1943, the

Civil Air Patrol became an auxiliary of the Army Air Forces.

December 7: Japanese torpedo bombers, dive-bombers, and fighters from six aircraft carriers attacked naval and air installations around Pearl Harbor, Hawaii,

crippling the U.S. Pacific Fleet. In two waves, the Japanese airplanes sank four

U.S. battleships and damaged nine other major warships. The surprise attack,

which killed some 2,390 personnel, propelled the United States into World

War II. Air strikes on Hickam, Wheeler, and Bellows Fields killed 193 members of the Army Air Forces and destroyed 64 of the Hawaiian Air Force’s airplanes. Six Army Air Forces pilots shot down 10 Japanese aircraft that day.

Second Lt. George S. Welch shot down four, 2d Lt. Kenneth M. Taylor shot

down two, and four other pilots each shot down one.

39

The Curtiss P–40 Warhawk, flown by the Flying Tigers (the American Volunteer

Group) in China, also claimed the first aerial victories for the Army Air Forces during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

1941
December 8: Within hours of the attack on Hawaii, Japan also attacked U.S. air

and naval installations in the Philippines, on the other side of the international date line. Japanese airplanes destroyed more than 100 Army

combat aircraft at Clark and Iba Airfields, including 17 B–17 bombers

and 55 P–40s, most of them on the ground. The attack, which killed

some 80 airmen and wounded approximately 150, left the Army Air

Forces in the Philippines without striking power. Five U.S. pilots shot

down seven of the attacking airplanes.

December 10: The 93d Bombardment Squadron of the 19th Bombardment Group

used five B–17s to carry out the first heavy bomb mission of World War II,

attacking a Japanese convoy as it landed troops on the northern coast of

Luzon.

December 16: Lt. Boyd D. “Buzz” Wagner became the first U.S. ace of

World War II after shooting down five enemy aircraft in four days.

He flew with the 17th Pursuit Squadron against the Japanese in the

Philippines.

December 20: Under the leadership of Claire Chennault, the American Volunteer

Group, also called the “Flying Tigers,” flew its first mission against the Japanese in China. The Flying Tigers, consisting of U.S. volunteer pilots, flew P–40

airplanes in the service of the Chinese government of Premier Chiang Kaishek.

1942

January 15: The Army Air Forces activated the Alaskan Air Force at Elmendorf

Field, Alaska. The next month the Alaskan Air Force was redesignated

Eleventh Air Force. It later operated against the Japanese in the Aleutian and

Kurile Islands.

January 28: The Army Air Forces activated Eighth Air Force at Savannah Army Air

Base, Georgia, under Col. Asa N. Duncan. This strategic-bombardment

organization later moved to England to work with the Royal Air Force in the

Combined Bomber Offensive against Germany. Today it is the United States

Air Forces in Europe.

February 12: The Army Air Forces activated Tenth Air Force at Patterson Field,

Ohio. It later moved to South Asia for operations against the Japanese in

China.

February 23: Maj. Gen. Ira C. Eaker assumed command of VIII Bomber Command, which would conduct the first heavy-bombardment missions of Eighth

Air Force from England. The same day, the command established an

advanced detachment in England.

40

1941–42
March 6: The Army Air School at Tuskegee, Alabama, graduated the first five black

military pilots, including Capt. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.

March 9: By executive order, the War Department reorganized into three

autonomous sections: Army Air Forces, Army Ground Forces, and Services

of Supply. The Air Corps continued to exist as a combatant arm of the Army.

April 8: Two DC–3 aircraft acquired by the Army from Pan American Airlines airlifted

gasoline and lubricating oil over the Himalaya Mountains from Dinjan in eastern

India to Yunnan-yi in southern China. A total of eight such airplanes carried

enough fuel and oil over the “Hump” to refuel and service U.S. B–25 bombers

expected to land in China after a secret raid on Tokyo from an aircraft carrier in

the Pacific. This marked the beginning of World War II’s largest airlift, which

delivered Allied supplies from India to China after the Japanese cut the Burma

Road.

41

The B–25 Mitchell bomber. Sixteen such bombers took off from the aircraft carrier

USS Hornet to carry out the Doolittle raid on Tokyo, Japan.

April 18: Col. James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle led 16 B–25s from the aircraft carrier

Hornet to bomb Tokyo and other sites in the first U.S. air raid on Japan.

Because of the range, the raiders had to crash-land in China. Although the

raid caused little destruction, it raised U.S. morale and damaged that of the

Japanese, reversing what had seemed to be an endless stream of Japanese victories. For leading this mission, Doolittle earned the Medal of Honor.

1942
May 7–8: The Battle of the Coral Sea was the first naval battle in which the opposing ships, beyond visual range, attacked each other entirely with aircraft. Both

the United States and Japan lost an aircraft carrier, but the battle thwarted an

invasion of Port Moresby, New Guinea, from which the Japanese could have

invaded Australia.

May 17: Igor I. Sikorsky’s XR–4, flown by Sikorsky and Les Morris, landed at

Wright Field, Ohio, to complete delivery of the first Army Air Forces helicopter.

May 26: The Northrop prototype for the P–61 Black Widow, the first U.S. aircraft

designed as a night fighter, first flew at Hawthorne, California, with test pilot

Vance Breese at the controls.

June 4–5: The Japanese attempt to take the island of Midway in the mid-Pacific

failed in a major battle—the most important turning point in the war in the

Pacific. Having broken the Japanese code, U.S. forces were ready for the

invaders. As a result of the Battle of Midway, fought primarily by carrier aircraft but also by some Army Air Forces aircraft from Midway, the Japanese

lost four aircraft carriers, a heavy cruiser, 322 aircraft, and some 5,000 men,

including many skilled pilots. The United States lost the USS Yorktown, one

of its three aircraft carriers. After this battle, the Japanese were forced to go

on the defensive.

June 12: The Army Air Forces launched its first strategic air raid in the EuropeanAfrican-Middle Eastern theater, sending 13 B–24 Liberator bombers to attack

42

When he was a colonel, James H.

“Jimmy” Doolittle led the first air

raid on Tokyo.

1942
the oil refineries of Ploesti, Rumania. Col. Harry A. Halverson led the raid

from Fayid, Egypt, but it caused little damage.

July 4: In the first Army Air Forces mission over western Europe, the 15th Bombardment Squadron, flying six U.S.-built Boston bombers belonging to the

Royal Air Force, participated in a British attack on four enemy airfields in the

Netherlands.

July 4: The Army Air Forces Chinese Air Task Force was activated under Maj. Gen.

Claire Chennault to replace the American Volunteer Group.

July 7: A Lockheed Vega A–29 of the 396th Bombardment Squadron attacked and

sank a German submarine off Cherry Point, North Carolina—the first such sinking off the Atlantic coast by an Army Air Forces aircraft.

July 19: The Messerschmitt Me–262 flew for the first time, piloted by Fritz Wendel.

The aircraft was the world’s first operational jet fighter.

August 17: Eighth Air Force conducted its first heavy bomber raid in Europe. Twelve

B–17s under the command of Col. Frank A. Armstrong, Jr., bombed railroad

marshalling yards at Rouen in German-occupied France. The raid demonstrated

the feasibility of daylight bombing.

43

On August 17, 1942, Eighth Air Force inaugurated U.S. strategic bombing of Nazi

targets in Europe with the B–17E Flying Fortress.

1942
August 20: The Army Air Forces activated Twelfth Air Force at Bolling Field, D.C.

In November 1942, the Twelfth moved to the Mediterranean theater, providing the Allies with fighter and light-to-medium bomber operations in North

Africa and Italy.

September: The first members of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps began to

serve with the Army Air Forces at Aircraft Warning Service stations. During

the same month, the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron was activated at

New Castle, Delaware, under the command of Nancy Harkness Love, and the

Women’s Flying Training Detachment under Jacqueline Cochran was established under Flying Training Command.

September 12: The 4th Fighter Group activated at Bushey Hall, England, to furnish

the first U.S. fighter escorts for Eighth Air Force heavy bombers on missions

over occupied Europe. Former members of the Eagle Squadrons, U.S. fighter

pilots who had voluntarily served in the Royal Air Force before U.S. entry into

the war, formed the nucleus of the new group.

September 15: Fifth Air Force transport planes airlifted the first U.S. troops to New

Guinea, transporting men of the 126th Infantry Regiment from Australia to

Seven-Mile Airdrome near Port Moresby, New Guinea.

October 2: At Muroc Field, California, Robert Stanley made the first flight in the

Bell XP–59A, the first U.S. turbojet-powered aircraft.

October 3: Germany’s liquid-fueled V–2, the world’s first large operational ballistic

missile, flew successfully for the first time.

November 8: Operation TORCH, the Anglo-American invasion of North Africa,

began with amphibious landings in Morocco and Algeria. Twelfth Air Force supported the invasion with troop-carrying C–47s of the 60th Troop Carrier Group

and Spitfire fighters of the 31st Fighter Group.

44

The Douglas C–47 Skytrain, derived from the DC–3 commercial airliner of the

1930s, served the Army Air Forces during World War II and the Air Force for

decades after the war.

1942
November 10–13: More than 100 P–40s of the 33d Fighter Group flew from two

aircraft carriers—the USS Chenango and the HMS Archer—to Port Lyautey,

Morocco.

November 12: Under Lt. Gen. Lewis H. Brereton, Ninth Air Force began combat

operations in Egypt, providing tactical air support to the British in the drive

westward across North Africa.

November 28: In the first Army Air Forces air raid on Thailand, nine B–24 Liberators flew 2,760 miles from Gaya, India, to bomb Bangkok.

December 1: Maj. Gen. Ira C. Eaker assumed command of Eighth Air Force in

England, replacing Maj. Gen. Carl A. Spaatz, who transferred to the Mediterranean theater.

December 27: Second Lt. Richard I. Bong, flying a P–38 against the Japanese in the

Pacific, scored his first two aerial victories. By the end of the war, he had

earned 40 such credits, making him the top U.S. ace.

45

Capt. Richard I. Bong, the leading U.S. ace during World War II

1943

January 5: Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, commander of Operation TORCH, activated Allied Air Force under Maj. Gen. Carl A. Spaatz in the Northwest

African theater.

1942–43
January 13: The Army Air Forces activated Thirteenth Air Force in New Caledonia

for fighter and bomber operations against the Japanese in the Southwest

Pacific theater.

January 21: At the Casablanca Conference in Morocco, where U.S. and British leaders discussed war policy, Lt. Gen. Ira C. Eaker successfully presented his case

for daytime bombing of Germany to Winston S. Churchill, prime minister of

Great Britain.

January 27: For the first time, Eighth Air Force bombed a target in Germany. More

than 50 B–17s and B–24s of the 1st Bombardment Wing attacked submarine

construction facilities at Wilhelmshaven.

January 30–31: In a night raid on Hamburg, Germany, the Royal Air Force first

used H2S, an airborne radar navigation system for finding ground targets not

visible because of clouds or darkness.

February 1: Navy crews in PBY–5 Catalina aircraft rescued Thirteenth Air Force

commander Maj. Gen. Nathan F. Twining and 14 others near the New

Hebrides Islands after they were forced to ditch their aircraft and spend six

days in life rafts.

February 17: Allied Force Headquarters constituted and activated Mediterranean Air Command under Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder of

Great Britain. It included three commands: Northwest African Air

46

Lt. Gen. Ira C. Eaker, commander of

Eighth Air Force in 1943, directed early

U.S. heavy bomber raids over Europe.

1943
Forces, Middle East Air Command, and Royal Air Force Malta Command.

March 1: Lt. Gen. Carl A. Spaatz, newly promoted, assumed command of Twelfth

Air Force.

March 2–4: In the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, Fifth Air Force heavy bombers,

medium bombers, light bombers, and fighters attacked a 16-ship Japanese

convoy on the way to New Guinea, sinking eight troop-laden transports and

four of eight escorting warships. Modified B–25s participated in the attack,

using low-level skip bombing for the first time.

47

Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Gen. George S. Kenney, head of Fifth Air Force, in

the Southwest Pacific during World War II

March 10: The Army Air Forces activated Fourteenth Air Force at Kunming,

China, under Maj. Gen. Claire L. Chennault, former commander of the

American Volunteer Group, the “Flying Tigers.” Fourteenth Air Force, which

included a composite wing composed of U.S. and Chinese pilots, conducted

tactical air operations against Japanese forces occupying China.

1943
April 18: In P–38 aircraft over Bougainville, 1st Lt. Rex T. Barber and

Capt. Thomas G. Lanphier, Jr., intercepted and shot down a Japanese bomber carrying Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, the Japanese officer

who had planned the attacks on Pearl Harbor and Midway. The interception, meticulously planned and executed on the first anniversary

of the Doolittle raid, deprived the Japanese of one of their most brilliant naval officers. Maj. John W. Mitchell led the flight of 16 P–38s

in which Barber and Lanphier flew.

48

Maj. Gen. Claire Chennault, commander of Fourteenth Air Force in

1943

The raid to intercept and shoot down Admiral Yamamoto used the

P–38 Lightning aircraft, which was also flown by the two top U.S. aces.

1943
June 10: The Royal Air Force and the Army Air Forces launched the Combined Bomber Offensive against Germany. Eighth Air Force struck

enemy industrial targets by day, while the Royal Air Force attacked

enemy cities by night. The around-the-clock bombing was designed to

cripple and then destroy the Germans’ ability and will to continue the

war.

June 11: After a month-long aerial bombardment that had commenced on May 8,

some 11,000 Italian troops on the island of Pantelleria, between Italy and

Tunisia, surrendered to the Allies without firing a shot.

June 13: In a raid on Kiel, Germany, Eighth Air Force lost 26 of 60 bombers,

demonstrating the need for fighter escorts.

June 15: The world’s first operational jet bomber, the Arado Ar–234V–1 Blitz, first

flew in Germany.

June 22: For the first time, Eighth Air Force bombed a target in the Ruhr industrial area of Germany. The chemical works and synthetic rubber plant at

Huls was so severely damaged that it did not resume full production for

six months.

July 2: Lt. Charles Hall of the 99th Fighter Squadron shot down a German FW–190

over Sicily, becoming the first black Army Air Forces pilot to shoot down an

enemy airplane.

July 24–August 3: In Operation GOMORRAH, the Royal Air Force attempted to

destroy the German city of Hamburg with four air raids at night. Eighth Air

Force supported the operation with two daylight raids. The attacks produced

firestorms that killed some 40,000 people. During these raids, the British first

used “window”—strips of aluminum foil dropped from the bombers to confuse German radar.

August 1: Five Army Air Forces B–24 groups flying from Libya in North Africa

conducted a low-level bombing raid on Ploesti, Rumania, to destroy Germany’s most important oil refineries. The attack, code-named Operation

TIDALWAVE, reduced Ploesti’s refining capacity by 40 percent. Fiftyfour of 177 bombers were lost. Four of the flyers on the raid earned the

Medal of Honor.

August 5: Jacqueline Cochran assumed duties as director of Women Airforce

Service Pilots (WASP), a new organization that merged her Women’s

Flying Training Detachment with the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying

Squadron (WAFS). Nancy Harkness Love, former WAFS commander,

became WASP executive with the Ferrying Division of Air Transport

Command.

August 17: More than 300 B–17s took off from the United Kingdom without

fighter protection to bomb ball-bearing factories at Schweinfurt and air49

1943
craft plants at Regensburg on the deepest U.S. air raid into Germany to

date. Although the bombers dropped 724 tons of bombs, many did not

hit their targets, and 60 of the Flying Fortresses were lost, mostly to

enemy fighters. The high loss rate shook the confidence of Eighth Air

Force leaders in the ability of heavy bombers to protect themselves on

daylight raids. Eighth Air Force bombers did not return to raid a target in

Germany until September 6.

September 12: In a daring glider operation, Capt. Otto Skorzeny, a German

commando, landed troops at Gran Sasso in central Italy to free Italian

dictator Benito Mussolini from captivity. The Germans flew Mussolini in

an Fi–156 airplane to German-occupied northern Italy, where he set up

a puppet state.

September 13: The 52d Troop Carrier Wing used more than 80 troop transports to

drop more than 1,200 paratroopers of the 82d Airborne Division on the Salerno

beachhead in Italy, without losing a single man or airplane, in one of the most

successful Allied airborne operations of the war.

September 22–23: For the first time, Eighth Air Force B–17s took part in a Royal

Air Force raid on Germany at night. At the time, the Eighth was considering

switching from daylight to night bombing because of heavy loss rates.

September 27: For the first time, P–47s flew all the way with B–17s in a raid on

Emden, Germany. The escorting P–47s were able to fly over 600 miles by carrying additional fuel tanks.

50

The P–47 Thunderbolt became a very effective air-to-ground attack aircraft in

World War II, but it also rendered valuable service as a bomber escort.

1943
October 7: The 422d Bombardment Squadron began special operations from the

United Kingdom with a four-aircraft leaflet-dropping mission over Paris at

night.

October 14: Eighth Air Force raided Schweinfurt, Germany, and its ball-bearing

plants for the second time. Of some 230 attacking heavy bombers, 60 were

lost to fighter interceptors and flak, and 138 more were damaged, causing the

Eighth to temporarily discontinue daylight bombing of targets deep in Germany.

October 16: Ninth Air Force, which had led U.S. tactical air missions in North

Africa and the Mediterranean, moved to England to prepare for the invasion

of France.

November 1: Fifteenth Air Force activated at Tunis, Tunisia, for the strategic bombardment of enemy targets in Europe, first from bases in North Africa and

later from Italy. Maj. Gen. James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle served as its first commander.

November 2: Fifteenth Air Force flew its first mission, sending more than 112 B–17s

and B–24s against targets in the Wiener Neustadt area of Austria.

November 13: Fifty-seven B–24s and 62 B–25s bombed airfields at Alexishafen and

Madang in the heaviest Allied air raid on New Guinea.

December 5: Pilots of Ninth Air Force’s 354th Fighter Group flew their new P–51s

for the first time into combat, escorting Eighth Air Force B–17 bombers for

a record distance of 490 miles to targets in northern Germany. The fast and

maneuverable aircraft, equipped with fuel tanks that allowed them to accompany the bombers all the way to the target, sharply reduced bomber losses to

enemy fighters.

51

The North American P–51 Mustang was the fastest U.S. fighter in World War II

and gained fame as a long-range bomber escort.

1943
December 24: A total of 670 B–17s and B–24s bombed the Pas de Calais area

of France in the first major Eighth Air Force attack on German

V–weapon sites.

1944

January 4–5: Lt. Col. Clifford Heflin flew the first Army Air Forces mission in Operation CARPETBAGGER from Tempsford, England, to France to drop supplies at night to resistance forces.

January 6: Lt. Gen. Carl A. Spaatz, who had commanded U.S. air forces in the

Mediterranean theater, assumed command of Eighth Air Force, replacing Lt.

Gen. Ira C. Eaker. Spaatz had been Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s air commander in the Mediterranean. Eisenhower was moving to England to prepare

for the invasion of France. At the same time, Eaker replaced Spaatz in the

Mediterranean.

January 8: Test pilot Milo Burcham flew the Lockheed XP–80 Lulu Belle for the

first time at Muroc Dry Lake, California. The P–80 became the first U.S.

fighter to exceed 500 miles per hour in level flight.

January 22: The Mediterranean Allied Air Force launched some 1,200 sorties in

support of Operation SHINGLE, the Allied amphibious invasion of Anzio

on the western coast of Italy.

February 3: Col. Philip Cochran led five P–51s on the first air-commando

combat mission against the Japanese in the China-Burma-India theater.

February 15: Some 250 Allied medium and heavy bombers attacked the Nazioccupied Abbey of Monte Cassino, Italy, to open the way for the U.S.

Fifth Army and the British Eighth Army to continue their offensive

toward Rome.

February 20–26: In what came to be known as “Big Week,” Eighth and Fifteenth

Air Force B–17s and B–24s launched heavy raids on German aircraft factories and ball-bearing plants in an attempt to reduce the Luftwaffe threat.

Fighter escorts limited bomber losses to 6 percent.

February 22: Eighth Air Force was redesignated U.S. Strategic Air Forces in

Europe, and VIII Bomber Command was redesignated Eighth Air

Force.

March 4: Thirty-one B–17 Flying Fortresses flew the first U.S. daylight air raid

on the Berlin area of Germany, which had been bombed previously only

by the Royal Air Force at night. Eighth Air Force had recalled the

bombers after launch because of bad weather, but one group carried out

the mission.

52

1943–44
March 6: In its first major raid on the Berlin area, Eighth Air Force lost 69 of the

658 heavy bombers it launched—the highest number of bombers lost in a single day during the war. Nevertheless, the bombers dropped 1,600 tons of

bombs on the German capital.

March 11: Essen, Germany, was the target for 4,738 tons of bombs dropped by

1,079 Eighth Air Force bombers—the highest tonnage of bombs dropped

during World War II by the Army Air Forces on one target in a single

mission.

March 11: Operation THURSDAY concluded. During this operation, the

Allies airlifted more than 9,000 personnel and more than 1,400 mules

and horses from India to a location 200 miles behind enemy lines in

Burma.

March 19: To support an Allied offensive in Italy, the Mediterranean Allied

Air Force launched a seven-week bombing campaign called Operation STRANGLE, targeting German supply lines. By May 11, the

Allies had flown some 50,000 sorties and had dropped 26,000 tons of

bombs.

March 25: Fifteenth Air Force attacked the Aviso Viaduct in the Brenner Pass,

temporarily cutting the main highway between Italy and greater Germany. On this raid, the Army Air Forces used for the first time a VB–1

Azon radio-guided bomb—the crude predecessor of the precision-guided

munitions developed and used with great success over a quarter century

later.

March 28: Eighth Air Force activated the 801st Bombardment Group (Heavy)

Provisional to conduct special operations missions in the European theater.

March 29: The 1st Air Commando Group was activated in India to provide airlift

and air support to British soldiers behind enemy lines in Burma.

April 3: Mediterranean Allied Air Force sent 375 B–17 and B–24 heavy bombers

on the first heavy air raid over Budapest, Hungary.

April 4: The Army Air Forces activated Twentieth Air Force in Washington, D.C., to manage B–29 Superfortress operations against Japan—

first from India and China and later from the Mariana Islands in the

Pacific.

April 8: Ninth Air Force launched one of the largest tactical air raids of the war,

sending 163 B–26s and 101 P–47s against enemy-held facilities at Hasselt,

Belgium.

53

1944
April 25: Lt. Carter Harman of the 1st Air Commando Group, flying a Sikor-sky

YR–4 helicopter, rescued four men from the Burmese jungle in the first Army

Air Forces combat rescue by helicopter.

May 10: Some 400,000 Chinese laborers completed the Chengtu Project, the construction of five very heavy bomber bases and six fighter fields in China for U.S.

B–29 air operations. The project had begun in January.

June 2: Lt. Gen. Ira C. Eaker led bombers in the first shuttle-bombing mission,

part of Operation FRANTIC, taking off from Italy and landing at a

Soviet airfield at Poltava after bombing marshalling yards in Debrecen,

Hungary. The operation involved bombing missions from Allied bases

in both the United Kingdom and Italy that terminated at bases in the

Soviet Union.

June 5: Twentieth Air Force’s XX Bomber Command launched 98 Superfortresses

from India on the first B–29 raid of the war, bombing railroad shops at

Bangkok, Thailand.

June 5–6: More than 1,400 C–47s, C–53s, and gliders of Ninth Air Force dropped

or landed three full airborne divisions in German-occupied France on the

night before and during the Allied amphibious invasion of Normandy. The

airborne troops endeavored to secure the land approaches to and from the

beaches.

June 6: Allied forces based in the United Kingdom crossed the English

Channel and invaded German-held Normandy in northern France to

begin Operation OVERLORD, the largest amphibious attack in history. Previous Allied air attacks largely prevented interference by the

Luftwaffe and cut German transportation arteries. On a day often

called “D day,” Eighth and Ninth Air Forces and the Royal Air Force

supported the invasion with some 15,000 interdiction, close air support, and airlift sorties.

June 13: The Germans began launching V–1 jet-powered cruise missiles from

France against England. Four of the first 11 hit London.

June 15: Brig. Gen. LaVerne G. Saunders of XX Bomber Command led the

first B–29 Superfortress bombing raid on Japan. Forty-seven of 68

bombers launched from Chengtu, China, bombing steel works at Yawata

on Kyushu—1,500 miles away—but they caused little damage because of

poor aiming. Ironically, on the same day, U.S. marines invaded Saipan in

the Marianas, Pacific islands that would later provide alternate and more

effective B–29 bases.

June 19–20: During the Battle of the Philippine Sea—later called “The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot”—U.S. carrier-based aircraft shot down more than 300

Japanese carrier-based aircraft over the Pacific. Navy submarines and aircraft

54

1944
also sank three Japanese carriers. Japanese naval air power never again posed

a serious threat to U.S. forces in the Pacific.

June 22: After the second Operation FRANTIC mission of the previous day, the

Luftwaffe attacked Army Air Forces B–17s at Poltava in the Soviet Union,

destroying 47 and damaging 19 more.

July 8: Lt. Col. Clifford Heflin flew a C–47 on the first mission into France to rescue Allied airmen who had parachuted behind enemy lines.

July 17: Ninth Air Force dropped napalm bombs for the first time, releasing them

from P–38s on a fuel depot at Coutances, near Saint-Lô, France. Napalm, a

jellied gasoline, was a revolutionary incendiary compound with immense

destructive potential.

July 25: In Operation COBRA, almost 1,500 Eighth Air Force heavy bombers

conducted saturation bombing of the Saint-Lô area of northern France to

allow Allied forces to break through German lines. Although the operation succeeded in its ultimate objective, some of the bombers hit the

wrong area and killed or wounded almost 500 U.S. troops. Lt. Gen. Lesley J. McNair, commander of the U.S. Army Ground Forces, was one of

the fatalities.

August 4: Eighth Air Force launched the first Operation APHRODITE mission,

sending a radio-controlled B–17 bomber against a German V–1 rocket site in

the Pas de Calais area of France. The pilotless bomber carried 10 tons of

TNT. Largely experimental, Operation APHRODITE was abandoned after

the number of V–1 attacks on Great Britain decreased, partly because conventional bombing could destroy the V–1 sites and partly because Allied ground

advances took site areas.

August 8: Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force announced the establishment of Combined Airborne Headquarters under Lt. Gen. Lewis H.

Brereton of the Army Air Forces. Eight days later, the new organization was

renamed the First Allied Airborne Army.

August 10: Japanese resistance on Guam ended, giving the United States full control of three of the Mariana Islands—Guam, Tinian, and Saipan—for the construction of B–29 bomber bases.

August 28: Maj. Joseph Myers and 2d Lt. Manford O. Croy, Jr., 82d Fighter

Squadron P–47 pilots, shared credit for the first aerial victory over a jet aircraft—a German Me–262.

September 8: The Germans launched V–2s—the world’s first ballistic missiles—

against Paris and London. Rocket scientist Wernher von Braun had developed the missile, almost impossible to intercept because of its speed, at a

secret base at Peenemünde, Germany.

55

1944
September 10: The C–82, the first airplane designed in World War II to carry

cargo exclusively, first flew at the Fairchild aircraft plant in Hagerstown,

Maryland.

September 14: For the first time, Col. Floyd B. Wood, Maj. Harry Wexler, and Lt.

Frank Reckord deliberately flew an aircraft—a Douglas A–20—into a hurricane

to collect scientific data; they returned safely.

September 17: Operation MARKET GARDEN began when 1,546 Allied aircraft

and 478 gliders carried airborne troops to the Netherlands in an attempt to

secure bridges on the way to cross the Rhine River at Arnhem, the Netherlands.

October 24: Capt. David McCampbell of the Navy shot down nine Japanese

fighters in a single day, a record unequaled by any other U.S. pilot.

McCampbell later became the Navy’s leading ace, with 34 aerial victories.

November 3: The Japanese first launched balloons with bombs attached, hoping the jet stream would carry them eastward across the Pacific to the

United States. Some of the bomb balloons reached North America but

caused little damage.

November 24: For the first time, B–29s bombed Tokyo. Previously unable

to reach the Japanese capital from China, they took off this time from

bases in the Mariana Islands. This was the first mission of XXI

Bomber Command, under Brig. Gen. Haywood S. Hansell, Jr., and

the first time Tokyo had been bombed since the Doolittle raid of

April 18, 1942.

December 17: The 509th Composite Group, the first organization with the mission

of dropping atomic weapons, was activated under the command of Col. Paul

W. Tibbets, Jr., at Wendover Field, Utah. On the same day, Maj. Richard

Bong of the Army Air Forces shot down his 40th enemy airplane in the

Pacific—the highest total of any U.S. ace.

December 21: Gen. Henry H. Arnold became General of the Army. No other airman has ever held five-star rank.

December 26: Maj. Thomas B. McGuire, Jr., shot down four enemy airplanes for

a total of 38, making him the second-leading U.S. ace—behind only Maj.

Richard I. Bong. McGuire died in combat 12 days later.

1945

January 17: B–29s flew for the last time from Chengtu, China, when 91 Superfortresses took off to bomb a Japanese airfield at Shinchiku, Formosa. Capure

of the islands of Tinian, Guam, and Saipan in the Marianas in June and July

56

1944–45
1944 provided B–29 bases in the Pacific that proved more useful in attacking

the Japanese home islands.

January 20: Maj. Gen. Curtis E. LeMay succeeded Brig. Gen. Haywood S. Hansell,

Jr., as commander of XXI Bomber Command in the Mariana Islands, taking

charge of the nation’s combat B–29s during a faltering strategic air campaign

against Japan.

January 28: U.S. ground forces (XIV Corps) retook Clark Field, the most important

air base in the Philippines, which had been in Japanese hands since January

1942.

February 16: Army Air Forces C–47s dropped 2,065 paratroopers on the Japaneseheld island of Corregidor in Manila Bay in conjunction with a U.S. amphibious landing on the island. The goal was to secure the harbor of Manila, the

most important city in the Philippines.

February 19: The Marine V Amphibious Corps landed on Iwo Jima, a Japanese

island between the Mariana Islands and Japan. Its capture eliminated a

major Japanese base, gave the United States an air base for escorts of

B–29 bombers, and furnished an emergency landing field for B–29s on

their way back from raids on Japan. Not until March 26 was the island

secured.

February 22: Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces embarked on Operation CLARION,

launching air raids all over Germany to destroy transportation targets such as

railroad marshalling yards and bridges.

February 26: Lt. Gen. Millard F. Harmon, commanding general, Army Air Forces,

Pacific Ocean Areas, disappeared on a flight over the Pacific.

March 9–10: In a night air raid on Tokyo, more than 300 B–29 Superfortresses

from bases in the Marianas dropped incendiary bombs that destroyed 16

square miles of the Japanese capital, about a fourth of the city. In terms of

lives lost, this air raid was the most destructive in history. Undertaken by Maj.

Gen. Curtis E. LeMay, commander of XXI Bomber Command, the attack

reflected a shift in U.S. bombardment policy from high-altitude daylight attack

on specific military targets to low-level area bombing at night. Fourteen B–29s

were lost to flak, but none to interceptors.

March 18: Some 1,250 U.S. bombers escorted by 670 fighters dropped 3,000 tons

of bombs on Berlin’s transportation and industrial areas. In terms of numbers

of bombers, this daylight attack was the largest of the war.

March 24: Eighth and Ninth Air Forces launched some 7,000 bombing, transport,

reconnaissance, interdiction, air support, and other sorties in support of

Operation VARSITY, the Allied crossing of the Rhine River. More than

2,000 transports and gliders of IX Troop Carrier Command dropped two

57

1945
Allied airborne divisions on the other side of the Rhine near Wesel, Germany.

March 27–28: Almost 100 B–29 Superfortresses from bases in the Mariana Islands

dropped mines in the Shimonoseki Strait of Japan to stop shipping between

the islands of Honshu and Kyushu. This B–29 mining operation was the first

of many against Japan.

March 30: The Army Air Forces launched its final B–29 mission from India.

Twenty-six B–29s of XX Bomber Command raided Japanese facilities on

Bakum Island near Singapore.

April 7: Twentieth Air Force launched the first fighter-escorted B–29 raid on Japan.

Acquisition of the island of Iwo Jima, after heavy fighting in February and

March, made this raid possible by providing a base within fighter range of

Japan.

April 10: About 50 German jet aircraft shot down 10 U.S. bombers over the

Berlin area—the largest single-mission loss of bombers to enemy jets. The

same day, the bombers and their escorts shot down at least 20 of the German jets.

April 25: Eighth Air Force flew its last mission against an industrial target, launching

274 heavy bombers with escorts to bomb the Skoda Works at Pilsen, Czechoslovakia.

May 1–7: In Operation CHOWHOUND, Eighth Air Force and Royal Air

Force bombers dropped 7,859 tons of food to starving people in the

Netherlands. By agreement with the Germans, the food was dropped

from low altitude on Dutch airfields, racetracks, golf courses, and

other high ground near towns and cities of the largely flooded country.

May 8: World War II ended in Europe (V-E day).

May 16: In the largest use of napalm in the Pacific War, almost 100 Far East Air

Force P–38s attacked the Ipo Dam area of Luzon in the Philippines.

July 16: Maj. Gen. Curtis E. LeMay assumed command of Twentieth Air Force,

which had been commanded directly by Army Air Forces commander Gen.

Henry H. Arnold.

July 16: The world’s first atomic bomb, having an explosive yield equal to 19 kilotons of TNT, successfully detonated at Trinity Site near Alamagordo, New

Mexico.

August 6: In the first atomic bomb attack in history, Col. Paul W. Tibbets piloted a

B–29 called Enola Gay from the island of Tinian in the Marianas to

Hiroshima, Japan, destroying the city with a single bomb.

58

1945
August 9: Three days after the destruction of Hiroshima, Maj. Charles W. Sweeney

and his crew, flying a B–29 called Bock’s Car, bombed Nagasaki in the second and last atomic bomb attack, which largely destroyed the city and killed

at least 35,000 people.

59

Col. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., led the

atomic attack on Hiroshima.

Boeing B–29 Superfortresses dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki,

Japan.

1945
August 14: Twentieth Air Force launched the final B–29 missions against

Japan, mining waters around that country and bombing six cities with

conventional weapons. By midnight, the Japanese had agreed to surrender, persuaded by a combination of the atomic bomb attacks, continued incendiary bombing, mining operations, and a Soviet declaration of war.

August 27: Twentieth Air Force B–29s completed their first supply-dropping

mission to Allied prisoners of war at Weihsien camp near Peiping,

China.

September 2: The Japanese officially surrendered to the Allied powers on

board the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay in a formal signing ceremony (VJ day).

October 11: At White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico, the Army launched

for the first time a U.S.-made ballistic missile—a Tiny Tim booster with a

WAC (without altitude control) Corporal rocket, which reached an altitude of

43 miles.

October 24: An American Airlines aircraft completed a flight from New York to

Hurn Airfield, England—the first land-plane commercial flight from North

America to Europe.

November 29: The Army Air Forces School, formerly the Army Air Forces School

of Applied Tactics, moved from Orlando, Florida, to Maxwell Field, Alabama, and was assigned directly to the Army Air Forces as a major command.

It later became Air University.

December 3: The 412th Fighter Group received its first P–80 aircraft at March

Field, California, becoming the first Army Air Forces fighter unit equipped

with jet-propelled aircraft.

1946

March 1: Gen. Carl A. Spaatz replaced General of the Army Henry H.

Arnold as commanding general, Army Air Forces. Spaatz had been

acting commander since February 9, while General Arnold prepared

to retire.

March 8: The Civil Aviation Authority granted the first commercial license for a helicopter, the two-seat Bell Model 47.

March 12: The Army Air Forces School at Maxwell Field, Alabama, was redesignated Air University, with jurisdiction over an Air Command and Staff

School, an Air War College, and four bases.

60

1945–46
March 21: Tactical Air Command was activated, Continental Air Forces was

redesignated Strategic Air Command, and Air Defense Command was

established.

April 16: At White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico, the Army launched a

German V–2 rocket in the United States for the first time.

July 1: An Army Air Forces crew in a B–29 called Dave’s Dream, assigned to

the 509th Composite Group, dropped an atomic bomb on 73 naval vessels off Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean in a test known as Operation

CROSSROADS. The explosion sank five ships and heavily damaged

nine others.

July 21: Lt. Cmdr. James Davidson of the Navy, flying a McDonnell

XFH–1 Phantom, made the first successful takeoff and landing of a

jet-powered aircraft from an aircraft carrier—the USS Franklin D.

Roosevelt.

August 17: Sgt. Lawrence Lambert became the first person in the United States

to eject from an airplane by means of an ejection seat. He escaped from

a P–61 flying more than 300 miles per hour over Ohio at an altitude of

7,800 feet.

September 18: At Muroc Dry Lake, California, Convair pilot Sam Shannon made

the first flight in an experimental XF–92—the first true delta-wing aircraft.

1947

March 17: The North American XB–45—the first Army Air Forces multiengine jet

bomber––flew for the first time. Four Allison J35 engines powered the aircraft.

July 26: President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act, which created

a Department of the Air Force equal to the Department of the Army and the

Department of the Navy; a National Military Establishment under the secretary of defense; and an Air National Guard as a reserve component of the Air

Force.

September 18: W. Stuart Symington took his oath as the first secretary of the Air

Force.

September 25: President Harry S. Truman named Gen. Carl A. Spaatz as the first

USAF chief of staff.

September 26: Defense Secretary James W. Forrestal ordered air personnel, bases,

and materiel transferred from the Army to the new Department of the Air

Force.

61

1946–47
October 14: Capt. Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager made the first faster-than-sound flight

at Muroc Air Base, California, in a rocket-powered USAF research plane—

Bell XS–1—and won the Mackay Trophy for the most meritorious flight of the

year.

December 30: The National Military Establishment (predecessor of the Department of Defense) gave the Air Force management responsibility for the Joint

Long Range Proving Ground, including Cape Canaveral, Florida, and downrange sites.

1948

January 30: Orville Wright died in Dayton, Ohio, at the age of 76.

February 20: Strategic Air Command received its first B–50 Superfortress bomber,

an improved version of the B–29 with larger engines, a taller tail fin and rudder, and equipment for in-flight refueling.

62

W. Stuart Symington, the first secretary of the Air Force, and Gen.

Carl A. Spaatz, the first USAF chief of staff, in 1947

Gen. Curtis E. LeMay became

commander of Strategic Air

Command in 1948 and chief of

staff of the Air Force in 1961.

1947–48
April 26: Anticipating an executive order from President Harry S. Truman in July

1948, the Air Force became the first service to plan for racial integration.

June 1: The Air Force Air Transport Command and the Navy Air Transport Service merged into a new organization, the Military Air Transport Service under

the command of Maj. Gen. Laurence S. Kuter.

June 12: Congress passed the Women’s Armed Service Integration Act, establishing Women in the Air Force.

June 16: Col. Geraldine P. May became the first director of Women in the Air

Force.

June 26: In response to a blockade instituted by the Soviet Union on June 24 of rail

and road lines between the U.S., British, and French occupation zones of

western Germany and their occupation sectors in western Berlin, the Allies

launched the Berlin airlift. Called Operation VITTLES by the United States

and Operation PLANE FARE by the British, the airlift delivered enough coal

and food to sustain the city indefinitely and became the largest humanitarian

airlift in history.

63

C–54 Skymaster aircraft like this one carried most of the cargo during the

famous Berlin airlift of 1948–49.

June 26: The 7th Bombardment Group received the Air Force’s first operational

B–36 Peacemaker heavy bomber. With a length of 160 feet and wings spanning 230 feet, the Peacemaker was the world’s largest warplane. The huge sixengine bomber was designed to deliver nuclear weapons against an enemy on

the other side of the globe.

1948
July 20: Sixteen F–80 Shooting Stars completed a mission from Selfridge Field,

Michigan, to Scotland after nine hours and 20 minutes—the first west-to-east

transatlantic flight by jet planes.

July 23: The Military Air Transport Service established Airlift Task Force with

headquarters in Germany for relief to Berlin. Maj. Gen. William H. Tunner

was named to command Task Force operations.

July 30: North American Aviation delivered to the Air Force its first operational jet

bomber—the B–45A Tornado. Later it became the first USAF aircraft to carry

a tactical nuclear bomb.

December 8: A B–36 completed a 9,400-mile nonstop flight from Texas to Hawaii

and back without refueling.

December 9–28: On December 9, 1948, an arctic storm forced the crew of a C–47

Skytrain to land on the Greenland ice cap, stranding a crew of seven. Subsequent rescue attempts by a B–17 and a towed glider failed, stranding five rescuers as well. On December 28, Lt. Col. Emil Beaudry landed a ski-equipped

Skytrain on the ice cap, rescuing the 12 airmen and subsequently winning the

Mackay Trophy.

December 17: On the 45th anniversary of the first heavier-than-air aircraft flight, the

Smithsonian Institution celebrated the return of the 1903 Wright Flyer, also

called the Kitty Hawk, to the United States. The plane arrived in Washington,

D.C., on November 22 from the Science Museum in London, where it had

been displayed for 20 years.

1949

January 3: After severe blizzards hit eight western states, the Air Force began

Operation HAYRIDE. By March 15 more than 200 airplanes had airlifted 4,778 tons of livestock feed, food, blankets, clothing, and medical

supplies.

March 2: Capt. James G. Gallagher and his crew in Lucky Lady II, a B–50 Superfortress, completed the first nonstop flight around the world. They flew more

than 23,450 miles in slightly more than 94 hours, taking off and landing at

Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, and refueling in the air over the Azores, Arabia, the Philippines, and Hawaii. For this flight, the Lucky Lady II crew won

the Mackay Trophy.

April 6: The Curtiss-Wright Company announced that the Bell X–1 rocket

plane, powered by a Curtiss-Wright engine, flew at a record 1,000 miles

per hour.

64

1948–49
65

Above: The Boeing B–50 Superfortress, essentially an improved version of the

B–29. Below: When the B–36 Peacemaker flew in March 1949, it was the largest

bomber ever built, carrying six propeller engines, later supplemented with four jet

engines, two on the end of each wing.

1949
May 11: President Harry S. Truman signed a bill authorizing a 3,000-mile guidedmissile test range for the Air Force, subsequently established at Cape

Canaveral, Florida.

May 12: Faced with the success of the Berlin airlift, the Soviet Union ended the

land blockade of western Berlin. The airlift continued through September 30, building up stockpiles of food and coal in case of a renewed

blockade.

July 1: The Air Force established the USAF Medical Service, headed by Maj. Gen.

Malcolm C. Grow, the first surgeon general of the Air Force.

July 27: The DeHavilland Comet, the world’s first commercial jet aircraft, flew for

the first time.

August 10: President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act

amendments of 1949, revising the unification legislation of 1947 and

converting the National Military Establishment into the Department of

Defense.

September 30: The Berlin airlift officially ended after 277,264 flights had delivered

2,343,301.5 tons of supplies—1,783,826 tons of which were carried by U.S.

airplanes.

November 18: A C–74 Globemaster I became the first airplane to cross the Atlantic

Ocean with more than 100 people aboard. The airplane flew from Mobile,

Alabama, to Marham, England.

December 5: Upon the U.S. detection of a Soviet atomic explosion in

August 1949, the Air Force diverted $50 million from other projects

to begin construction of radar sites in Alaska and other areas of the

United States.

1950

January 15: General of the Air Force Henry H. Arnold, USAF, retired, died of a

heart ailment at Sonoma, California.

June 25: North Korean Communist forces invaded South Korea. North Korean

fighter aircraft attacked nearby Kimpo Airfield, destroying a USAF C–54 on

the ground. The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution calling

for the evacuation of North Korean forces from South Korea, and Fifth Air

Force prepared to airlift U.S. citizens from Seoul, the South Korean capital.

June 26: F–82 Twin Mustang aircraft from the 68th Fighter All-Weather Squadron

provided fighter cover for a Norwegian ship evacuating U.S. citizens from

Seoul by sea. SB–17 airplanes provided rescue cover for the ship, which

sailed from Inchon to Japan.

66

1949–50
June 27: Authorized by a United Nations Security Council resolution, President

Harry S. Truman ordered the Air Force to enter the Korean conflict. C–54,

C–47, and C–46 transport aircraft from the 374th Troop Carrier Wing and

Headquarters Far East Air Forces began airlifting hundreds of evacuees from

Seoul and Suwon Airfields to Japan. They were escorted by F–82s, F–80 jet

fighters, and B–26 light bombers. On the same day, an F–82 Twin Mustang

pilot, 1st Lt. William G. Hudson, earned the first aerial victory credit of the

Korean War. He shot down a North Korean Yak–11 that was attacking a

South Korean airfield near Seoul. Five other USAF pilots also shot down

enemy airplanes.

June 28: The Far East Air Forces launched the first USAF air strikes of the

Korean War, sending more than 20 B–26s of the 3d Bombardment

Group to bomb the Munsan railroad yards near the 38th parallel and rail

and road traffic between Seoul and the North Korean border. North

Korean forces occupied Seoul, the South Korean capital, and nearby

Kimpo Airfield.

June 29: Eighteen B–26s of the 3d Bombardment Group, based in Japan, attacked

Heijo Airfield near Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, in the first Far East

Air Forces action against North Korea.

June 30: As Far East Air Forces began evacuation of Suwon Airfield near Seoul,

President Truman authorized the use of U.S. ground troops in Korea and a

naval blockade of North Korea.

July 1: North Korean Communist forces occupied Suwon Airfield, the last major

airfield in the Seoul area, ending the airlift from there and forcing U.S. fighters to operate from bases much farther south. The first U.S. troops arrived in

South Korea by airlift, carried by 374th Troop Carrier Wing transports from

Japan to Pusan.

July 6: The U.S. Air Force conducted the first strategic air attacks of the

Korean War, sending nine B–29 Superfortresses to bomb the Rising

Sun oil refinery at Wonsan and a chemical plant at Hungnam in North

Korea.

July 14: The 35th Fighter-Interceptor Group moved from Japan to Pohang, becoming the first USAF fighter group based in South Korea during the Korean

War. The 6132d Tactical Air Control Squadron, the first tactical air control

unit in the war, activated at Taegu.

August 5: Maj. Louis J. Sebille, USAF, crashed his severely damaged F–51 Mustang

fighter into an enemy position. For this action, Major Sebille earned the first

Medal of Honor awarded to a member of the Air Force.

August 10: The first two Air Force Reserve units were mobilized for Korean War

service. By 1953 all 25 Reserve flying wings had been mobilized.

67

1950
August 16: In the largest employment of air power in direct support of ground

forces since the Normandy invasion of World War II, 98 B–29s dropped

more than 800 tons of 500-pound bombs on a 27-square-mile area near

Waegwan, where large numbers of enemy troops were suspected to be concentrating for an attack on Taegu.

September 15: U.S. ground forces supported by U.S. Navy and Marine Corps air

strikes invaded Inchon near Seoul in South Korea, far to the rear of enemy

lines. The invasion, coupled with a USAF-supported Eighth Army advance

from the Pusan perimeter that began the next day, turned the tide of the

Korean War, eventually forcing the North Korean army to withdraw from

South Korea.

September 15–October 28: The first contingent of 27th Fighter Escort Wing F–84E

Thunderjet fighters left Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, on September 15,

arriving in West Germany on September 18. The second contingent left

Texas on October 15, arriving in West Germany on October 28. The 27th

Fighter Escort Wing received the Mackay Trophy for this flight, the first mass

deployment of jet-powered fighters flying over the Atlantic Ocean from the

United States to Europe.

September 18: Forty-two B–29s of the 92d and 98th Bombardment Groups

dropped 1,600 bombs on enemy troop concentrations near Waegwan, allowing Eighth Army to advance rapidly from the Pusan perimeter toward Seoul,

Korea.

September 22: Col. David C. Schilling, USAF, completed the first nonstop

flight over the Atlantic by a jet aircraft, landing his F–84 Thunderjet at

Limestone, Maine, after flying 3,300 miles from England in 10 hours,

one minute. He refueled three times from various converted bombers on

the way.

September 29: Capt. Richard V. Wheeler, USAF, made a record parachute

jump from an altitude of 42,449 feet at Holloman Air Force Base, New

Mexico.

October 10: The first Air National Guard units were mobilized because of the

Korean conflict. Eventually, 66 of the Guard’s combat flying units were mobilized, and some 45,000 air guardsmen—approximately 80 percent of the

force—were called into federal service during the war.

October 20–23: In the first airborne operation of the Korean War, more than 100

C–119s and C–47s dropped some 4,000 troops of the Army’s 187th Airborne

Regimental Combat Team and over 600 tons of materiel at Sukchon and Sunchon, 30 miles north of Pyongyang.

November 8: In history’s first battle between jet aircraft, Lt. Russell J. Brown in an

F–80 Shooting Star shot down a North Korean MiG–15. Seventy B–29

68

1950
Superfortresses conducted the largest incendiary raid of the Korean War,

dropping some 580 tons of firebombs on Sinuiju, North Korea.

November 28–December 10: Combat Cargo Command C–119s and C–47s airdropped and landed some 1,580 tons of equipment and supplies, including

eight bridge spans, for the 1st Marine Division, which Communist Chinese

forces had surrounded at the Chosin (Changjin) Reservoir area in northeastern North Korea. The C–47s also evacuated almost 5,000 sick and wounded

marines from Hagaru-ri and Koto-ri.

December 5: Combat Cargo Command evacuated 3,925 patients from Korea on

131 flights—the most aeromedical airlift that occurred in one day during the

Korean War. United Nations forces abandoned the North Korean capital of

Pyongyang.

December 9: A USAF C–47 made the first successful night drop of agents behind

enemy lines in Korea.

December 14–17: Combat Cargo Command evacuated 228 patients, 3,891 other

passengers, and 20,088 tons of cargo from Yonpo Airfield as Chinese troops

pressed X Corps in the Hamhung-Hungnam defense perimeter of northeastern Korea. Naval transports removed the remainder of X Corps by December 24.

December 17: For the first time, Far East Air Forces F–86s encountered North

Korean MiG–15s in combat. Lt. Col. Bruce H. Hinton scored the first F–86

victory over a MiG–15.

69

The F–86 Sabre was the preeminent USAF air-superiority fighter in the

Korean War.

1950
December 20: In Operation CHRISTMAS KIDLIFT, 12 C–54s of the 61st

Troop Carrier Group airlifted more than 800 endangered South

Korean orphans from Kimpo to Cheju-do, an island off the South

Korean coast.

1951

January 13: Far East Air Forces flew the first effective Tarzon mission against an

enemy-held bridge at Kanggye, Korea, destroying 58 feet of the structure with

one six-ton radio-guided bomb.

January 17: For the first time, F–86 Sabre jets flew missions as fighter-bombers

against ground targets in Korea.

January 21: Lt. Col. William E. Bertram became the first USAF pilot to shoot down

a MiG–15 while flying an F–84 Thunderjet.

February 13–16: More than 100 transport aircraft from the 315th Air Division

(Combat Cargo) dropped supplies day and night to members of the U.S. 23d

Regimental Combat Team and a French battalion that Chinese troops had

surrounded temporarily at Chipyong-ni in central Korea. H–5 helicopters of

the 3d Air Rescue Squadron delivered medical supplies and evacuated

wounded despite a blinding snowstorm.

February 16: The Army began using the L–19 Bird Dog for forward air control,

artillery spotting, and other frontline duties in Korea.

March 1: The Air Force established its northernmost operational base—Thule Air

Base, Greenland—690 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

March 15: A Boeing KC–97A Stratofreighter tanker successfully refueled a

B–47 jet bomber in flight, demonstrating the bomber’s long-range

potential.

March 23: In Operation TOMAHAWK, the second airborne operation of the

Korean War and the largest to occur in one day, 120 USAF transports

dropped more than 3,400 U.S. troops and 220 tons of their equipment and

supplies behind enemy lines at Munsan-ni in Korea.

March 24: The Far East Air Forces used an H–19 helicopter for the first

time for the air evacuation of wounded troops in Korea. The H–19

was larger, more powerful, and longer ranged than the H–5 helicopter used earlier.

April 17: Warrant Officer Donald Nichols earned the Distinguished Service Cross

for leading a special operations team aboard a helicopter to recover MiG–15

wreckage and technical information.

70

1950–51
April 18: From Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, an Aerobee research

rocket carried the first primate, a monkey, into space.

May 20: Capt. James Jabara, an F–86 Sabre pilot of the 334th Fighter-Interceptor

Squadron, became the world’s first jet ace, shooting down his fifth and sixth

MiGs in the Korean War.

July 6: An Air Materiel Command KB–29M tanker, operated by a 43d Air Refueling

Squadron crew, conducted the first in-flight refueling over enemy territory under

combat conditions. The tanker refueled four RF–80 Shooting Stars flying reconnaissance missions over North Korea.

August 17: Flying a combat-equipped F–86E Sabre, Col. Fred J. Ascani set a world

speed record of 635.6 miles per hour in the 100-kilometer closed-course

competition at the National Air Races in Detroit, Michigan. This feat earned

Colonel Ascani the Mackay Trophy for the most meritorious flight of 1951.

September 14: Capt. John S. Walmsley, Jr., USAF, lost his life illuminating an

enemy supply train while piloting a searchlight-equipped B–26 Invader in

Korea. After stopping the train with bombs, Captain Walmsley repeatedly

passed over it to guide other aircraft to the target. His actions earned him the

Medal of Honor.

September 20: A monkey and 11 mice survived an Aerobee flight to an altitude of

236,000 feet, marking the first time the Air Force had recovered animals from

a rocket flight.

September 27: In Operation PELICAN, a C–124 Globemaster II flew for the first

time from Japan to Korea, delivering 30,000 pounds of aircraft parts to

Kimpo Airfield and demonstrating the potential of very large transport aircraft

in a combat theater.

71

The Air Force rescued 116 U.S. servicemen from behind enemy lines

in Korea using the H–19 Chickasaw, first flown in 1949.

1951
October 23: The first production B–47 Stratojet medium bomber entered service

with the 306th Bombardment Wing, Medium. This aircraft became the workhorse for Strategic Air Command through most of the 1950s.

72

The Douglas C–124 Globemaster II could be loaded through large clamshell nose

doors.

The Boeing XB–47, prototype of the B–47, the first all-jet strategic bomber

1951
November 30: Maj. George A. Davis, Jr., became the first USAF ace of two wars,

shooting down his fourth and fifth enemy airplanes in Korea after having shot

down seven enemy aircraft during World War II.

1952

February 1: The Air Force acquired its first general-purpose, high-speed digital computer, a vacuum-tube-based Univac I.

February 10: Leading a flight of three F–86 Sabre jets on a combat air patrol

mission near the Manchurian border, Maj. George A. Davis, Jr.,

engaged 12 enemy MiG–15 jet fighters in aerial combat. After shooting down two enemy aircraft and completely disrupting the enemy

formation, Major Davis himself was shot down and killed. For engaging superior forces and shooting down enemy aircraft, he earned the

Medal of Honor.

April 15: The YB–52, prototype of the eight-jet Stratofortress and the first all-jet

intercontinental heavy bomber, flew for the first time.

May 2: The British-made DeHavilland Comet, the world’s first jet airliner, made its

first public demonstration flight in London.

May 3: A ski-and-wheel-equipped USAF C–47 Skytrain made the world’s first successful North Pole landing.

June 23–24: Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps aircraft in coordinated attacks virtually destroyed the hydroelectric power plants of North Korea. The two-day

operation, involving over 1,200 sorties, was the largest single air effort since

World War II.

July 16–17: With the help of aerial refueling, 58 F–84 Thunderjets of the 31st

Fighter Escort Wing under Col. David C. Schilling completed the first mass

flight of jet fighters across the Pacific Ocean. Departing from Turner Air

Force Base, Georgia, on July 4, the airplanes stopped at the islands of Oahu,

Midway, Wake, Eniwetok, Guam, and Iwo Jima on the way to Yokota Air

Base, Japan.

July 29: An RB–45 assigned to the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing completed

the first nonstop jet aircraft flight across the Pacific Ocean. It flew from

Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, to Yokota Air Base, Japan. Maj. Louis H.

Carrington, Jr., Maj. Frederick W. Shook, and Capt. Wallace D. Yancey

earned the 1952 Mackay Trophy for this flight.

July 31: Two Sikorsky H–19 helicopters completed the first transatlantic helicopter

flight, having flown in five stages from Westover Field, Massachusetts, to

Prestwick, Scotland.

73

1951–52
September 30: The Bell Rascal GAM–63 air-to-surface strategic missile was

launched for the first time.

November 22: While leading a flight of four F–80 Shooting Star fighters in divebombing enemy gun positions, Maj. Charles J. Loring’s aircraft was hit. He

deliberately crashed his damaged aircraft into the gun emplacements, earning

the Medal of Honor for his sacrifice.

November 26: The Northrop B–62 Snark—a turbojet-powered, subsonic, longrange missile—flew for the first time.

74

The Snark was the nation’s first intercontinental guided missile.

1953

February 8: The American Medical Association recognized aviation medicine

as a medical specialty, the first one to evolve from military practice and

research.

March 1: The Air Guard’s 138th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Syracuse, New

York, and 194th Fighter-Bomber Squadron at Hayward, California, began an

experimental augmentation of Air Defense Command’s runway alert program, the beginning of what would become the Air Force’s total-force

approach to reserve components’ utilization and training.

April 21: Operation LITTLE SWITCH began. By May 15, the Air Force had airlifted more than 150 sick and wounded former prisoners of war from Korea

to Japan and from Japan to the United States after North Korea released them

in a prisoner exchange.

1952–53
May 18: Capt. Joseph C. McConnell, Jr., USAF, shot down his 16th enemy airplane

in Korea to become the top ace of the war.

May 25: George Welch, North American test pilot, flew the prototype YF–100

Super Sabre for the first time, taking off and landing at the Air Force Flight

Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California.

June 8: At Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, the USAF Thunderbirds, officially

designated the 3600th Air Demonstration Flight, performed for the first

time.

July 11: Maj. John F. Bolt, USMC, flying an F–86 Sabre, became the first

Marine jet ace while on temporary duty with the 51st Fighter-Interceptor

Wing.

July 27: Capt. Ralph S. Parr, Jr., USAF, scored the last aerial victory of the Korean

War by shooting down an Il–2 on the day of the armistice.

August 6: Operation BIG SWITCH began. C–124, C–54, C–46, and C–47 transports airlifted more than 800 former prisoners of war from Korea to the

United States by way of Japan after an armistice that ended the Korean War.

The operation ended in October.

August 20: During Operation LONGSTRIDE, F–84 Thunderjets assigned

to the 31st Strategic Fighter Wing flew from Albany, Georgia, to

Nouasseur Air Base, Morocco. On the same day, 17 F–84 Thunderjets assigned to the 508th Strategic Fighter Wing flew nonstop 4,485

miles from Albany to Lakenheath, England. These first nonstop

transatlantic flights by fighters demonstrated Strategic Air Command’s capability for rapid, long-range deployment, earning the command the Mackay Trophy.

September 1: The Air Force announced the first in-flight refueling of jet-powered

aircraft by jet-powered aircraft after a KB–47 refueled a standard B–47 Stratojet.

September 11: The Sidewinder infrared-guided air-to-air missile made its first successful interception, sending an F–6F drone down in flames. The missile revolutionized aerial combat, offering pilots a method other than gunfire for

shooting down enemy aircraft.

October 1: The Air Force activated its first airborne early warning and control

squadron, the 4701st, at McClellan Air Force Base, California. Under Air

Defense Command, the squadron, forerunner of today’s airborne warning

and control system units, flew the RC–121 aircraft.

October 14: The X–10, prototype of the North American B–64 Navaho ramjet-propelled surface-to-surface guided missile, flew for the first time.

75

1953
1954

March 1: The United States exploded the first hydrogen bomb in the Marshall Islands,

located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. A fusion weapon, the hydrogen

bomb was many times more powerful than the earlier fission atomic bombs such

as the one that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.

April 1: President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law a bill creating the Air

Force Academy.

June 21: The Air Force directed its Air Research and Development Command to

create the Western Development Division under Brig. Gen. Bernard A.

Schriever to oversee acceleration of the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile

program.

76

The first generation of U.S. intercontinental ballistic missiles included the Atlas.

June 24: Secretary of the Air Force Harold E. Talbott announced that the permanent location of the Air Force Academy would be a 15,000-acre tract of land

six miles north of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

June 26: Operation WOUNDED WARRIOR began. At the conclusion of fighting

in what had been French Indochina, the 315th Air Division and the Military

Air Transport Service airlifted more than 500 wounded French soldiers from

Vietnam via Japan and the United States to France and Algeria. The operation concluded on July 17.

1954
July 15: The Boeing 707, the first U.S. jet-powered airliner, made its first flight near

Seattle, Washington, with Boeing pilot A. M. “Tex” Johnston at the controls.

This aircraft revolutionized commercial aviation, replacing slower propellerdriven airliners, and became the prototype of the C–135 transport and

KC–135 tanker, the latter designed to refuel the new B–47 and B–52 jet

bombers.

July 26: Lt. Gen. Hubert R. Harmon was appointed the first superintendent of the

Air Force Academy.

August 6–7: Two B–47 Stratojets assigned to the 308th Bombardment Wing

flew a 10,000-mile nonstop flight from Hunter Air Force Base, Georgia, to French Morocco and back. The 308th Bombardment Wing

won the Mackay Trophy for this flight. During the same period, two

B–47 Stratojet wings assigned to the 38th Air Division departed

Hunter Air Force Base, flew a simulated bombing mission, and

recovered in French Morocco, demonstrating the capability of strategic bombers to operate from forward bases.

October 27: Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., became the first black general officer

in the Air Force. He had served as commander of the 332d Fighter

Group, the “Tuskegee Airmen”—the first fighter group that included

black pilots.

November 1: The B–29 Superfortress, the aircraft famed for having dropped

atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, was withdrawn from the

inventory after fewer than 12 years of service.

December 10: In a rocket-propelled sled run, Col. John P. Stapp, USAF, attained

a speed of 632 miles per hour and sustained greater G forces than humans

had ever endured in recorded deceleration tests—the equivalent of Mach 1.7

at 35,000 feet. The test determined that humans could survive ejection from

aircraft at supersonic speeds.

1955

February 26: George Smith, a North American Aviation test pilot, ejected from an

F–100 Super Sabre traveling at Mach 1.05, becoming the first person to survive ejection from an aircraft flying at supersonic speed.

April 6: The Air Force launched an air-to-air guided missile with an atomic warhead

from a B–36 Peacemaker bomber to produce a nuclear explosion some six

miles above Yucca Flat, Nevada—the highest known altitude of any nuclear

blast.

June 29: The Boeing Aircraft Company delivered the first B–52 Stratofortress to enter

USAF operational service to the 93d Bombardment Wing at Castle Air Force

77

1954–55
Base, California. The B–52 became—and continues to be—an important part of

the Air Force’s strategic bomber inventory.

78

The Boeing B–52 eight-engine bomber, designed to drop nuclear weapons from

high altitude, was used as a conventional bomber in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s

and in Southwest Asia in 1991, 2001, and 2002.

July 11: The Air Force Academy admitted its first class, 306 cadets, at Lowry Air

Force Base, Colorado—a temporary location until it could move to Colorado

Springs.

August 4: Captured on January 13, 1953, crew members of a special operations

B–29 called Stardust 40 were released by China. They were held longer than

any other prisoners of war during the Korean conflict.

August 20: Col. Horace A. Hanes, USAF, flying an F–100 Super Sabre over the

Mojave Desert, established a new speed record of 822.135 miles per hour.

Colonel Hanes, director of flight testing, Air Force Flight Test Center,

Edwards Air Force Base, California, received the Mackay Trophy for this

record-breaking flight.

1956

January 17: The Defense Department revealed the existence of SAGE (semiautomatic ground environment)—an automated, electronic air-defense system. Its

radar transmitted data rapidly via telephone lines to direction/combat centers,

where large computers processed the information for interception aircraft.

May 21: At an altitude of 50,000 feet, a B–52 Stratofortress bomber piloted by Maj.

David Crichlow, USAF, dropped the first airborne hydrogen bomb, which

exploded on Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean during Operation REDWING.

1955–56
August 23–24: An Army crew in an H–21 helicopter made the first transcontinental nonstop helicopter flight, covering 2,610 miles from San Diego to Washington, D.C.

September 7: Capt. Iven C. Kincheloe, Jr., USAF, set the altitude record for

manned flight at Edwards Air Force Base, California, piloting a Bell X–2 transonic, rocket-powered aircraft to a height of 126,200 feet. Captain Kincheloe

received the Mackay Trophy for this flight.

September 27: Capt. Milburn G. Apt, USAF, while flying a Bell X–2 rocket-powered airplane launched from a B–50 bomber, became the first pilot to fly at

three times the speed of sound. Unfortunately, the flight ended in a fatal

crash.

October 1: The National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics awarded its Distinguished Service Medal to Dr. Richard T. Whitcomb, inventor of the area-rule

concept for the design of supersonic aircraft. The F–102 was the first aircraft

to incorporate the concept.

October 20: Cmdr. Conrad Shinn and Lt. Cmdr. Roy E. Curtis, USN, made the

first airplane landing at the South Pole.

October 26: At Fort Worth, Texas, Bell pilot Floyd Carlson piloted the first flight

of the XH–40 helicopter, later redesignated the UH–1 or Iroquois (Huey)—

one of the most useful of the U.S. helicopters in Vietnam.

November 26: Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson issued a memorandum to

the Armed Forces Policy Council, giving the Air Force responsibility for

developing intercontinental ballistic missiles.

November 30: A Martin TM–61 Matador, a jet-propelled missile, completed its

final flight test and became the Air Force’s first operational tactical missile.

With a range of several hundred miles, the Matador cruised at 650 miles per

hour and had a ceiling of 35,000 feet. It equipped the 701st Tactical Missile

Wing at Hahn Air Base, Germany.

December 9: The 463d Troop Carrier Wing received the Air Force’s first C–130

Hercules tactical-airlift aircraft. This four-engine turboprop airlifter had an

unrefueled range of over 2,500 miles, could carry outsized cargo of almost

50,000 pounds or up to 92 troops, and could take off and land within about

3,600 feet.

December 11: Operation SAFE HAVEN began. By June 30, 1957, cargo aircraft of

the Military Air Transport Service had airlifted more than 10,000 Hungarian

refugees from West Germany to asylum in the United States. The refugees

had fled their country when Soviet troops crushed an anticommunist rebellion there.

79

1956
1957

January 18: Commanded by Maj. Gen. Archie J. Old, Jr., USAF, three B–52 Stratofortresses completed the first around-the-world nonstop flight by jet aircraft.

The bombers covered the 24,325-mile distance in 45 hours and 19 minutes,

flying at an average speed of 534 miles per hour. The National Aeronautic

Association recognized this flight, called Operation POWER FLITE, as the

most outstanding for 1957 and awarded the Mackay Trophy to the 93d Strategic Bombardment Wing.

June 2: Capt. Joseph W. Kittinger, Jr., USAF, established the altitudeendurance record for manned lighter-than-air aircraft by remaining aloft

in a balloon over Minnesota for six hours, 34 minutes. He spent two

hours above 96,000 feet.

June 11: The first U–2 high-altitude, long-range reconnaissance aircraft was delivered to the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Laughlin Air Force

Base, Texas. The U–2 could fly 10-hour missions at exceptionally high altitudes at a top speed of 600 miles per hour.

June 28: Assigned to the 93d Air Refueling Squadron, the first KC–135 Stratotanker arrived at Castle Air Force Base, California. The jet tanker could

cruise at the same speed as jet bombers while refueling, drastically reducing

the time for in-flight refueling missions.

80

The KC–135 Stratotanker, the first jet tanker in the USAF inventory, refueled a variety of aircraft, including F–16 fighters, pictured here.

1957
July 1: The first intercontinental ballistic missile wing, the 704th Strategic Missile Wing, activated at Cooke (later, Vandenberg) Air Force Base, California.

July 31: The distant early warning line, a string of radar installations extending across

the Canadian Arctic to warn of impending aircraft attacks, was declared fully

operational.

August 1: The North American Air Defense Command, a joint United

States–Canadian command with an air-defense mission, was informally

established. An agreement ratified on May 12, 1958, formalized its existence.

August 15: Gen. Nathan F. Twining became the first USAF officer to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

October 4: The Soviet Union used an intercontinental ballistic missile booster

to launch Sputnik I, the world’s first artificial space satellite, into Earth

orbit.

October 16: The Air Force successfully launched an Aerobee rocket to a height of

35 miles, where its nose cone separated and traveled to a height of 54 miles.

At this point, shaped charges blasted pellets into space at a speed of 33,000

miles per hour, surpassing by 8,000 miles per hour the speed necessary to

escape from Earth’s gravity.

October 22: In Operation FAR SIDE, a four-stage, 10-engine, solid-propellant

rocket, fired from a balloon at 100,000 feet above Eniwetok, penetrated

at least 2,700 miles into outer space, boosting a scientific-research capsule.

November 3: A dog named Laika became the first animal to be launched into Earth

orbit, carried aloft in a Soviet spacecraft called Sputnik II.

November 29: Gen. Thomas D. White, USAF chief of staff, announced the assignment of the intercontinental and intermediate-range ballistic missile programs

to Strategic Air Command and transferred the 1st Missile Division to that

command.

December 6: The first U.S. attempt to launch a satellite into orbit failed when the

Navy’s Vanguard rocket exploded on its launch platform.

December 15: The 556th Strategic Missile Squadron, the first SM–62 Snark operational squadron, activated at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. An air-breathing jet cruise missile equipped with two rockets for launch, the Snark was

essentially a pilotless airplane with a warhead.

December 17: The Air Force first test-launched an Atlas intercontinental ballistic

missile. Its reentry vehicle landed in the target area after a flight of some 500

miles.

81

1957
1958

January 1: The Air Force activated the 672d Strategic Missile Squadron, the first

with Thor intermediate-range ballistic missiles, at Cooke (later, Vandenberg)

Air Force Base, California.

82

The Thor missile, produced by Douglas Aircraft Corporation, was the free world’s

first operational intermediate-range ballistic missile.

January 15: The Air Force activated the 475th Air Defense Missile Wing to train

Bomarc missile units. The Bomarc was an unmanned, supersonic antiaircraft

missile capable of intercepting and destroying targets at ranges between 250

and 450 nautical miles.

January 31: Explorer I, the first U.S. satellite to go into orbit, was launched by the

Army’s Jupiter C rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

February 1: Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, became the first intercontinental ballistic missile base of Strategic Air Command.

February 27: Missile director William M. Holaday approved the Minuteman Project, a program for building 5,000-mile-range solid-fuel ballistic missiles

launched from underground installations.

1958
March 17: Vanguard I, the first solar-powered satellite, was launched into orbit from

Cape Canaveral, Florida.

March 23: The Navy conducted the first underwater test-firing of a Polaris ballistic

missile launched from a nuclear submarine. The test took place in the Pacific

Ocean near Los Angeles.

April 28: After an in-flight explosion, the pilot and navigator of a 341st Bombardment Wing B–47 ejected successfully. While attempting to egress, the copilot, 1st Lt. James E. Obenauf, noticed another crew member unconscious and

incapable of escape. Instead of ejecting, Lieutenant Obenauf remained on the

crippled and burning aircraft, piloting it from the backseat position to a safe

landing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. He received the Distinguished Flying

Cross for his heroism.

May 27: Company pilot Robert Little made the first flight of the McDonnell F4H–1

(F–4) Phantom II from Saint Louis, Missouri.

July 9: A Thor-Able reentry test vehicle, in the first nose-cone test at intercontinental ballistic missile range and velocity, carried a mouse some 6,000 miles over

the Atlantic Ocean in flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the Ascension

Island area.

July 14: President Dwight D. Eisenhower launched Operation BLUE BAT

to restore order in Lebanon after civil unrest threatened to overthrow

its government. During the operation, the Air Force airlifted troops

to Beirut after U.S. marines had landed by sea to secure its airport.

83

The Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile was conceived in the late 1950s

and deployed in silos during the 1960s.

1958
The intervention resulted in political negotiations that produced

years of peace.

September 3–9: Responding to Chinese Communist threats to the Taiwan

Strait, a Tactical Air Command composite air strike force (including

F–100 Super Sabre, F–101 Voodoo, B–57 Canberra, and C–130 Hercules aircraft) deployed to the Far East as part of Operation X-RAY

TANGO. The force’s rapid and effective deployment earned it the

Mackay Trophy.

September 24: From a distance of 75 miles, a Bomarc missile pilotless interceptor,

launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, by a semiautomatic ground-environment unit in Kingston, New York, destroyed a 1,000-miles-per-hour target flying 48,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean.

October 1: Replacing the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration was established to control

nonmilitary U.S. scientific space projects.

October 4: A British Comet IV with 31 passengers aboard completed the first

transatlantic commercial jet flight.

October 11: The Air Force launched the Pioneer I lunar probe vehicle, which

attained a height of approximately 80,000 miles before falling back to Earth

on October 13.

December 10: National Air Lines inaugurated the first jet domestic passenger service in the United States with a Boeing 707 flight between New York and

Miami, Florida.

December 16: The Pacific Missile Range began launching operations with the successful flight of a Thor missile, the first ballistic missile launched over the

Pacific Ocean.

December 18: The Air Force placed in orbit the first artificial communications satellite, a Project Score relay vehicle integral with the four-ton Atlas launcher. The

next day, the satellite broadcast a taped recording of President Dwight D.

Eisenhower’s Christmas message—the first time a human voice had been

heard from space.

1959

January 21: The Army’s first Jupiter intermediate-range ballistic missile struck its target area after a 1,700-mile flight test. The Jupiter eventually became a USAF

weapon system.

February 6: The Air Force successfully launched the first Titan I intercontinental

ballistic missile. With a range of 5,500 nautical miles, the two-stage liquid84

1958–59
fueled missile was to be deployed in underground silos and raised to the surface before launch.

February 12: Strategic Air Command retired its last B–36 Peacemaker, thus becoming an all-jet bomber force.

February 28: The Air Force successfully launched the Discoverer I satellite

into polar orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. A polar

orbit allows a satellite to fly over all surface points because of Earth’s

rotation.

April 6: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced the selection of seven pilots from the U.S. armed services as astronauts for Project

Mercury. Among them were three USAF captains: L. Gordon Cooper, Jr.,

Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, and Donald K. “Deke” Slayton.

April 23: The GAM–77 (AGM–28) Hound Dog supersonic missile, designed to

deliver a nuclear warhead over a distance of several hundred miles, was testfired for the first time from a B–52 bomber at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

85

A Hound Dog (AGM–28) missile, designed during the Cold War to be fired from

B–52 Stratofortress bombers

May 25: Air Defense Command accepted its first F–106 Delta Dart, a new interceptor designed to replace the F–102 Delta Dagger.

May 28: Two chimpanzees were recovered alive from the Atlantic Ocean near

Antigua Island after a flight to an altitude of 300 miles in the nose cone of a

Jupiter missile launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

1959
June 3: The Air Force Academy graduated its first class. Of the 207 graduates, 205

were commissioned as regular USAF officers.

June 8: Scott Crossfield piloted an experimental X–15 rocket airplane on its first

flight, a nonpowered glide from a B–52. Designed for speeds up to 4,000

miles per hour and altitudes up to 100 miles, the X–15 could reach the edge

of outer space.

86

The X–15’s 199 flights between 1960 and 1968 provided research data that influenced the design of the space shuttle.

June 28: A Soviet Tu–114, then the largest passenger aircraft in the world, completed the first nonstop flight from Moscow to New York, a distance of 5,092

miles, in 11 hours, six minutes.

August 7: Explorer 6, a U.S. satellite, transmitted the first television pictures from

outer space. The first intercontinental relay of a voice message by satellite also

took place. The voice was that of Maj. Robert G. Mathis, USAF.

September 9: A Strategic Air Command crew fired an Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California—the first firing of the

missile from the west coast. The missile traveled 4,300 miles at 16,000 miles

per hour. After this shot, Gen. Thomas S. Power, commander of Strategic Air

Command, declared the Atlas system operational. By the end of the year, the

1959
Atlas had become the first U.S. long-range ballistic missile equipped with a

nuclear warhead to be placed on alert status.

September 12: The Soviet Union launched Luna 2, the first man-made object to

reach the Moon.

December 30: The Navy commissioned the USS George Washington, the first U.S.

ballistic-missile-carrying submarine, at Groton, Connecticut.

1960

January 25: An Army MIM–23 Hawk antiaircraft missile intercepted and shot down

an unarmed MGR–1 Honest John surface-to-surface rocket in the first known

destruction of one ballistic missile by another.

April 1: Television Infrared Observation Satellite (TIROS) I, the world’s first meteorological satellite, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, atop a Thor

missile.

May 1: Francis Gary Powers, a Central Intelligence Agency U–2 pilot, was shot

down over Sverdlovsk in the Soviet Union. Captured and put on trial for espionage, he was later exchanged for a Soviet agent captured by the United

States.

May 23: The Air Force began one of its largest humanitarian airlifts to relieve the

victims of a series of earthquakes in Chile. Within a month, cargo aircraft had

delivered more than 1,000 tons of relief equipment and supplies from bases

in the United States, some 4,500 miles away from the stricken region. The airlift was called Operation AMIGOS.

July 8: Operation NEW TAPE began after chaos threatened the newly independent Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa. After evacuating U.S. citizens by air and delivering food, the Air Force began transporting United

Nations troops from all over the world to the country. The airlifts continued

for four years.

August 1: The 43d Bombardment Wing at Carswell Air Force Base, Texas,

accepted the first operational B–58 Hustler medium bomber. The first U.S.

supersonic bomber, the delta-wing aircraft could fly at twice the speed of

sound and could be refueled in flight.

August 11: Navy frogmen made the first recovery of an object ejected from an orbiting satellite when they retrieved a 300-pound capsule from the Air Force’s

Discoverer XIII.

August 16: Capt. Joseph W. Kittinger, Jr., USAF, jumped from an aircraft 102,800

feet over Tularosa, New Mexico, and landed unharmed 13 minutes, 45 seconds later. He fell freely for 84,700 feet and reached a speed of 614 miles per

87

1959–60
hour before opening his parachute. This was the highest jump and longest

free fall on record.

August 19: Piloting a C–119, Capt. Harold F. Mitchell, USAF, retrieved the Discoverer XIV reentry capsule in midair, marking the first successful aerial

recovery of a returning space capsule.

August 30: With six Atlas missiles ready to launch, the 564th Strategic Missile

Squadron at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, became the first

fully operational intercontinental ballistic missile squadron.

September 21: In a ceremony at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Tactical Air Command accepted the first Republic F–105D Thunderchief, an all-weather

fighter able to carry a nuclear weapon.

1961

January 31: The Mercury space capsule life-support system was first tested on a

space mission, carrying a chimpanzee named Ham.

February 1: The ballistic missile early warning system site at Thule, Greenland,

became operational. Subsequently, other sites became operational at

Clear, Alaska, and Fylingdales in the United Kingdom. Operated by the

North American Air Defense Command, the system could provide the

United States warning of an impending Soviet missile attack in time to

respond.

February 1: The Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile was launched

for the first time at Cape Canaveral, Florida, in a major test. Under

full guidance, it traveled 4,600 miles to its target area. The solidfueled Minuteman could be stored more easily and fired more

quickly than the liquid-fueled Atlas and Titan intercontinental ballistic missiles.

February 3: As part of a project called “LOOKING GLASS,” Strategic Air Command began flying EC–135s to provide a 24-hour-a-day airborne command

post for the president and secretary of defense in case enemy attack wiped out

land-based command and control sites that controlled strategic bombers and

intercontinental ballistic missiles.

February 13: The Air Force first launched its solid-fueled air-to-surface missile, the

GAM–83B Bullpup, from an F–100 Super Sabre. The missile could fly at

supersonic speed, carry a nuclear weapon, and be guided to its target by the

pilot of the launching aircraft.

March 7: Strategic Air Command declared the Quail operational. The B–52 would

use this missile (GAM–72A) as a diversionary device.

88

1960–61
April 12: Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

became the first person to be launched into space and the first to orbit

Earth.

April 14: At Hurlburt Field, Florida, the Air Force activated the 4400th Combat

Crew Training Squadron—its first special-operations unit since the Korean

War.

April 19: Alabama Air National Guard B–26 crew members Riley Shamburger, Wade C. Gray, Pete W. Ray, and Leo F. Baker were killed

while flying special-operations missions during the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba.

May 5: By making a suborbital flight in Mercury capsule Freedom 7, Cmdr.

Alan B. Shepard, Jr., United States Navy, became the first U.S. astronaut

in space.

89

Recovery of Mercury capsule Freedom 7 on May 5, 1961 

May 26: A B–58 Hustler supersonic bomber from the 43d Bombardment

Wing set a speed record, flying from New York to Paris in three

hours, 19 minutes, 41 seconds at an average speed of 1,302 miles per

hour. The crew, consisting of Maj. William R. Payne, Capt. William

L. Polhemus, and Capt. Raymond Wagener, won the Mackay Trophy

for this flight.

1961
June 1: At Kincheloe Air Force Base, Michigan, the first Bomarc-B pilotless interceptor site was declared operational.

June 9: Delivery of the first C–135 Stratolifter introduced jet cargo aircraft into the

fleet of the Military Air Transport Service.

July 1: North American Air Defense Command began systematically detecting,

tracking, and cataloging man-made objects in space.

July 21: Capt. Virgil I. Grissom became the second U.S. and the first USAF astronaut in space. He attained an altitude of 118 miles and a speed of 5,310 miles

per hour in a 303-mile suborbital spaceflight.

August 1: Five Air Force Reserve C–124 groups and more than 15,000 reservists

were mobilized as part of the administration’s response to the Communists’

construction of the Berlin Wall.

August 8: The Air Force launched an Atlas F missile from Cape Canaveral, Florida,

for the first time. The Atlas F, designed for long-term storage of liquid fuels

and for shortened countdown, was the only Atlas model destined for

emplacement in hardened, underground silos.

October 30: As part of Operation STAIR STEP, the first of 216 Air National Guard

fighters from units mobilized on October 1 during the Berlin crisis began

deploying across the Atlantic Ocean to European bases.

November 15: The 2d Advanced Echelon, Thirteenth Air Force, activated

in Saigon, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), marking the official

entry of the Air Force into the Vietnam War. In an operation called

FARM GATE, a detachment of the 4400th Combat Crew Training

Squadron began deployment to South Vietnam with special-operations aircraft.

December 15: The North American Air Defense Command semiautomatic

ground-environment system became fully operational with completion of its

21st and last control center at Sioux City, Iowa.

1962

February 2: A C–123 Provider aircraft crashed in South Vietnam while spraying

defoliant during Operation RANCH HAND, marking the first USAF aircraft

loss in South Vietnam.

February 20: Lt. Col. John H. Glenn, Jr., United States Marine Corps, became the

first U.S. astronaut to orbit Earth. He flew for nearly five hours in Mercury

capsule Friendship 7.

March 5: The crew of a B–58 Hustler bomber assigned to the 43d Bombardment

Wing set three speed records in a round-trip flight between New York City and

90

1961–62
Los Angeles. The Hustler made the trip in four hours, 41 minutes, 15 seconds,

averaging 1,044.46 miles per hour. The crew received the Mackay Trophy and

the last Bendix Trophy for this flight.

April 18: At Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado, Strategic Air Command declared

operational the Air Force’s first Titan I unit—the 724th Strategic Missile

Squadron. Its nine missiles were the first to be placed in hardened underground silos.

91

Test launch of a Titan I missile

June 29: A USAF team fired a Minuteman missile from an underground silo at

Cape Canaveral, Florida, to a target area 2,300 miles downrange. This Minuteman was the first to be launched by a military crew.

July 8: In Operation DOMINIC, a Thor rocket launched from Johnston Island carried a megaton-plus hydrogen device to an altitude above 200 miles—the highest altitude for a U.S. thermonuclear blast.

July 17: Maj. Robert M. White, USAF, piloted the X–15–1 hypersonic experimental aircraft to a world-record altitude of 58.7 miles, its initial design altitude.

Maximum speed was 3,784 miles per hour.

July 19: A Nike-Zeus antimissile missile fired from Kwajalein Island in the Pacific

Ocean made the first known interception of an intercontinental ballistic mis1962
sile when it brought down the nose cone of an Atlas missile launched from

Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

August 26: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration launched Mariner

2, an unmanned space vehicle that encountered the planet Venus on December 14, marking the first step in unmanned exploration of the solar system by

the United States.

October 14–15: The Cuban missile crisis began when Maj. Richard S. Heyser and

Maj. Rudolf Anderson, Jr., conducting U–2 reconnaissance flights over Cuba,

proved that Soviet missile sites were under construction there.

October 18: Eight Air Force Reserve troop-carrier wings and six aerial-port

squadrons were mobilized during the Cuban missile crisis.

October 27: A 4080th Strategic Wing U–2 reconnaissance aircraft piloted

by Maj. Rudolf Anderson, Jr., was shot down over Cuba. Lost with

his aircraft, Major Anderson was posthumously awarded the first Air

Force Cross.

October 27: Strategic Air Command placed on alert the first 10 Minuteman

I intercontinental ballistic missiles, emplaced in hardened silos and

assigned to the 10th Strategic Missile Squadron at Malmstrom Air

Force Base, Montana.

November 2: President John F. Kennedy launched Operation LONG SKIP

to airlift military equipment and supplies to India after China invaded

that country. In 14 days, the Military Air Transport Service airlifted

more than 1,000 tons of cargo to Calcutta, relying on new C–135 jet

transports.

November 20: President John F. Kennedy announced that the blockade of Cuba

was over because all Soviet missiles had been removed.

1963

May 7: Dr. Theodore von Kármán, distinguished U.S. physicist whose work contributed to USAF air and space technology, died in Aachen, West Germany,

a few days before his 82d birthday.

May 15: Astronaut Maj. L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., USAF, launched from Cape

Canaveral, Florida, in Project Mercury capsule Faith 7. On May 16, after

completing 22 orbits of Earth, he landed in the Pacific. Cooper was the last

astronaut of Project Mercury and the first to orbit Earth for more than 24

hours.

June 8: The 570th Strategic Missile Squadron, the first Titan II unit, was activated

at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.

92

1962–63
June 16: Jr. Lt. Valentina Tereshkova, a Soviet cosmonaut, became the first woman

in space. Her flight in Vostok 6 lasted three days.

July 20: The six crew members of C–47 Extol Pink evacuated wounded

Vietnamese at night under heavy fire. For their heroism, Capt. Warren P. Tomsett, Capt. John R. Ordemann, Capt. Donald R. Mack,

TSgt. Edsol P. Inlow, SSgt. Jack E. Morgan, and SSgt. Frank C. Barrett earned the Mackay Trophy.

July 26: Syncon 2 became the world’s first satellite to be placed in geosynchronous

orbit. It orbited at the same speed as the rotating Earth, allowing it to remain

over the same geographic area.

October 16: At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Air Force inaugurated a space-based

nuclear-detection system by launching twin satellites to assume circular 7,000-

mile-high orbits on opposite sides of Earth. The 475-pound, 20-sided satellites, known as Project Vela Hotel or Project 823, could detect nuclear explosions anyplace on Earth.

November 29: A week after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued an executive order changing the name of

Cape Canaveral, Florida, to Cape Kennedy and redesignating space facilities

there as the John F. Kennedy Space Center. 

December 10: Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara assigned development of

the Manned Orbiting Laboratory to the Air Force.

1964

March 28: After a massive earthquake in the area of Anchorage, Alaska, the United

States launched Operation HELPING HAND. By April 17, USAF cargo aircraft, including C–124s, C–123s, C–130s, and C–97s, had delivered 1,850

tons of relief equipment and supplies.

April 21: The number of intercontinental ballistic missiles equaled the number of

bombers on Strategic Air Command ground alert for the first time. Afterwards, the number of missiles surpassed the number of bombers in the

nuclear-deterrent force.

July 28: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration launched its Ranger

VII spacecraft from Cape Kennedy on a flight to the Moon. On July 31,

Ranger VII completed its mission of taking and relaying 4,316 high-quality

close-up pictures of the lunar surface before crashing into an area northwest

of the Sea of Clouds.

September 21: At Palmdale, California, North American Aviation’s B–70A

Valkyrie flew for the first time, with company pilot Alvin White and

Col. Joseph Cotton, USAF, at the controls. The huge delta-wing air93

1963–64
craft was a strategic bomber that could fly up to three times the speed

of sound and at altitudes above 70,000 feet, but advances in enemy

surface-to-air-missile technology prevented its production beyond the

prototype stage.

November 17: Operation DRAGON ROUGE began. C–130 Hercules aircrews of

the 464th Troop Carrier Wing carried paratroopers from Belgium to rescue

1,400 hostages from captivity in Zaire, the former Belgian Congo. They airlifted the refugees from there to France, an action for which they received the

Mackay Trophy.

December 15: Flying an FC–47, Capt. Jack Harvey and his crew conducted

the first gunship mission in Vietnam. The FC–47, later called the

AC–47, carried in its cargo bay a set of side-firing Gatling guns to

strafe ground targets.

December 22: Operation BIGLIFT began. By January 22, 1965, USAF cargo aircraft had delivered more than 1,500 tons of food, clothing, bedding, fuel, hay,

grain, vehicles, pipe, and medical supplies to flood victims in California and

Oregon.

1965

January 1: The Air Force’s first SR–71 Blackbird unit, the 4200th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, activated at Beale Air Force Base, California. The SR–71 could

attain a speed of more than Mach 3 and altitudes beyond 70,000 feet, but it

required special fuel and maintenance support.

94

The Lockheed SR–71 Blackbird, a strategic reconnaissance aircraft and the world’s

fastest and highest-flying production airplane, first flew in 1964.

1964–65
February 4: Air Defense Command fighter pilots scored their first interception of a

Bomarc drone target, which was flying at more than 1,500 miles per hour at

an altitude of more than 50,000 feet.

February 8: The U.S. Air Force performed its first retaliatory air strike in

North Vietnam. A North American F–100 Super Sabre flew cover for

attacking South Vietnamese fighter aircraft, suppressing ground fire

in the target area.

February 18: B–57s and F–100s attacked Vietcong targets near An Khe in

the first USAF jet raids against enemy troop concentrations in South

Vietnam.

March 2: Lt. Hayden J. Lockhart became the first USAF prisoner of war in Vietnam after his F–100 was shot down in a raid over North Vietnam. He evaded

the enemy for a week before he was captured and remained a prisoner until

February 12, 1973.

March 18: Alexei Leonov of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics became the

first man to walk in space, performing the extravehicular activity from the

Voskhod 2.

March 23: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration launched the first

Gemini manned flight. Aboard the two-man capsule were Maj. Virgil I. Grissom, USAF, the first astronaut to go into space a second time, and Lt. Cmdr.

John W. Young, United States Navy. This was also the first spaceflight during

which the orbit was deliberately changed.

April 20: Strategic Air Command shipped its last Atlas missile to storage

facilities to be used as a launch vehicle in various research and development programs, thus completing the phaseout of the first generation of intercontinental ballistic missiles, all of which were liquidfueled.

April 23: The first operational Lockheed C–141 Starlifter aircraft was delivered to

Travis Air Force Base, California. Capable of crossing any ocean nonstop at

more than 500 miles per hour, the Starlifter could transport up to 70,000

pounds of payload, including 154 troops, 123 paratroopers, or a combination

of troops and supplies.

April 29–May 5: Scores of C–130s and C–124s moved some 12,000 troops and

17,250 tons of their equipment and supplies from Pope Air Force Base,

North Carolina, to San Isidro, Dominican Republic. The airlift, part of Operation POWER PACK, allowed the United States to bring stability to this

Caribbean island nation and prevent unfriendly elements from taking it over.

Reserve transports, Air National Guard communications aircraft, and USAF

fighter and reconnaissance airplanes also took part in the operation.

95

1965
June 3–7: Maj. James A. McDivitt, USAF, and Maj. Edward H. White, USAF, set

a U.S. space-endurance record of 97 hours, 30 seconds in 63 orbits around

Earth. During this Gemini 4 mission, Major White became the first U.S.

astronaut to “walk” in space.

June 18: Strategic Air Command B–52s flew for the first time in the Vietnam conflict when 28 Stratofortresses from Guam bombed Vietcong targets near

Saigon. This was the first time B–52s had dropped bombs, although not

nuclear weapons, in war.

June 30: At Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, the last of 800

Minuteman I missiles became operational when Strategic Air Command accepted the fifth Minuteman wing from Air Force Systems

Command.

July 8: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration transferred its Syncom

II and Syncom III satellites to the Department of Defense; the Air Force

Satellite Control Facility and its remote tracking stations in the Pacific and

Indian Oceans became responsible for their orbital control.

July 10: Scoring the first USAF aerial victories in Southeast Asia, two F–4C aircrews

of the 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron shot down two Communist MiG–17 jet

fighters over North Vietnam.

96

Originally designed for the Navy, the F–4 Phantom served the Air Force as the leading fighter in Vietnam.

July 14: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Mariner 4, which

had been launched on November 28, 1964, reached the vicinity of Mars,

becoming the first spacecraft to send close photographs of the Red Planet

back to Earth.

1965
October 1: The Air Force constituted its first heavy-repair civil-engineering

squadrons, ancestors of the Rapid Engineer Deployable, Heavy Operational

Repair Squadron Engineer (RED HORSE) units. They provided the service

with a mobile, rapid-response civil-engineer force.

October 18: The 107th Tactical Fighter Group, New York Air National Guard,

became the first tactical Air National Guard unit deployed in peacetime to the

Pacific for a joint-service exercise.

October 31: Strategic Air Command accepted its first 10 Minuteman II missiles, assigning them to the 447th Strategic Missile Squadron at

Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota. The Minuteman II was

larger and more advanced than the Minuteman I, but it could be fired

from the same silos.

November 1: Col. Jeanne M. Holm became director of Women of the Air

Force.

December 8: The secretary of defense announced plans to phase out older models

of the B–52 bombers and all B–58 bombers. Newer B–52 models made the

older ones obsolete, and the B–58 had proven impractical because of its high

fuel consumption.

1966

January 1: Military Air Transport Service was redesignated Military Airlift Command. At the same time, Eastern Air Transport Force and Western Air

Transport Force were redesignated Twenty-First Air Force and Twenty-Second Air Force, respectively.

January 1: Air National Guard military airlift units began flying about 75

cargo flights a month to Southeast Asia. These flights were in addition to the more than 100 overseas missions flown monthly by the Air

National Guard in augmenting the global airlift mission of Military

Airlift Command.

January 17: A B–52 bomber and a KC–135 tanker collided and crashed near

Palomares, Spain, killing seven of the 11 crew members. All four

nuclear bombs on board the B–52 were recovered, one only after an

extensive search.

January 22: The Air Force completed Operation BLUE LIGHT, history’s largest

airlift of troops and equipment into a combat zone. Since December 27,

1965, more than 4,600 tons of equipment and over 3,000 troops of the

Army’s 3d Infantry Brigade had flown from Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii,

to Pleiku, South Vietnam.

97

1965–66
March 10: To rescue Maj. Dafford W. Myers, a downed A–1E pilot, Maj.

Bernard F. Fisher, USAF, a 1st Air Commando Squadron A–1E pilot,

landed on the A Shau airstrip after it had been overrun by North Vietnamese regulars. Major Fisher was later awarded the Medal of Honor for

this heroic act.

March 16: Astronauts Neil Armstrong and David Scott blasted into space

atop a Titan II missile on the Gemini 8 mission. The two astronauts

later performed the first docking maneuver in space, linking their

capsule with an Agena target vehicle that had been launched by an

Atlas booster. At the conclusion of the mission, 20 minutes after

splashdown in the Pacific Ocean 500 miles east of Okinawa, USAF

pararescuemen attached flotation gear to the Gemini 8 space capsule,

marking the first time USAF rescue forces had participated in the

recovery of a Gemini capsule.

March 31: Strategic Air Command phased out its last B–47 Stratojet. The first

all-jet strategic bomber, it had entered active service in 1951, 15 years earlier.

April 6: The Army agreed to transfer its CV–2 Caribou and CV–7 Buffalo aircraft

to the Air Force, which would be responsible for all future intratheater fixedwing tactical aircraft. The Air Force designated them the C–7A Caribou and

C–8A Buffalo.

April 11: Despite his own mortal wounds, A1C William H. Pitsenbarger, pararescue jumper with the 3d Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group, treated

98

In 1966 Maj. Bernard F. Fisher

became the first USAF Medal of

Honor winner in Vietnam.

1966
wounded U.S. soldiers during a battle in Vietnam. This action merited the

posthumous awarding of the Medal of Honor.

April 12: B–52 bombers struck targets in North Vietnam for the first time,

hitting a supply route in the Mu Gia Pass about 85 miles north of the

border.

April 26: Maj. Paul J. Gilmore, pilot, and 1st Lt. William T. Smith, weapon system

officer, became the first USAF aircrew to destroy a MiG–21. Flying escort for

F–105 Thunderchiefs near Hanoi when the flight was attacked, the F–4C

crew shot down the MiG with a Sidewinder missile.

June 2: Surveyor I became the first U.S. spacecraft to make a soft landing on the

Moon.

June 16: A Titan IIIC boosted seven experimental communications satellites and

one gravity-gradient satellite into orbit 18,000 nautical miles above the equator. The satellites demonstrated the feasibility of a global military-communications satellite system.

September 20: Lt. Col. Donald M. Sorlie became the first USAF pilot to fly

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration lifting body from

the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Air-launched from a B–52 at an altitude of 45,000 feet, the craft

reached a speed of nearly 400 miles per hour during the three-andone-half-minute flight. It tested the concept that a space capsule

could fly back from outer space rather than falling by parachute into

the sea for ship recovery.

November 14: A C–141 Starlifter became the first jet aircraft to land in the

Antarctic. Commanded by Capt. Howard Geddes, 86th Military Airlift Squadron, Travis Air Force Base, California, the aircraft landed

on the ice at McMurdo Sound after a 2,200-mile flight from

Christchurch, New Zealand.

1967

January 2: In Operation BOLO, F–4 Phantom pilots of the 8th Tactical

Fighter Wing shot down seven MiG–21s over the Red River Valley,

North Vietnam, to establish a one-day aerial victory record, matched

only once, on May 13, 1967, during the Vietnam War. Col. Robin

Olds, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing commander, shot down a MiG–21 to

become the only USAF ace with aerial victories in both World War

II and Vietnam.

January 27: Three astronauts, Lt. Col. Virgil Grissom and Lt. Col. Edward H.

White, USAF, and Lt. Cmdr. Robert B. Chaffee, United States Navy, were

99

1966–67
trapped and killed by a flash fire in an Apollo capsule while conducting a preflight rehearsal at Cape Kennedy, Florida.

February 6: North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Space Defense

Center moved into Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, completing the

movement of all units into the hardened, underground command and

control facility.

February 22: Twenty-three C–130s provided airlift for the first paratroop drop of

the Vietnam War. The 173d Airborne Brigade made the jump in support of

Operation JUNCTION CITY.

February 24: Flying an unarmed and unarmored O–1 Bird Dog aircraft near Di

Linh, South Vietnam, forward air controller Capt. Hilliard A. Wilbanks,

USAF, attacked a large body of Vietcong, who had ambushed a numerically inferior force of South Vietnamese rangers. Repeatedly flying over

the enemy force, Captain Wilbanks used smoke rockets and a rifle to

draw the fire of the enemy force and interrupt its advance. He sacrificed

his life to protect the withdrawing rangers, earning the Medal of Honor

for his bravery.

March 10: F–105 Thunderchiefs and F–4C Phantom IIs bombed the Thai Nguyen

steel plant in North Vietnam for the first time. During this attack, Capt. Merlyn Hans Dethlefsen earned the Medal of Honor for silencing enemy

defenses with his severely damaged F–105 Thunderchief despite intense

enemy ground fire and fighter attacks.

March 11: Navy fighters attacked North Vietnamese targets using a new tele-visionguided Walleye glide bomb, thereby introducing precision-guided weapons

into the Vietnam conflict.

March 15: The Sikorsky HH–53B, the largest and fastest helicopter in the USAF

inventory, made its first flight. It would be used for air rescue operations in

Southeast Asia.

April 3: Paul W. Airey became the first chief master sergeant of the Air Force. As

the highest-ranking enlisted member, he advised the USAF leadership on

enlisted issues.

April 19: Maj. Leo K. Thorsness earned the Medal of Honor for protecting a mission to rescue downed airmen in North Vietnamese territory. Flying an F–105

Thunderchief critically low on fuel, Major Thorsness shot down one

MiG–17, damaged another, and drove off three more. Despite his urgent

need for fuel, Major Thorsness elected to recover at a forward operating base,

allowing another aircraft in emergency condition to refuel from an aerial

tanker. Shortly after this incident, Thorsness was shot down, captured, and

held prisoner until his release on March 4, 1973.

100

1967
April 25: Maj. Gen. Benjamin D. Foulois, America’s oldest military pilot,

having flown the first Army aircraft under the tutelage of the Wright

brothers in 1909, died at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, at the

age of 87.

April 28: Air National Guard volunteer crews and KC–97L tankers began flying

air-refueling missions for United States Air Forces in Europe fighters

from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, in Operation CREEK PARTY,

which lasted 10 years. This was the first sustained volunteer operation

overseas by Air National Guard units in support of USAF “real world”

requirements.

May 31: While piloting a KC–135 Stratotanker over the Gulf of Tonkin, Maj. John

H. Casteel, USAF, and his three-man crew from the 902d Air Refueling

Squadron carried out a spectacular series of emergency refuelings that saved

six fuel-starved Navy fighters. The action earned Major Casteel and his crew

the Mackay Trophy.

June 1: The Republic of Vietnam Air Force officially accepted 20 F–5 aircraft,

its first jets, from the U.S. Air Force. The F–5 was a fighter version of the

T–38.

June 1: In the first nonstop transatlantic helicopter flight, USAF crews flew two

HH–3E helicopters from New York to Paris in 30 hours, 46 minutes, 10 seconds with nine air refuelings.

June 5: Surrounded by the forces of several Arab nations threatening to attack,

Israel launched preemptive air raids against Egyptian, Jordanian, and Syrian

airfields. Having established control of the air, Israeli forces occupied the

Sinai Peninsula, the west bank of the Jordan River, and the Golan Heights

within a week.

August 26: The North Vietnamese captured Maj. George E. Day, USAF, after shooting down his F–100 Super Sabre aircraft. Severely wounded, he was taken to a

prison camp for interrogation and torture. Despite his crippling injuries, Major

Day escaped and evaded the enemy for two weeks. He had crossed the demilitarized zone and come within two miles of a Marine Corps base when he was

shot and recaptured. Back in prison and in poor health, he continued to resist

his captors until he was released in 1973. For his bravery, he earned the Medal

of Honor.

September 9: Sgt. Duane D. Hackney received the Air Force Cross for bravery during the rescue of a USAF pilot in Vietnam, thereby becoming the first living

enlisted man to receive the award.

October 16: The first operational F–111A supersonic tactical fighter landed at Nellis

Air Force Base, Nevada. The variable swept-wing jet used its terrain-following

radar-guidance controls for the flight from Fort Worth, Texas.

101

1967
102

The F–111, sometimes called the Aardvark, featured swing wings that could be

swept forward for slow flight or backward for greater speed.

November 9: Enemy gunners shot down a helicopter piloted by Capt. Gerald O.

Young, USAF, during efforts to rescue an Army reconnaissance team near

Khe Sanh, Republic of Vietnam. Captain Young survived the crash, and

although badly burned, he aided another wounded crewman. Later, he

attempted to divert hostile forces from the crash site. Refusing rescue because

of the proximity of enemy forces, he successfully evaded capture for 17 hours

before finally being evacuated. These actions earned Captain Young the

Medal of Honor. He was the first Air Force Academy graduate to receive the

award.

November 9: Capt. Lance P. Sijan, USAF, ejected from his F–4C Phantom

over North Vietnam and successfully evaded capture for more than

six weeks. The enemy eventually captured him, but the severely

weakened and injured pilot managed to escape. Recaptured and tortured, he contracted pneumonia and died. Captain Sijan received the

Medal of Honor posthumously.

November 17: Operation EAGLE THRUST began. C–141 Starlifters and C–130

Hercules aircraft transported 10,356 paratroopers and 5,118 tons of equipment to the combat zone in the largest and longest-range airlift of troops and

cargo from the United States to Southeast Asia.

1967
1968

January 12: The Air Force announced a system by which tactical air units

would carry with them all they needed to operate at “bare” bases

equipped only with runways, taxiways, parking areas, and a water supply.

January 21: Vietnamese Communist forces began a 77-day siege of the Marine

Corps stronghold at Khe Sanh, South Vietnam. Air strikes and aerial deliveries of supplies allowed marines to hold out until ground forces could break

their encirclement in April.

January 25–26: The Air Force called to active duty Air National Guard and Air

Force Reserve elements in response to the North Korean seizure of the USS

Pueblo off the coast of Korea on January 24.

February 3: At the Arnold Engineering Development Center at Tullahoma, Tennessee, a laser beam was used for the first time as a light source for photographing aircraft and missile models at high velocity.

February 29: Col. Jeanne M. Holm, director of Women in the Air Force, and Col.

Helen O’Day, assigned to the Office of the Air Force Chief of Staff, became

the first USAF women promoted to the permanent rank of colonel under the

public law that removed restrictions on promoting women to higher ranks in

all the armed services.

March 25: The Air Force flew F–111s for the first time in combat against military

targets in North Vietnam.

103

For several decades in the latter part of the twentieth century, the C–141

Starlifter served as the Air Force’s primary long-range jet transport.

1968
March 25: The 944th Military Airlift Group (Associate) was activated at

Norton Air Force Base, California, becoming the first Reserve group

to function under the new associate-unit concept. Members of the

Reserve unit flew and maintained aircraft assigned to the associated

active-force unit.

May 1: For the first time, Air National Guard tactical-refueling units completed one

year of overseas duty on a continuous basis without mobilization.

May 3: The first Air National Guard unit called to active duty in the Vietnam conflict—the 120th Tactical Fighter Squadron from Buckley Air National Guard

Base, Colorado—arrived in South Vietnam and began flying combat missions

two days later.

May 12: Lt. Col. Joe M. Jackson landed his C–123 Provider aircraft at a specialforces camp being overrun by the enemy. Despite intense hostile fire, including that from light artillery, Colonel Jackson rescued a three-man combat control team and thus earned the Medal of Honor.

May 13: In response to the Communist offensive in South Vietnam, President Lyndon Johnson mobilized 22,200 reservists and guardsmen, including 1,333

members of the Air National Guard. Seven Air Force Reserve units were

mobilized.

June 13: A Titan IIIC launch vehicle successfully placed in orbit eight communications satellites from Cape Kennedy, Florida, to augment the initial Defense

Satellite Communications System.

June 17: The first C–9 Nightingale aeromedical-evacuation aircraft ordered

by Military Airlift Command for the airlift of patients within the

United States rolled out at McDonnell Douglas Corporation, Long

Beach, California.

104

Lt. Col. Joe M. Jackson earned the

Medal of Honor in Vietnam.

1968
August 1: Headquarters Air Force Reserve was organized at Robins Air

Force Base, Georgia, replacing Continental Air Command as manager of Air Reserve resources. At the same time, the Air Reserve Personnel Center at Denver, Colorado, was established as a separate

operating agency.

August 25: The North American OV–10 Bronco, the Air Force’s newest forwardair-control aircraft, began a 90-day combat-evaluation program in South Vietnam.

September 1: Serving as the on-scene commander during the attempted rescue of a downed American pilot, Lt. Col. William A. Jones, III,

USAF, repeatedly flew his A1–H Skyraider aircraft over enemy gun

emplacements, sustaining heavy damage and severe burns. Discovering that his radio transmitters were inoperative, Colonel Jones

refused to egress his crippled aircraft and, in extreme pain, flew back

to base, where he reported the downed pilot’s location. For his

heroic efforts, he received the Medal of Honor.

October 11: USAF units supported the launch from Cape Kennedy, Florida, of

Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo space mission. One of the three astronauts

was Maj. Donn F. Eisele, USAF.

November 26: Piloting a UH–1F helicopter, 1st Lt. James P. Fleming, USAF, twice

exposed his aircraft to intense hostile fire while rescuing a special forces

reconnaissance patrol, earning the Medal of Honor.

December 21: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration launched

Apollo 8 atop a Saturn V booster from Cape Kennedy, Florida. The astronauts aboard included Col. Frank Borman and Col. William A. Anders,

USAF, and Capt. James A. Lovell, Jr., United States Navy. A few days later,

the three men achieved the first lunar orbit.

105

The Saturn V, the largest rocket the United States had

ever developed, was designed to send men to the Moon.

1968
December 31: The Tupolev Tu–144 flew for the first time in the Soviet Union,

marking the first flight of an airliner designed to operate at sustained supersonic speed.

1969

January 1: The 71st Special Operations Squadron of the Air Force Reserve flew the

first AC–119 Shadow gunship combat mission in Vietnam. The AC–119’s

multiple machine guns could strafe the ground even more effectively than

those of its predecessor, the AC–47.

February 9: The Boeing Corporation flew its 747 “jumbo jet” aircraft for the first

time. The huge airliner could hold 347 passengers.

February 9: The free world’s first tactical communications satellite, the 1,600-pound

TACSAT 1, blasted into geostationary orbit from the Air Force Eastern Test

Range, Florida, atop a Titan IIIC launch vehicle. TACSAT was designed to

relay communications among small land-mobile, airborne, or shipborne tactical stations.

February 24: An enemy mortar shell struck an AC–47 gunship on which A1C

John L. Levitow served as loadmaster during a night mission in support

of a South Vietnamese army post. Although seriously wounded and

stunned, Airman Levitow flung himself on a smoking magnesium flare

that was rolling in the cargo compartment, dragged it to an open cargo

door, and threw it out of the aircraft. Almost immediately the flare

ignited. For this selfless heroism, Levitow became the fourth enlisted airman to win the Medal of Honor and the only enlisted airman to win the

nation’s highest military honor in Vietnam.

March 2: The Anglo-French Concorde—the first Western airliner designed

to fly at supersonic speed—flew for the first time from Toulouse,

France.

April 4–10: The 49th Tactical Fighter Wing redeployed its 72 F–4D aircraft from

Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, to Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, conducting 504 successful aerial refuelings. For this feat, the wing

received the Mackay Trophy.

May 14: Operation COMBAT MOSQUITO began. During the operation, two

C–141 flights airlifted 50 tons of insecticide to Ecuador to combat an

encephalitis epidemic there, and two UC–123s sprayed the insecticide over

that country’s coastal marshes. By the end of May, the operation had exterminated up to 95 percent of the area’s mosquitoes.

June 10: Air Force Systems Command presented its number-one X–15 hypersonic,

rocket-powered manned research aircraft to the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., for display with other historic aircraft.

106

1968–69
July 8: C–141 Starlifters airlifted the first of 25,000 troops withdrawn from

Southeast Asia under President Richard M. Nixon’s Vietnamization

policy, flying them from Vietnam to McChord Air Force Base, Washington.

July 20: Four days after launching from the Kennedy Space Center in

Florida and a few hours after the landing of the lunar module, Apollo

11 crew members Neil Armstrong, a civilian, and Col. Edwin E.

Aldrin, Jr., USAF, became the first men to walk on the Moon. At the

same time, Lt. Col. Michael Collins, USAF, orbited the Moon in the

mission’s command module.

August 19: The Air Force began airlifting relief equipment and supplies to southern

Mississippi to relieve the victims of Hurricane Camille, the strongest hurricane ever to hit the United States. By September 16, the service had airlifted

more than 5,900 tons of relief cargo, flying at least six kinds of transport aircraft. This humanitarian airlift operation was one of the largest such efforts in

history.

December 18: Air Force Missile Development Center crews completed the first

guided launch of the Maverick—an air-to-surface television-guided missile

capable of attacking moving targets at short range. Designated the AGM–65,

the missile would eventually be carried by a variety of bomber, fighter, and

attack aircraft.

1970

January 5: Aerospace Defense Command’s Backup Intercept Control III radar system became fully operational with the acceptance of the facility at the 80th Air

Defense Group, Fortuna Air Force Station, North Dakota. Designed to provide immediate information on any airborne threat to North America, this

system augmented the semiautomatic ground-environment system.

February 27: The Department of Defense selected Pratt and Whitney Aircraft to

develop and produce engines for both the USAF F–15 and the Navy F–14B

aircraft.

March 15: The overseas portion of the worldwide automatic voice network was

completed, connecting all U.S. military installations by telephone.

April 10: Air Training Command completed shipment of 872 trainers to Southeast

Asia under Project Pacer Bravo in support of the South Vietnamese air force

improvement and modernization program.

April 11–17: The Air Force supported the launch and recovery of the three-man

Apollo 13 crew, who, despite suffering an onboard explosion, journeyed

around the Moon and returned safely to Earth.

107

1969–70
April 14: A C–141 Starlifter crew conducted the first airlift of an operational Minuteman III missile, transporting it from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, to Minot

Air Force Base, North Dakota.

May 5: The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps expanded to include women

after test programs at Ohio State, Drake, East Carolina, and Auburn Universities proved successful.

May 8: An AC–119K Shadow gunship crew attacked one of the most heavily

defended road sections in Southeast Asia. Despite the loss of 15 feet of the

aircraft’s right wing and one aileron, the crew destroyed three enemy supply

trucks and successfully returned to base. For this feat, the crew received the

Mackay Trophy.

June 2: U.S. Air Forces Southern Command personnel and aircraft from Howard

Air Force Base (AFB) and Albrook AFB, Canal Zone, and C–130s from

Lockbourne AFB, Ohio, began disaster-relief operations for victims of a devastating earthquake in Peru that killed 70,000 and left 800,000 homeless. In

31 days, Southern Command crews airlifted 1.5 million pounds of supplies

and equipment and 2,827 passengers; they also made 501 medical evacuations—all while operating under practically bare-base conditions 1,500 miles

from their home base.

June 6: Gen. Jack J. Catton, commander of Military Airlift Command, accepted delivery of the first C–5 Galaxy for operational use in the Air Force. At the time, the

C–5 was the largest operational airplane in the world.

June 19: The first Minuteman III missile unit became operational at Minot Air

Force Base, North Dakota. The Minuteman III could launch multiple, independently targetable warheads.

108

The C–5 Galaxy

1970
July 31: The first class of Vietnamese students under the Vietnamization Program

completed the Undergraduate Pilot Training course at Keesler Air Force

Base, Mississippi.

August 21: Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird announced the Total Force Concept of the armed services, making the Air Force Reserve and Air

National Guard, rather than the draft, the initial sources for augmentation

of the active force.

August 24: Two search-and-rescue HH–53 Sea Stallions successfully completed a

9,000-mile flight from Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, to Da Nang Airport, Vietnam—the first nonstop transpacific helicopter crossing.

September 27–October 28: USAF transports participated in Operation FIG HILL,

carrying 200 medical personnel, two mobile military hospitals, and more than

186 tons of medical equipment and supplies, water-purification equipment,

food, tents, and vehicles to Jordan after its military forces clashed with Palestinian Liberation Organization forces residing in the country.

October 2: The Special Operations Center at Hurlburt Field, Florida, took possession of the new UH–1N Bell Twin Huey, making the center the first operational USAF organization to have the helicopter.

November 18–December 16: C–141 and C–130 cargo airplanes airlifted

more than 140 tons of relief equipment and supplies from the United

States and from U.S. bases in the Far East to East Pakistan after a

cyclone flooded the country. Some of the flights covered almost

10,000 miles.

November 21: A special task force of Air Force and Army volunteers attempted

to rescue American servicemen from the Son Tay prisoner-of-war camp

20 miles west of Hanoi. Brig. Gen. Leroy J. Manor, USAF, commanded

the operation, while Col. Arthur D. Simons of the Army led the searchand-rescue team. Unfortunately, the prisoners had been moved elsewhere.

1971

March 17: Jane Leslie Holley became the first woman commissioned through the

Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program.

April 19: Salyut I became the first space station in orbit.

April 26: Crewing an SR–71 Blackbird strategic-reconnaissance aircraft assigned to

the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Lt. Col. Thomas B. Estes, USAF, aircraft commander, and Maj. Dewain C. Vick, USAF, reconnaissance systems

officer, made a record-breaking 15,000-mile nonstop flight, at times attaining

109

1970–71
speeds in excess of Mach 3. For this flight, the crew received the Mackay Trophy.

June 16–July 18: In Operation BONNY JACK, USAF transports airlifted

some 23,000 refugees from Tripura province in India, to which they

had fled from civil war in East Pakistan, to resettlement areas in

Gauhati province in another part of India. The C–130s and C–141s

also delivered more than 2,000 tons of food, medical supplies, and

other relief cargo to the refugees.

July 16: Jeanne M. Holm, director of Women of the Air Force, was promoted to

brigadier general, becoming the first woman general in the Air Force.

July 23: Hughes Aircraft Company was awarded a $70 million contract to build

2,000 Maverick (AGM–65A) air-to-surface missiles for use on F–4E and

A–7D aircraft.

July 26: With an all-USAF crew composed of Col. David R. Scott, Lt. Col. James

B. Irwin, and Maj. Alfred M. Worden, Apollo 15 blasted off from Cape

Kennedy, Florida. The mission was the first to use a vehicle called a lunar

rover on the surface of the Moon.

July 29: The Air Force completed its flight tests of the experimental X–24A lifting

body. Data from these tests contributed to the development of the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration space shuttle.

1972

February 17: Air Force One, a VC–137 Stratoliner aircraft belonging to the 89th

Military Airlift Wing, departed Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, carrying President Richard M. Nixon and his wife on their historic trip to

China to meet with Mao Tse-tung and Chinese premier Chou En-lai.

This was the first time a U.S. president had visited China, and it marked

a new relationship between two countries that had been Cold War enemies since 1949.

April 7–May 13: In Operation CONSTANT GUARD, the Air Force deployed 12

squadrons and 200 aircraft from the United States to Southeast Asia to blunt

a full-scale North Vietnamese invasion of South Vietnam.

April 27: Four USAF fighter crews, releasing Paveway I laser-guided “smart”

bombs, knocked down the Thanh Hoa bridge in North Vietnam. Previously, 871 conventional sorties had resulted in only superficial damage to

the bridge.

May 5: The Air Force’s sea-launched ballistic-missile detection and warning system—Pave Phased Array Warning System (PAWS)—achieved initial operational capability.

110

1971–72
May 10–11: F–4 Phantoms from the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing dropped precisionguided munitions on the Paul Doumer Bridge in Hanoi, North Vietnam, closing it to traffic.

May 26: President Richard M. Nixon and General Secretary Leonid I. Brezhnev of

the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics signed a Strategic Arms Limitation

agreement which limited the number of land-based and sea-based launchers

for both sides in the Cold War.

June 11: B–52 Stratofortress aircraft used laser-guided bombs to destroy a major

hydroelectric plant near Hanoi, North Vietnam.

June 29: Forward air controller Capt. Steven L. Bennett, USAF, and his observer spotted enemy troops attacking a friendly unit and strafed them, forcing a retreat. But

a surface-to-air missile crippled the OV–10 Bronco and shredded the observer’s

parachute. Captain Bennett, knowing that the observer could not bail out,

ditched the OV–10 in the Gulf of Tonkin. He died, but his observer survived.

For his heroic sacrifice, Captain Bennett was awarded the Medal of Honor

posthumously.

July 21–August 15: In Operation SAKLOLO, Pacific Air Forces airlifted

more than 2,000 tons of food, medical supplies, clothing, fuel, and

other relief supplies to Luzon for the relief of flood victims in the

Philippines. C–130s as well as H–3 and H–43 helicopters transported

more than 1,500 passengers, including disaster-assistance relief teams

and medical evacuees.

August 28: Capt. Richard S. “Steve” Ritchie, USAF, flying with Capt. Charles B.

DeBellevue, USAF, his weapon system officer, became the Vietnam War’s

first ace by shooting down his fifth MiG–21.

September 9: Capt. Charles B. DeBellevue, flying as weapon system officer in the

backseat of an F–4, earned his fifth and sixth aerial victories, becoming the

leading ace of the Vietnam War.

September 11: Using precision-guided munitions, U.S. aircraft destroyed the

Long Bien bridge over the Red River in downtown Hanoi, North Vietnam.

October 13: Capt. Jeffrey S. Feinstein, USAF, a weapon system officer in the backseat of an F–4, achieved ace status by shooting down his fifth MiG–21, becoming the third and final USAF ace of the Vietnam War.

November 22: A B–52 was hit by a surface-to-air missile while on a mission over North

Vietnam, becoming the first Stratofortress lost to enemy action. The crew members ejected over Thailand, where they were rescued.

December 7–19: Apollo 17, the final Apollo mission, was also the last manned

space operation to land on the Moon.

111

1972
December 18: President Richard M. Nixon directed the resumption of full-scale

bombing and mining in North Vietnam—an operation known as LINEBACKER II. SSgt. Samuel O. Turner, USAF, became the first B–52 tail gunner to shoot down an enemy airplane.

1973

January 8: Capt. Paul D. Howman, USAF, and 1st Lt. Lawrence W. Kullman,

USAF, flying an F–4D Phantom, scored the last aerial victory of the Vietnam

War when they shot down a MiG southwest of Hanoi, North Vietnam, with

a radar-guided AIM–7 missile.

January 27: In Paris, North Vietnam and the United States signed an “Agreement

on Ending the War and Restoring Peace to Vietnam.” The cease-fire was set

to begin on January 29.

January 28: A B–52 Stratofortress crew performed the last Operation ARC LIGHT

sortie, bombing enemy targets in South Vietnam at 0628 hours local time.

This operation had continued since 1965.

February 12: Military Airlift Command pilots initiated Operation HOMECOMING, flying the first of 590 released American prisoners of war from Hanoi,

North Vietnam, to Clark Air Base in the Philippines. The operation concluded on April 9.

March 28: The last USAF aircraft departed South Vietnam.

May 15: Operation AUTHENTIC ASSISTANCE began. In six months, USAF airplanes airlifted 9,250 tons of food, seed grain, medical supplies, and vehicles

to and within the African countries of Mali, Chad, and Mauritania to relieve

the victims of drought and famine.

May 25–June 22: In a space mission, three U.S. astronauts repaired the Skylab

space station, which had been damaged during its launch, so that it could conduct orbital research.

July 1: Military conscription (the draft) in the United States ended, but the Selective

Service continued to register young men of military age.

July 15: An A–7D Corsair II of the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, based in

Thailand, flew the last combat mission of the Southeast Asian War.

All told, since February 2, 1962, the Air Force had flown 5.25 million

sorties over South Vietnam, North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia,

losing 2,251 aircraft—1,737 to hostile action and 514 for other operational reasons.

August 20: The United States began an airlift of 2,400 tons of relief equipment and

supplies to Pakistan for the victims of flooding. The airlift involved the

112

1972–73
113

Skylab, a science and engineering laboratory, launched into Earth orbit

on May 14, 1973. It fell from orbit on July 11, 1979.

Maj. Gen. Jeanne M. Holm, the first USAF woman general, received her second star

on June 1, 1973. Richard I. Borda, assistant secretary of the Air Force, and Gen.

Horace Wade, USAF vice chief of staff, participated in the promotion ceremony.

1973
resources of Military Airlift Command, Tactical Air Command, and the Air

Force Reserve.

October 14–November 14: During the “Yom Kippur War,” USAF airlifters supporting Operation NICKEL GRASS flew 567 sorties from the United States,

delivering 22,318 tons of war materiel to Israel. Regular and Reserve units

participated.

December 3: Pioneer 10 became the first space probe to reach the vicinity of

Jupiter.

1974

April 10: United States Air Forces in Europe used C–130 communication flights to

support Operation NIMBUS STAR, a minesweeping operation to reopen

the Suez Canal to navigation.

June 9: Northrop test pilot Henry E. “Hank” Chouteau made the first flight

in the YF–17 prototype aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Although the YF–16 was selected over the YF–17 as the Air

Force’s newest fighter aircraft, the YF–17 was the progenitor of the

Navy’s F–18 Hornet.

September 3: Strategic Air Command removed from alert its last Minuteman I

intercontinental ballistic missile at the 90th Strategic Missile Wing, Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, during conversion to Minuteman III missiles.

September 16: The 8th Tactical Fighter Wing completed its redeployment from

Ubon Airfield, Thailand, to Kunsan Air Base, South Korea.

November 24: President Gerald R. Ford and General Secretary Leonid I.

Brezhnev of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics signed the Vladivostok Strategic Arms Limitation Accord, which limited deployment

of both strategic-delivery vehicles and multiple, independently targetable reentry vehicles.

1975

January 13: Dr. John L. McLucas, secretary of the Air Force, authorized purchase

of the General Dynamics F–16—a low-cost, lightweight, highly maneuverable

aircraft.

January 16–February 1: By setting eight time-to-climb records in the F–15 Eagle,

Maj. Roger J. Smith, Maj. David W. Peterson, and Maj. Willard R. MacFarlane earned the Mackay Trophy.

114

1973–75
March 25: The United States organized an airlift to evacuate about 10,000 people a day from Da Nang, South Vietnam. Communist forces had completely cut land routes between this coastal provincial city and the rest of

the country.

March 31: Completing the consolidation of all military airlift under a single

manager, the Air Force transferred the tactical airlift resources of Pacific

Air Forces, United States Air Forces in Europe, and Alaskan Air Command to Military Airlift Command. In December 1974, the Air Force

had consolidated Tactical Air Command’s airlift resources, including

C–130s, with those of Military Airlift Command, which became the single airlift manager.

April 4: Operation BABYLIFT, the aerial evacuation of orphans from Saigon,

South Vietnam, began tragically as a C–5 Galaxy crashed in a rice field

near the city. Miraculously, 175 of the 330 people on board survived the

accident. The United States also began the fixed-wing aerial evacuation of

Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which was surrounded by Khmer Rouge forces.

By April 11, some 875 Cambodians had flown to Thailand aboard USAF

C–130s.

April 12: In Operation EAGLE PULL, Marine Corps and USAF helicopters,

escorted by USAF fighters and gunships, performed the final aerial evacuation of 287 people from Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, which was surrounded by advancing Communist forces. The city fell on April 17 to the

Khmer Rouge.

April 29: By this date, in Operation NEW LIFE, the Air Force had evacuated by

air more than 45,000 people from Saigon, South Vietnam, including some

5,600 U.S. citizens, on 201 C–141 and 174 C–130 sorties.

April 29: Operation FREQUENT WIND began. Marine Corps, Navy, and

USAF helicopters took part in this final evacuation of Saigon, South Vietnam, which concluded on April 30, when Saigon fell to enemy forces.

The helicopters airlifted more than 6,000 evacuees from the South Vietnamese capital in two days. This major operation was the first to involve

the flights of USAF helicopters from the deck of an aircraft carrier—the

USS Midway.

April 29–September 16: During Operation NEW ARRIVALS, 251 C–141 and

C–130 flights and 349 commercial flights airlifted more than 120,000 Indochinese refugees from Pacific island staging areas to the United States.

May 12: Cambodian gunboats seized the U.S. merchant ship Mayaguez and its 40-

man crew near the Wai Islands, 60 miles from the Cambodian coast. In

response, Military Airlift Command transported U.S. marines and equipment

from the Philippines and Okinawa to Thailand.

115

1975
May 15: Cambodia returned the Mayaguez crew after marines, supported by USAF

helicopters and A–7 aircraft, captured the empty ship and assaulted Koh Tang

Island, where the crew was mistakenly thought to have been taken. Maj. Robert

W. Undorf received the Mackay Trophy for conspicuous gallantry, initiative,

and resourcefulness during this military operation—the last major American military action in Southeast Asia.

June 6: The last 16 B–52 Stratofortress aircraft remaining at U-Tapao, Thailand,

began redeploying to the United States.

June 15: The last F–111 unit in Thailand began redeployment to the United

States.

July 1: For the first time, an Air National Guard air refueling squadron

began supporting Strategic Air Command operations. Air Force

Reserve and Air National Guard units received KC–135s over a fouryear period.

July 15–24: Three U.S. astronauts and two Soviet cosmonauts rendezvoused

and docked their space vehicles in orbit during the Apollo-Soyuz mission.

August 8–15: Five Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard C–130s flew 104 sorties to drop 1,400 tons of fire-retardant chemicals over forest fires in southern

California.

September 1: Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr., USAF, became the first black fourstar general.

October 29: The first F–5E Tiger II aircraft entered the Air Force’s inventory at

Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

November 29: The first annual RED FLAG exercise began at Nellis Air Force

Base, Nevada, ushering in a new era of highly realistic USAF air combat training for pilots and aircrews.

1976

January 9: The first operational F–15 Eagle, a new air-superiority fighter aircraft,

arrived at the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.

The F–15 was the first fighter to have a thrust greater than its weight, allowing

it to accelerate while going straight up.

January 19: The 180th Tactical Fighter GROUP became the first Air National Guard

unit to participate in the RED FLAG training program at Nellis Air Force Base,

Nevada.

February 4–June 30: Using C–5s, C–141s, and C–130s, the Air Force airlifted

927 tons of relief equipment and supplies to Guatemala after a severe

116

1975–76
117

Col. Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr., next to his F–4 Phantom

in Thailand during the Vietnam War

In the last quarter of the twentieth century, the F–15 Eagle served the Air Force

as its premier air-superiority aircraft.

1976
earthquake. The aircraft also transported 696 medical, engineering, and

communications personnel. The effort was called Operation EARTHQUAKE.

March 22: The first A–10 Thunderbolt was delivered to Davis-Monthan Air Force

Base, Arizona, for test and evaluation. The heavily armored jet attack aircraft,

armed with a heavy Gatling gun in the nose and equipped with straight wings

able to carry a variety of air-to-ground munitions, was designed for close air

support missions.

May 23–June 9: After Typhoon Pamela hit Guam, C–5s, C–141s, and one

C–130 airlifted 2,652 tons of relief equipment and supplies to the

island.

June 28: Joan Olsen became the first woman cadet to enter the Air Force Academy

and the first woman to enter any of the three Department of Defense service

academies.

July 3: Using C–130 aircraft, Israeli commandos led an assault on Entebbe airport

in Uganda, rescuing 105 hostages held by pro-Palestinian terrorists.

July 15: Consolidated interservice aerial-navigation training began for Navy and

Marine Corps personnel at Mather Air Force Base, California.

July 20: The Viking I space probe landed successfully on the surface of the

planet Mars and began transmitting television photographs of the Martian

landscape.

September 6: A Soviet pilot landed his MiG–25 Foxbat jet fighter in Hokkaido,

Japan, and asked for asylum in the United States. Japanese and U.S. officials

closely examined the aircraft and on November 15, returned it, dismantled,

to the Soviet Union.

September 16: The United States officially returned Eniwetok Atoll, site of the first

U.S. hydrogen bomb explosion, to its former inhabitants.

September 29: The first of two groups of 10 women pilot candidates entered undergraduate pilot training at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona—the first time

since World War II that women could train to become pilots of U.S. military

aircraft.

1977

January 8: The first YC–141B (stretched C–141 Starlifter) rolled out of the Lockheed-Georgia Marietta plant. Equipped with in-flight refueling capability, it

was 23.3 feet longer than the original C–141A, enabling it to carry more

troops and cargo.

118

1976–77
January 31–February 8: In Operation SNO GO, C–5s, C–141s, and C–130s airlifted 1,160 tons of snow-removal equipment and 430 passengers after more

than 100 inches of snow fell on western New York and Pennsylvania, paralyzing Buffalo and Pittsburgh.

March 23: Tactical Air Command’s first E–3A Sentry aircraft arrived at Tinker Air

Force Base, Oklahoma. The Sentry, the Air Force’s first airborne warning

and control system aircraft, carried a large rotating radar disk above its fuselage.

March 27–30: Following the collision of two Boeing 747 airliners with a total

of 643 passengers at Tenerife, Canary Islands, a United States Air

Forces in Europe C–130 transported medical personnel to Tenerife

and airlifted 56 crash survivors to Las Palmas, Canary Islands. A Military Airlift Command C–141 airlifted the survivors on to various

locations in the United States for medical treatment. The Tenerife

airliner collision was the world’s worst civil-aviation disaster of the

twentieth century.

May 19: Capt. James A. Yule, USAF, was awarded the Mackay Trophy for gallantry

and unusual presence of mind during an in-flight emergency while flying as an

instructor pilot of a B–52 Stratofortress.

June 19: A C–5 Galaxy flew nonstop from Chicago to Moscow carrying a 40-ton

superconducting magnet, the first time a C–5 had ever landed in the

Soviet Union. The flight of 5,124 nautical miles required two aerial refuelings.

June 30: President James E. “Jimmy” Carter, Jr., announced cancellation of the

B–1 Lancer bomber program after the production of four prototypes, citing the continuing reliability of B–52s and the development of cruise missiles.

August 12: Released at an altitude of 22,800 feet from the top of a specially modified Boeing 747, Enterprise—the first space shuttle—completed its first descent

and landing.

August 23: At Shafter, California, cyclist Bryan Allen successfully made the first sustained, maneuverable, man-powered flight. He propelled the Gossamer Condor—an aircraft with a framework of aluminum braced with stainless steel and

a covering of Mylar plastic—by pedaling.

August 31: Soviet pilot Alexander Fedotov flew a modified MiG–25 Foxbat to a

record altitude of 123,523.58 feet over Podmosconvnoe in the Union of

Soviet Socialist Republics.

October 1: The Air Force began VOLANT OAK, a quarterly rotation of Air Force

Reserve and Air National Guard C–130 aircraft and crews to Howard Air

Force Base in the Panama Canal Zone.

119

1977
October 12: The first class of USAF women navigators graduated, with three of the

five assigned to Military Airlift Command aircrews.

1978

January 24: Tactical Air Command deployed eight F–15 Eagle aircraft from

Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, to Osan Air Base, Republic of

Korea, in the first operational-training deployment of F–15s to the

Western Pacific.

February 8–17: In Operation SNOW BLOW II, USAF C–5s, C–141s, and C–130s

airlifted 2,339 tons of snow-removal equipment, generators, communications

gear, and more than 1,000 passengers after a severe snowstorm in southern

New England.

February 9: From Cape Canaveral, Florida, an Atlas-Centaur booster hoisted into

orbit the first Fleet Satellite Communications System satellite.

February 22: An Atlas booster launched the first Global Positioning System satellite.

A “constellation” of such satellites revolutionized navigation.

May 16–27: In Operation ZAIRE I, Military Airlift Command used 43

C–141 and C–5 missions to transport 931 tons of cargo and 124 passengers to Zaire in support of Belgian and French troops who had

intervened to rescue European workers threatened by a Katangan

rebel invasion of Zaire from Angola. During this operation, Lt. Col.

Robert F. Schultz and Capt. Todd H. Hohberger and their C–5 crews

earned the Mackay Trophy for overcoming fatigue, limited en route

support, crippling mechanical problems, and adverse operational

conditions in a hostile area.

May 31–June 16: In Operation ZAIRE II, C–141s and C–5s airlifted Belgian

and French troops from Zaire, replacing them with African peacekeeping

troops. In 72 missions, they transported 1,225 passengers and 1,619 tons

of cargo.

August 11–17: Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, and Larry Newman, flying in the

Double Eagle II, completed the first balloon crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.

The flight from Maine to France covered 3,100 miles.

November 22–29: Three HH–53 Jolly Green Giant helicopters of the 55th

Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron airlifted 911 bodies from a

mass suicide in Jonestown to Georgetown, Guyana. HC–130s refueled

the helicopters as they shuttled between the sites. At Georgetown the

bodies were transferred to C–141 Starlifter aircraft, which transported

them to the United States.

120

1977–78
December 8–9: As a result of political tensions and disturbances in Iran, Military

Airlift Command airlifted some 900 evacuees from Tehran to bases in the

United States and Germany. The airlift included 11 C–141 and C–5 missions.

Some 5,700 U.S. and third-country nationals left Iran on regularly scheduled

Military Airlift Command flights until Iran’s revolutionary government closed

the airport in February 1979.

1979

January 6: The 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, received

the first General Dynamics F–16 delivered to the Air Force. The F–16, the

newest multirole fighter, could perform strike as well as air-superiority missions.

121

The F–16 Fighting Falcon served the Air Force in the late twentieth century as a multirole fighter.

March 9: In Operation FLYING STAR, two E–3 airborne warning and control system aircraft deployed to Saudi Arabia in response to a threat on the country’s

southern border.

The E–3 Sentry provides all-weather surveillance, command, control, and communications.

1978–79
March 31: Maj. James E. McArdle, Jr., USAF, and his four-man crew in an H–3 helicopter hoisted 28 Taiwanese seamen shipwrecked in the Yellow Sea after their

ship ran aground, earning Major McArdle the Mackay Trophy.

March 31: After a nuclear power-plant accident at Pennsylvania’s Three-Mile Island

on March 28, C–5, C–141, and C–130 aircraft airlifted testing equipment,

lead-shielding materiel, and chemicals to the area.

May 2–3: Two E–3A Sentry aircraft flew the first airborne warning and control system training mission over central Europe.

June 12: Cyclist Bryan Allen made the first human-powered flight across the English Channel in the aircraft Gossamer Albatross.

July 9: Voyager 2, an unmanned space probe launched in 1977, reached the vicinity of the planet Jupiter and began sending back photographs.

August 31: The Air Force began flying relief missions to victims of Hurricanes

David and Frederic, which hit several islands in the West Indies before striking the United States. By November 21, C–5, C–141, and C–130 cargo airplanes had delivered more than 2,900 tons of disaster-relief cargo to the

Caribbean.

September 15–22: In one of the largest aerial fire-fighting operations on

record, eight C–130s from the Air Force Reserve and from Air

National Guard units in California and Wyoming flew 254 sorties to

drop 732,000 gallons of fire-suppressant liquid over fires in southern

California.

October 19–21: Two C–141 Starlifter aircraft equipped for aeromedical

evacuation transported 38 severely burned U.S. marines from Yokota

Air Base, Japan, to Kelly Air Force Base, Texas, following a fire that

swept through an enlisted men’s barracks at a Marine Corps base at

Mount Fuji, Japan.

November 4: More than 3,000 Iranian militants stormed the U.S. Embassy in

Tehran, Iran, and took 66 U.S. citizens hostage. President James E. “Jimmy”

Carter decided to exhaust diplomatic options before resorting to a military

response.

December 27: The Soviet Union led a coup in Afghanistan that set up a new puppet regime, provoking a civil war and the entrance of thousands of Soviet

troops, many of them by airlift, into the country.

1980

March 12–14: Two B–52 crews from the 644th Bombardment Squadron and the

410th Bombardment Wing flew nonstop around the world in 43.55 hours,

averaging 488 miles per hour over 21,256 statute miles, to locate Soviet naval

122

1979–80
vessels operating in the Arabian Sea. This accomplishment earned the aircrews the Mackay Trophy.

April 6: A 443d Military Airlift Wing aircrew flew nonstop from Beale Air Force

Base, California, to Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom on

the first C–141B operational mission. It refueled only once on the 11-hour,

12-minute flight.

April 24: President James E. “Jimmy” Carter aborted Operation EAGLE

CLAW, an elaborate attempt to rescue U.S. citizens being held since November 4, 1979, as hostages in Tehran. Three of eight special-operations helicopters suffered mechanical problems and had to be abandoned or

withdrawn. In the subsequent withdrawal operation, an RH–53 helicopter collided with an EC–130, resulting in an explosion that killed

eight men and destroyed both aircraft. Hastily departing on C–130s,

the mission team abandoned the remaining four helicopters in the

Iranian desert.

May 18–June 5: Following the eruption of Mount Saint Helens in northwest

Washington State, the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service, Military Airlift Command, and the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing

conducted humanitarian-relief efforts. During the operation, helicopter crews lifted 61 people to safety, while SR–71 airplanes conducted

aerial photographic reconnaissance to assist rescue-and-recovery

efforts.

July 10–October 3: During Operation PROUD PHANTOM, the Air Force

deployed tactical fighters to Egypt for the first time. Twelve F–4Es flew from

Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, to Cairo, Egypt, for tactical training exercises

that benefited both the U.S. Air Force and the Egyptian air force, which was

purchasing F–4s from the United States.

September 18: An explosion destroyed the 308th Strategic Missile Wing’s

Titan II launch complex 374-7 in Little Rock, Arkansas, killing one

person.

October 1: Operation ELF began with the deployment of four USAF E–3A airborne warning and control system aircraft to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to protect

Saudi airspace during the Iran-Iraq War. Three KC–135s also deployed during the operation.

October 3: Piloting an HH–3 Jolly Green Giant helicopter, Capt. John J. Walters,

USAF, and his crew rescued 61 passengers and crewmen from the burning

Dutch luxury liner Prinsendam in the Pacific Ocean, hoisting and airlifting

them from lifeboats to a supertanker. For this rescue, Captain Walters earned

the Mackay Trophy.

123

1980
1981

January–June: Operating from Corpus Christi, Texas, and Little Rock,

Arkansas, C–130s delivered 500 tons of arms, ammunition, helicopters,

and other war materiel to El Salvador to help the government combat

leftist guerrillas.

January 11: The Boeing Company delivered the first USAF air-launched

cruise missiles to the 416th Bombardment Wing at Griffiss Air Force

Base, New York. Capable of delivering a nuclear weapon to a target

1,500 miles away, the new missiles contained a terrain-contour-matching system that allows extremely low-altitude flight to avoid detection by

enemy radar.

January 18–25: Two C–9 Nightingales transported 52 Americans held by Iran for

444 days from Tehran to Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany. After four days at

the USAF hospital in Wiesbaden, Germany, the former hostages returned to

the United States on a VC–137.

March 17: McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Company delivered the first KC–10A

Extender tanker/cargo aircraft to Strategic Air Command. Substantially larger

than the KC–135 tanker/cargo aircraft, the Extender not only could carry

more fuel and cargo, but also could refuel more types of aircraft, including

other KC–10s.

124

The primary mission of the KC–10A Extender was aerial refueling, but it also carried cargo and passengers.

April 12: John W. Young and Capt. Robert L. Crippen, United States Navy,

flew the Columbia into space—the first space shuttle to do so.

Launched like a rocket, the shuttle landed like an airplane and could

be flown again.

May 2: An airborne laser destroyed an aerial target for the first time when the Airborne

Laser Laboratory (ALL), a modified KC–135 aircraft armed with a carbon diox1981
ide laser, shot down a drone over White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

Two years later, the ALL successfully shot down five Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, proving its utility as an antimissile system.

June 7: Israeli F–16 and F–15 aircraft destroyed the Osirak nuclear reactor near

Baghdad to prevent the Iraqis from acquiring material to manufacture a

nuclear weapon.

June 18: The F–117 Nighthawk, the world’s first stealth combat aircraft, flew for the

first time. Hal Farley piloted the revolutionary aircraft, which presented very

little radar image, at Tonopah Test Range, Nevada.

125

The F–117A Nighthawk

August 3: USAF air-traffic controllers began to man U.S. airport facilities, replacing

striking federal civilian personnel. This action allowed commercial airlines to

continue service despite the illegal strike.

September 15: Strategic Air Command received its first TR–1A reconnaissance aircraft. Built by Lockheed-California, this improved and enlarged version of the

U–2 reconnaissance aircraft could conduct all-weather day-and-night missions

at altitudes exceeding 70,000 feet.

October 2: Reversing former president James E. “Jimmy” Carter’s decision to end

the B–1 Lancer program, President Ronald W. Reagan announced that the

Air Force would build and deploy 100 of these aircraft. President Reagan also

announced that the M–X missile would be deployed initially in existing missile silos.

October 14: Tactical Air Command deployed two E–3A Sentry airborne warning

and control system aircraft to Egypt to help ensure calm after the assassination

of Prime Minister Anwar Sadat.

November 5: The first operational EF–111A defense-suppression aircraft was delivered to the 388th Electronic Combat Squadron at Mountain Home Air Force

Base, Idaho. The EF–111A would eventually replace EB–66 and EB–57 aircraft

to provide worldwide support of tactical air strike forces.

1981
November 23: During the BRIGHT STAR ’82 exercise, eight B–52 bombers

assigned to the strategic-projection force established a record for the

longest nonstop B–52 bombing mission. Flying a distance of 15,000 miles

with three midair refuelings in 31 hours from air bases in North Dakota,

the bombers delivered their conventional munitions on a simulated runway in Egypt.

1982

April 2: With the help of air power, Argentina invaded and captured the Falkland

Islands, a British crown colony.

May 4: An Argentine airplane sank the British destroyer HMS Sheffield with an

Exocet missile during fighting over the Falkland Islands. Later that month,

Argentine aircraft sank three more British ships, including two frigates and a

destroyer.

June 9–11: Israeli pilots flying U.S.-made fighters achieved an unmatched 82-0 aerial victory ratio in combat against Syrian fighter pilots in Soviet-made MiGs

over Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. They also destroyed 19 Syrian surface-to-air

missile batteries and suffered no losses.

June 10: Strategic Air Command’s first all-woman KC–135 crew, assigned to the

924th Air Refueling Squadron, Castle Air Force Base, California, performed

a five-hour training mission that included a midair refueling of a B–52 Stratofortress aircraft.

June 14: The last Argentine forces surrendered to British troops in the Falkland

Islands. British carrier-based Harrier aircraft, which could take off and land

vertically and hover, had supported the British forces in their successful campaign.

June 21: Strategic Air Command conducted a successful aerial refueling only 750

miles from the South Pole. During this southernmost in-flight refueling, a

KC–10A Extender transferred 67,400 pounds of aviation fuel to a Military

Airlift Command transport that was conducting resupply operations in

Antarctica.

July 1: United States Air Forces in Europe activated the 501st Tactical Missile Wing at

Royal Air Force Greenham Common, United Kingdom. This unit was the first

of six ground-launched cruise missile wings in Europe.

September 1: The Air Force activated Space Command, redesignated Air Force

Space Command on November 15, 1985, following activation of United

States Space Command—a joint organization—at Peterson Air Force Base,

Colorado, on September 23, 1985.

126

1981–82
September 16: Capt. Ron Cavendish, USAF, and his crew successfully landed their

B–52 Stratofortress after the aircraft lost both of its rudder-elevator hydraulic systems. Never before had this feat been accomplished without significant damage to or complete destruction of the aircraft. For this achievement, the crew

earned the Mackay Trophy.

September 21: A B–52 Stratofortress of the 416th Bombardment Wing, Griffiss Air

Force Base, New York, conducted the first operational test of an air-launched

cruise missile.

September 30: H. Ross Perot, Jr., and Jay Coburn completed the first helicopter circumnavigation of the world. They flew a Bell 206L Longranger, starting and finishing at Fort Worth, Texas.

1983

February 3: To modernize America’s retaliatory capability, Strategic Air Command

completed the retrofitting of 300 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles with new reentry systems.

March 1: Military Airlift Command activated Twenty-Third Air Force at

Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, to provide combat rescue, special

operations, weather reconnaissance, atmospheric sampling, security

support for missile sites, training of helicopter and HC–130 crewmen, and pararescue training.

April 1–May 1: The Air Force transferred 31 units and four installations from

Strategic Air Command to Space Command, which took over missile warning

and space surveillance systems.

June 13: Pioneer 10 became the first spacecraft to leave the solar system.

June 17: The Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missile, carrying multiple warheads, was launched for the first time at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The unarmed warheads landed in the Kwajalein target area in the Pacific

Ocean.

June 18: Sally K. Ride became the first U.S. woman to journey into outer space. She

was a Challenger crew member of the seventh space-shuttle mission.

July 1: As a war raged between Iran and Iraq, posing a threat to the oil-rich nations

of the Persian Gulf, the Air Force activated its first unit in Saudi Arabia—a provisional support squadron at Riyadh Air Base.

July 22: Dick Smith, an Australian, completed the first solo flight around the world

in a helicopter.

127

1982–83
August 30: Lt. Col. Guion S. Bluford, USAF, became the first black astronaut to

journey into space. He rode aboard Challenger on the eighth space-shuttle

mission.

September 1: A Soviet Su–15 interceptor shot down a Boeing 747 Korean airliner with 269 people aboard near Sakhalin Island, north of Japan. Three

HC–130 Hercules aircraft from the 33d Aerospace Rescue and Recovery

Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan, participated in the subsequent

search but found no survivors. KC–135 Stratotankers also supported the

search operation.

September 3–25: As part of Operation RUBBER WALL, Military Airlift Command flew 85 C–141 Starlifter, 24 C–5 Galaxy, and four C–130 Hercules missions to transport about 4,000 tons of supplies from the United States to

American marines in Lebanon.

September 5: A KC–135 Stratotanker crew led by Capt. Robert J. Goodman

saved an F–4E Phantom and its crew over the Pacific. The KC–135

refueled the F–4E four times and towed it with a refueling boom. The

crew received the Mackay Trophy for the most meritorious flight of

the year.

October 23–December 9: After a terrorist bomb exploded at a Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, Military Airlift Command and Air Force Reserve

cargo and aeromedical-evacuation aircraft transported 239 dead and 95

wounded Americans to the United States and Europe for burial and medical

treatment.

October 24–November 3: In Operation URGENT FURY, American military

forces raided the Caribbean island of Grenada to evacuate U.S. citizens,

restore democracy, and eliminate a hostile Cuban/Soviet base. Military Airlift

Command and Air Force Reserve C–5 Galaxy, C–141 Starlifter, and C–130

Hercules aircraft flew 496 missions to transport 11,389 passengers and 7,709

tons of cargo to Grenada. Strategic Air Command tankers and Tactical Air

Command fighters, as well as Air National Guard EC–130Es, supported the

operation, which accomplished its triple mission. During Operation

URGENT FURY, Lt. Col. James L. Hobson, Jr., USAF, led a flight of

MC–130 Hercules aircraft that successfully completed an airborne assault on

Point Salinas, dropping paratroopers at the exact planned time over target in

a hail of antiaircraft fire. For his actions in assuming the assault lead from a

disabled aircraft, Colonel Hobson earned the Mackay Trophy.

1984

February 24: Military Airlift Command flew two C–141 Starlifter missions from Larnaca, Cyprus, to Cherry Point, North Carolina, to support the withdrawal

128

1983–84
from Lebanon of U.S. marines who had served as part of a multinational

peacekeeping force.

March 19–April 9: The Air Force flew 28 C–5 Galaxy and 17 C–141 Starlifter missions and deployed an E–3A Sentry in support of Egypt and Sudan against

threats from Libya.

April 6–13: A crew in the space shuttle Challenger conducted the national space

program’s first satellite-repair mission, retrieving an orbiting vehicle, fixing it,

and then releasing it.

May 16: C–141 Starlifters delivered 22 tons of medical supplies to Afghan

refugees at Peshawar, Pakistan. The refugees had fled their country

because of war.

July: The first Harpoon (AGM–84) missile was delivered to the 69th Bombardment

Squadron, 42d Bombardment Wing, Loring Air Force Base, Maine. B–52s

could launch the missiles to destroy enemy ships.

August 7–October 2: In Operation INTENSE LOOK—the deployment of U.S.

minesweeping assets to the Red Sea—Military Airlift Command flew 44

missions to transport 983 passengers and 1,324 tons of cargo. Egypt and

Saudi Arabia had requested the minesweeping after mysterious shipping

explosions.

August 28: A C–5 Galaxy arrived at Florennes Air Base, Belgium, with the first

shipment of support equipment for ground-launched cruise missiles in

Europe.

September 18: Col. Joe Kittinger, Jr., USAF, retired, completed the first successful

solo crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a balloon, having traveled from Caribou, Maine, to Savona, Italy, in 84 hours. The 3,550-mile flight set a new balloon distance record.

October 5–13: During a space-shuttle mission, the crew of Challenger refueled a

satellite in orbit for the first time.

1985

January 1: Lt. Col. David E. Faught, a 97th Bombardment Wing instructor pilot,

earned the Mackay Trophy by preventing the loss of a KC–135 Stratotanker

and saving the lives of seven fellow crewmen. He landed the aircraft despite

the fact that its nose gear would not extend.

January 24: Col. Loren J. Shriver, USAF, led the four-man crew of Discovery on the

first all-military space-shuttle mission.

129

1984–85
June 21–July 25: Flying 73 sorties, three C–123K Provider crews sprayed more than

735,000 acres of public land in southern Idaho from the air to stop a

grasshopper infestation.

July 1: A C–141 Starlifter from the 438th Military Airlift Wing transported 39 passengers released from Trans World Airlines flight 847, which was hijacked on

June 30 by two Shiite Muslims. At Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, Vice President George H. W. Bush greeted the survivors upon their arrival from Damascus, Syria.

July 7: Strategic Air Command accepted its first operational B–1 Lancer, a longrange bomber with variable swept wings. It went to the 96th Bombardment

Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.

August 23: Air Force Systems Command successfully conducted its first

“cold launch” from an underground silo, a modified Minuteman

launch facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The coldlaunch technique ejected the missile from the silo by gas pressure,

and the propellant ignited after it became airborne. This technique

caused less damage to the silo and reduced the time needed for

another launch.

September 13: The first antisatellite intercept test took place when a weapon

launched from an F–15 successfully destroyed a satellite orbiting at a

speed of 17,500 miles per hour approximately 290 miles above

Earth.

September 21–30: USAF airlift units flew more than 360 tons of relief cargo

to Mexico City following massive earthquakes there. On September

23, the 89th Military Airlift Wing transported First Lady Nancy Reagan to Mexico City to express the nation’s concern and to deliver a

check for $1 million.

December 12–January 20, 1986: C–130 Hercules and C–141 Starlifter aircraft flew 26

airlift missions to transport to the United States the remains of 248 paratroopers

of the 101st Airborne Division and eight civilians killed in a December 12 crash

of an Arrow Air DC–8 at Gander, Newfoundland. The transports also moved

770 passengers and 125 tons of cargo.

1986

January 8: Military Airlift Command accepted delivery of its first C–5B Galaxy, an

improved version of the C–5A, at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

January 28: The seven crew members of the space shuttle Challenger were killed in

an explosion shortly after liftoff from the John F. Kennedy Space Center in

Florida. The disaster delayed the U.S. manned space program for more than

two years.

130

1985–86
February 18–22: The 129th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group and the

41st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron employed four H–3

Jolly Green Giant helicopters, two HH–53 helicopters, and three

C–130 Hercules aircraft to assist flood victims of the Russian and

Yuba Rivers of northern California. The airmen evacuated 520 flood

victims, saved 33 lives, and supplied over 3,000 sandbags to Army

troops at the disaster site.

March 4: During Exercise BRIGHT STAR, a combined U.S.-Egyptian training

operation, USAF tankers refueled foreign aircraft for the first time.

March 5: During a CORONET EAST deployment, Capt. Marc C. Felman

and his KC–10 Extender crew performed an emergency refueling of

Marine A–4M aircraft in the middle of the Atlantic, an action for

which they earned the Mackay Trophy for the most meritorious flight

of the year.

March 25: For the first time, an all-woman Minuteman missile crew served on alert

duty; the crew was assigned to the 351st Strategic Missile Wing, Whiteman

Air Force Base, Missouri.

April 14–15: During Operation ELDORADO CANYON, 18 F–111 aircraft, refueled by KC–10 and KC–135 tankers on a long flight from England around

France and Spain, bombed terrorist targets in Libya. USAF EF–111s and

Navy aircraft supported the F–111s, jamming enemy radar and attacking

Libyan air defenses and other targets. The air raids forced Libya to stop sponsoring terrorism for years thereafter.

April 28–May 7: Air Weather Service units supported the efforts of the United States

to track the movement of radioactive contamination from the Chernobyl

nuclear-reactor accident in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. WC–130

Hercules aircraft flew air-sampling missions.

131

In order to fly into hurricanes to take meterological measurements, the

WC–130E has more powerful engines and greater range than the conventional C–130 transport.

1986
June 19: All USAF Rapier surface-to-air missile units in Europe became operationally ready.

July 19–28: Twenty-four C–141 Starlifters and eight C–130 Hercules aircraft

flew 32 missions during Operation SOUTHERN HAYLIFT, supplying some 536 tons of donated hay (more than 19,000 bales) to

drought-stricken farmers in several southeastern states. The operation saved hundreds of cattle as well as the livelihoods of a great

many Southern livestock farmers.

October 1: The Goldwater-Nichols Act reorganized the Department of Defense’s

chain of command, giving theater commanders increased control of forces

provided from the various armed services.

October 10: The Air Force placed the LGM–118A, also called the Peacekeeper or

MX missile, on alert duty. Each of these new intercontinental ballistic missiles

could deliver warheads to 10 different targets.

132

The Peacekeeper, a four-stage intercontinental ballistic missile, became operational

near the end of the Cold War.

December 23: Richard G. Rutan and Jeana L. Yeager completed the first nonstop,

unrefueled flight around the world in an experimental aircraft called Voyager.

They covered 24,986.7 miles after taking off from Edwards Air Force Base,

California, on December 14.

1987

May 5: Strategic Air Command removed the last liquid-fueled Titan II missile from

alert duty at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, ending the operational life

of the nation’s largest intercontinental ballistic missile and the last one with liquid fuel.

1986–87
July 24: In Operation EARNEST WILL, the United States began providing protection to reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers in the Persian Gulf during the IranIraq War. The Air Force provided E–3 airborne warning and control system

aircraft to warn of aerial threats, C–5 and C–141 aircraft to airlift minesweeping personnel and equipment to the theater, and KC–10 and KC–135 aircraft

to refuel escorting Navy fighters. The operation continued until November

17, 1988.

September 17: For setting nine flight records for speed in a B–1B aircraft, Maj.

Brent A. Hedgpeth and his crew earned part of the Mackay Trophy for most

meritorious flight of the year (see entry for July 4, above).

October 1: Air Force Systems Command relinquished Onizuka Air Force Station,

California, and the Air Force Satellite Control Network—a set of worldwide

remote-tracking stations—to Air Force Space Command.

December 8: The United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics signed

the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, agreeing to remove all intermediate-range (620–3,415 statute miles) missiles from Europe. The agreement resulted in the inactivation of six USAF tactical missile wings equipped

with ground-launched cruise missiles.

133

July 4: For setting a dozen records for speed with payload in a new Rockwell B–1B,

Lt. Col. Robert Chamberlain and his crew earned part of the Mackay Trophy

for most meritorious flight of the year (see entry for September 17, below).

A B–1B Lancer soars over Wyoming. A long-range strategic bomber, the B–1B is

capable of flying intercontinental missions without refueling and then penetrating

sophisticated enemy defenses.

1987
1988

January 1: Strategic Air Command changed Minuteman and Peacekeeper

crew-assignment policy to permit mixed male/female crews in launch

facilities.

March 17–18: USAF transport aircraft carried some 3,200 U.S. soldiers to the

Republic of Honduras to support Exercise GOLDEN PHEASANT. The

Honduran government requested the deployment after experiencing an incursion of Sandinista forces from Nicaragua.

April 5–8: Eight C–5 Galaxies and 22 C–141 Starlifters of Military Airlift

Command transported 1,300 security specialists from the United

States to the Republic of Panama to counteract political instability

that threatened the safety of several thousand U.S. citizens in the

Canal Zone.

April 17–July 23: Capt. Michael Eastman, USAF, and his C–5 Galaxy transport

crew were the first U.S. airmen to land at Semipalatinsk, Republic of Kazakhstan, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. They delivered sensitive verification equipment for monitoring nuclear tests under existing international

agreements. Captain Eastman received the Mackay Trophy for successful execution of this mission.

August 15–28: C–5 Galaxies airlifted a 500-member United Nations peacekeeping

force from Canada to Turkey and Iraq to monitor a cease-fire agreement

between the two countries.

September 29: The launch of the space shuttle Discovery marked the resumption

of the U.S. manned space program, delayed in the wake of the Challenger disaster of January 28, 1986.

November 10: The Air Force revealed the F–117 stealth fighter to the public for the

first time. Manufactured by Lockheed, the F–117 could evade most radar

detection with its radical shape and radar-absorbent surface.

November 15: The Soviet Union launched Buran, its first space shuttle.

November 30: The Soviet Union rolled out its An–225 transport, the world’s largest

aircraft.

December 9: For the first time, the United States flew airplanes directly to the Soviet

Union without Soviet personnel on board as observers. The flights were part

of the first humanitarian airlift to the Communist country, which earlier had

refused such assistance. Over the course of eight weeks, Military Airlift Command aircraft and crews delivered more than 311 tons of relief cargo to victims of an earthquake in Yerevan, Armenia.

134

1988
1989

March 27: Military Airlift Command began transporting more than 1,000 tons of

equipment and supplies to Alaska to help clean up a 10-million-gallon oil spill

from the tanker Exxon Valdez.

May 4–8: For the first time, a space-shuttle flight launched an interplanetary spacecraft, the Magellan Venus Radar Mapper, which then ignited its own boosters

for the trip to Venus.

May 13–18: In Operation NIMROD DANCER, U.S. troops deployed with USAF

airlift support to the Canal Zone because of an increasing threat to U.S. personnel in Panama.

June 10: Capt. Jacquelyn S. Parker, USAF, became the first woman to graduate

from the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

June 14: On its first launch, the Martin Marietta Titan IV heavy-lift booster,

nearly 20 stories tall, successfully lifted a Defense Department satellite

into orbit.

July 6: The last Pershing ballistic missile was destroyed according to terms of the

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

August 24: The space probe Voyager 2 left the solar system after a 12-year journey.

September 21–November 15: Scores of USAF aircraft transported 4,330 tons of

relief equipment and supplies to the victims of Hurricane Hugo in the

Caribbean Sea and South Carolina. The airplanes also airlifted some 2,000

passengers, including evacuees and medical and engineering personnel, during the emergency.

October 4: B–1B crew members of the 96th Bombardment Wing at Dyess Air

Force Base, Texas, landed their aircraft successfully despite a retracted landing gear in the nose. No aircrew member was injured, and the airplane suffered only minimal damage. For this feat, the crew earned the Mackay Trophy for 1989.

October 4: A 60th Military Airlift Wing crew landed a C–5B Galaxy in Antarctica

for the first time. With a load of 72 passengers and 84 tons of cargo, including two fully assembled Bell UH–1N helicopters, the huge aircraft landed

without skis at McMurdo Station.

December 14: For the first time, women assumed USAF combat-crew roles as they

began to serve on C–130 and C–141 airdrop missions.

December 17–February 14, 1990: In Operation JUST CAUSE, USAF aircraft

hit military targets, airlifted troops, and flew special operations to

135

1989
restore democracy in Panama. F–117 Nighthawk stealth fighterbombers flew in combat for the first time. In the largest night-combat

airdrop since World War II, Military Airlift Command aircraft transported 9,500 airborne troops from Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, to Panama in fewer than 36 hours. Aircraft and crews of the 1st

Special Operations Wing, 919th Special Operations Group, and

193d Special Operations Group earned the Mackay Trophy for special operations during JUST CAUSE.

December 29–31: Two C–130 Hercules aircraft of the 435th Tactical Airlift Wing

and the 37th Tactical Airlift Squadron transported 31 tons of medical supplies

to Bucharest, Rumania, for treatment of civilians wounded in a violent but

successful anticommunist revolution.

1990

April 24: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration launched the Hubble Space Telescope into Earth orbit aboard the space shuttle Discovery.

Designed to observe objects in outer space from beyond the distortions of

Earth’s atmosphere, the new telescope promised to be the most accurate ever

used.

May 4: The AIM–120A advanced medium-range air-to-air missile passed its final

flight test for use on U.S. fighters.

May 22: The Air Force redesignated Twenty-Third Air Force as Air Force Special

Operations Command.

July 24: EC–135 Looking Glass flights ended after nearly 30 years. During

the Cold War, they provided airborne nuclear command and control

facilities.

August 2: Iraq invaded Kuwait and quickly occupied the entire country, provoking

the Southwest Asia War.

August 7: The United States launched Operation DESERT SHIELD to defend

Saudi Arabia from a possible Iraqi invasion. Among the first deployments was

a 15-hour, 8,000-mile flight of 24 F–15C Eagles from Langley Air Force Base,

Virginia, to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, with 12 in-flight refuelings. The aircraft

arrived on August 8.

August 9: Alaskan Air Command was redesignated Eleventh Air Force and assigned

to Pacific Air Forces.

August 17: President George H. W. Bush activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet for

the first time since it was authorized in 1952. The activation increased airlift

resources available to deploy U.S. troops to the Persian Gulf area.

136

1989–90
August 22: President George H. W. Bush authorized a 90-day call-up of 200,000

reservists for Operation DESERT SHIELD. Eventually, more than 20,000

USAF reservists and 12,000 Air National Guard personnel served in that

operation and its successor, DESERT STORM.

August 23: The 89th Military Airlift Wing received the first of two Boeing VC–25A

presidential transport aircraft at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. The

VC–25A was a modified 747–200B commercial transport that replaced the

VC–137C for service as Air Force One.

September 8: Marcelite Jordan Harris became the first black woman to hold the

grade of brigadier general in the Air Force.

September 18–28: The 436th and 438th Military Airlift Wings transported

107 pallets of tents, cots, and blankets to Jordan for the relief of

some 100,000 foreign workers who had fled from Kuwait because of

the Iraqi invasion.

October 1: Air Force Systems Command relinquished Patrick Air Force

Base, Florida, and the space-launch mission to Air Force Space Command.

December 29: The 169th Tactical Fighter Group was the first Air National

Guard unit to deploy to the Persian Gulf region for Operation

DESERT SHIELD.

1991

January 15: Strategic Air Command relinquished Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, and its launch facilities to Air Force Space Command.

January 17: Operation DESERT STORM, the liberation of Kuwait from Iraqi military occupation, opened with a massive barrage of air and cruise-missile

strikes against targets in Iraq and Kuwait. USAF special operations MH–53

helicopters initiated combat by leading an Army helicopter force that

destroyed enemy radar sites. During the first 14 hours, aircraft from a U.S.-

led coalition flew more than 1,200 combat sorties. B–52G Stratofortress crews

from the 2d Bomb Wing of Eighth Air Force, Strategic Air Command, flew

from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, to launch 35 cruise missiles

against targets in Iraq and returned home, completing the longest bombing

mission in history. Constituting less than 2.5 percent of all coalition aircraft,

the F–117A stealth fighter-bomber successfully attacked over 31 percent of

Iraqi strategic targets the first day.

January 21: Capt. Paul T. Johnson, USAF, in his A–10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, located

a Navy fighter pilot who had ejected in Iraqi territory. The A–10 destroyed a

threatening Iraqi truck to allow a USAF MH–53J Pave Low helicopter to rescue

137

1990–91
the pilot. Captain Johnson thus earned the Air Force Cross, and the Pave Low

helicopter crew earned the Mackay Trophy.

138

The A–10A features a large gun, armor, high load capacity, long

loiter time, and a wide combat radius for close air support.

January 22: The Air Force began using precision-guided munitions against Iraqi

hardened aircraft shelters. These attacks were so successful that Iraqi fighters

began flying to Iran to escape destruction.

A hardened aircraft shelter in Iraq after air attack with precision-guided munitions

1991
January 27: After the Iraqis began releasing huge amounts of crude oil into the Persian Gulf from a refinery in Kuwait, two F–111F aircraft dropped precisionguided munitions on the facility, stopping the worst deliberate oil spill in history.

January 29: The Battle of Khafji began as Iraqi forces crossed from Kuwait into

Saudi Arabia. Coalition air forces suffered their greatest loss when an

AC–130H Spectre gunship was shot down, resulting in the death of all 14

crew members. USAF tactical air strikes helped coalition ground forces rout

the invaders within three days.

February 6: Capt. Robert R. Swain, Jr., of the 706th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Air

Force Reserve, scored the first-ever A–10 Thunderbolt II air-to-air kill by

shooting down an Iraqi helicopter.

February 24: After more than a month of air strikes that severely weakened

Iraqi forces, the U.S.-led coalition launched a ground offensive from

Saudi Arabia. C–130s had already airlifted elements of the Army

XVIII Airborne Corps from eastern Saudi Arabia to Rafha, on the

Saudi-Iraqi border. Flying more than 300 sorties a day in 10-minute

intervals, the C–130s delivered 13,843 troops and 9,396 tons of

cargo. This movement enabled coalition forces to encircle Iraq’s

Republican Guard in what Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, combatant

commander of US Central Command, described as the “Hail Mary

maneuver.” Within 100 hours, coalition ground forces, coupled with

continued air attacks, totally overwhelmed the Iraqi ground troops.

Between February 24 and 28, the Air Force flew 3,000 reconnaissance, close air support, and interdiction sorties.

February 28: Operation DESERT STORM ended at 0800 hours with a coalitiondeclared cease-fire. During the war, coalition forces released approximately

16,000 precision-guided munitions against Iraqi forces and dropped some

210,000 unguided bombs. In 42 days of around-the-clock operations, USAF aircraft flew 59 percent of the nearly 110,000 combat sorties. U.S. aerial strength of

approximately 1,990 aircraft comprised 75 percent of the total coalition air

power. Extensive use of satellite technology during DESERT STORM persuaded some USAF leaders subsequently to refer to the operation as the “first

space war.”

March 8–c. June 30: Forty-five C–5 and C–141 flights airlifted more than 1,000

tons of fire-fighting equipment and over 100 firefighters to Kuwait to

extinguish hundreds of oil-well fires set by Iraqi forces as they evacuated

the country.

April 5: Operation PROVIDE COMFORT began. By July 15, C–5, C–141, and

C–130 aircraft had airlifted more than 7,000 tons of relief supplies to Kurdish

refugees who had fled their homes in northern Iraq to the Turkish border after

Iraqi forces threatened to exterminate them. The operation later provided aerial

139

1991
protection for a security zone in northern Iraq so that the Kurds could return to

their homes. This area became a no-fly zone—an area in which Iraqi aircraft were

forbidden to fly.

April 18: The Air Force completed the first successful flight test of a new Martin Marietta/Boeing MGM–134A small intercontinental ballistic missile. The missile

traveled 4,000 miles from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, to the Pacific

Island target area at the Kwajalein Missile Range.

May 10–June 13: In Operation SEA ANGEL, USAF transport aircraft airlifted

more than 3,000 tons of relief equipment and supplies to Bangladesh after a

typhoon and tidal wave. C–5s and C–141s carried most of the cargo, including five Army Black Hawk helicopters and their crews, to the city of Dacca.

From there, C–130s and the helicopters transported relief supplies to the

flooded area.

June 8–July 2: The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines buried Clark Air

Base and two other U.S. military installations with volcanic ash, forcing the Air

Force to evacuate some 15,000 people to Guam and the United States. FIERY

VIGIL became the largest evacuation operation since the fall of South Vietnam

in 1975. Clark Air Base in the Philippines, the oldest and largest USAF overseas

base, closed permanently.

September 27: President George H. W. Bush ordered termination of Strategic Air Command’s alert, initiated in October 1957, during which

time crews stood ready around the clock to launch nuclear strikes.

This event heralded the conclusion of the Cold War between the

United States and the Soviet Union.

November 1: After the crash of a Canadian C–130 Hercules in Greenland, a TwentySecond Air Force C–5 Galaxy from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, loaded

with a 36-member search-and-rescue team from the Alaskan Air National

Guard, and two MH–60G Pave Hawk helicopters flew to Thule, Greenland.

The American airmen located the crash scene some 300 miles from the North

Pole and rescued 13 survivors.

December 21: The AC–130U Spectre gunship flew for the first time. The new-generation gunship combined increased firepower, reliability, and accuracy with

the latest target-location technology.

1992

January 17: To modernize its fleet of training aircraft, the Air Force accepted the

first production model T–1A Jayhawk.

February 10–26: In Operation PROVIDE HOPE I, 15 USAF wings and

groups airlifted 2,274 tons of food, medical supplies, and other relief

cargo to 24 cities of the Commonwealth of Independent States, which

140

1991–92
replaced the recently dissolved Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

The humanitarian supplies, which came from North Atlantic Treaty

Organization stockpiles in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, and the

United Kingdom, relieved people suffering from a collapsed Communist economic system.

March 4: Two B–52 Stratofortresses landed in Russia on a friendship mission. This

was the first landing by U.S. bombers in Russia since World War II.

March 24: The United States joined 24 other nations in signing the Open Skies

Treaty, which allowed any one of them to fly unarmed aerial-reconnaissance

missions over any other signatory nation.

April 24: Two Peruvian fighters attacked and heavily damaged an unarmed

USAF C–130 Hercules aircraft flying in international airspace off

Peru. For making a safe emergency landing, the C–130 crew earned

the Mackay Trophy.

June 1: In a major reorganization, the Air Force inactivated Strategic Air

Command, Tactical Air Command, and Military Airlift Command; it

then activated Air Combat Command and Air Mobility Command.

Air Combat Command received Strategic Air Command’s bombers

and missiles and Tactical Air Command’s fighters, while Air Mobility Command inherited Military Airlift Command’s transports and

Strategic Air Command’s tankers. Air Force Space Command

assumed management responsibility for the Air Force Satellite Communications System, formerly managed by Strategic Air Command.

June 1: The Department of Defense activated United States Strategic Command,

which assumed wartime responsibility for U.S. nuclear forces and their longrange delivery systems. The last commander of Strategic Air Command, Gen.

George L. Butler, USAF, became the first commander of United States

Strategic Command.

July 1: Continuing its reorganization, the Air Force inactivated Air Force Logistics

Command and Air Force Systems Command; it then activated Air Force

Materiel Command to replace them.

July 2: Operation PROVIDE PROMISE began, delivering food, medical

supplies, and other relief cargo to Sarajevo and other communities in

newly independent Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was suffering a civil

war in the wake of its independence from Serbia. PROVIDE PROMISE became the longest sustained relief operation in USAF history.

By early January 1996, when the operation ended, it had delivered

nearly 160,000 tons of relief supplies, some of them by airdrop and

some by landing on airfields under hostile gunfire.

August 14: To save victims of drought and civil war in Somalia from starvation, the

United States launched Operation PROVIDE RELIEF. By the time it ended on

141

1992
February 28 of the next year, 46 USAF transport aircraft had airlifted more than

23,000 tons of food, water, medical supplies, and other relief cargo to Somalia

and to Somali refugees in Kenya.

August 25: A day after Hurricane Andrew smashed into southern Florida, the Air

Force embarked on one of its largest domestic humanitarian-airlift operations.

Despite devastation that caused the closing of Homestead Air Force Base, by

September 25, Air Mobility Command, Air Force Reserve, and Air National

Guard transports, augmented by airliners under contract, had delivered more

than 21,000 tons of relief supplies and had transported more than 13,500 passengers.

August 26:The United States launched Operation SOUTHERN WATCH to enforce

United Nations sanctions against Iraq. USAF aircraft began patrolling a no-fly

zone south of 32 degrees north latitude in southern Iraq to provide protection to

Shiite Muslims living there and to discourage any renewed Iraqi military activity

against Kuwait or Saudi Arabia.

September 12–October 18: Following Typhoon Iniki, which devastated Kauai in

the Hawaiian archipelago, Air Mobility Command, Pacific Air Forces, Air

Force Reserve, and Air National Guard aircraft and crews airlifted 6,888 tons

of relief equipment and supplies to Hawaii. The operation also airlifted more

than 12,000 passengers, including evacuees as well as military and civilian

relief workers.

September 13–29: During Operation IMPRESSIVE LIFT, Air Mobility

Command moved United Nations peacekeeping troops from Pakistan to Somalia. In 94 missions, USAF cargo aircraft moved 974 passengers and 1,168 tons of equipment and supplies. The troops

attempted to ensure a fair distribution of food being delivered in

Operation PROVIDE RELIEF.

December 4: President George H. W. Bush launched Operation RESTORE

HOPE I, which transported some 32,000 international troops to Somalia

to establish order for international famine-relief efforts. Most of the

troops flew on contracted commercial airliners, but by the end of the

operation on May 4, 1993, the Air Force had airlifted 32,000 tons of their

equipment and supplies.

December 16: On a night flight, a 668th Bombardment Squadron B–52 lost two of

its eight engines when one exploded and damaged its neighbor. At about the

same time, two more engines on the same side of the aircraft flamed out.

Frantically working, the crew was able to restart the two flamed-out engines

and land safely. For this extraordinary feat, the crew earned the Mackay Trophy.

December 27: A USAF pilot patrolling the southern United Nations no-fly zone in

Iraq shot down an Iraqi MiG–25, scoring the first aerial victory by an F–16

142

1992
Fighting Falcon. This was also the first victory using the AIM–120A advanced

medium-range air-to-air missile.

1993

January 1: The first Air Force Reserve space unit, the 7th Space Operations

Squadron, activated at Falcon Air Force Base, Colorado.

January 3: President George H. W. Bush of the United States and President Boris

Yeltsin of Russia signed the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the

most far-reaching nuclear-arms reduction pact in history. The agreement

committed the United States and Russia to the elimination of all intercontinental ballistic missiles carrying multiple, independently targetable reentry

vehicles and the reduction of the number of nuclear weapons carried by

bombers.

January 13: President George H. W. Bush ordered punitive air strikes

against 32 Iraqi missile sites and air-defense command centers after

the United States discovered an Iraqi troop foray across the newly

demarcated border with Kuwait and active Iraqi surface-to-air missile

sites in the no-fly zone.

January 13: Maj. Susan Helms, USAF, a member of the space shuttle Endeavour

crew, became the first U.S. military woman in space.

April 12: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization launched DENY FLIGHT, its

first combat operation, to enforce a United Nations Security Council resolution that authorized a no-fly zone over Bosnia. The U.S. Air Force provided

the bulk of the resources for this operation.

April 19–24: Units in Alaska participated in the Air Force’s first combined

exercise with the Russian air force, a search-and-rescue exercise in

Siberia.

April 28: Secretary of Defense Les Aspin announced that women would be

allowed to serve in combat roles, including the flying of USAF combat aircraft.

June 11: AC–130 Spectre gunships participated in a United Nations raid on Somali

warlord forces in retaliation for a June 5 attack on United Nations forces in

Mogadishu, Somalia.

June 14: The Air Force acquired its first C–17A Globemaster III transport aircraft,

which was delivered to the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston Air Force Base,

South Carolina. Capable of delivering outsized cargo to a tactical environment, the Globemaster III increased the Air Force’s ability to airlift to relatively small airfields, eliminating the need to shift cargo from larger to smaller

transports.

143

1992–93
June 17: Lt. Col. Patricia Fornes, USAF, assumed command of the 740th Missile

Squadron at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, becoming the first woman

commander of a combat missile squadron.

144

Becoming operational in the 1990s, the C–17 Globemaster III was the first USAF

large transport able to land on relatively short runways.

July 5–12: USAF cargo aircraft airlifted U.S. soldiers and their equipment from Germany to Macedonia to help United Nations forces prevent the spread of fighting in Serbia.

August 6: Dr. Sheila E. Widnall became the first woman secretary of the Air Force

and the first woman to head any of the military services.

September 30: Reflecting a post–Cold War downsizing trend, five USAF bases

closed, including Chanute (Illinois), Mather (California), Williams (Arizona),

Bergstrom (Texas), and Carswell (Texas).

October 3–4: After an Army MH–60 Black Hawk helicopter was shot down during a

battle in Mogadishu, Somalia, pararescueman TSgt Timothy A. Wilkerson,

USAF, ran through enemy fire repeatedly to carry out five wounded Army

Rangers. For his heroism, he earned the Air Force Cross.

October 5–13: In Operation RESTORE HOPE II, C–5 Galaxy and C–141 Starlifter

aircraft transported 1,300 troops, 18 M–1 Abrams tanks, and 44 Bradley infantry

fighting vehicles from the United States to Somalia in nine days. Some flights

went nonstop in 18 hours with four aerial refuelings on the way. The purpose of

1993
the deployments was to protect U.S. forces who had come under heavy attack

during a United Nations food-distribution effort in Somalia.

December 2–13: In one of the most challenging space missions ever, astronauts

aboard the space shuttle Endeavour, piloted by Col. Richard O. Covey,

USAF, performed a record five spacewalks to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.

December 7: The Air Force Reserve acquired its first B–52 bombers, which went

to the 917th Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.

December 17: The first B–2 Spirit bomber, The Spirit of Missouri, arrived at

Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. The B–2, essentially a flying wing, was

the first “stealth” heavy bomber.

1994

January 10: Crewmen in a 56th Rescue Squadron HH–60G Pave Hawk helicopter

earned the Mackay Trophy by rescuing six sailors from their damaged tugboat

off the coast of Iceland.

January 13: The final F–15 Eagle of the 32d Fighter Group departed Soesterberg

Air Base, ending 40 years of USAF operations in the Netherlands.

January 15: Hungary, Rumania, and Bulgaria granted overflight rights for F–16

Fighting Falcons deploying from Germany to Turkey, saving them two hours

and marking the first flight of USAF fighters on an operational mission over

these countries since World War II.

January 25: A Titan II booster launched the unmanned space probe Clementine I toward the Moon—part of the first U.S. lunar mission since Apollo

17 in 1972.

February 7: The first Titan IV/Centaur rocket boosted the first Military Strategic

and Tactical Relay Satellite into geostationary orbit. This system would provide the U.S. military secure, survivable communications through all levels of

conflict.

February 10: Lt. Jeannie Flynn completed training in an F–15E Eagle to become the

first woman fighter pilot in the Air Force.

February 18: USAF aircraft deployed to France for the first time in more than

20 years. The five KC–135 Stratotankers flew from French bases to refuel

aircraft patrolling airspace over Bosnia-Herzegovina in Operation DENY

FLIGHT.

February 28: As part of Operation DENY FLIGHT, two F–16 Fighting Falcon

pilots of the 526th Fighter Squadron shot down four Serb Jastreb-Galeb attack

145

1993–94
aircraft over Bosnia during the first combat in North Atlantic Treaty Organization history.

April 10: Two F–16 Fighting Falcons struck a Bosnian Serb command post near

Gorazde in Serbia after Bosnian Serbs attacked United Nations personnel in

the enclave. This was the first close air support mission of Operation DENY

FLIGHT and the first air-to-ground bombing in the history of the North

Atlantic Treaty Organization.

April 14: Two F–15 Eagles of the 53d Fighter Squadron mistakenly shot down two

Army UH–60 Black Hawk helicopters over northern Iraq, killing 26 people,

including 15 Americans.

May 3: The last B–52G Stratofortress went into storage at Davis-Monthan Air Force

Base, Arizona. The only B–52s left in the active USAF inventory were H

models.

May 6: 1st Lt. Leslie DeAnn Crosby became the first Air Force Reserve woman

fighter pilot after she graduated from an F–16 Fighting Falcon training course

in Tucson, Arizona.

June 26: A 60th Military Airlift Wing C–5 Galaxy airlifted a 34-ton magnetic-resonance imaging system to Chernobyl, Ukraine, to help medical personnel treat

victims of a 1986 nuclear accident.

June 29: A U.S. space shuttle visited the Russian space station Mir for the first

time.

June 30: United States Air Forces in Europe ended its presence in Berlin, Germany,

after 46 years.

July 1: Responsibility for maintaining the readiness of the nation’s intercontinental ballistic missile force transferred from Air Combat Command to Air Force Space Command, which had previously assumed

responsibility for missile warning, space surveillance, space launch,

and satellite control.

July 1: The 184th Bombardment Group in Kansas became the first Air National

Guard unit to be equipped with the B–1B Lancer.

July 22: As part of Operation SUPPORT HOPE, a humanitarian-relief operation

for refugees from the Rwandan civil war, C–5s and C–141s began airlifting

equipment and supplies from Germany to Uganda and Kenya. C–130s transported the cargo from there to refugee camps in Zaire. By August 7, they had

delivered 3,660 tons of relief cargo. At least 22 airlift wings and groups participated.

August 2: Two B–52 Stratofortresses of the 2d Bombardment Wing on a show-offorce mission to Kuwait set a world record circumnavigating Earth. The 47-

146

1994
hour flight took five aerial refuelings and delivered 54 bombs to a range near

the Iraqi border on the fourth anniversary of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.

September 19: Operation UPHOLD DEMOCRACY commenced. U.S. military

forces deployed to Haiti to restore the country’s democratically elected president and stem the flow of Haitian refugees to the United States. The Air

Force provided airlift for the peaceful invasion.

September 26: A B–52 Stratofortress, a B–1B Lancer, and a KC–10 Extender

landed at Poltava Air Base, Ukraine, marking the first time since World War

II that U.S. bombers had landed in that country. B–17 Flying Fortresses had

flown there 50 years earlier on shuttle bombing missions against Nazi targets

in eastern Europe.

September 30: Reflecting the continuing downsizing trend that occurred in the wake

of the Cold War, five more USAF bases closed, including Grissom (Indiana),

Loring (Maine), Lowry (Colorado), Richards-Gebaur (Missouri), and Rickenbacker (Ohio).

October 4: F–16 Fighting Falcons replaced the last F–4 Wild Weasel aircraft in the

performance of suppression of enemy air defenses missions.

October 10: After Iraqi troops massed near the Kuwaiti border, USAF cargo planes

began flying additional U.S. forces to the Persian Gulf region in an operation

called VIGILANT WARRIOR. During October the number of USAF aircraft in-theater increased from 77 to 270, including F–15E Eagles, F–16 Fighting Falcons, and A–10 Thunderbolt IIs.

October 14–16: In their first strategic mission, two C–17 Globemaster IIIs transported military equipment and supplies from Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, to Saudi Arabia.

November 21–23: As part of Project SAPPHIRE, C–5s transported more than

1,300 pounds of highly enriched uranium from the former Soviet Republic of

Kazakhstan to the United States to protect it from terrorists, smugglers, and

unfriendly governments.

1995

January 1: The first Air Force Reserve KC–135 associate unit, the 931st Air Refueling Group, activated.

February 3: Lt. Col. Eileen M. Collins, USAF, became the first woman pilot of a

space shuttle.

March 31: The first woman USAF bomber pilot, 2d Lt. Kelly Flinn, began B–52 flight

training at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.

147

1994–95
April 8: Despite being hit 12 times by small-arms fire during takeoff, a USAF C–130

Hercules aircraft returned safely to Italy after delivering flour to Sarajevo,

Bosnia, as part of Operation PROVIDE PROMISE.

April 19: After a truck bomb exploded and partially destroyed a federal building in

Oklahoma City, killing 169 people and injuring more than 400 others, the Air

Force airlifted firefighters, urban search-and-rescue teams, investigators, and

medical personnel from all over the United States to Oklahoma.

April 27: Air Force Space Command declared the Global Positioning System satellite constellation fully operational. The system provides

accurate geographical coordinates for personnel moving on the

ground, sea, or air.

June 2–3: Two B–1B Lancer bomber crews flew around the world in a record 36

hours, 13 minutes, 36 seconds, refueling in flight six times and earning the

crews the Mackay Trophy.

June 2–8: After a surface-to-air missile downed his F–16 Fighting Falcon fighter over

Bosnia, Capt. Scott O’Grady, USAF, evaded capture by hostile forces for six

days until he was rescued by Marine Corps helicopters.

June 27–July 7: For the first time, a U.S. space shuttle, the Atlantis, docked with the

Russian space station Mir.

June 30–August 10: In Operation QUICK LIFT, C–5 Galaxies and C–141 Starlifters airlifted British and Dutch forces, comprising a United Nations rapidreaction force, to Croatia.

July 29: Air Combat Command activated the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron, the first

unit of unmanned aerial vehicles, reflecting the Air Force’s increasing reliance on

unmanned aircraft in combat-support roles.

August 30: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization launched Operation

DELIBERATE FORCE, an intensive air campaign against Serb ground

targets in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Together with a Bosnian-Croatian ground

offensive, the air attacks persuaded the Serbs to agree to peace terms by

the end of the year.

September 14–30: The Air Force airlifted more than 30 tons of medical supplies from Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, to Hanoi, Vietnam, marking the first USAF humanitarian-airlift mission to Vietnam

since 1975.

September 15–21: After Hurricane Marilyn devastated islands in the eastern

Caribbean Sea, Air Mobility Command, Air Force Reserve, and Air National

Guard cargo aircraft airlifted nearly 1,000 tons of relief cargo to the Virgin

Islands. This disaster-relief operation was the first to employ C–17 Globemaster III aircraft.

148

1995
September 30: Reflecting ongoing reductions in the post–Cold War Air Force, two

former Strategic Air Command bases closed—Castle in California and Plattsburgh in New York.

October 28–December 18: In an operation called VIGILANT SENTINEL,

the Air Force first tested the air expeditionary force concept, deploying F–16 Fighting Falcons of the 20th Fighter Wing and the 347th

Wing to Bahrain.

December 6: Transports began airlifting American troops and equipment

into Bosnia in support of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization

peacekeeping operation called JOINT ENDEAVOR. The operation

enforced a peace agreement initialed by the presidents of Bosnia,

Croatia, and Serbia at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and

later signed in Paris, France.

1996

January 9: After three-and-a-half years, Operation PROVIDE PROMISE officially ended. During this international operation—the longest sustained

humanitarian airlift in history—the U.S. Air Force flew more than 4,500

sorties to deliver 62,802 metric tons of cargo to Sarajevo and other parts

of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

April 3: Secretary of Commerce Ronald Brown was among the people killed when the

76th Airlift Squadron CT–43 transport airplane in which he was a passenger

crashed into a hillside near Dubrovnik, Croatia. Secretary Brown had been on

an economic-development mission to Serbia.

April 9–25: Operation ASSURED RESPONSE evacuated by air more than 2,000

noncombatants from Liberia during civil unrest there. For this operation,

USAF aircraft, including MH–53 Pave Low helicopters, KC–135 Stratotankers, C–130 Hercules cargo airplanes, MC–130 Combat Talons, and

AC–130 Spectre aircraft flew 94 missions.

May 5: Col. Betty L. Mullis, USAF, assumed command of the 940th Air Refueling

Wing, becoming the first woman to command a flying wing.

May 31: The Air Force awarded the largest military contracts ever for the production of 80 additional C–17 Globemaster III transports over the course of

seven years at a cost of $16.2 billion. The new aircraft would bring the C–17

fleet up to a total of 120, which would allow the retirement of most of the

aging C–141 Starlifters.

June 11: Air Combat Command acquired its first E–8 joint surveillance target attack radar system aircraft. The E–8 airplane, capable of providing detailed radar information about ground targets, had been tested

149

1995–96
during its development phase in Operations DESERT STORM and

JOINT ENDEAVOR.

June 25: Terrorists bombed the Khobar Towers near King Abdul-Aziz Air Base in

Saudi Arabia, killing 19 USAF members and injuring some 300 other Americans

in the worst terrorist attack against American military personnel since the bombing of a Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1983. The Americans

were participating in Operation SOUTHERN WATCH to deter Iraqi aggression against Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. As a result of the bombing, most USAF

personnel in Saudi Arabia moved to remoter and more easily defended sites in

the desert.

September 2–3: As part of Operation DESERT STRIKE, the Air Force flew B–52

Stratofortresses to the Middle East to launch 13 cruise missiles against military

targets in Iraq. This operation came in response to Iraqi troops’ seizure of the

city of Irbil, located in a zone protected by the United States for Kurds in

northern Iraq.

September 3: The 11th Reconnaissance Squadron began operating the RQ–1B

Predator, an unmanned aerial vehicle designed for aerial surveillance and

reconnaissance, over Bosnia-Herzegovina.

September 15: Operation PACIFIC HAVEN commenced. The Air Force airlifted

thousands of refugees driven from their homes in northern Iraq to Andersen

Air Force Base, Guam, where they were processed for settlement in the

United States.

1997

January 1: Operation NORTHERN WATCH replaced Operation PROVIDE

COMFORT, enforcing a no-fly zone in northern Iraq above the 36th parallel

of latitude.

January 6: The Air Force commissioned Abdullah Hamza Al-Mubarek, its first

Muslim chaplain candidate.

January 31: This date marked the activation of the 31st Air Expeditionary Wing—

the first expeditionary wing in the Air Force. Such wings would be available

for rotational deployments worldwide.

February 17: The Air Force Reserve became a major command—the Air Force

Reserve Command—reflecting the growing integration of Reserve and regular forces and the increasing role of the Reserve in regular USAF operations.

February 18–March 3: In Operation ASSURED LIFT, the Air Force airlifted

African peacekeeping forces to Liberia to restore order after a civil war there.

Five C–130s of the 37th Airlift Squadron, 3d Air Expeditionary Group, air150

1996–97
lifted 1,160 peacekeepers and 452 tons of their cargo from various African

countries to Liberia.

March 17: Operation GUARDIAN RETRIEVAL evacuated U.S. citizens and

other foreigners from Zaire, where civil unrest threatened them. Special

Operations Command provided personnel and aircraft for the joint task

force, including MC–130s and MH–53s. Air Mobility Command C–5s,

C–17s, C–141s, and KC–135s also took part. By the end of March, the operation had flown 57 missions and had transported 532 passengers.

March 21: At Pensacola, Florida, Lt. Col. Marcelyn A. Atwood became the first

woman to command a training squadron and the first USAF officer to command a Navy squadron. The squadron trained both Air Force and Navy

pilots.

April 1: B–2s became operational at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, where six

of the aircraft were initially based to serve with the 509th Bomb Wing.

151

April 1: Air Mobility Command acquired all stateside C–130 units from Air Combat Command.

June 10: An MC–130 crew from the 352d Special Operations Group evacuated 56

people, including 30 U.S. citizens, from Brazzaville, Congo, to save them

from civil strife. Under the command of Lt. Col. Frank J. Kisner, USAF, the

crew earned the Mackay Trophy for the outstanding flight of the year.

August 1: The aircraft corporations Boeing and McDonnell Douglas merged, leaving only one U.S. manufacturer of large airliners.

The Air Force’s B–2 Spirit, with an unrefueled range of approximately 6,000 nautical miles, can deliver a variety of precision-guided munitions.

1997
September 7: At Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia, test pilot Paul Metz piloted

the extremely maneuverable F–22 Raptor in its first flight. A new stealth

fighter with the ability to cruise supersonically, the F–22 would replace the

venerable F–15 for air-superiority missions.

152

An F–22 Raptor launches an AIM–9 Sidewinder missile during a test.

October 12: The Air Force began a relief airlift to Indonesia to help fight forest fires

there. Three Wyoming Air National Guard C–130s from the 153d Airlift Wing,

equipped with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, dropped 685,000

gallons of water and fire retardant on fires in Java and Sumatra, each airplane

dropping up to 3,000 gallons at a time. The operation concluded in early

December after 194 sorties.

December 27: After Typhoon Paka struck Guam with winds up to 236 miles per

hour, C–5s, C–141s, C–130s, and KC–135s airlifted relief equipment and

supplies to Andersen Air Force Base on the island, delivering more than 2.5

million pounds of cargo by January 4.

1998

February 11: A B–1B bomber first dropped a Joint Direct Attack Munition, a conventional bomb fitted with satellite-guidance equipment, over a test range at

China Lake, California.

February 23: B–2s deployed overseas for the first time, flying from Whiteman Air

Force Base, Missouri, to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.

February 28: The RQ–4 Global Hawk first flew. This new unmanned aerial vehicle,

designed for high-altitude, long-range, long-endurance reconnaissance missions, took off from Edwards Air Force Base, California, on a 56-minute

1997–98
flight. The aircraft, with a wingspan of 116 feet, was built to fly at an altitude

of up to 65,000 feet and photograph an area the size of Kentucky in 24 hours.

July 25: The Navy commissioned the USS Harry Truman, its eighth Nimitz-class

aircraft carrier, at Norfolk, Virginia.

August 20: The United States launched more than 75 Tomahawk land-attack missiles from ships and submarines against terrorist targets in Afghanistan and

Sudan in retaliation for the bombings of US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on August 7 that killed 257 people.

September 22: The Air Force began airlifting relief supplies to the victims

of Hurricane Georges. Air Mobility Command, Air Force Reserve,

and Air National Guard transport crews delivered water, generators,

construction supplies, plastic sheeting, and ice from all over the

United States to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and southern

Mississippi, flying at least 150 missions.

October 29: Former senator John H. Glenn, Jr., the first U.S. astronaut to orbit

Earth (1962), returned to space in the space shuttle Discovery to test the

effects of microgravity on the elderly. At 76 years of age, he was the oldest person ever to enter space.

November 6: USAF transport crews and aircraft began airlifting 7.4 million pounds

of relief cargo to Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador after

those countries were devastated by Hurricane Mitch, which claimed more

than 10,000 lives. By the time the airlift ended on March 19, 1999, the crews

had flown more than 200 missions.

December 4–15: The crew of the space shuttle Endeavour completed the first International Space Station assembly mission, which involved delivery and attachment of Unity, the first U.S. module, to Russia’s previously launched Zarya

module. The crew members also launched the USAF MightySat I to evaluate

composite materials, advanced solar cells, and other technology.

December 9: President William J. Clinton awarded an honorary fourth star to Gen.

Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., the first black USAF general and the leader of the

“Tuskegee Airmen” in World War II.

December 16: Operation DESERT FOX commenced with the launch of

cruise missiles and air strikes by the United States and Great Britain

against Iraqi targets after Iraq refused to allow United Nations

weapons inspectors to continue their work. The four-day operation,

which hit some 100 enemy sites, destroyed weapons-production facilities. The largest air campaign against Iraq since the Southwest Asia

War of 1991, DESERT FOX involved the first combat use of B–1B

Lancer bombers.

153

1998
1999

January 24: A Navy F–18 launched the Raytheon-built AGM–154A joint stand-off

weapon for the first time in combat against an Iraqi air defense site.

February 7: From Cape Canaveral, Florida, a Delta II rocket launched Stardust, the

first spacecraft designed to intercept a comet and return samples to Earth.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration scheduled Stardust to

rendezvous with Comet Wild-2 on January 2, 2004.

February 17: The first C–130J, a new transport with six-bladed propellers, advanced

avionics, and shorter takeoff and landing capability, arrived at Keesler Air

Force Base, Mississippi, to serve with the 403d Wing.

March 21: Bertrand Piccard of Switzerland and Brian Jones of Britain completed

the first balloon flight around the world, landing near D’khla, Egypt, after

ascending from Chateau-d’Oex, Switzerland, on March 1.

March 24: To save ethnic Albanians living in the Serb province of Kosovo from

forced eviction and genocide, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

launched Operation ALLIED FORCE against Yugoslavia. Exclusively an air

campaign, ALLIED FORCE was the first combat operation against a sovereign nation in the 50-year history of the alliance. The United States, which

called its portion of the operation NOBLE ANVIL, used B–2 Spirit bombers

for the first time in combat. F–15 pilots shot down two enemy MiG–29s on

the first day of the conflict.

March 26: On the third day of Operation ALLIED FORCE, one F–15C pilot shot

down two MiG–29s in aerial combat over Yugoslavia.

March 27: For the first time, an F–117 stealth fighter was shot down in combat.

Enemy ground fire brought down the Nighthawk over Yugoslavia. Capt. John

A. Cherrey, an A–10 pilot, earned the Silver Star for locating the downed

pilot, who was rescued by helicopter the same day.

March 27: A computer virus called “Melissa” swept across the Internet,

destroying electronic programs and databases. Air Force systems

escaped serious damage with the help of an Air Combat Command

antivirus program.

April 4: A USAF C–17 Globemaster III airlifted relief supplies from Dover

Air Force Base, Delaware, to Tirana, Albania, for refugees from

Kosovo at the start of Operation SUSTAIN HOPE (SHINING

HOPE), a humanitarian-airlift counterpart of the ongoing Operation

ALLIED FORCE (NOBLE ANVIL). In the first month, allied transports, including C–5s, C–17s, and C–130s, airlifted more than 3,000

tons of food, medicine, tents, supplies, cots, blankets, sleeping bags,

and other relief cargo to refugees who had fled to camps in Albania,

154

1999
Macedonia, and Montenegro. Maj. Gen. William S. Hinton, Jr.,

USAF, commanded the operation.

April 17: For the first time, the Air Force sent the RQ–1 Predator on flights in a

combat zone. The unmanned aerial vehicle performed reconnaissance over

Serbia during Operation ALLIED FORCE.

May 1: The first Air Force Reserve Command units that were mobilized in support

of Operation ALLIED FORCE entered active duty service. Eventually, six

tanker wings and one rescue wing were called to active duty.

May 2: Serbian ground forces shot down an F–16 over Yugoslavia, the second and

last USAF aircraft lost to enemy fire in Operation ALLIED FORCE; an

MH–60 helicopter crew rescued the pilot.

May 4: An F–16CJ pilot shot down a Yugoslavian MiG–29 fighter over Kosovo, the

fifth and final USAF aerial victory in Operation ALLIED FORCE.

June 10: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization suspended air strikes

against Yugoslavia after its president agreed in writing to the withdrawal of Serb forces from Kosovo, their replacement with multinational peacekeeping forces, and the return of hundreds of thousands

of ethnic Albanians to that province. Noted military historian John

Keegan claimed that ALLIED FORCE was the first war in history

won by air power alone.

July 23: Col. Eileen M. Collins, USAF, who had been the first woman pilot of a

space shuttle in 1995, became the first woman commander of a space-shuttle

mission on a flight of the Columbia.

September 20: C–130s began airlifting U.S. troops from Australia to Dili in East

Timor in a United Nations peacekeeping operation called STABILISE. After

East Timor declared its independence from Indonesia, a bloody war ensued.

Twenty-one C–130s, three KC–135s, two C–17s, and one C–141 eventually

took part in the operation, which airlifted international peacekeeping troops

to East Timor by way of Australia.

October 1: Aerospace Expeditionary Force 1 deployed to Southwest Asia—the first

of 10 such forces to rotate availability for deployment duty. The new system

allowed the Air Force to respond more effectively with ready forces for operations overseas and increased morale by making deployments more predictable.

October 6: The United States destroyed the first of 150 Minuteman III silos in eastern North Dakota, in accordance with the terms of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia.

November 2: The Air Force announced the official transfer of Howard Air

Base to Panama, in accordance with the terms of the Panama Canal

155

1999
Treaty of 1977. The United States had operated the base in the Canal

Zone for 82 years.

November 20–21: China launched, monitored, controlled, and landed Shenzhou—

its first unmanned spaceship.

December 20–28: At least six C–130s, one C–5, and two MH–60 aircraft of

the Air Force took part in a humanitarian operation to Venezuela to

relieve the victims of a flood that left an estimated 200,000 people

homeless.

2000

March 2: After floods in Mozambique that left an estimated million people homeless, Operation ATLAS RESPONSE commenced. C–5s and C–17s flew

4,600 miles from a base in Germany to southern Africa, where C–130s and

MH–53 and HH–60 helicopters distributed food, water, medicine, and tents.

Maj. Gen. Joseph H. Wehrle, Jr., USAF, served as the joint task force commander.

May 3: Gen. Joseph W. Ralston became the first USAF officer in 37 years to serve

as supreme allied commander, Europe—head of all North Atlantic Treaty

Organization forces.

May 23: The first production-model T–6A Texan II aircraft arrived at Randolph

Air Force Base, Texas. As a primary training aircraft, it would replace both

the Air Force T–37, which had been in service for 38 years, and the Navy

T–34, which had been in service for 23 years.

July 15: The final B–2 arrived at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. The Air

Force planned to add no more new bombers to its inventory for 35 years.

September 18: The first USAF CV–22 Osprey arrived at Edwards Air Force Base,

California. Designed originally for the Navy, the tilt-wing Osprey could take

off like a helicopter and fly like an airplane.

October 15: Crews from the 75th Airlift Squadron and the 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron earned the 2000 Mackay Trophy for evacuating survivors of

a terrorist attack from Europe across the Atlantic Ocean to Norfolk, Virginia.

The 28 victims were injured in a terrorist attack on the Navy warship USS

Cole on October 12, when it was docked at Aden in Yemen. The attack left

six dead and a 20x40-foot hole in the ship’s hull.

October 31: Two Russian cosmonauts and one U.S. astronaut blasted off from

Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan into space to become the first residents of the International Space Station.

156

1999–2000
157

The RQ–1 Predator—a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle

system—is used primarily for reconnaissance and target acquisition but sometimes to

deliver ordnance.

2001

February 3: Four C–17s delivered relief equipment and supplies to India after an

earthquake that killed as many as 30,000 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless. The C–17s airlifted the relief cargo from Guam, where it had

been delivered by two C–5s from California. KC–135s refueled the transports

as they crossed the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

February 21: An RQ–1 Predator fired a Hellfire missile to hit a tank at Nellis Air

Force Base, Nevada, becoming the first unmanned aerial vehicle to destroy a

ground target. Until then, the remotely controlled airplane had been used

only for reconnaissance.

February 24: Lt. Col. Stayce D. Harris became the first black woman to command

a USAF flying squadron, the 729th Airlift Squadron at March Air Force Base,

California.

March 4: Nancy Reagan christened the newest Navy aircraft carrier, the Ronald Reagan, at Newport News, Virginia.

March 23: After more than 15 years of service in orbit, Russia’s Mir space station

fell to Earth.

April 1: A Chinese fighter pilot rammed a Navy EP–3 reconnaissance aircraft over

international waters of the South China Sea, forcing the Navy plane to land

with severe damage on Hainan Island in China. After 11 days, diplomatic

efforts persuaded China to release the 24-man crew, which included one

USAF member.

2001
April 23: The RQ–4A Global Hawk completed the first nonstop crossing of

the Pacific Ocean by an unmanned aerial vehicle. It flew from

Edwards Air Force Base, California, to Edinburgh, Australia—a distance of 7,500 miles—in about 23 hours. The flight demonstrated the

potential of the world’s most advanced high-altitude, long-range,

remotely operated aircraft.

May 8: Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld designated the Air Force as executive agent for the Pentagon’s space activities.

June 5: For the first time, the Air Force promoted the Air Force Reserve commander to three-star rank, reflecting the growing importance of the

Reserve in the “total force.” The commander was Lt. Gen. James E. Serrard, III.

July 13: Kelly Air Force Base, Texas, and McClellan Air Force Base, California,

were closed, reflecting the continued reduction of the Air Force.

August 13: The Helios, an experimental, solar-powered, remotely piloted National

Aeronautics and Space Administration aircraft, reached a record altitude of

96,500 feet on a flight that lasted almost 17 hours.

August 24: At Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, the Air Force imploded

the last of the Minuteman III missile silos in accordance with the terms of the

first Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

September 11: Arab terrorists hijacked four U.S. airliners, crashing two of them into

the 110-story twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and one

into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Both towers and part of the Pentagon

collapsed, and more than 3,000 people died. Heroic passengers rushed

hijackers in the fourth aircraft, and it crashed in a field in Pennsylvania instead

of hitting another target. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all

airliners in the United States for several days. President George W. Bush

announced a war on terrorism and initiated homeland-defense efforts, including Operation NOBLE EAGLE, which involved combat air patrols within the

United States.

September 14: President George W. Bush authorized the call-up of 50,000

reservists to active duty for the war on terrorism.

September 19: The Air Force awarded a contract for low-rate initial production of

the F–22 to the Lockheed Martin Corporation. The contract called for production of 10 of the new stealthy air-superiority fighters.

September 20: President George W. Bush announced he was setting up an Office

of Homeland Security with former Pennsylvania governor Thomas Ridge as

its head.

158

2001
September 27: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced that President

George W. Bush had given authority to certain military commanders to order

the destruction of hijacked civilian airliners.

September 29: The United States launched satellites from Alaska for the first time,

using the Kodiak Launch Complex. Previous U.S. spacecraft had been

launched only from Florida or California.

October 1: The Air Force reassigned the Space and Missile Systems Center from

Air Materiel Command to Air Force Space Command, giving the latter cradle-to-grave oversight of space systems.

October 1: Gen. Richard B. Myers, USAF, assumed command as chairman of the

Joint Chiefs of Staff. A USAF general had not held that office, the highest in

the military, for 19 years.

October 7: Operation ENDURING FREEDOM started with air strikes against

terrorist and Taliban targets in Afghanistan. B–2 Spirit bombers of the

509th Bomb Wing flew round-trip from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, to Afghanistan on the longest bombing missions in aviation history.

Other committed USAF aircraft included B–1 and B–52 bombers;

F–15E strike fighters and AC–130 gunships; KC–10 and KC–135

tankers; E–3 airborne warning and control system airplanes; EC–130

electronic-combat aircraft; and AC–130, MC–130, and MH–53 specialoperations airplanes. Navy F–14, F/A–18, and AV–8 aircraft from three

carriers in the Indian Ocean also took part in the operation. Lt. Gen.

Charles F. Wald, USAF, served as Operation ENDURING FREEDOM’s first joint force air component commander.

October 8: As part of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, C–17s made

their first airdrops in a combat zone. The wide-bodied cargo airplanes dropped food over areas of Afghanistan under control of

friendly forces.

October 9: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) launched

Operation EAGLE ASSIST, deploying airborne warning and control

system aircraft from Europe to the United States to help patrol the

skies after the terrorist attacks of September 11. This was the first

time NATO forces were deployed in the United States for a real contingency. By the end of the operation on May 16, 2002, seven NATO

aircraft had flown 360 sorties.

October 26: The Defense Department chose Lockheed Martin over Boeing to

build the Joint Strike Fighter. The Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps

planned to purchase thousands of the stealthy aircraft, designated the

F–35.

November 2: During Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, an MH–53 Pave

Low helicopter crew from the 20th Special Operations Squadron

159

2001
earned the Mackay Trophy by rescuing another MH–53 crew whose

helicopter had crashed on a rescue mission in the mountains of

Afghanistan.

November 28: C–17s landed in Afghanistan on an airstrip about 80 miles south of

Kandahar to deliver Navy Seabees as part of Operation SWIFT FREEDOM,

which introduced U.S. ground forces into Afghanistan.

December 12: A B–1B on a bombing mission to Afghanistan crashed in the Indian

Ocean about 10 miles north of its island base, Diego Garcia, but the crew survived. It was the first USAF aircraft lost in the war in Afghanistan and the first

B–1 lost in combat.

December 13: President George W. Bush informed Russia that the United States

would withdraw from the Antiballistic Missile Treaty of 1972, which prevented the United States from developing and implementing a missile defense

system.

December 17: USAF C–17 Globemaster III airplanes began airlifting French troops

from Istres Air Base, France, to Afghanistan as part of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.

December 26: Undersecretary of Defense Pete Aldridge announced Pentagon

approval of low-rate initial production of the one-ton Joint Air-to-Surface

160

Lockheed Martin’s X–35A Joint Strike Fighter landing at Edwards Air Force Base,

California, after its first flight on October 24, 2000

2001
Standoff Missile, which can penetrate enemy air defenses at ranges beyond

200 miles and destroy enemy targets with precision.

2002

January 11: A 445th Airlift Wing crew in a C–141 Starlifter airlifted the first load of

Taliban and al Qaeda detainees captured in Afghanistan to the U.S. naval

base at Guantanamo, Cuba.

January 31: U.S. military forces joined Philippine forces in a campaign against Abu

Sayyaf, a terrorist organization seeking an independent Islamic state in the

southern Philippines.

February 4: An unmanned aerial vehicle destroyed an enemy target for the

first time when a remotely controlled MQ–1B Predator fired a Hellfire missile to kill a group of senior al Qaeda members in southeastern Afghanistan.

March 1: As part of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, the United States and

coalition partners launched Operation ANACONDA in eastern Afghanistan.

B–52s, B–1s, AC–130s, A–10s, and F–15s supported the operation to surround and kill Taliban and al Qaeda forces regrouping south of Gardez or

force them to surrender. USAF aircraft dropped laser-guided “thermobaric”

bombs, designed to suck out all the air from cave complexes and kill the

enemy inside.

March 1: Brig. Gen. Teresa M. Peterson, USAF, became the first active duty

woman to command an operational flying wing when she assumed leadership of the 305th Air Mobility Wing at McGuire Air Force Base, New

Jersey.

March 4: During Operation ANACONDA, the Air Force experienced its first combat deaths since the Southwest Asia War of 1991. Two airmen were among

seven U.S. servicemen killed in two helicopter assaults near Gardez in eastern

Afghanistan.

April 18: The MC2A–X, an experimental aircraft designed for electronic communications and command and control over a combat area, made its first flight

at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts. Since its maiden flight occurred

227 years to the day since Paul Revere’s famous ride, the new aircraft was

dubbed “Paul Revere.”

April 22: The Air Force announced a new standard wing structure that would

include four groups: operations, maintenance, missions support, and

medical.

161

2001–2
May 13: President George W. Bush announced an agreement between the United

States and Russia that would reduce the number of nuclear weapons in their

arsenals by two-thirds.

May 22: The X–45A unmanned combat air vehicle flew for the first time at Edwards

Air Force Base, California. It was the first unmanned aircraft designed for

combat operations, such as suppression of enemy air defenses, in an

extremely hostile environment.

July 22: At McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, the YAL–1A, destined to become

the world’s first directed-energy combat aircraft, completed its first flight. A

modified Boeing 747, the YAL–1A was designed to carry an airborne laser to

destroy enemy missiles in their boost phases. 

August 21: The first Lockheed-Martin Atlas V lifted off from Cape

Canaveral, Florida, inaugurating a new type of launch missile. Part of

the Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program, the

system used a standard booster, adding supplemental boosters as

needed for a variety of payloads.

October 1: U.S. Northern Command activated as a new unified command under

Gen. Ralph Eberhart, USAF, who remained commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Including elements of all the U.S. armed

services, the new command assumed responsibility for the military protection

of North America.

October 1: Gen. John Jumper, Air Force chief of staff, authorized deactivation of

the Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missile system. Each missile was

originally designed to carry 10 independently targeted warheads, but the end

of the Cold War made the system unnecessary.

December 9: United Airlines, the nation’s second-largest airline company, declared

the largest bankruptcy in aviation history.

December 9: One day after Typhoon Pongsona devastated Guam with sustained

winds of 150 miles per hour, the Air Force began airlifting relief equipment

and supplies to the island. Within 10 days, 58 C-5 missions delivered 1,200

tons of humanitarian cargo to Andersen Air Force Base.

December 21: The first C–5 Galaxy equipped with avionics modernization program

equipment made its maiden flight, two months ahead of schedule. Departing

and recovering at Dobbins Air Force Base, Georgia, the C–5 demonstrated

the basic flying qualities of the new avionics and navigational system during

this 5.2-hour mission. The flight confirmed the basic airworthiness of the new

avionics suite and collected critical flight data that would be used to develop

additional capabilities in 2003. The C–5’s modernized avionics system was

the first phase of a $13 billion program that would enable the C–5 fleet to continue operating safely and efficiently through 2040.

162

2002
2003

January 22: The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Tom Ridge as the first secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

February 6: A U.S. Marine variant (MV–22) of the Osprey landed at its first stop at

New River Air Station, North Carolina, after having been grounded for more

than two years after the Osprey crash in 2000 that killed four New River Air

Station Marines.

February 8: With Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld’s approval, Gen. John

W. Handy, the commander of Air Mobility Command, activated Stage I of

the Civil Reserve Air Fleet’s long-range passenger segment. Activating Stage I

affected 22 U.S. airline companies and 78 commercial aircraft (47 passenger

and 31 wide-body planes). Handy elected to use only the 47 passenger aircraft

to speed up the deployment of U.S. troops to the Persian Gulf region. In its

52-year history, the Civil Reserve Air Fleet had been activated only during the

Persian Gulf war: Stage I on August 17, 1990 and Stage II on January 17,

1991.

March 12: Implementation of stop loss for all airman ranks through colonel in critical skills areas began due to the global war on terrorism. On May 14, 2003,

three-fourths of the officers and nearly one-half of the enlisted were released

from the stop loss program.

March 17: The final mission of Operation Northern Watch (ONW) charged with

maintaining a no-fly zone over portions of Iraq, took place. A spokesman for

ONW announced the final mission two days later.

March 19: Just after 9:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, just after 5:30 a.m. local

time, U.S. forces fired a barrage of about 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles into

Iraq, striking three targets around Baghdad. The attack began Operation Iraqi

Freedom (OIF), the U.S.-led, multinational coalition effort to liberate the

people of Iraq.

March 19: President George W. Bush announced to the nation that early military

operations had started in Iraq. Operation Iraqi Freedom began as battlefield

preparation air strikes took out air defenses, communications infrastructure,

leadership targets, and other military assets.

March 26: Nearly 1,000 “Sky Soldiers” of the 173d Airborne Brigade, based at

Vicenza, Italy, parachuted from C–17 Globemaster IIIs into the Kurdish-controlled area of northern Iraq. The operation was the first combat insertion of

paratroopers using C–17s and the largest combat airdrop since Operation Just

Cause in Panama in December 1989. The commander of Air Mobility Command, Gen. John W. Handy, called the event “a historic milestone in the evolution of the C–17.” The aircraft and aircrews came from Charleston Air

163

2003
Force Base, South Carolina, and McChord Air Force Base, Washington, the

two AMC bases having C–17s assigned.

April 1: Flying in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Capt. Jennifer Wilson,

USAF, became the first female pilot to fly a B–2 on a combat mission. 

April 5: U.S. soldiers and tanks in Iraq entered Baghdad on a reconnaissance mission. The city fell to U.S. forces on April 9.

April 7: The 775th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron (EAES), the

first of its kind in the continental United States, was activated at Scott Air

Force Base, Illinois. The squadron’s mission was to return injured service

members to their home units inside the United States for further medical

treatment. Included in the EAES were activated Reserve and Guard flight

nurses, aeromedical technicians, critical care specialists, radio operators, medical equipment repair personnel, and administrative specialists from throughout the United States.

April 8: Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, USA, vice director of the Joint Staff,

announced at a news conference that the U.S. military had achieved air

supremacy over all of Iraq, despite the fact that an Air Force A–10 had been

shot down near Baghdad that day.

April 21: The last of 546 AMC KC–135 tanker aircraft completed the final PACER

CRAG production configuration, known as Block 30. The designation,

PACER CRAG, was taken from the chosen name “Pacer” and the acronym

for compass radar and global positioning system. The $1 billion KC–135

enhancement program also equipped the aging tanker fleet with new avionics

systems having five multifunctional displays, color weather radar, and a traffic

alert and collision avoidance system. The PACER CRAG modification

enabled KC–135s to be flown without a navigator.

April 28: The Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) at Prince Sultan Air Base,

Saudi Arabia, responsible for air operations in Southwest Asia, ceased operation and moved to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The defeat of the Iraqi regime

of Saddam Hussein had reduced the military threat to the region. The departure of the CAOC from Prince Sultan coincided with the end of Operation

Southern Watch, the United Nations enforcement of the no-fly zone in southern Iraq. After 12 years of continuous U.S. presence in Saudi Arabia, nearly

all U.S. military personnel were scheduled to leave the kingdom by August

2003.

May 1: The mission of Combined Task Force Operation Northern Watch ended.

Since January 1, 1997, more than 100,000 U.S., British, Turkish, and French

airmen had rotated through Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, to enforce United

Nations Security Council resolutions north of the 36th parallel in Iraq. The

last Northern Watch mission was flown on March 17, 2003 before the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

164

2003
May 1: President George W. Bush addressed the nation from the USS Abraham

Lincoln, declaring that “Major combat operations in Iraq have ended.”

May 20: The Defense Acquisition Board conducted a review of the CV–22 program. On May 23, Edward C. “Pete” Aldridge, the under secretary of defense

for acquisition, technology, and logistics, published an acquisition decision

memorandum stating that the CV–22 program’s progress was sufficient to

consider increasing the production rate above the minimum sustaining rate,

consistent with statutory requirements. On May 30, Osprey number 7 pushed

the integrated test team over the 500-hour, mishap-free, flight milestone.

May 23: Edward C. “Pete” Aldridge, the under secretary of defense for acquisition,

technology, and logistics, announced approval of an Air Force initiative to

lease 100 Boeing KC–767A tankers, the world’s most advanced tanker. The

lease period would begin in 2006, and would run for six years per aircraft.

The initiative included a provision to purchase the tankers upon lease termination. The arrangement enabled the Air Force to begin replacing its fleet of

KC–135 tankers three years earlier than planned.

June 2: An opening dedication ceremony was held for the new facility built by Boeing to reduce the cost per aircraft for the production of the Osprey.

June 17: Thirty-four aircrew members from Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for their service in

Operation Enduring Freedom. Eight of the recipients earned the DFC during

the first night of humanitarian relief operations in Afghanistan (October 7,

2001), while the remaining men and women received the DFC for inserting

Marine forces at the Rhino Landing Zone near Kandahar from November 28

through November 30, 2001. The crews flying to the Rhino Landing Zone

performed the deepest insertion of Marine forces into hostile territory in the

history of the Marine Corps and accomplished three C–17 operational milestones as well: (1) the first C–17 combat landings on an unimproved dirt strip;

(2) the first missions by C–17 special operations low-level aircrews under the

threat of hostile action; and (3) the first-ever use of night vision goggles by

C–17 aircrews when flying blacked-out approaches and landings in hostile territory.

June 18: The Air Force released the roadmap for retiring its remaining 133 E-model

KC–135 Stratotankers, assigning 100 KC–767A tankers to be leased from

Boeing, and realigning the tanker force structure to accommodate the

changes. Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, would become the first

active-duty base to receive the leased tankers when it began transitioning from

KC–135Rs to KC–767As in fiscal year 2006.

June 18: Air carriers belonging to the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) were notified

that the passenger aircraft called up to support Operation Iraqi Freedom

would be released. From February 8 through June 2, 2003, 11 CRAF carriers

165

2003
flew approximately 1,625 missions to airlift more than 254,100 troops, primarily to the Middle East.

July 7: President George W. Bush nominated Air Force secretary James G. Roche

to be Secretary of the Army.

July 14: CV–22 aircraft number 9 flew for the first time since the fleet grounding

more than two years earlier.

July 23: July 23: SrA. Ahmad I. al Halabi, USAF, 60th Logistics Readiness

Squadron, a supply clerk on temporary duty as a translator assigned to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, was arrested on suspicion of espionage.

August 26: The U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia officially ended, and the Air

Force officially ended its 13–year presence at Prince Sultan Air Base near

Riyadh. The U.S. military returned the portions of the base it had controlled

to the Saudi government and deactivated the 363d Air Expeditionary Wing in

a ceremony led by Maj. Gen. Robert Elder, USAF. A small force of a few

hundred U.S. service personnel remained at the base. The command and

control activities that had been based at Prince Sultan Air Base were shifted

to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The United States had announced a timetable

for withdrawal in April 2003, and the pullout had proceeded without publicity. Approximately 550,000 U.S. troops had operated from Saudi Arabia at

the height of the 1991 Persian Gulf War. After this August 2003 withdrawal,

500 U.S. military advisors remained the only American military presence in

the country.

December 13: Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was captured in Operation

Red Dawn, a joint effort by U.S. Army Special Operations Task Force 121

and the U.S. Army 1st Brigade Combat Team. Making use of human intelligence sources, the U.S. forces tracked Saddam to a farm south of his home

town of Tikrit. He was discovered hiding in a small “spider hole” on the farm

and surrendered without resistance.

December 17: In a ceremony at its Long Beach, California, assembly facility, Boeing delivered the first of eight C–17 Globemaster IIIs programmed for assignment to the 172d Airlift Wing at Allen C. Thompson Field, Jackson, Mississippi. The aircraft was also the first C–17 delivered to a unit of the Air

National Guard, the 116th operational Globemaster III, and the 100th consecutive C–17 delivered ahead of contract schedule. The ceremony took

place on the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ historic flight at Kitty

Hawk, North Carolina.

December 17: Secretary of the Air Force James G. Roche issued a policy letter

authorizing aviation career incentive pay in addition to the flying credit for

pilots of unmanned combat aerial vehicles.

December 27–29: On December 26, 2003, an earthquake, registering 6.7 on the

Richter scale, struck Iran’s southeastern Kerman Province at 5:27 a.m. local

166

2003
time. The quake’s epicenter was the historic city of Bam, located approximately 600 statute miles southeast of Tehran. Over a period of only three

days, Air Mobility Command flew several C–5, C–17, and C–130 humanitarian airlift missions to help the earthquake victims. Aircraft operating in the

AMC system airlifted approximately 338,000 pounds of humanitarian cargo

on behalf of the earthquake victims.

December 31: From the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom on March 19, 2003

through the end of calendar year 2003, aircraft operating in the Air Mobility

Command system flew 5,273 deployment missions to transport 365,211 passengers and 130,044 short tons of cargo to the United States Central Command’s theater of operation. Contracted commercial airliners flew 32 percent

of the missions to deploy 294,140 passengers and 13,337 short tons of cargo.

C–5s flew 1,092 missions and C–17s 1,546 missions to transport, respectively,

45 percent and 39 percent of the cargo. During the same period, AMC

organic aircraft and commercial aircraft contracted by the command flew

2,579 redeployment missions to airlift 165,276 passengers and 47,499 short

tons of cargo.

December 31: From October 7, 2001 through the end of 2003, aircraft in the Air

Mobility Command system flew 7,225 Operation Enduring Freedom deployment missions to transport 188,893 passengers and 217,379 short tons of

cargo to locations in the United States Central Command’s area of responsibility. C–17s flew 51 percent of the deployment missions and C–5s 25 percent

of the missions. During the same period, AMC organic aircraft and commercial aircraft contracted by the command flew 3,147 redeployment missions to

transport 97,102 passengers and 67,576 short tons of cargo.

2004

January 22: The 306th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron (EAS) was activated at

Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, and attached to the base’s 89th Operations Group. The squadron’s mission was to conduct Banner Express 2004,

an operation in which C–17s and C–130s operating from Andrews and Martin State Airport (Warfield Air National Guard Base) near Baltimore, Maryland, sustained the high operational tempo of presidential and vice presidential support airlift in the continental United States during the reelection

campaign of President George W. Bush. Activation of the 306th EAS marked

the first time that an expeditionary airlift squadron was established in the continental United States. The squadron was inactivated on November 5, 2004.

During its more than 9 months of operation, the squadron flew 1,005 missions and logged 5,581 flying hours to transport 20,337 passengers and 19,344

short tons of cargo.

February 29: After President George W. Bush ordered U.S. Marines to become the

lead element of a peacekeeping force in Haiti, Air Mobility Command began

167

2003-2004
airlifting the Marines into Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital city. Eighteenth Air

Force directed the operation through its Tanker Airlift Control Center

(TACC) at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. By March 5, 2004, the TACC had

executed 37 missions that airlifted more than 1,026 troops and 1,210 short

tons of cargo.

March 10: Air Force secretary James G. Roche, involved in a controversy over the

replacement of the Air Force’s aging tanker fleet, withdrew his name from

consideration as Army secretary.

March 19: The first C–130J Hercules assigned to an Air Force active-duty unit

arrived at the 314th Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas.

Although the 314th Airlift Wing was a unit of the Air Education and Training

Command, two active-duty C–130J squadrons (14 aircraft each) were programmed for assignment to Air Mobility Command’s 43d Airlift Wing at

Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, beginning in March 2007. The C–130J

provided a 40 percent increase in performance capability over the current

C–130. Its advanced onboard computer negated the need for the flight engineer and navigator positions, thus producing a substantial savings in the cost

of aircrew training.

April 22: A KC–135R belonging to the 92d Air Refueling Wing at Fairchild Air

Force Base, Washington, and assigned to the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, flew the first-ever combat mission with an operational global

air traffic management (GATM) system. GATM was an umbrella term that

described a series of air traffic system upgrades that enabled an increasingly

larger number of commercial and military aircraft to operate safely in regions

having the most congested airspace. Other GATM capabilities enhanced an

aircrew’s situational awareness and provided more flexible communications

through the addition of satellite communication systems.

April 22: The Osprey program achieved a significant milestone when the V–22 fleet

surpassed 2,000 flight hours since the return to flight in May 2002.

May 13: The final airdrop of paratroopers from a C–141 Starlifter took place at the

Army’s Fort Benning, Georgia, drop zone. The aircraft making the final airdrop was a C–141C assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command’s 452d Air

Mobility Wing at March Air Reserve Base, California.

May 26: Pentagon officials announced that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

had deferred a decision on the tanker recapitalization program until additional studies were completed. The deferment purportedly stemmed in part

from deliberations of the Defense Science Board’s aerial refueling task force.

Its members had concluded that the corrosion problem on the KC–135 Stratotankers was manageable and that the operating and maintenance cost projections for the KC–135 fleet were not as large as previously estimated.

168

2004
June 7: A Russian TU–154 observation aircraft landed at Travis Air Force Base,

California, marking the first Russian Open Skies mission over the United

States. The Open Skies Treaty entered into force on January 1, 2002, and

established a regime of unarmed aerial observation flights over the territories

of the 30 participating nations. The treaty was designed to promote mutual

understanding and confidence by giving the signatory nations a direct role in

gathering information about military forces and activities that concerned

them. Quotas for the observation flights were allocated to the participating

nations on a yearly basis. In 2004, the United States received requests for only

two flights, one from the Russian Federation and one from the Republic of

Belarus, which operated as a single entity for quota allocation purposes.

June 9: A VC–25A (tail number 28000) transported the body of former President

Ronald Reagan from Point Mugu Naval Air Station, California, to Andrews

Air Force Base, Maryland. After a state funeral on June 11, the VC–25

returned the President’s remains to Point Mugu for transportation to Simi

Valley, for a ceremony at the Reagan presidential library and interment on the

library’s grounds. While President, Ronald Reagan had ordered two identical

Boeing 747s to replace the aging presidential Boeing 707s he traveled in as

the chief executive. The two specially configured Boeing 747–200Bs carried

the Air Force designation VC–25 and the tail numbers 28000 and 29000.

June 28: The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), the governing authority set up

in Iraq by the United States and its allies in 2003 following the invasion of that

country, ceded sovereignty to the interim Iraqi government, led by Prime

Minister Iyad Allawi, two days ahead of schedule. In a 10-minute ceremony

inside Baghdad’s heavily fortified “Green Zone,” L. Paul Bremer III, the

CPA administrator, read a prepared statement and handed the transfer documents to Iraqi interim president Ghazi al-Yawar. Shortly after the ceremony,

Bremer boarded a helicopter and later left Iraq on an Air Force C–130 Hercules. The new Iraqi government received recognition from the United

Nations and the Arab League, although large numbers of U.S. military personnel remained in Iraq.

July 19: Then-Lt. Col. Martha McSally, USAF, assumed command of the 354th

Fighter Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, becoming the

first female commander of a fighter squadron and the first woman in the Air

Force to command any combat aviation squadron. While she was deployed

to Kuwait in January 1995, her first flight over Iraq to enforce the no-fly zone

had made her the first female USAF pilot to fly in combat.

July 26: Michael W. Wynne, the acting undersecretary of defense for acquisition,

technology, and logistics, issued a V–22 Osprey program acquisition decision

memorandum.

August 11: Gordon R. England, the secretary of the Navy, took his first ride in an

Osprey and declared the V–22 the “centerpiece of future naval forces.”

169

2004
August 19: Twelve crewmembers departed McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey,

aboard a C–141B Starlifter on the last around-the-world flight by an activeduty C–141. The specially selected crew included eight members of the 6th

Airlift Squadron and four flying crew chiefs from the 305th Maintenance

Squadron. All were seasoned veterans of the C–141. Collectively, they had

more than 59,000 hours of flying time in C–141s.

August 23: The 50th anniversary flight of the C–130 Hercules was commemorated

at the 43d Airlift Wing, Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, and at other

military organizations having C-130s assigned. The C–130 had made its first

flight on August 23, 1954, from Lockheed’s Burbank, California, facility to

Edwards Air Force Base, California. Gen. John W. Handy, commander of

Air Mobility Command and a C–130 pilot, said, “The ‘Herc’ has earned its

place in history through its enormous contributions to crisis response for 50

years.”

August 31: Ending 13 years of service, the last Atlas II booster, specifically an Atlas

IIAS, launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying a reconnaissance satellite into space. The Lockheed-Martin booster had enjoyed a 100

percent success rate during that time. With the capability of carrying payloads

up to 8,200 pounds, the Atlas II was the most powerful member of that missile family. 

September 10: Lt. Gen. Michael W. Wooley, the commander of Air Force Special

Operations Command, flew the Osprey for two hours and said, “The Osprey

can be characterized as the best of everything I have ever flown all rolled into

one.”

September 11: During the three-year period since the terrorist attacks of September

11, 2001, Air Mobility Command completed 34,030 missions in support of

Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. A total of 1,771,632

troops and 1,059,498 short tons of cargo were moved by organic aircraft and

contracted commercial aircraft operating in the AMC system. The command’s KC–10 and KC–135 tankers flew 11,111 air refueling missions to air

refuel 15,396 receiver aircraft. By September 11, 2004, the airlift operation in

support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had become the third largest airlift in history, ranking behind the Berlin Airlift of 1948–1949, which was the

largest, and Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm in the Gulf War of

1990–1991.

September 16: The last two active-duty C–141B Starlifters assigned to the U.S. Air

Force flew their final missions after a departure ceremony at McGuire Air

Force Base, New Jersey, home of the 305th Air Mobility Wing. The two aircraft were flown from McGuire to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The C–141 Starlifter

was the first U.S.-manufactured jet aircraft designed specifically for military

170

2004
airlift. It was the second all-jet transport aircraft to be assigned to the Military

Airlift Command, the C–135 being the first.

September 23: A C–17 from McChord Air Force Base, Washington, delivered

medicines and medical supplies valued at $15 million to Bishkek International Airport in the Kyrgyz Republic. The shipment comprised the largest

amount of humanitarian aid to enter the republic since it became an independent state in 1991. The mission was flown under the auspices of Operation Provide Hope, a cooperative effort of the Departments of State and

Defense and U.S. pharmaceutical companies to give access medical equipment and supplies to the states of the former Soviet Union.

September 24: The first of 13 C–17 Globemaster IIIs programmed for delivery to

McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, arrived at the base from the Boeing factory in Long Beach, California. The aircraft was the first C–17 modified with

“Block 15” upgrades, one of them being the addition of station-keeping

equipment that allowed for all-weather formation flying with up to 100 aircraft. The thirteenth and final C–17 was delivered on July 6, 2005.

September 24: At a court-martial conducted under the convening authority of Lt.

Gen. William Welser III, Eighteenth Air Force commander, SrA Ahmad I.

al Halabi was found guilty of failure to obey a lawful general order, making a

false official statement, and willfully retaining unauthorized documents. Al

Halabi had pleaded guilty to these charges in exchange for a reduced sentence

and the withdrawal of other charges. He was sentenced to 295 days, but he

received credit for his time served in detention and was released from custody. He also received a demotion to airman basic and a bad-conduct discharge.

September 24–25: A KC–10 Extender aeromedically evacuated a South Korean

college student, paralyzed as a result of an accident while on vacation in the

United States, from March Air Reserve Base, California, to Seoul, South

Korea. Air Mobility Command’s 59 KC–10s sometimes flew aeromedical

evacuation missions, but this September flight marked the first time that a

KC–10 had ever carried a patient support pallet, which the Critical Care Air

Transport Team used to sustain seriously ill or injured patients in flight. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld personally approved the mission.

October 3: The Lockheed Martin plant at Marietta, Georgia, received the first C–5

to be modified under the reliability and enhancement and re-engining program (RERP). The RERP was designed to extend the life of Air Mobility

Command C–5s to the year 2040 by adding new engines; improved electrical,

fuel, hydraulic, flight control, and environment control systems; and upgrades

to the aircraft’s structure and landing gear.

October 28: The 12th Reconnaissance Squadron, stationed at Beale Air Force

Base, California, received the first production Northrop Grumman RQ–4

Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

171

2004
November 16: Air Force secretary James G. Roche announced his resignation.

December 10: The first C–130J to be deployed for combat operations departed

Quonset State Airport, Rhode Island, for Southwest Asia. The aircraft was

assigned to the 143d Airlift Wing, a unit of the Rhode Island Air National

Guard. The C–130J, called the “Super Hercules,” provided a 40 percent

increase in performance capability over the C–130H. The advanced computers aboard the “J” model negated the need for the flight engineer and navigator positions, providing a substantial savings in the cost of aircrew training.

December 17: Lt. Col. John Breeden, USAF Reserve, took command of the

11th Reconnaissance Squadron at Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field,

Nevada. This was the first time an Air Force reservist had commanded a permanent active duty operational Air Force unit.

December 20: The Air Force inactivated the 20th Fighter Squadron, based at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, its last operational F–4 unit. The unit’s

aircraft were transferred to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration

Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.

2005

January 20: Dr. James G. Roche left his position as the secretary of the Air Force.

Peter B. Teets, the under secretary of the Air Force since 2001, began to serve

also as the acting secretary of the Air Force. Under the Federal Vacancies

Reform Act of 1998, if there was no Air Force secretary, then the under secretary automatically assumed the post of acting secretary until the president

nominated and the U.S. Senate confirmed a replacement.

February 4: A C–141C assigned to the 452d Air Mobility Wing at March Air

Reserve Base, California, flew the last scheduled C–141 Starlifter mission to

the Pegasus runway near the McMurdo Research Station in Antarctica. For 39

years, as part of Operation Deep Freeze, C–141s had delivered personnel and

equipment to Antarctica in support of the National Science Foundation’s

research activities there. Since October 1999, C–17s assigned to McChord

Air Force Base, Washington, had shared responsibility for the intertheater

Antarctic missions with C–141s assigned to the 452d Air Mobility Wing.

February 10: Gen. John W. Handy, commander of the Air Mobility Command,

grounded 30 C–130Es and placed another 60 C–130s, including some “E,”

and “H,” “H1” models and HC-130P/Ns, on restricted flight status. He did

this to minimize wing stress and increase the margin of safety for C–130 aircrews. Since 2001, a series of inspections of C–130 wing boxes by the C–130

Systems Program Office at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, had revealed

cracks greater in number and severity than expected.

172

2004-2005
February 23: The Tanker Airlift Control Center reported that all of the deployment

and redeployment missions flown in support of the worldwide tsunami relief

effort had closed. On December 26, 2004, an earthquake in the Indian

Ocean, measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, triggered an enormous tsunami

that slammed into the coastlines of 13 nations. The tsunami’s 30-foot-high

waves produced massive flooding and destruction that killed at least 300,000

people. The death toll was greatest in Indonesia, where at least 100,000 people perished, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. Another three to

five million people in South Asia and Southeast Asia were left without clean

water, food, shelter, and sanitation. During the U.S. tsunami relief effort,

Operation Unified Assistance, aircraft operating in the Air Mobility Command system had flown a total of 106 missions to airlift 2,768 passengers and

3,370 short tons of cargo.

March 1: The Air Force announced that the MQ–1 Predator had achieved initial

operational capability. This General Atomics unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)

had been designed for use in high-risk areas. It had a ceiling of 25,000 feet

and a range of 400 nautical miles, with a cruise speed of 73 knots and an

endurance of 24 hours. The MQ–1 configuration allowed the vehicle to

deploy precision-guided munitions, including the Hellfire missile, in addition

to its camera and radar suites.

March 25: Peter B. Teets left his permanent position as Air Force under secretary,

and his tenure as acting Air Force secretary also ended on this day. Under the

Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, there was no provision for an acting

under secretary, and the under secretary of the Air Force position remained

vacant for several months. On June 28, President George W. Bush

announced his intention to nominate retired Air Force major general Dr.

Ronald M. Sega to be the Air Force under secretary. The Senate confirmed

him during the last week of July 2005.

March 26: Effective this day, Michael Montelongo, the assistant secretary of the Air

Force for financial management, became the acting secretary of the Air Force.

On March 28, Michael Montelongo left his permanent position, and Michael

L. Dominguez, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and

reserve affairs, became the acting secretary of the Air Force.

April 21: A KC–135R Stratotanker offloaded 84,000 pounds of JP-8 aviation fuel to

3 receiver aircraft over Iraq, achieving in the process a historic milestone. The

mission resulted in tankers from the Combined Forces Air Component Command exceeding one billion pounds of fuel offloaded in the United States

Central Command’s theater of operation since January 30, 2003. The 92d Air

Refueling Wing at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, was the home station for the KC–135R crewmembers who, in the theater of operation, were

assigned to the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron. A billion

pounds of fuel would enable an automobile averaging 20 miles per gallon to

travel 3,076,923,077 statute miles.

173

2005
May 12: The first combat-ready F/A–22 Raptor arrived at Langley Air Force Base,

Virginia, assigned to the 1st Fighter Wing. Featuring stealth technology,

ground attack capability, and the ability to reach Mach 1.5 without using afterburners, the Raptor was generally considered the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world.

May 13: Defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced 190 recommendations for

closure and realignment of military bases. The Base Closure and Realignment

Commission would later approve over 86% of these, amounting to 182 closures and realignments. Total savings were estimated at $15 billion over

twenty years. Five Air Force bases were closed, and twelve realigned, as a

result of this process.

June 1: A C–17 aircrew flew the first mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from the new “hub and spoke” operating location at Incirlik Air Base,

Turkey. With the Incirlik spoke and hub, contracted commercial aircraft and

AMC organic airlifters took cargo to Incirlik from Charleston Air Force Base,

South Carolina, after which C–17s airlifted the cargo to locations in Iraq. Positioning sustainment cargo closer to Iraq made it possible for Air Mobility

Command to deliver more cargo to U.S. forces in Iraq with fewer aircraft.

June 9: The Air Force accepted delivery of its 420th, and final, re-engined

KC–135R Stratotanker during ceremonies at Boeing Wichita. The aircraft

was assigned to the 141st Air Refueling Wing, an Air National Guard unit at

Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. The program began in January 1980,

when the Air Force awarded Boeing a contract to develop a new KC–135

engine. The re-engining program consisted of equipping the USAF’s “A” and

“E” model KC–135s with new CFM56 engines and incorporating other

equipment enhancements. Each modified Stratotanker was designated a

KC–135R. The CFM56 engine provided a 60 percent increase in power,

while other major improvements increased the “R” model’s fuel transfer capability by 50 percent and reduced its fuel requirement by 25 percent. The

KC–135 remained the only aircraft in the world specifically designed for aerial refueling.

June 20: The Air Force redesignated Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field,

Nevada, as Creech Air Force Base. It was the first Air Force base primarily

dedicated to unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations.

July 29: Uzbekistan evicted the United States from Karshi-Khanabad Air Base,

which had served as a hub for U.S. Air Force combat and humanitarian missions to Afghanistan since shortly after the September 2001 terrorist attacks.

Known as “K2,” the base is located 125 miles north of Afghanistan near

Uzbekistan’s border with Tajikistan. Uzbekistan provided no reason for the

eviction in the message its foreign ministry sent to the U.S. embassy in

Tashkent. The United States was given 180 days to remove its aircraft, personnel, and equipment from K2.

174

2005
July 29: In accordance with the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, President George

W. Bush appointed Preston M. “Pete” Geren, special assistant to the secretary of defense, as acting secretary of the Air Force, replacing Michael L.

Dominguez.

August 1: The U–2 Dragon Lady marked 50 years since its first flight. The singleengine, very high altitude intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft had seen service with both the Air Force and the CIA. The plane could

operate at 70,000 feet and function in all weather and light conditions.

August 5–7: Air Mobility Command aircraft—including a C–5, C–17s, KC–10, and

KC–135s—together with other USAF, USN, British, and Russian personnel

and equipment worked to rescue seven Russian sailors stranded in a Russian

AS–28 mini-submarine. The craft had become tangled 600 feet below the surface in a fishing net during an August 4 military exercise in Beryozovaya Bay,

about 10 miles east of the Kamchatka Peninsula.

August 9: The RC–135 Rivet Joint, one of the Air Force’s chief low density/high

demand (LDHD) assets, marked 15 years of continuous operations in Southwest Asia. This aircraft featured a set of sensors that gathered information

across the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing its crew of more than thirty to

detect and identify signals for intelligence analysis and dissemination.

August 9: The 452d Air Mobility Wing at March Air Reserve Base, California,

became the first reserve wing to be equipped with Globemaster IIIs when it

took delivery of the first C-17 Globemaster III to be based in the Golden

State.

August 23–29: Air Force personnel aboard WC–130 aircraft tracked and measured

Tropical Depression Katrina’s intensity and location as the storm grew into a

hurricane and made landfall in Florida on August 25. Thereafter, Hurricane

Katrina fluctuated in intensity and made a second landfall on August 29, hitting the U.S. Gulf Coast and devastating New Orleans and surrounding areas. 

August 30–mid-September: Military and civilian services begin Katrina relief operations. U.S. Northern Command activated Joint Task Force-Katrina at Camp

Shelby, Mississippi, on August 31. First Air Force commander Maj. Gen. M.

Scott Mayes served as the task force’s joint forces air component commander,

and he set up 1st Aerospace Expeditionary Task Force-Katrina at Tyndall Air

Force Base, Florida. That task force set up various air expeditionary groups

for a massive disaster relief operation, and 8,000 Air Force, Air Force

Reserve, and Air National Guard had deployed by September 7. Air Force

helicopters flew 648 sorties, 599 of which were search and rescue missions

that rescued 4,322 people. Air Force fixed-wing aircraft flew 4,095 sorties,

3,398 of which were air mobility missions. The Air Force evacuated 26,943

displaced persons and provided aeromedical evacuations for 2,602 patients.

Air Force medical personnel at the New Orleans International Airport treated

175

2005
16,714 patients, while transport personnel airlifted 11,450 tons of relief supplies.

August 30–October 10: From August 30 until the last official mission was completed

on October 10, Air Mobility Command and its Air Force Reserve Commandand Air National Guard-gained units flew 205 missions: 38 C–5, 69 C–17, 63

C–130, 5 C–141, 2 C–9 missions, and 28 commercial flights in support of the

Hurricane Katrina relief effort. A total of 5,191 short tons of humanitarian

cargo and 13,717 passengers were airlifted to and from the ports of debarkation in support of the massive relief effort underway in New Orleans, Gulfport, Biloxi, and other Gulf Coast locations. Air Mobility Command transported 1,794 patients from hospitals, retirement centers, and nursing homes

to safe haven in cities undamaged by the hurricane. Command aircraft picked

up cargo, relief workers, and other passengers at a wide variety of locations.

September 2: Gen. T. Michael Moseley, USAF, was sworn in as the eighteenth chief

of staff of the Air Force during a ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, that also marked the retirement of his predecessor, Gen. John P.

Jumper, USAF. Acting Air Force secretary Preston M. Geren presided, with

defense secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman

Gen. Richard B. Myers, USAF, also taking part.

September 10: The first C–130 combat mission by an all-female crew was flown

from a forward-deployed location in Southwest Asia. Transported on the

flight were 151 Marines and their equipment. Although the six women flew

together for the first time on this day, they were all assigned to the 43d Airlift

Wing at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, and were currently deployed

to the 737th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, whose mission was moving

troops and cargo in and out of Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa.

September 11: During the four-year period since the September 2001 terrorist

attacks, Air Mobility Command completed 53,530 missions in support of

Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. By mid-September 2005,

organic aircraft and contracted commercial aircraft operating in the AMC system had moved 3,055,336 troops and 1,487,884 short tons of cargo. By the

end of 2005, the airlift operation in support of the wars in Iraq and

Afghanistan had become history’s second largest airlift, second only to the

Berlin Airlift of 1948–1949. In 2005, Operations Enduring Freedom and

Iraqi Freedom surpassed Desert Shield/Desert Storm, the Persian Gulf War

airlift of 1990–1991 as the second largest airlift of all time.

September 19: The Air Force accepted the first production CV–22 Osprey.

September 20: Construction began on a $100 million expansion and improvement

of Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.

176

2005
September 28: A1C Elizabeth Jacobson, USAF, 17th Security Forces Squadron,

became the first female airman killed in the line of duty in Iraq when an

improvised explosive device detonated near her vehicle.

September 30: The final mission flown by a C–141 Starlifter to a combat zone

ended when a Starlifter assigned to the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, landed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The

C–141C was returning from Balad Air Base, Iraq, 24 litter patients, 23 ambulatory patients, and 3 attendees. It had taken cargo to Europe before making

its historic last flight to the U.S. Central Command’s theater of operation in

support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. C-141s had begun airlifting sick and

wounded from combat zones more than 40 years earlier in Southeast Asia.

October 7: Brig. Gen. (select) Susan Y. Desjardins, USAF, a 1980 graduate of the

U.S. Air Force Academy, was named as incoming commandant of cadets. She

was the first woman to hold that post.

October 10: At a ceremony hosted by senior U.S. and German military and civilian

officials, 60 years of U.S. military airlift operations officially ended at RheinMain Air Base, Germany, Air Mobility Command’s “Gateway to Europe.”

Since 1948, Rhein-Main and the colocated Frankfurt International Airport

had worked jointly to create, manage, and operate the largest U.S. military airlift hub in Europe. Rhein-Main had been the main staging point of the Berlin

Airlift and in later years had served as an important center for aeromedical

evacuations and other crucial transport activities, including welcoming the

hostages held by Iran who returned to the United States in 1980. More than

800 people, including Col. Gail Halvorsen, USAF (Ret.), the famed Berlin

Airlift “Candy Bomber,” attended the ceremony at which a C–17 Globemaster III bearing the name Spirit of Rhein-Main was unveiled. On October 1,

2005, Rhein-Main’s responsibility for U.S. military airlift in the European theater transitioned to Ramstein and Spangdahlem Air Bases. The final military

mission departed Rhein-Main on September 26 and the last commercial flight

on September 30.

October 10: The first relief supplies from the United States arrived at Chaklala Air

Base, Pakistan, near Islamabad, less than 48 hours after a devastating earthquake on October 8 left nearly 80,000 dead and many more injured in the

northern regions of South Asia. By the end of November 2005, the 24th Air

Expeditionary Group had overseen the unloading of 250 aircraft and nearly

14.5 million pounds of humanitarian cargo. Aircraft operating in the Air

Mobility Command system likewise flew many missions on behalf of the

earthquake relief effort, which was nicknamed Operation Lifeline. By the end

of December 2005, aircraft tasked by the Tanker Airlift Control Center had

flown 169 missions and 510 sorties from and between locations in the continental United States, Europe, and the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. By December 31, 2005, the AMC-tasked aircraft had transported

177

2005
6,929 short tons of cargo and airlifted 2,427 passengers in support of Operation Lifeline.

October 14: The 436th Airlift Wing at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, transferred

the last AMC-owned C–5A from Dover to the 445th Airlift Wing, an Air

Force Reserve Command unit at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

After the transfer, the Air Mobility Command’s active-duty wings were

assigned only “B” and “C” model C–5s. The C–5Cs were “A” models that

completed modification in late 1988 and early 1989 to support the unique

outsize space shuttle cargoes of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

October 17: A C–5B assigned to the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover Air Force Base,

Delaware, was transferred to the 439th Airlift Wing, an Air Force Reserve

Command wing at Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, marking the first

time an active-duty “B” model C–5 was transferred to an AFRC unit.

November 3: Michael W. Wynne was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and sworn in

as the twenty-first secretary of the Air Force at a ceremony at the U.S. Air

Force Academy in front of 4,200 cadets.

December 7: A new Air Force mission statement added cyberspace to the combat

domains of the service, along with air and space.

December 13: The designation of the F/A–22 Raptor changed back to the F–22

Raptor.

December 15: The F–22 Raptor achieved initial operational capability. This followed a process of engine testing at Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee; flight,

ground, and simulation testing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, and

Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; missile testing at Holloman Air Force Base,

New Mexico; tactics development at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada; pilot and

maintenance training at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida; and initial deployment to Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.

2006

February 8: The first of eight C–17s assigned to Pacific Air Forces, 15th Airlift

Wing, at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, arrived at the historic installation

near Honolulu. The aircraft was the first C–17 Globemaster III to be based

outside the continental United States. It was equipped with an extra fuel tank

so it could fly for at least 10 hours without having to refuel, thus enabling it to

fly nonstop to Asia or the east coast of the United States without having to

refuel. The eighth and final C–17 assigned to the 15th Airlift Wing arrived at

Hickam Air Force Base on July 18, 2006, completing the successful transformation of a support unit to an operational strategic airlift wing. The crews who

178

2005-2006
operated and maintained the 15th Airlift Wing’s C–17s served in a composite unit of active-duty and Air National Guard Airmen.

February 8–March 21: A congressionally directed demonstration of the Northrop

Grumman-produced U.S. Air Force RQ–4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft

system (UAS) was conducted to test the system’s ability to conduct maritime

drug interdiction surveillance. During test flights, the system successfully

detected and tracked preplanned maritime and airborne targets and maritime

ad hoc targets. The system’s final report stated that the Global Hawk system

was making satisfactory progress toward demonstrating utility to support maritime counterdrug operations.

February 28: Operation Deep Freeze, the annual Antarctic airlift in support of the

National Science Foundation, completed its final sortie of a record-setting season. Flying activities on Antarctica were performed by ski-equipped LC–130s

from the 109th Airlift Wing, a New York Air National Guard unit at Scotia,

New York, and a C–17 Globemaster III from the 62d Airlift Wing at

McChord Air Force Base, Washington. Operating from Christchurch, New

Zealand, the C–17 unit completed 51 long-range missions that transported

more than 3 million pounds of cargo and 4,739 passengers to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, the logistics hub for Operation Deep Freeze. In moving people and cargo around the continent of Antarctica, the 109th’s ski-equipped

LC–130s established a single-season flying record by flying 466 total missions,

377 of them to the South Pole. The LC–130s also set three records for transporting cargo: the most cargo transported in a single season, at 14.4 million

pounds; the most cargo delivered directly to the South Pole, at 9.9 million

pounds; and the most fuel offloaded at the South Pole, at 4.54 million

pounds. The final LC–130 mission to the South Pole during the 2005–2006

Deep Freeze season, on February 21, 2006, marked the latest date that any

aircraft had landed there.

March 1: The Air Force accepted delivery of its first combat-configured CV–22

Osprey, an aircraft made in a 50-50 partnership by Bell Helicopter Textron

Inc. and the Boeing Company. During a ceremony at the Bell Boeing manufacturing facility in Amarillo, Texas, Aeronautical Systems Center commander Lt. Gen. John L. “Jack” Hudson, USAF, accepted the keys from Bell

Boeing and described the event as a “historic milestone in aviation history.” A

variant of the U.S. Marine Corps MV–22 Osprey, the aircraft offered significantly greater speed, range, and survivability over other conventional rotarywing planes, making it well suited for long-range infiltration, exfiltration, and

resupply missions in support of special operations forces. The Air Force

planned to purchase 50 CV–22s.

March 16: Within the relatively narrow time frame of only 40 minutes, a single

C–17 Globemaster III airdropped 32,400 pounds of humanitarian goods to

four locations in central and eastern Afghanistan. The mission set a record by

airdropping the most cargo to multiple drop zones in the shortest amount of

179

2006
time in the history of U.S. airdrop operations. The C–17 and its aircrew were

deployed from McChord Air Force Base, Washington, to the 379th Air

Expeditionary Wing in the U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.

March 20: The Air Force received its first operational CV–22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft when Lt. Gen. Michael W. Wooley, USAF, commander of the Air

Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), flew the aircraft from the test

wing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, to the 58th Special Operations

Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. He described the CV–22 as

“truly transformational” for his command. It combined characteristics of a

helicopter—vertical takeoff, hovering, and vertical landing—with capabilities of

a turboprop—speed, fuel efficiency, and long range.

March 20: The U.S. Air Force fleet of 148 C–17 Globemaster IIIs surpassed its millionth hour of flight when a Total Force crew evacuated injured U.S. troops

from Iraq and transported them to Germany for medical treatment. Speaking

to more than 2,000 people at an April 6 commemoration ceremony at the

Boeing Company, Long Beach, California, Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, commander of Air Mobility Command, reviewed the history of the C–17’s diverse

operations since it became operational on January 17, 1995. He summed up

the C–17’s significance to the air mobility mission when he said it had “proven

its weight in gold.” The millionth-hour milestone offered an appropriate occasion to herald the C–17’s role as an aeromedical transport, which, combined

with advances in battlefield medicine, had saved countless lives of U.S. troops,

coalition forces, and Afghans and Iraqis during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

March 31: The Air Force activated the Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland AFB,

New Mexico. The center was part of Air Force Materiel Command.

April 25: The Tanker Systems Modernization Systems Squadron of the Aeronautical Systems Center’s Mobility Systems Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force

Base, Ohio, issued a request for information inviting manufacturers to provide relevant technological, cost projections, and market information that

could be used in developing plans to replace the KC–135 Stratotanker. The

project could be worth at least $20 billion to the manufacturer who ultimately

submitted the winning bid.

May 6: The last operational C–141 Starlifter landed at Wright Field, Ohio for

donation to the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The

landing concluded 42 years of Starlifter operations in the active-duty Air

Force, the Air National Guard, and the Air Force Reserve Command.

The last operational C–141 was nicknamed the “Hanoi Taxi” because it

had transported the first group of former Vietnam prisoners of war from

Hanoi to freedom on February 12, 1973. On May 5, the “Hanoi Taxi”

made two final passenger flights in the Dayton, Ohio, area with 125 former POWs aboard. Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne was a

180

2006
passenger on the first flight. His brother, an F–4 pilot, had been killed

over North Vietnam in 1966.

May 30: Gen. Michael V. Hayden, USAF, was officially sworn in as Director of the

Central Intelligence Agency. He was the first Air Force officer to hold this

position, and the first active duty military officer to do so since Adm. Stansfield Turner, USN, who had been sworn in on March 9, 1977.

June 19: Thirty-eight years after the C–5’s maiden flight on June 30, 1968, the first

fully modernized C–5M Super Galaxy accomplished its maiden flight by taking off and returning to Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia, flying for 3.3

hours. The aircraft was the first of 111 programmed for modernization at

Lockheed Martin’s Marietta, Georgia, plant.

July 7: Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England and Air Force Chief of Staff

Gen. T. Michael Moseley were among those attending the unveiling of the

first flight-test model of the F–35 at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Texas,

plant. At the ceremony, Moseley announced that Lightning II had been

selected as the name of the F–35 and said that the name “was a win for aviation heritage and culture.” He noted that the Lightning II was named after

“two great pieces of air power history”: the World War II Lockheed P–38

Lightning and the supersonic English Electric Lightning interceptor, developed in the early 1950s.

July 16–September 3: Air Mobility Command C–17s and commercial aircraft contracted by the Department of State transported 12,703 U.S. citizens from

Cyprus and Turkey to the United States in the largest noncombatant evacuation operation since Vietnam. The Americans fled Lebanon because of the

intense fighting underway in southern Lebanon between the Israeli military

and Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shiite Muslim military group backed by Iran and

Syria. The Americans were taken from Beirut to Cyprus by chartered cruise

ships, Navy vessels, C–130s, MH–53 helicopters, and Navy CH–63 helicopters operating in the U.S. European Command and the U.S. Central Command areas of responsibility (AOR). 

July 16–October 6: The 352 Special Operations Group, based at Royal Air Force

Mildenhall, England, transported U.S. citizens from Lebanon to Cyprus. The

group moved 502 Americans during the noncombatant evacuation operation.

July 26: A simulated AirLaunch QuickReach rocket weighing 72,000 pounds was

airdropped from a C–17 at an altitude of 32,000 feet over the Edwards Air

Force Base, California, test range, establishing in the process a new record for

the heaviest single item ever dropped from an aircraft. The airdrop test, conducted by a government-industry team, was the third in a series flown by three

different C–17s to verify that aircraft’s ability to safely release at launch altitude

the AirLaunch Company’s QuickReach rockets. These carried, into low-earth

orbit, small satellites that could be equipped with cameras, communication

systems, and other sensor payloads to provide special-purpose support for

181

2006
humanitarian relief operations and a variety of military operations in remote

areas.

Mid-August: Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) became the first sitting

member of Congress in decades to perform military duty in a combat zone

when he deployed to Afghanistan as a member of the 169th Fighter Wing of

the Air National Guard.

August 25: Maj. Gen. Jeffrey R. “Jeff” Riemer, then commander of the Air Armament Center and Air Force program executive officer for weapons, Air Force

Materiel Command, announced that Boeing’s GBU–39/B Small Diameter

Bomb I (SDB I) was delivered to the U.S. Air Force ahead of schedule and

under cost.

August 31: The first use of the joint precision airdrop system (JPADS) on a combat mission occurred when a C–130 from the 774th Expeditionary Airlift

Squadron airdropped supplies to a U.S. Army unit in Afghanistan. The

JPADS is a satellite-guided parachute system that allows cargo to be dropped

accurately from altitudes as high as 25,000 feet, beyond the range of enemy

ground fire. By mid-2007, the JPADS had enabled Airmen to make high-altitude airdrops as close as 10 to 15 yards of the intended point of impact, thus

helping to minimize the threat of roadside bombs to U.S. truck convoys when

operating in Afghanistan and Iraq.

August 31: The KC–135 tanker marked fifty years since its first flight.

September 8–9: The Air Force celebrated the 50th anniversary of the KC–135 Stratotanker’s maiden flight on August 31, 1956. The official two-day anniversary

celebration was held at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

September 11: During the five years since the September 2001 terrorist attacks, Air

Mobility Command flew 289,961 sorties in support of Operations Enduring

Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. By mid-September 2006, organic aircraft and

contracted commercial aircraft operating in the AMC system had moved

4,439,127 troops and 1,965,461 short tons of cargo. By the end of 2006,

Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom had surpassed the Persian

Gulf War airlift of 1990–1991, Desert Shield/Desert Storm, as history’s second largest airlift, while the Berlin Airlift of 1948–1949 remained the largest

airlift in terms of total tonnage moved.

October 2: Gen. Ronald Keys, USAF, the commander of Air Combat Command,

declared initial operational capability (IOC) for the GBU–39/B Small Diameter Bomb I, manufactured by Boeing. This announcement came six months

ahead of schedule. The capabilities of the 285-pound,all-weather SDB I made

it well suited for the war on terror. They included increased employment

range, increased aircraft payload, precision-guided accuracy, and a smaller

lethality radius, minimizing the potential for collateral damage. At the time,

the F–15 Strike Eagle was the only aircraft equipped to carry the SDB, but

182

2006
potential platforms included the F–16 Fighting Falcon, B–1 Lancer, B–2

Spirit, F–22A Raptor, and F–35 Lightning II. 

October 6: Air Force chief of staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley signed the Global

Mobility Concept of Operations (CONOPS), which explained the Mobility

Air Force’s five operational capabilities of airlift, air refueling, expeditionary

air mobility operations, spacelift, and the mobility that supported special operations forces. The other six Air Force CONOPS were Agile Combat Support;

Global Persistent Attack; Global Strike; Homeland Defense; Nuclear

Response; and Space and Command, Control, Communications, Computers,

Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance.

October 14: President George W. Bush presided over a ceremony to dedicate the

U.S. Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, set on a promontory across

from the Pentagon and next to Arlington National Cemetery, overlooking the

nation’s capital. A crowd estimated at 30,000 attended the ceremony at which

defense secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Air Force secretary Michael W.

Wynne, and Air Force chief of staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley participated.

Numerous aircraft, including F–15s, Ospreys, vintage fighters, and F–16s

from the Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team, also took part. The

ceremony began a year-long commemoration of the Air Force’s 60th anniversary as a separate service.

October 30: An LC–130 Hercules from the New York Air National Guard’s 109th

Airlift Wing at Stratton Air National Guard Base, Scotia, New York, touched

down at the South Pole to commemorate the 50th anniversary of an aircraft

landing there. That occurred on October 31, 1956, when Lt. Cmdr. Gus

Shinn, USN, landed a ski-equipped R4D–5, a military version of the Douglas

DC–3, at the South Pole.

November 4–23: In one of the largest presidential support airlifts, Air Mobility

Command flew 474 airlift and air refueling sorties to transport 2,723 passengers and 2,417 short tons of cargo on behalf of President George W. Bush’s

official visits to Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia from November 16

through 20, 2006. C-17s performed 299 sorties or 63 percent of the total sorties flown. Since AMC’s activation on June 1, 1992, the command’s presidential support airlift mission had been nicknamed Operation Phoenix Banner. Given the large number of sorties, the long distances to the aerial ports

of debarkation, and the heavy commitments of C–17s to the wars in Iraq and

Afghanistan, the 2006 Pacific Phoenix Banner resulted in the first use of

KC–10 tankers in an airlift role to support presidential travel requirements.

The KC–10s flew 94 sorties to transport 396 passengers and 283 short tons of

cargo. The Pacific Phoenix Banner was also the first time that C–5s had not

been scheduled as primary airlifters on a major presidential trip overseas,

mainly because modernization and maintenance schedules curtailed their

availability. 

183

2006
November 5: An Iraqi court appointed by the government of Prime Minister

Nouri al-Maliki sentenced former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein to

death. The court imposed the sentence for the killings of 148 people in the

mainly Shia village of Dujail during a reprisal for a 1982 attempted assassination of Saddam. The court also sentenced Saddam’s half-brother to

death, along with the former chief judge of Saddam’s regime. Saddam’s former vice-president received a life sentence, and three other defendants

were sentenced to fifteen years in prison.

November 16: The CV–22 Osprey was unveiled at Air Force Special Operations

Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida, when it participated in a simulated special operations mission during an AFSOC Heritage to Horizon commemoration marking the sixtieth anniversary of the Air Force. After piloting the

CV–22 in the demonstration, AFSOC commander Lt. Gen. Mike Wooley,

USAF, presented the “keys” to Lt. Col. Ed Corallo, the commander of the

first operational CV–22 squadron, the 8th Special Operations Squadron. At a

ceremony later that day, the 16th Special Operations Wing regained its historic designation as the 1st Special Operations Wing. 

November 17: The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC)

Detachment 5 Global Hawk test team concluded the first operational flight

test of the RQ–4A Global Hawk Block-10 unmanned aircraft system. The

team was composed of AFOTEC Det. 5, 452d Flight Test Squadron, Global

Vigilant Combined Test Force, 31st Test Squadron, the 303d Aeronautical

Systems Group, and Northrop Grumman Corporation, with operators from

the 9th Reconnaissance Wing and 480th Intelligence Group also helping.

The team’s final report concluded that the RQ–4A was effective with limitations that had a substantial impact on persistent intelligence, surveillance, and

reconnaissance (ISR) operations.

November 28: The Air National Guard redesignated the 163d Refueling Wing at

March Air Reserve Base, California, as the 163d Reconnaissance Wing. The

wing would operate the MQ–1 Predator, becoming the ANG’s first UAV

unit.

November 29: The A–10C Thunderbolt II made its official roll-out debut at DavisMonthan Air Force Base, Arizona. On display at the ceremony were the

upgraded jet’s enhanced capabilities, which made it a more effective and survivable attack fighter. Precision engagement technology, cockpit changes,

improved communication capabilities, and numerous other enhancements

accomplished under the Precision Engagement program were the most significant modifications to the A–10 in its 30-year history. The upgrade was

expected to result in a much-extended operational lifespan for the A–10C,

into the end of the 2020s.

December 15: The F–35 Lightning II flew for the first time. At the controls was the

F–35 program’s chief test pilot Jon Beesley, a 1979 graduate of the U.S. Air

184

2006
Force Test Pilot School, Edwards Air Force Base, California. He had been

one of the first USAF pilots to fly the F–117 and was the second pilot, following Alfred P. “Paul” Metz, to fly the F–22 Raptor. Metz, a 1976 distinguished graduate of the Test Pilot School, served 12 years as an Air Force

fighter pilot and test pilot and was part of Lockheed Martin’s F–35 Joint Strike

Fighter program.

December 18: Dr. Robert M. Gates succeeded Donald H. Rumsfeld as Secretary

of Defense.

December 20: Airmen assigned to the 62d and 446th Airlift Wings at McChord Air

Force Base, Washington, completed the first C–17 airdrop mission to the

South Pole when their Globemaster III airdropped 70,000 pounds of supplies to the National Science Foundation team operating Antarctica’s South

Pole Station. The ski-equipped LC–130 Hercules was traditionally used to

airland supplies at the South Pole. The C–17 airdrop demonstrated, however,

that one C–17 airdrop mission could deliver up to four times the tonnage of

a single LC–130.

December 22: Aircrews from the 437th Airlift Wing and the 315th Airlift Wing

(Reserve Associate) at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, flew a 20-

ship formation of C–17 Globemaster IIIs in the largest C–17 formation to

launch from a single base. About 45 percent of all the air cargo destined for

U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan was being flown from Charleston at the

end of 2006. The formation launch furnished a vivid demonstration of the

C–17’s strategic airdrop capability, and it received wide media coverage.

December 30: Iraqi national security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie announced on

Iraqi television that former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein had been hanged

at the 5th Division intelligence office in Qadhimiya, Iraq, shortly after 6 a.m.

local time. This was in accordance with a sentence handed down by an Iraqi

court on November 5. Saddam was found guilty and executed for the deaths

of 148 people during a massacre perpetrated on the village of Dujail in retaliation for an attempted assassination of Saddam in 1982. Al-Iraqiya, the Iraqi

state television network, aired videotape of the execution later that day.

2007

January 8: Cost overruns in the C–130 avionics modernization program (AMP) triggered Nunn-McCurdy hearings that lasted well into 2007. The testing was

slipped into December 2007, and AFOTEC participated in an operational

assessment in January 2008 to support a low-rate initial production decision.

January 10: In an address to the nation, President George W. Bush announced that

20,000 additional U.S. troops would be sent to Iraq. “The vast majority”

would work with Iraqi units in Baghdad to help clear and secure neighborhoods, protect residents, and ensure that Iraqi forces could provide security.

185

2006-2007
January 30: Headquarters USAF released a request for proposal (RFP), the service’s

official solicitation to manufacturers for offers to build a tanker to replace its

aging fleet of KC–135 Stratotankers. Known as the KC–X, the replacement

tanker was the Air Force’s number 1 acquisition priority.

March 21: A KC–135 departed Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, on the first nonstop

medical evacuation flight of noncritical patients from Afghanistan to Ramstein

Air Base, Germany. From Ramstein, the patients were bussed ten minutes to

the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the largest American hospital outside

the United States. The new policy transformed a former aeromedical evacuation “spoke” activity performed by C–130s and C–17s into a “hub” system

supported by KC–135s operating in an aeromedical evacuation role.

March 29: The Tuskegee Airmen were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

April 12: The U.S. Air Force Special Operations School (USAFSOS) celebrated its

fortieth anniversary. Originally known as the Special Air Warfare School,

USAFSOS trained Airmen and turned them into air commandos over the

span of four decades. During that period, course offerings expanded from

four to thirty, paralleling the expansion of Air Force Special Operations Command’s worldwide mission. 

April 20: Members of the 720th Special Tactics Group accomplished the first Air

Force military freefall jump from the C–22 Osprey at Hurlburt Field, Florida.

May 1: The Air Force activated the 432d Fighter Wing, renaming it the 432d Wing.

The service’s first unmanned aircraft systems wing, it took charge of rapidly

expanding intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

August 29–30: A Bent Spear incident, meaning a serious nuclear weapons incident

not involving a risk of detonation, occurred, consisting of the mistaken transport of six nuclear-equipped missiles from Minot Air Force Base, North

Dakota, to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, aboard a B–52 aircraft.

September 11: During the six-year period since the September 2001 terrorist

attacks, Air Mobility Command completed 363,483 sorties in support of

Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. By mid-September 2007,

organic aircraft and contracted commercial aircraft operating in the AMC system had moved 5,854,158 troops and 2,551,432 short tons of cargo. Also, by

September 2007, airlift operations in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom had constituted history’s largest airlift in terms of

total cargo transported. They surpassed the Berlin Airlift of 1948–1949 and

the airlift that supported the Persian Gulf War, Desert Shield/Desert Storm,

of 1990–1991.

September 18: The first C–5 fitted with the AN/AAQ–24 large aircraft infrared

countermeasures (LAIRCM) system made its inaugural flight. The system was

designed to protect large fixed-wing transport aircraft from an infrared missile

attack by automatically detecting a missile launch, determining the validity of

186

2007
the threat, and activating a high-intensity countermeasure system to track and

defeat the threat.

September 25: The MQ–1 Predator completed its first operational sortie, part of

Operation Enduring Freedom.

October 1: The Department of Defense formally activated U.S. Africa Command,

with headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.

October 11: Two C–17 Globemaster III aircrews assigned to the 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, airdropped 62 bundles of cargo, weighing more than 85,000 pounds, over a remote area of Paktika province in southeastern Afghanistan. This was the largest airdrop in

Afghanistan since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom in October

2001. The mission marked the first time a C–17 formation had airdropped

cargo in combat using the improved container delivery system (I-CDS), which

consistently produced a 60 percent increase in airdrop accuracy. The formation scenario enabled the two C–17s to release 43 tons of cargo in less than

three minutes, thereby reducing the exposure time of both the aircraft and

ground troops to hostile fire. The four-hour flight negated having a truck convoy transport the supplies over a 200-mile stretch of road where there was a

high risk of roadside bombings.

October 19: The Air Force completed its investigation into the Bent Spear incident

of August 29–30, 2007, and briefed defense secretary Robert Gates. Maj.

Gen. Richard Y Newton III, the assistant deputy chief of staff for operations,

plans, and requirements, announced that several people would be relieved of

their duties as a result of the investigation. These included the commander of

the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota; the 5th Bomb

Wing’s maintenance group commander; and the commander of the 2d Operations Group at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.

October 22: A C–17 Globemaster III took off from Edwards Air Force Base, California, using a blend of synthetic and JP-8 fuels in all four fuel tanks. This was

the first time a C–17 had flown using a Fischer-Tropsch/JP-8 blend as the only

fuel carried aboard. The Fischer-Tropsch synthesis was used successfully on

a large scale in Germany during World War II. Certification for the entire

C–17 fleet was planned for early 2008. This would make the C–17 the second

USAF aircraft type to be authorized use of the Fischer-Tropsch/JP-8 mixture,

after the B–52, which had completed its certification on August 8, 2007. The

Secretary of the Air Force’s Assured Fuels Initiative called for all USAF aircraft to be certified to use the fuel blend by 2011. Synthetic fuels can potentially burn cleaner than standard fuel and lessen the military’s reliance on

overseas fuel sources.

December 12: Gen. John D. W. Corley, USAF, commander of Air Combat Command, officially declared that the F–22s of the integrated active duty 1st

Fighter Wing and Virginia Air National Guard 192d Fighter Wing had

187

2007
achieved full operational capability. This signaled that F–22 squadrons were

now fully ready for global engagement. Corley stated that “The integrated 1st

Fighter Wing and 192d Fighter Wing team at Langley possess sufficient Raptors, equipment, and trained Airmen to provide Air Dominance for the Joint

Force for many years to come.”

December 18: The short takeoff and landing version of the F–35 (C) rolled out of

the factory at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Texas, assembly plant.

December 18: A ballistic missile target was launched from the Pacific Missile Range

Facility, Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii. The Japanese ship Kongo crew

detected and tracked the target missile and their Aegis Weapon System developed a fire control solution; three minutes later a sea-based missile-3 (SM–3)

Block IA was launched and three minutes after that, the SM – 3 successfully

intercepted the target about 100 miles above the Pacific. This was part of ballistic missile defense system (BMDS) testing.

2008

January 4: An aircrew of the 304th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron (EAS),

supporting Operation Deep Freeze, airdropped approximately 100 pounds of

emergency supplies alongside a fishing vessel, the Argos Georgia, frozen in on

the Ross Ice Shelf. This was the first time a C–17 had been used to drop

emergency supplies to nongovernment requesters in Antarctica.

January 23: The Royal Air Force (RAF) activated the 39th Squadron, its first UAV

squadron, at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada. Air Marshal Iain W. McNicoll,

deputy commander-in-chief (operations) of RAF Air Command, presided at

the ceremony.

January 31: All MQ–9 Reaper initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) testing was cancelled due to deployment of the aircraft to Afghanistan to support

surge operation. The test team sent a small team forward to observe suitability and maintenance actions in the AOR. Two additional aircraft arrived from

the manufacturer and testing resumed in February.

February 14: Air Mobility Command received the news that defense officials certified 49 Air Force C–5s for upgrade in the reliability enhancement and reengining program (RERP). The RERP aimed at improving the fleet’s reliability, availability, and performance. The Galaxy is one of the largest aircraft in

the world and the largest airlifter in the Air Force inventory and carries all of

the Army’s air-transportable combat equipment from the United States to any

combat theater. It can also carry outsize and oversize cargo intercontinental

ranges and can take off or land in relatively short distances.

February 26: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that the Air

Force had nearly doubled its use of green power during the past three months

188

2007-2008
and far outstripped other agencies in using solar, wind, and other environmentally friendly sources to meet its energy needs. According to the EPA, the

Air Force was the largest purchaser of green power in government and the

third-largest purchaser among public- and private-sector employers nationwide.

February 29: The Air Force selected Northrop Grumman-EADS North America to

develop the KC–X, the service’s next generation tanker. Boeing, the other

participant in the competition, protested.

March 3: The Air Force secretary, Michael W. Wynne, and its vice chief of staff,

Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, announced the selection of a trans-Atlantic partnership, headed by Northrop Grumman Corporation and including the parent of Europe’s Airbus, as the winner of the KC–X competition for development and procurement of up to 179 next-generation tankers for

approximately $35 billion. The initial contract for the newly named KC–45

was for the system design and development of four test aircraft for $1.5 billion. This contract also included five production options targeted for 64 aircraft at $10.6 billion. The KC–45A would provide significantly greater air

refueling capabilities than the then-current fleet of Eisenhower-era KC–135

Stratotankers.

March 7: Air Force Reserve Command activated the 310th Space Wing, its first

space wing, at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado.

March 12: Boeing filed a formal protest with the Government Accountability Office

over the loss of the $35 billion Air Force tanker contract. The Chicago-based

aircraft maker charged that the Air Force was pressured by Northrop Grumman to make changes to the original proposal to accommodate its larger aircraft offer, a variant of the Airbus A330, even after the proposal was submitted.

March 24: Air Force and Department of Defense officials announced that the Air

Force had mistakenly shipped ICBM parts instead of helicopter batteries to

Taiwan in 2006. Although the government of Taiwan had reported the mistake immediately, it took more than a year for the USAF to fully account for

the shipments.

March 31: Air transportation requirements of cargo and troops within U.S. Central

Command’s 27-nation area of responsibility reached an all-time high in

March, but U.S. Air Forces Central air mobility professionals responded by

topping previous benchmarks in the number of passengers and amount of

cargo moved in a one-month period. Airmen transported nearly 120,000

troops into, out of, and within the Middle East and Horn of Africa, and

moved more than 41,350,000 tons of total cargo weight.

April 9: The first Air Force high deck patient loading platform (HDPLP) was designated operational with the transfer of five patients during a KC–135 channel

189

2008
mission from Afghanistan to Germany. The HDPLP was a special purpose

vehicle with an enclosed lighted and climate-controlled cabin designed to

access high deck platform airframes, such as KC–135, CRAF 767 and

KC–10, for servicing and enplaning/deplaning patients.

April 21: The Air Force retired the F–117 Nighthawk after 27 years of service.

May 6: A laser joint direct attack munition (LJDAM) operational utility evaluation

(OUE) found the weapon effective in supporting precision combat operations. Testing determined the LJDAM was mission capable, and the test was

closed.

May 16: An initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) found the CV–22 was

effective and suitable in supporting special operations missions but had some

limitations that contributed to a partially mission capable rating.

May 28: The oldest operational KC-135E, flew from Forbes Field, Kansas, headed

for the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The 51-year-old

tanker had not flown since May 2007 but was the oldest E model to have

flown. The plane had been delivered on December 17, 1957, to Castle Air

Force Base, California, and the 93d Bombardment (Heavy) Wing of Strategic Air Command. The plane’s career included stops in England, Thailand,

Japan, and Guam plus many CONUS bases. It spent time in combat over

Bosnia, Iraq and Vietnam, and even took part in SAC Chrome Dome missions around the North Pole. It was purported to be the tanker featured in the

title credits of the Stanley Kubrick movie “Dr. Strangelove.”

June 5: Responding to the serious nuclear incident of 2007 and other issues, defense

secretary Robert M. Gates requested the resignations of Air Force chief of

staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley and Air Force secretary Michael W. Wynne.

Moseley was summoned to an early morning meeting with Adm. Mike

Mullen, USN, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, to discuss a report on the Air

Force’s problems with the handling of nuclear weapons. The report, by Adm.

Kirkland Donald, USN, director of naval nuclear propulsion, convinced

Gates that senior officials should be held accountable. Moseley resigned in

response, effective July 11. Later in the morning, Deputy Defense Secretary

Gordon England was dispatched to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio,

to ask for Wynne’s resignation, sources said. During the meeting, Wynne

resigned, effective June 20. These developments followed a series of high-profile scandals and disagreements between Air Force leadership and Gates in

the past year, during which Pentagon and congressional leadership had

increasingly expressed frustration about the Air Force’s top bosses, the handling of the Air Force’s nuclear stewardship, and the murky acquisition

process of the new tanker.

June 18: Boeing, battling to reverse its defeat on a multi-billion tanker contract,

received a surprise boost as the Government Accountability Office (GAO)

upheld the company’s protest, saying that the Air Force had mishandled the

190

2008
bidding and should reopen it. The GAO decision, while not binding, effectively gave Boeing the chance to recapture its decades-long lock on the business of supplying tankers. The GAO upheld the majority of Boeing’s most

serious objections. The agency said the Air Force “made a number of significant errors that could have affected the outcome of what was a close competition between Boeing and Northrop Grumman.” It said the Air Force should

seek revised proposals and pick a new winner.

June 20: Michael W. Wynne retired as Air Force secretary.

June 21: Michael B. Donley became acting Air Force secretary.

July 9: The Pentagon announced that it would reopen bidding on a $35 billion contract for midair refueling tankers, allowing Boeing to continue its effort to

wrest the business from a partnership of Northrop Grumman and the European parent of its rival Airbus. Defense secretary Robert M. Gates said that

the tanker contract, which was won by the partners Northrop Grumman and

the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company in February, would

not be awarded until the Pentagon reviewed the rival bids again.

July 11: Gen. T. Michael Moseley retired as Air Force chief of staff.

July 15: An MC–130E Combat Talon I from the 711 Special Operations Squadron

at Duke Field, Florida, dropped the last 15,000-pound BLU–82 “Daisy Cutter” bomb on the Utah Test and Training Range, which marked the end of

an era with fireball blast.

July 18: The MQ–9 Reaper began operating in Iraq for the first time.

August: Supporting joint force commanders, the U.S. Air Force reached the

400,000-hour mark for MQ–1 Predators. The first 100,000 hours took 20

years, and the last 100,000 hours took 10 months.

August 11: After Russian troops entered Georgia over the South Ossetia crisis, the

Georgian government recalled its troops deployed to Iraq. On August 10 and

11, 16 C–17 flights shuttled all 2,000 Georgian troops back to capital city of

Tbilisi. On August 13, Air Mobility Command began delivering humanitarian

assistance to Georgia even before a formal ceasefire had been arranged

between Russia and Georgia. Two C–17s delivered 78 tons of humanitarian

aid and medical supplies on August 13 and 14. Subsequent humanitarian

deliveries, termed Operation Assured Delivery, made by USAF C–17s and

C–130s and USN C–9s and C–40s included medicine, clothing, sleeping

bags, cots, other essential items, and a six-man humanitarian assistance assessment team.

August 12: Gen. Norton A. Schwartz was sworn in as the nineteenth chief of staff of

the Air Force.

August 18: The first laser joint direct attack munition (LJDAM) was successfully

used against a moving enemy vehicle in Iraq.

191

2008
August 28: The U.S. Central Air Forces’ Combined Air Operations Center

(CAOC) reported that its assigned C–130 and C–17 forces had reached a new

milestone. With a total of 8.5 million pounds of goods dropped, the Air Force

had already surpassed the total airdrops in 2007, three times the supplies

dropped in 2006, and six times the amount dropped in 2005. While this

effort reflected drops in both Iraq and Afghanistan, airdrops in Afghanistan

proved particularly valuable.

August 29: Although the command had been monitoring the developing situation

of Hurricane Gustav previously, Air Mobility Command activated its crisis

action team (CAT). By the time Gustav struck the coastline near Terrebonne

Bay, Louisiana, on September 1, air mobility forces had transported approximately 700 aeromedical patients and more than 6,500 evacuees. After the

storm, air mobility forces assisted in returning those evacuees. By September

8, the command had flown 798 sorties (568 flying hours), moving 7,051 passengers, including 700 patients, and 470 tons of cargo. In addition, the 618th

Tactical Airlift Control Center scheduled commercial flights to return approximately 4,635 evacuees.

September 10: Defense secretary Robert M. Gates cancelled the competition for the

$35 billion Air Force tanker contract. He stated, “I believe that rather than

hand the next administration an incomplete and possibly contested process,

we should cleanly defer this procurement to the next team.”

September 11: Air Mobility Command and Air Reserve Component crews and aircraft initiated the evacuation of civilian and support personnel from the Texas

Gulf Coast in advance of the expected landfall of Hurricane Ike. For Gustav

and Ike, AMC coordinated the movement of nearly 8,100 evacuees, about

600 medical patients, and more than 505 tons of equipment.

September 11: Lt. Col. Robert Weichert, USAF, a C–17 evaluator pilot at

McChord Air Force Base, Washington, flew the first after-dark landing in

Antarctica using night vision goggles. The aircrew was testing the concept of

using night vision technology in combination with reflective cones to land

safely on the ice runway after dark. Since there was no sunlight in Antarctica

from late March until the middle of August, the night vision goggle concept

would make it easier and safer for C–17 aircrews to get into Antarctica any

time of the year.

September 11: On the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the 618th

Tanker Airlift Control Center reported Air Mobility Command aircraft had

flown 433,225 airlift missions and 167,810 air refueling sorties in support of

Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Total deliveries included

7,420,632 passengers and 3,165,944.34 short tons of cargo delivered, and

6,847,853,830 pounds of fuel offloaded.

September 27: The MH–53 Pave Low’s 40-year service to the U.S. Air Force ended

after a final successful combat mission in Iraq. The Air Force had been grad192

2008
ually phasing out the heavy-lift helicopter after service leaders decided to

replace it with the CV–22 Osprey. The MH–53 Pave Low was an upgraded

version of the HH–53 Super Jolly Green Giant, first brought into the Air

Force in the 1960s. The HH–53s evolved into the MH–53 Pave Low IVs that

had advanced radar and avionics suites.

October 1: The first F–35 in the Air Force’s conventional take-off and landing configuration arrived at Edwards Air Force Base, California, for testing.

October 2: Michael B. Donley was confirmed as the twenty-second secretary of the

Air Force.

October 14: The 174th Fighter Wing, a New York Air National Guard unit based

at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, New York, began to give up its

F–16 fighter aircraft in preparation to begin operating the MQ–9 Reaper. The

174th Fighter Wing was the first Air National Guard unit to fly the MQ–9.

December 8: Air Mobility Command unveiled its new mission statement and focus

areas. The new mission statement—Provide Global Air Mobility ... Right

Effects, Right Place, Right Time—more closely aligned with the new Air Force

mission statement—To Fly, Fight and Wing—in Air, Space and Cyberspace—

and better illustrated the effects of the wide range of AMC missions.

December 30: Northrop Grumman Corporation was awarded a production contract for the B–2 stealth bomber radar modernization program (RMP).

2009

January 5: A Special Assignment Airlift Mission C–32A (Boeing 757–200) transported President-elect Barack Obama and his family from Chicago, Illinois,

to Washington D.C. This was the first time the Air Force had transported the

newly elected President.

January 13: Two C–17 Globemaster IIIs, with aircrews from the 60th Air Mobility

Wing and 349th Air Mobility Wing, both from Travis Air Force Base, California, began transporting more than 150 tons of equipment from Rwanda to

the Darfur region of Sudan in support of the United Nations-African Union

peacekeeping missions.

January 19: A C–17 aircrew of the 512th Airlift Wing, Dover Air Force Base,

Delaware, delivered 18,000 pounds of humanitarian aid, under the Denton

Amendment, to Managua International Airport, Nicaragua. Congress authorized the Denton Program to allow the Department of Defense to transport

humanitarian cargo donated by charities or private donors on available military air, surface, and sea-lift platforms. The Air Force Reserve and Air

National Guard conducted many of the Denton missions because they could

use their training missions to deliver the humanitarian supplies.

193

2008-2009
February 8: A C–17 Globemaster III with an aircrew from the 315th Airlift Wing,

Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, delivered 15,000 pounds of shoes

to Belize under the auspices of the Denton Amendment.

March 4: Air Force Materiel Command issued an immediate time compliance technical order to inspect all C–130 Hercules aircraft for potential cracking of the

wing-joint barrel nuts. The order came about after maintainers discovered five

cracked nuts on a C–130H at Warner Robins Air Force Base, Georgia,

undergoing scheduled maintenance.

March 4: The CV–22 achieved initial operational capability. However, its full

impact within the specialized air mobility mission, and on special operations,

was limited due to the rather slow process of fielding it.

March 17: Northrop Grumman delivered the first operational B–2 Spirit to be

equipped with the modernized radar to the 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman

Air Force Base, Missouri.

April 5: A KC–135 Stratotanker aircrew, from the 459th Air Refueling Wing,

Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, transported an American United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees official, John Solecki, from Bagram Air

Base, Afghanistan, to Ramstein Air Base Germany. Solecki had been kidnapped at gunpoint on February 2 in Quetta, Pakistan, and had just been

released.

April 6: A KC–135 Stratotanker from the 916th Air Refueling Wing, SeymourJohnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, supported two F–16 Fighting Falcons as they escorted Cessna 172, stolen from a Canadian flight school and

flown across the U.S. border. The F–16s and KC–135 “chased” the Cessna

for nearly seven hours before it landed without incident in Missouri.

April 6: In a series of decisions that became known as “Black Monday,” defense secretary Robert Gates announced sweeping program cuts. The Air Force was to

reduce its acquisition of the F–22 and the C–17, cancel plans to acquire a second airborne laser aircraft, terminate the transformational satellite programs,

and postpone the next generation bomber. Gates grounded the combat

search and rescue (CSAR–X) program and promised he would seek a joint

review of CSAR roles across the four services and decide which aircraft to

pursue.

April 14: Forecast defense budget cuts forced Air Force secretary Michael B. Donley and defense secretary Robert Gates to reevaluate the role of the F–22

fighter, and they determined the current fleet of 187 Raptors would be sufficient if mixed with F–35s in the coming years.

April 27: A VC–25A, from the 89th Airlift Wing, Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, with an F–16 escort, caused an incident in New York City when it flew

low over the city for photographs taken from the F–16. Although the Federal

194

2009
Aviation Administration and the city government knew of the planned visit,

no one informed the public prior to the event.

April 28: Funding for 40 Army National Guard C–27J Spartan aircraft was eliminated, making the joint cargo aircraft (JCA) solely an Air National Guard program.

April 30: Three Pacific Air Forces C–17 Globemaster IIIs completed five weeks of

around-the-clock missions from Manas to Afghanistan delivering special cargo

in support of the Operation Enduring Freedom surge. Unofficially named the

“Manas C–17 Shuttle,” the mission played an integral role in the Expeditionary Mobility Task Force triangle delivery system to move special cargo

from Japan via contracted 747 cargo aircraft. In turn, the C–17 aircrews staged

at Manas were tasked to take the cargo downrange for the buildup of temporary flight ramp areas at various locations in Afghanistan.

May 12: The Obama administration replaced the term global war on terrorism

(GWOT) with overseas contingency operations (OCO).

May 20: 1st Lt. Roslyn Schulte became the first female U.S. Air Force Academy

graduate killed in combat when her vehicle was struck by an IED near Kabul,

Afghanistan.

June 23: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates approved plans for the U.S. Strategic

Command to establish a subordinate U.S. Cyber Command.

June 29: Air Force approved full-rate production for the new radar for the B–2.

Northrop Grumman began fabrication of the remaining units to upgrade the

entire B–2 fleet.

July 22: After debating over several days, the U.S. Senate voted 58 to 40 to end the

production of the F–22. The program stopped at 187 aircraft, less than a third

of what the Air Force sought.

July 30: At Edwards Air Force Base, California, the 419th Flight Test Squadron conducted the first functional check sortie of a B–1B Lancer that ended two years

of modifications to the aircraft. The B–1 was upgraded with the fully integrated data link (FIDL), allowing the aircraft to communicate quickly with others in the entire battlespace, even when not in theater. The data links provided real time data, including where the warfighter needed bombs dropped,

making the B–1 a more powerful asset to U.S. warfighters. “The FIDL is basically going to bring the B–1 into the fight,” said Maj. Jason Wierzbanowski,

419th Flight Test Squadron B–1 test pilot.

July 31: According to the Air Mobility Division within the US Air Forces Central,

C–130 Hercules and C–17 Globemaster III aircraft dropped 3.3 million

pounds of cargo in the theater of operations in July, setting a new record. The

previous high was 3.2 million pounds in June 2009. As of the end of July, the

195

2009
aircraft had airdropped 13.8 million pounds of supplies thus far in 2009,

more than was released in all of 2005, 2006, and 2007.

August 7: The Air Force activated Global Strike Command at Barksdale Air Force

Base, Louisiana, to manage the service’s nuclear mission. The command

received the lineage and honors of Strategic Air Command.

August 15: The airborne laser (ABL) prototype tracked, engaged and simulated an

intercept with a missile seconds after it lifted off. This was the first time the

Missile Defense Agency used an “instrumented” missile to confirm the laser

worked as expected.

August 18: The Air Force activated Twenty-Fourth Air Force at Lackland Air Force

Base, Texas, to oversee the service’s cyber mission.

August 18: The first C–5 Galaxy was inducted into the reliability enhancement and

re-engining program (RERP) production line at the Lockheed Martin facility

in Marietta, Georgia. The RERP modifications consisted of more than 70

improvements and upgrades to the airframe and systems. Modernization was

expected to take 13 months, and the C–5M was the product of this twophased effort.

August 21: Boeing delivered a retrofitted B–52 bomber back to the Air Force after

incorporating the latest modern communications technology in the B–52

combat network communications technology (CONECT). The upgrade had

taken over 21 months.

September 13: A joint Air Force (from the 436th and 512th Airlift Wings) and

Lockheed Martin aircrew flew a C–5M Super Galaxy, named “The Spirit of

Normandy,” on a single flight that unofficially set 41 world flight records. The

flight broke 8 existing world records and established standards in 33 other categories where there had been no previous record attempt. The records

remained “unofficial” until a governing body certified them.

September 16: During the 2009 Air Force Association Air & Space Conference and

Technology Exposition, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced

that the Department of Defense was returning the KC–X program and selection authority back to the Air Force.

September 16: Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz proposed killing

the C–130 avionics modernization program (AMP) because of affordability

issues. “Standalone integrations” would replace the AMP program.

September 23: The last active KC–135E Stratotanker landed at Davis-Monthan Air

Force Base, Arizona, on its way to the “boneyard,” the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center. Ten –E models were being preserved as

static displays at various locations, and three others were turned into ground

instructional trainers.

196

2009
September 23: Engineers at Raytheon Company demonstrated the ability of the

AIM–9X Block II missile to attack surface targets when an AIM–9X fired

from an F–16C sank a rapidly moving target boat in the Gulf of Mexico.

September 26: The 2009–2010 season of Operation Deep Freeze started with the

arrival of a 62d Airlift Wing C–17 Globemaster III, from McChord Air Force

Base, Washington, at Christchurch, New Zealand. The Air Force expected a

robust year with over 60 missions to Antarctica planned.

September 29: Members of Strategic Airlift Capability conducted its first mission in

support of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. The

Heavy Airlift Wing’s C–17 Globemaster III delivered materiel to Mazar-eSharif to supply Swedish troops in the Afghan theater.

September 30: According to the Air Mobility Division within the U.S. Air Forces

Central, September was the fourth consecutive of record-setting airdrops in

the theater of operations. September’s total of 4.1 million pounds topped

August’s record of 3.8 million pounds.

October 7: A C–17 Globemaster III, with a 437th Airlift Wing, Charleston Air

Force Base, South Carolina, aircrew, became the first U.S. Air Force aircraft

to use Russian airspace to fly from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to Manas

Air Base, Kyrgyzstan. The new transit agreement, reached in early July, permitted 4,500 flights to pass through Russian airspace per year and would save

up to $133 million in fuel, maintenance, and other costs per year.

October 16: Boeing successfully completed the first phase of flight testing for a B–1

bomber upgraded with the fully integrated data link (FIDL) digital avionics.

The flight test plan for Phase 1 included nine sorties flown by the Air Force

at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

November 16: The first of the next generation of Northrop Grumman’s Block 40

configuration of the RQ–4 Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance

(HALE) unmanned aircraft system completed its first flight. The aircraft flew

in California from Northrop Grumman’s Palmdale manufacturing facility to

Edwards Air Force Base. 

November 19: Air Force Special Operations Command officially changed from

using the term “unmanned aerial system” or UAS to “remotely piloted aircraft” or RPA.

December 2: Northrop and partner European Aeronautic Defence and Space

Company (EADS) dropped out of the KC–X competition with Boeing

because of contractual and financial burdens. This left Boeing as the only

KC–X competitor.

December 4: The Department of Defense revealed that the RQ–170 Sentinel

stealth UAV had made test flights from Kandahar, Afghanistan.

197

2009
2010

January 12: A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti. An estimated two million people lived in the most heavily damaged areas of the quake zone. The U.S. Air

Force participated in Operation Unified Response, humanitarian assistance

and other relief efforts that began the following day.

January 12: A major earthquake, 7.0 on the Richter magnitude scale, struck near

Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This natural disaster caused significant destruction, with

casualties in excess of 112,000 deaths and 194,000 injuries, plus an additional

500,000 Haitians in need of humanitarian assistance. Air Mobility Command

supported Operation Unified Response with mission planners, aeromedical

evacuation crews, contingency response elements, and C–130 and C–17 missions. In addition to transporting humanitarian aid in and medical patients,

orphans, and human remains out, AMC delivered the 82d Airborne Division

to provide security and assist with the distribution of aid. By June 30, 2010,

the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center had overseen 2,580 sorties, carrying

27,223 passengers and 14,083 short tons in support of Haiti operations.

January 27: The MQ–1 Predator completed participation in its first humanitarian

mission, supporting the earthquake relief effort in Haiti.

January 27: A C–130J Super Hercules assigned to the 772d Expeditionary Airlift

Squadron airdropped 56 containerized delivery system (CDS) bundles to

three different drop zones within Afghanistan. To drop the CDS bundles,

each weighing 1,500 to 2,000 pounds, the pilot angled the aircraft up at the

drop zone while the loadmaster cuts the strap, allowing gravity to pull the bundles out. According to Maj. Joe Frampton, the operations officer, this day’s

effort was “the most bundles we’ve ever been able to drop in one day.” The

squadron conducted the test as part of the preparation for troop increases in

southern Afghanistan.

January 28: Boeing announced that a B–52H upgraded with new communication

technology successfully had accomplished its first test flight at Edwards Air

Force Base, California, on January 17. The combat network communications

technology (CONECT) upgrade was designed to allow B–52H crews to

receive and send real-time digital information during their missions, giving

them greater situational awareness and enhanced mission capabilities.

February 10: A C–130H aircrew deployed to the 774th Expeditionary Airlift

Squadron conducted the first C–130 low-cost low-altitude (LCLA) combat airdrop to resupply soldiers at a forward operating base in Afghanistan. During

LCLA drops, a C–130 dropped up to four bundles, weighing 50 to 500

pounds, in a group during a low altitude pass. Each bundle came with a prepacked expendable parachute. This flight began a proof-of-principle phase

with the concept becoming operational on 1 March. Planners still considered

air-land missions the primary method of delivering supplies, with the larger198

2010
scale containerized delivery system as the first alternative. LCLA met the need

of smaller units in more difficult locations to receive airdrops.

February 11: The Airborne Laser completed a proof of concept test by destroying

a boosting ballistic missile.

February 17: Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates approved the name change of

Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) to Operation New Dawn (OND) effective

September 1, 2010, to coincide with the change of mission for U.S. forces in

Iraq.

March 9: Boeing received the first F–16A at their facility in Jacksonville, Florida, for

conversion to QF–16 advanced aerial target.

March 10: Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the Women’s Air

Service Pilots (WASPs) of World War II.

April 7: President Barack Obama and Russian president Dmitri Medvedev signed

the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as New START, in Prague,

Czech Republic. Each side agreed to limit its deployed nuclear warheads to

1,550 and to impose a ceiling of 800 on its total ICBMs, SLBMs, and nuclearcapable bombers.

April 19: A new rescue tanker, the HC–130J, was rolled out at Lockheed Martin’s

Marietta, Georgia, facility.

April 20: After Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull Volcano erupted, huge ash plumes reached

the jet stream and disrupted air travel across western and northern Europe.

Military air traffic, including aeromedical evacuation (AE), was also affected.

Air Mobility Command quickly adapted its operations, moving cargo through

southern Europe and moving aeromedical evacuation and critical care air

transportability teams from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, forward to staging

locations in the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM). Planners also

directed AE missions to fly directly from the USCENTCOM area of responsibility to the continental United States, bypassing the normal stop in Germany. The 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center (TACC), AMC’s air operations center, implemented these and other measures to ensure mission safety.

The 618 TACC rerouted or delayed 624 missions and to avoid the volcanic

ash.

May 26: The X–51A unmanned hypersonic air vehicle made its first flight, setting a

distance record for a scramjet flying under its own power. The test was prematurely terminated due to a breached seal.

May 27: By a vote of 234 to 194, the House of Representatives adopted an amendment to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Act.

June 9: After insurgents shot down an HH–60G Pave Hawk helicopter, U.S.

aeromedical evacuation crews deployed to the 451st Expeditionary Evacuation Squadron at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, carried out the first U.S. and

199

2010
British joint aeromedical evacuation mission. Aboard an HC–130P, a U.S.

critical care air transport team (CCATT) worked to save an American

pararescueman while a British critical care air support team (CCAST) supported another pararescueman.

July 13: Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, reported that the Electronic Systems Center’s multi-platform radar technology insertion program (MP-RTIP)

had recently reached a significant milestone when the sensor and first software

baseline were delivered to Edwards Air Force Base, California, for integration

on a Global Hawk aircraft. MP-RTIP was designed to increase warfighters’ situational awareness through improved radar imagery. Flight testing up to this

point had been performed on a scaled composites test bed aircraft, known as

“Proteus,” in Mojave, California. A total of 259 test flights had been completed with 1,062 hours of radar “on” time.

August 2: An Air Mobility Command humanitarian airlift in response to Pakistan’s

record rains and flooding commenced with the arrival of Afghanistan-based

C–130 Hercules and C–17 Globemaster III aircraft. Aircrews delivered

316,000 prepackaged meals on 13 flights. U.S. airlift operations, from points

in the US as well as Afghanistan, continued through 3 October 3. AMC C–17

and C–130 aircraft flew over 360 intratheater airlift sorties, delivering more

than 2,200 tons of cargo and moving some 1,100 passengers.

August 9: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called for new efficiency initiatives to

reduce the defense budget.

August 14: A successful launch of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency

(AEHF) Space Vehicle–1 (SV–1) was marred when computer problems shut

down the satellite’s main engine after only nine seconds and stranded the

SV–1 200 miles above Earth, far short of the required 22,236 miles.

August 14: The 179th Airlift Wing (ANG) at Mansfield Lahm Air National Guard

Base, Ohio, accepted the first C–27J Spartan. While Air Mobility Command

served as the executive agency for acquiring the C–27J, the Air National

Guard would be the operators.

August 26: A Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, C–5M Super Galaxy transported the

Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer from Geneva, Switzerland, to the Kennedy

Space Center, Florida. The 7-ton, $2 billion dollar experiment would go into

space on the last Space Shuttle mission. It was designed to detect and analyze

particles found in space while docked to the International Space Station.

August 27: Air Force Materiel Command conducted a flight test on a C–17 Globemaster III flying on JP-8 jet fuel blended a renewable biofuel derived in part

from animal fat and synthetic fuel derived from coal using the Fischer-Tropsch process.

August 31: President Barack Obama addressed the nation, announcing the end of

the U.S. combat operations in Iraq.

200

2010
August 31: Nine months after President Barack Obama announced on December

1, 2009 that an additional 30,000 troops would deploy to Afghanistan, Air

Mobility Command and its civilian contract partners completed this surge

with the delivery of the last 59 soldiers and multiple vehicles to Bagram Air

Base. The AMC enterprise executed 3,637 sorties to deliver over 27,000 passengers (almost 3,000 troops were transported from Iraq to Afghanistan by

U.S. Central Command aircraft) and 20 thousand tons of support equipment.

September 1: Operation Iraqi Freedom was officially renamed Operation New

Dawn. The USCENTCOM commander had requested this name change to

coincide with the change of mission for U.S. forces in Iraq. Secretary of

Defense Robert M. Gates approved the request on February 17, 2010.

September 17: U.S. Central Command reported that deployed tankers set a new air

refueling record. Mission planners reached 4.5 million pounds of fuel while

sustaining an unprecedented average of 3.7 million pound of fuel delivered

daily for 2010. This record amount of fuel reflected the increase in joint and

coalition counterinsurgency operations.

September 25: After several delays, the Minotaur IV launch vehicle took the SpaceBased Space Surveillance (SBSS) satellite into orbit.

October 7: The Air Force officially selected “Aim High . . . Fly-Fight-Win” as its

motto.

October 26: The United Kingdom withdrew from its commitment to purchase 138

F–35B’s in favor of a yet-to-be-determined number of the more conventional

and less risky F–35C carrier variant.

November 5: The Gorgon Stare wide area airborne surveillance (WAAS) system

deployed to Afghanistan.

November 6: Gen. Raymond E. Johns, Jr., the commander of Air Mobility Command, flew the first production C–5M Super Galaxy to its duty station at

Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. After contractors completed the reliability

enhancement and re-engining program upgrades, the new C–5M received

refurbishment and reconditioning at Stewart Air National Guard Base, New

York, before being delivered to Dover.

November 21: The Air Force selected Raytheon’s GBU–53/B for the small diameter bomb II program after a 42-month competition.

December 10: During an airdrop mission south of Kabul, Afghanistan, an aircrew

from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, logged the C–17 Globemaster

III’s 2 millionth flying hour. It took C–17 aircrews from 1993 until March

2006 to reach the first 1 million hour mark.

December 22: President Barack Obama signed a bill repealing the “Don’t Ask,

Don’t Tell” Act. This overturned policies preventing homosexuals from serving openly in the U.S. military.

201

2010
December 26: Geraldine Hoff Doyle, the model for the iconic “Rosie the Riveter”

pictured on the famous World War II “We Can Do It!” poster, died at age

86.

December 31: U.S. Central Command’s Air Mobility Division reported that there

were 80,000 airlift and air refueling sorties in their area of responsibility out

of a total of 140,000 sorties during 2010. Thus, air mobility accounted for 57

percent of the U.S. theater sorties.

December 31: During 2010, C–130 and C–17 aircrews once again airdropped more

cargo over Iraq and Afghanistan than the previous year. The transport aircrews dropped 32.2 million pounds of supplies in 2009 and 60.4 million

pounds in 2010.

2011

January 6: Defense secretary Robert Gates placed the troubled F–35B variant on a

two-year probationary period pending the restructure of the F–35B program.

January 11: Operational assessment of the MQ–9 Reaper began.

January 17: The KC–10 Extender community marked two decades of continuous

deployed service in operations in the Middle East, including the aircraft, aircrews, and maintainers.

January 30: During a two-day period, three C–17 Globemaster III aircrews set a new

record in delivering the largest Operation Enduring Freedom fuel resupply,

with 120 bundles dropped to a remote military outpost in Afghanistan. Each

delivery included 40 bundles, with each pallet containing four 55-gallon

drums of fuel, a total of 20,000 gallons of JP-8 fuel, providing a 30-day supply. Remote outposts like Wasa K’wah completely depended on fuel resupply for outpost sustainment and mission operations.

February 24: Boeing was awarded an engineering and manufacturing development

contract valued in excess of $3.5 billion for the Air Force’s next generation

tanker. The KC–46A was to be based on Boeing’s 767 airframe, and delivery

of the first aircraft was expected by 2017. The Defense Department required

proposals for the contract to demonstrate the ability to meet 372 mandatory

requirements along with addressing non-mandatory requirement capabilities.

Requirements included fleet mission effectiveness in wartime and lifecycle

costs in fuel efficiency and military construction.

March: Air Mobility Command Airmen completed one of the largest helicopter

rotations in Air Force history in support of Operation Enduring Freedom,

Afghanistan. The month-long effort transitioned 170 helicopters using modal

transportation for rotating in 100 and out 70 helicopters with airlift for the leg

in and out of Afghanistan. The new UH–60 Blackhawk airframes rotated in

with the U.S. Army’s 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, and the old frames

202

2010-2011
transitioned out with the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, both based out of

Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

March 3: The Air Force accepted its final Predator aircraft.

March 4: Defense secretary Robert M. Gates, in a speech at the U.S. Air Force

Academy, announced that the Air Force was now training more pilots for

unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) than for any other weapons system. Nevertheless, demand from operational commanders for UAVs continued to outstrip supply.

March 4: In the largest operation in Seventeenth Air Force’s history, three U.S.

C–130J Super Hercules aircrews from Souda Bay, Crete, along with two

Marine KC–130s from Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, airlifted migrants

from Djerga, Tunisia to Egypt due to a Libyan revolt. Egyptian laborers

flooded into Tunisia, and Seventeenth Air Force Airmen answered the U.S.

State Department’s call. In the first 11 days, the aircrews airlifted more than

1,100 migrants to Egypt.

March 7: First operational deployment of the M–28 aircraft, a twin-engined monoplane with excellent short takeoff and landing capabilities and used by the

318th Special Operations Squadron, part of the 27th Special Operations

Wing.

March 7: A space based infrared system satellite was launched, beginning the

replacement of the defense support program satellites.

March 11: A massive magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit Japan, setting off a chain of disasters, including a tsunami and a nuclear crisis. The U.S. military began positioning assets to support relief efforts led by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.

Officials determined that the integrity of a nuclear plant might have been compromised due to the stresses involved during the catastrophic event. In

response, Mobility Air Forces provided assets to airlift additional coolant

required for the plant. The effort, named Operation Tomodachi, continued

until May, involving assets from all the U.S. armed services.

March 12: Two Air Mobility Command C–17 Globemaster IIIs delivered search

and rescue equipment and personnel from Los Angeles to Misawa, Japan, in

support of humanitarian relief efforts after the earthquake and tsunami of

March 11. Mobility Air Forces provided the C–17 aircrews from the 62d Airlift Wing, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and the 436th Airlift

Wing, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. To minimize additional time

required for refueling the C–17s, two KC–10 Extenders from the 60th Air

Mobility Wing, Travis Air Force Base, California, provided in-air refueling

over the Pacific Ocean.

March 13: Air Force Special Operations Command began participating in Operation Tomodachi.

203

2011
March 14: AIM–9X Block II OA [operational assessment] began.

March 17: Mobility Airmen continued support with aircrews flying C–17 Globemaster and C–130 Hercules aircraft with cargo and personnel in support of

Operation Tomodachi. As of March 17, Air Mobility Command had supported 29 C–17 and KC–10 Extender sorties and the delivery of approximately 177 tons of cargo and 57 passengers to Japan. In addition, AMC-controlled missions from the 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis Air Force Base,

California, offloaded approximately 31,400 gallons of fuel to aircraft heading

to Japan.

March 19: President Barack Obama authorized the Defense Department to begin

a “limited military action in Libya in support of an international effort to protect Libyan civilians.” Acting to enforce UN Security Council Resolution

1973, international forces struck at Libya in Operation Odyssey Dawn. The

operation included establishing and maintaining a no-fly zone over the country.

March 20: First operational deployment of the 20th Special Operations Squadron

flying CV–22 Ospreys.

March 23: Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) initial operational test and evaluation began that resulted in a recommendation for follow-on testing with the

Space Fence program.

March 29: Lockheed Martin rolled out the first MC–130J at its plant in Marietta,

Georgia. The first AFSOC MC–130J, nicknamed Combat Shadow II, completed manufacture at that plant on the same day.

March 31: NATO assumed command of all military operations in Libya under the

UN Security Council Resolution. This was known as Operation Unified Protector.

April 4: The M–28’s first combat short takeoff and landing was accomplished within

the 27th Special Operations Wing.

April 4: An operational assessment of the Lockheed Martin SNIPER-SE and

Northrop Grumman LITENING-SE targeting and navigation pods began.

April 1: In support of Operation Odyssey Dawn, Mobility Air Forces formed the

313th Air Expeditionary Wing in three days and included aircraft from ten

Air Force bases to enforce a no-fly zone to protect Libyan civilians. Operation

Odyssey Dawn supported Operation Unified Protector, a NATO-led mission

in Libya to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under threat of attack.

With KC–135 Stratotankers and KC–10 Extenders, the wing provided aerial

refueling to U.S. and coalition aircraft.

April 20: The MC–130J flew its maiden flight test.

204

2011
May 2: President Barack Obama announced to the nation that the United States

had conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden.

May 3: The first operational assessment of the Cobra Judy Replacement (CRJ) vessel began. The results indicated the CRJ was on track to meet requirements.

May 3: Air Combat Command grounded the entire F–22A fleet to investigate problems with the on-board oxygen generation system.

May 5: The Air Force accepted its first production F–35 fighter.

May 7: The Air Force launched GEO–1, the first space-based infrared system

(SBIRS) geosynchronous satellite, from an Atlas V-401 rocket operating out

of Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

The system was designed to provide warning and detection of intercontinental ballistic and theater missiles.

May 9: The B–52H Stratofortress reached its 50th anniversary of operational service. Thanks to extensive upgrades over the years, the service life of the Stratofortress was expected to go beyond 2030. The aircraft’s last production version, the Pratt & Whitney turbofan-powered H model, could strike any target

from the continental United States with only one refueling. The 5th Bombardment Wing had received the first B–52G on February 13, 1959.

May 27: The Air Force launched a competitive bidding process for 93 common

support helicopters (CSH).

June 5–6: A Mobility Air Force 14-person aircrew completed the first direct-delivery airlift mission from Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, through the Arctic

Circle to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, using a C–5M Super Galaxy. The aircrew flew a 14-hour flight carrying cargo for Operation Enduring Freedom

and proved the strategic direct-delivery concept. The C–5M included

upgrades associated with the avionics modernization program and reliability

enhancement and re-engining program.

June 21: Following the aircrew of the C–5M Super Galaxy’s historic arctic flight, the

first air tanker aircrew flying a KC–135 Stratotanker flew over the Arctic Circle on a new route between Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, and the

transit center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan. A 2009 U.S.-Russian transit agreement

made the new Arctic routes possible, saving $54,000, 4.5 hours travel time on

the route, and two days of mandatory crew rest. Previously, aircrews typically

flew to England, stayed the night, and then flew on to Kyrgyzstan the following day.

June 24: AIM–9X Block II passed Milestone C. The program was restructured as

a new start due to cost overruns on the new hardware.

June 28: In a historic mission, a C–17 Globemaster III aircrew navigated around

volcanic ash hazards and used night vision equipment to land in Antarctica at

night for a medical evacuation in support of Operation Deep Freeze. The air205

2011
crew departed from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and picked up

a Pacific Air Forces critical care air transport team from Hickam Air Force

Base, Hawaii, in response to the call to airlift a sick contractor from McMurdo

Station to a hospital in Christchurch, New Zealand.

July 1: Leon Panetta succeeded Robert M. Gates as secretary of defense.

July 21: The first Block 40 Global Hawk multi-platform radar technology insertion

program (MP-RTIP) integration flight was accomplished.

July 29: The 9th Special Operations Squadron flew and the 1st Special Operations

Maintenance Squadron supported the largest simultaneous takeoff of

MC–130Ps to date. 

August 10: The commander of Air Combat Command declared initial operational

capability (IOC) for the RQ–4 Block 30 Global Hawk.

August 11: The Air Force announced an immediate implementation of a DoD-wide

civilian hiring freeze as part of a larger force reduction initiative.

August 18: A U.S. Navy F–18 Hornet sustained damage from a fire upon landing

after an unspecified malfunction in March 2011. On a historic mission, a

C–5A Globemaster III aircrew airlifted the fighter from Kandahar Airfield,

Afghanistan, to California. This marked the first time a cargo aircraft airlifted

a U.S. fighter back to the United States for repairs.

September 21: Air Combat Command released the F–22A fleet to resume flying

operations.

October: With the transition to the C–5M Super Galaxy, Mobility Air Force aircrews successfully integrated the airframe into the airlift mission, set dozens of

aircraft records, and completed historic missions. In a first, aircrews flew the

C–5M in support of the “surge” where for an 18-week period, active duty, 23

Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command crews, along with 41

total force C–5s, flew cargo in support of combatant commanders across the

globe.

October 4: RQ–4 Block 20/30 initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E)

began.

October 21: President Barack Obama announced the full withdrawal of U.S. troops

from Iraq by year’s end.

October 24: The Air Force’s first advanced extremely high frequency (AEHF-1)

military communications satellite reached its intended operational position in

geosynchronous orbit. The AEHF team would now start a detailed test and

checkout phase of all spacecraft systems before the Space and Missile Systems

Center transferred satellite command authority to Air Force Space Command’s Fourteenth Air Force in early 2012.

206

2011
October 25: U.S. Transportation Command and the 618th Air and Space Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center) planners teamed with the aircrew

of a C–5M Super Galaxy from the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover Air Force

Base, Delaware, to open a historic new nonstop route from the United States

to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. The flight marked the first time a C–5 flew

from the east coast of the United States, across the Atlantic Ocean and

Europe, to Afghanistan with a flight time less than 14 hours. In a successful

“proof of concept” flight from June 5 to 6, an aircrew had flown a C–5M on

a northern Arctic route from the United States over Canada and the Arctic

Circle, through Russian and Kazakhstan airspace, to Afghanistan for the first

time.

November 1: A ceremony marked the disassembly of the final B–53 nuclear bomb

in the USAF inventory.

November 3: NATO’s Operation Unified Protector ended with more than 3,000

sorties and 29,170 hours flown. The operation began in March when the

United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1973 establishing a no-fly

zone, and NATO forces conducted ground strikes in coordination with rebel

advances. Air Mobility Command deployed 400 Airmen in the U.S. portion,

Operation Odyssey Dawn, with nearly 75 percent serving in the Guard and

Reserve.

December 13: The final F–22 Raptor rolled off the Lockheed Martin assembly line

in Marietta, Georgia. The aircraft completed the Air Force’s operational fleet

of 187 F–22s.

December 15: The Department of Defense announced the official end of the U.S.

military mission in Iraq.

December 17: In the last Air Force Operation New Dawn flight out of Iraq, 62 Airmen and approximately 60 media boarded a C–17 Globemaster III, nicknamed the “Spirit of Golden Gate,” at Imam Ali Air Base. Their departure

came two days after the ceremony in Baghdad marking the formal end of the

U.S. military mission in Iraq, and a short time later, the final U.S. ground convoy rolled out across the Iraq-Kuwait border.

December 21: By this date, the Air Force’s first advanced extremely high frequency

(AEHF-1) military communications satellite was successfully progressing

through the initial phases of on-orbit testing. This endeavor included singlesatellite testing followed by testing with the operational Milstar constellation.

The AEHF was a joint service satellite communications system designed to

provide survivable, global, secure, protected, and jam-resistant communications for high-priority military ground, sea and air assets. The AEHF system

was the successor to the Milstar system, augmenting, improving, and expanding the MILSATCOM architecture.

207

2011
December 31: During 2011, C–130 and C–17 aircrews once again airdropped more

cargo over Iraq and Afghanistan than the previous year. The transport aircrews dropped 60.4 million pounds of supplies in 2010 and 80.1 million

pounds in 2011.

2012

January: With the end of the U.S. military’s mission in Iraq, Iraqi leadership now

required the U.S. Air Force to ask permission to transit Iraqi airspace, an

adjustment for planners and operators after U.S. aircraft had freely transited

the Iraqi airspace for the last two decades to enforce the no-fly zone.

January 5: Against a backdrop of budgetary crisis and impending mandatory defense

cuts, President Barack Obama set out a new defense strategy, shifting U.S.

emphasis toward the Asia-Pacific, and announced that upcoming defense

budget cuts would “flow from this strategy.” Defense secretary Leon Panetta

then outlined the new strategy, commonly called the Defense Strategic Guidance (DSG), and he described its emphasis on special operations forces; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; unmanned systems; and cyberspace. By reshaping DoD budget requests and priorities, the DSG would

enable leadership to reduce “defense spending by about $487 billion over 10

years, to meet the initial budget caps set in the Budget Control Act . . . of

[August 2,] 2011.” The DSG placed less emphasis on lengthy counterinsurgency and stability operations; focused on substantial reductions to Army and

Marine ground forces; and minimized cuts to the Navy. It also eased the

requirement “that U.S. forces be able to prevail in two, nearly [simultaneous]

. . . major theater wars.” This reduced “the need for ground forces, and, to a

degree, tactical Air Force requirements.” U.S. forces were no longer required

to prevail in a second, overlapping operation but “only to deny an adversary

in a second conflict the ability to achieve its objectives.”

February 22: A C–130J Hercules aircrew of the 317th Airlift Group, Dyess Air

Force Base, Texas, completed the first airdrop in the United States using the

joint precision airdrop system (JPADS) at a drop zone on Fort Hood, Texas.

The system had been used in combat theater since 2006. JPADS used an

onboard computer to navigate cargo using Global Positioning Satellites and

steerable parachutes to a designated point of impact on a drop zone. The aircrew dropped two bundles equaling 2,400 pounds.

March 9: Lt. Gen. Eric E. Fiel, the commander of Air Force Special Operations

Command, announced the approval of the new MC–130J name as “Commando II,” a name that honored the air commando legacy and the capabilities and the versatility of the aircraft.

March 30: The MC–130W Dragon Spear officially became known as the

AC–130W Stinger II.

208

2011-2012
April 12: The Defense Department awarded Scientific Research Corporation of

Atlanta, Georgia, a $74,734,005 cost-plus, incentive-fee, fixed-price cost contract to procure the MC–130J terrain following/terrain avoidance (TF/TA)

radar system.

April 20: Seventeenth Air Force, the air component for U.S. Africa Command, was

inactivated. Its functions were assumed by U.S. Air Forces in Europe.

April 25: The Air Force’s first C–17 Globemaster III landed at Wright-Patterson

Air Force Base, Ohio. This flight marked the official retirement of this aircraft, which had made its first flight in 1991. Upon landing, the aircraft

became part of the National Museum of the Air Force’s collection and was

put on display. The aircraft’s primary purpose during its time in the active

duty inventory was developmental test and evaluation and many other flight

and propulsion test programs. The aircraft also appeared in five major motion

pictures, including Iron Man.

May 1: The 19th Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, retired the last

C–130E in the active U.S. Air Force inventory from service. Ironically, this

aircraft was also the first ever produced. After roughly fifty years of service, the

aircraft flew to Edwards Air Force Base, California, where it would become a

static display at the base’s airpark.

May 2: At a formal event at the Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta, Georgia, the

Air Force’s F–22 Raptor fleet was officially completed when company leadership presented Air Force chief of staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz with a ceremonial key to the 195th Raptor, Air Force serial number 10-4195. Lockheed

Martin built and delivered to the Air Force 195 Raptors—187 operational aircraft and 8 test aircraft—from1997 to 2012.

June 1: Col. Jeannie Leavitt, USAF, became the service’s first female fighter wing

commander when she assumed command of the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, South Carolina.

June 5: Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger, USAF, became the service’s first female fourstar general and assumed command of Air Force Materiel Command at

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

June 15: Capt. Francis Gary Powers, USAF, a U–2 pilot flying as a civilian when he

was shot down over the Soviet Union in May 1960 and imprisoned until February 1962, received a posthumous Silver Star. According to documents

declassified in the 1990s, Powers’s flight was a joint operation of the Air Force

and the Central Intelligence Agency.

June 16: Lt. Gen. Eric E. Fiel, the commander of Air Force Special Operations

Command, attended the Hmong Pilot Veteran Reunion and Service Recognition Awards in Maplewood, Minnesota. In attendance were 13 Hmong

pilots who were recognized for their contributions made alongside their U.S.

209

2012
air commando counterparts during hostilities in Southeast Asia in the 1960s

and 1970s.

June 22: The 27th Special Operations Wing held an aircraft retirement ceremony

as an MC–130E Combat Talon I made its final flight into Cannon Air Force

Base, New Mexico, from Duke Field, Florida.

August 10: Gen. Mark A. Welsh III became the twentieth chief of staff of the Air

Force.

August 17: Air Force Space Command announced that the space based surveillance

(SBSS) Block 10 satellite had achieved initial operational capability. The satellite was launched in September 2010.

August 27: Following a four-month journey, the second advanced extremely high

frequency (AEHF-2) satellite reached geosynchronous orbit. Nearly 100

members of the 4th Space Operations Squadron (4 SOPS) at Schriever Air

Force Base, Colorado, would now be heavily involved in testing the vehicle.

The Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles would continue to

hold satellite control authority of AEHF-2 during the testing phase and then

transfer satellite control authority to Fourteenth Air Force and 4 SOPS at a

later date.

September 12: Following an attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Libya, an

Air Mobility Command C–17 Globemaster III with an aeromedical evacuation team and critical care air transportation team and an 86th Airlift Wing,

Ramstein Air Base, Germany, C–130J flew the remains of four Americans,

including U.S. ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, from Tripoli, Libya, to

Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The aircraft also carried 36 passengers (3

wounded) to Ramstein for medical treatment.

September 14: The remains of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, Foreign Service officer Sean Smith, and former Navy SEALs Tyrone S. Woods and Glen

A. Doherty, killed during the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, arrived by

Air Mobility Command 437th Airlift Wing C–17 Globemaster III at Joint

Base Andrews, Maryland, to be met by their families. President Barack

Obama led a ceremony to honor the dead.

September 25: Air Force secretary Michael B. Donley approved the name

Ghostrider for the AC–130J gunship.

October 14: Col. Joe Kittinger, USAF (Ret.), was one of the Red Bull Stratos team

of experts who supported Austrian Felix Baumgartner’s successful world

record balloon flight and freefall jump, 65 years to the day after Capt. Charles

E. “Chuck” Yeager, USAF, first broke the sound barrier. Kittinger was the

mission’s primary point of radio contact with Baumgartner as the latter

ascended to 128,100 feet over New Mexico in a helium-filled stratospheric

balloon. Baumgartner made a freefall jump, hit Mach 1.24 during his descent,

and safely parachuted to the ground. The first person to break the sound bar210

2012
rier in freefall, he also broke world records for the highest manned balloon

flight, the highest freefall parachute jump, the highest vertical speed in freefall,

and the greatest freefall distance. Kittinger retained his 1960 record for the

longest freefall, 4 minutes and 36 seconds

October 17: An F–35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft known as

AF–1 completed the first in-flight weapons release of a 2,000 pound GBU–31

BLU–109 joint direct attack munition (JDAM) from a fifth generation fighter.

November 19: The 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group (WEG) marked an important

milestone when the first QF–16 drone arrived for developmental testing at

Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. The QF–16 was a supersonic reusable fullscale aerial target drone modified from an F–16 Fighting Falcon. The 53d

WEG had been using QF–4s, made from 1960s F–4 Phantoms, to conduct

their full-scale aerial target missions. The targets allowed the Air Force and

allied nations to have a realistic understanding of what they could face on the

battlefield.

211

2012
212