The United States Army Air Service

The after taking 25 years to develop the F22 Raptor from conception to operational certification the United States Air Force (USAF) produced the world’s first 5th Generation air superiority fighter. (site) This revolutionary fighter plane leveraged its very low observable stealth (VLO) and thrust-vectoring and digital fly by wire technology, to produce an extremely fast, agile and deadly air to air combatant. (GEO P 2) However, in 2009 Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense, (SECDEF) convinced the President (POTUS) and Congress to truncate the F22 program, leaving the USAF with less than 187 operational F22 Raptors, this number was well short of the 381 the USAF estimated they needed to meet their mission requirements. (AWC 1/ site) Gates made his controversial decision based on three factors. This essay will explore these factors and explain how the 2009 U.S strategic environment, the overall cost of the F22 and Secretary Gates’ desire to change the Department of Defense (DOD) all lead to the decision to limit the production of the F22 Raptor at 187 aircraft.

“Air defense artillery units have a proud heritage dating back to the dawn of this country 's history when the colonists erected fortifications and emplaced artillery pieces to defend against attack from the sea. Seacoast defense continued to be the primary mission of "foot" artillery units (as opposed to mounted field artillery units) until World War I, when a new dimension in warfare emerged-attack from the air. Through World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam, air defense artillery units served as an indispensable part of the armed forces of the United States.”

During the Vietnam War the M42 (Duster) tracked self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) vehicle influenced the future versatility and capabilities of the Air Defense Artillery systems of today’s United States Army. This system put a lasting impression on the minds and confidence of the American Army Soldiers. These Soldiers actively participated in defending the South Vietnamese from the North Vietnamese and its southern allies, known as the Viet Cong (or Vietnamese Communist). Not only did the M42 Duster (SPAAG) raise the moral and boost confidence with the American Soldiers, it instilled fear and discouraged the enemy from attacking positions that were fortified with versatile air defense systems. This

The executives were angry with Boeing for failing to disclose and decided to put $4M IR&D into the $8M demonstrator program that would validate and refine basic flying qualities and performance characteristics of a small scale Tiltrotor with the potential for future applications to VTOL UAV missions. We contacted the famous Burt Rattan of Scaled Composites and asked him to bid two airframes. He arrived a week later, looked at the airframe plans and bid for $2M. Bell selected them for airframe detail design and fabrication. Recall that Burt was the first commercial fixed wing aircraft in

UH-1H “Huey,” The Workhorse of Vietnam and the development of Airmobile Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures

This solidified a stance against performing the same functions that the Air Force would refer back to on numerous occasions. The agreement further defined the roles of the Air Force, making its 5th priority “close combat and logistical air support to the Army” (Wolf, 1987, p. 163). The ambiguous statement saying, “Army includes land combat and service forces and such aviation…as may be organic therein,” was retained in the agreement (Wolf, 1987, p. 159). It is also noteworthy that the Navy and the subordinate Marine Corps were not restricted “from acquiring and maintaining an air component” (Wolf, 1987, p. 152). This ability allowed the Marine Corps to implement the helicopter into their doctrine, improving several aspects of their amphibious and land assault missions well before the Army began widespread use of the helicopter. Executive Order 9950 was signed, revoking Executive

America’s military attempt in Vietnam displayed extremely necessary use of air forces. An interesting fact I found was that I would believe that innovations would already be made previous to the war, but according to the reading, innovations and air combat advancements were being made as the war progressed. The portion Air War marks some of the most used and essential American aircrafts used in Vietnam which

According to Pritzker Military the F-4 was the primary fighter aircraft. The F-4 intercepted enemy info and was utilized as a bomber. According to Pritzker Military the UH-1 and AH-1 were the two most popular helicopters used by the US. The UH-1 was a bigger helicopter that was used for transporting troops and dropping them into battle. On the other hand the AH-1 provided ground support for troops as a gunning helicopter. Aircrafts not only dominated the skies in Vietnam but also provided support for ground troops as transportation and

The Vietnam War was the first successful large scale usage of rotary wing aircraft to move combat troops and equipment around the battlefield in the history of warfare. The terrain and vegetation of the Vietnam countryside make most parts of the country inaccessible to wheeled and tracked vehicles and using relatively inexpensive aircraft was the best way to move troops around during that timeframe. Using helicopters, it was now possible to not only place troops and equipment where they were most needed, but it also made a quick way to bring back wounded troops back to the rear areas for trauma care.

The MiG-15 was a 33 by 33 foot fighter jet used mostly by the Chinese in the Chinese Civil War. The aircraft was highly exported by the Soviet Union and was also used in the Korean was as the Chinese got involved. Although not much research was necessary for the United states was needed to be done on this het, the Soviets made plenty of upgrades on this craft throughout the years, such as a new more powerful engine and cannons on it to be used on the future wars to come.

North American Aviation, a company that manufactures aircraft, got an order from the British for Curtiss P-40 fighter planes; they needed planes for the inevitable war ahead. However, the president of North American had an idea for a new fighter, called the P-51 Mustang, with an Allison V-1710-39 engine. Without the engine, and with the help of experienced workers, a prototype was built in 117 days. It flew six weeks after the prototype was finished and immediately outperformed the existing fighter planes. One of its most extraordinary features was its improved wing design. It strayed from the regular wing measurements and thickness, resulting in a sleeker, faster, and more elusive

In early November, 1950 Soviet MiG-15s first ventured across the Yalu to engage the USAF, and on the 26th, half a million Chinese infantry attacked across the whole front, sweeping back MacArthur's troops. In the air, the MiG-15s similarly swept aside the out-classed American F-80s and assorted prop planes. In December, the USAF brought the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing (4th FIW), equipped with North American F-86 Sabre jets into the conflict. The Sabre was a match for the MiG. On December 17, F-86s of the 336th FIS (Fighter Interceptor Squadron), 4th FIW ran their first fighter sweep along the Yalu, the area known as "MiG Alley." The Sabres engaged the MiG-15s on roughly equal terms, and soon scored aerial victories against the Russian jets. (Sherman , Acepilots, 2012) During the Korean War the United States Air Force had 40 Ace Pilots. Thirty-nine of those Ace Pilots flew the F-86. New, improved models of the F-86 appeared the 'E' in early 1952 and the 'F', with its hard wing, in August. These later Sabres gave the UN pilots an increasing

There have been many Air Defense systems in the history of the ADA branch. One of the most accurate was the Homing All the Way Killer (HAWK). The HAWK was a medium range anti-aircraft weapon system developed by Raytheon in the 1950s and fielded in the 1960s (citation). The system worked together with radar, Information Coordination Central (ICC), Battery Control Central (BCC) and launchers to engage enemy Aircraft. The launcher itself contained three dual thrust rockets, was pulled behind a truck and emplaced strategically according to the unit’s mission. During the Persian war Kuwaiti forces used it against Iraqi Aircraft taking down approximately 22 Airplanes and one helicopter (citation).

Since the dawn of aviation in the United States Navy, training aircraft have played an integral role in the progression of both the aviation program and the pilot’s making the system run smoothly. These planes can not only be seen as stepping stones in a pilot’s aviation timeline, but can also be viewed through history as landmarks on the evolution of the Naval Aviation program as a whole. The shifts in technology and needs of the program can be seen when the history of the multitude of training aircraft is analyzed.

While there are some grammatical errors present in the work, the author does an admirable job in conveying the ability and importance of the F-5 during its operational 'life' in Vietnam. The facts do an effective job of highlighting the mistakes of the 'bigger is better' mindset of American aircraft development teams during the 1960s-1970s. This book speaks directly to the notion that well designed aircraft can do as good, if not better, a job for less