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| USAF Support Aircraft
1971 to date |
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The primary purpose of an air force is to project air power.
This is largely accomplished by the combat aircraft - the
fighter and the bombers. But an air force requires far
more than that. It must have training, cargo and
reconnaissance aircraft too. Traditionally, these have
been the support aircraft.
Today's modern air force has added airborne command
posts to the list. During World War II, wing commanders
briefed their crews, then sent them on their mission.
During the late 1950s, the Strategic Air Command introduced the
"Looking Glass," a specially modified KC-135 that always
remained airborne to act as a backup command and control in the
event ground based ones were destroyed by nuclear attack.
The concept was picked up by the fighter jocks and soon they
introduced airborne command posts to the Vietnam war. The
Gulf War really saw their widespread use. Attacks on enemy
targets were directed and redirected from the air. This
real time capability was an enormous improvement over the
pre-flight briefing of early days. These planes included
the various "E" models and the RC-135s. |
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