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Definition: air force from Philip's Encyclopedia

Military air power, first used in World War 1. In 1918 the British government formed the Royal Air Force (RAF), the world's first separate air force. The United States Air Force (USAF) was created in 1947.

air force

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
A nation's fleet of fighting aircraft and the organization that maintains them. History The emergence of the aeroplane at first brought only limited recognition of its potential value as a means of waging war. Like the balloon, used since the American Civil War, it was considered a way of extending the vision of ground forces. A unified air force was established in the UK 1918, Italy 1923, France 1928, Germany 1935 (after repudiating the arms limitations of the Versailles treaty), and the USA 1947 (it began as the Aeronautical Division of the Army Signal Corps 1907, and evolved into the Army's Air Service Division by 1918; by 1926 it was the Air Corps and in World War II the Army Air Force). The main specialized groupings formed during World War I – such as combat , bombing (see bomb ), reconnaissance , and transport – were adapted and modified in World War II; activity was extended, with self-contained tactical air forces to meet the needs of ground commanders in the main theatres of…
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Full text Article Air Force

From Black Firsts: 500 Years of Trailblazing Achievements and Ground-Breaking Events Full text Article MILITARY
Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr.
Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. (1912–2002) became the first black U.S. Air Force general on October 27. He also became the first black air force officer to complete a solo flight in 1941 and the first black man to command an airbase. During World War II Davis received two promotions in one day in 1943, …
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Full text Article air force intelligence

From Encyclopedia of Intelligence & Counterintelligence
The U.S. air force possesses a formidable all-source intelligence capability, designed both to provide air force general staff with the knowledge they need to make strategic decisions, and to provide pilots and aircrew with the current intelligence they require to fly safely into battle. …
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Full text Article air force

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
A nation's fleet of fighting aircraft and the organization that maintains them. History The emergence of the aeroplane at first brought only limited recognition of its potential value as a means of waging war. Like the balloon, used since the American Civil War, it was considered a way of extending…
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Full text Article Air Force One

From Encyclopedia of the American Presidency
Presidential air transport began in 1944 when a C-54 called the Sacred Cow was put into service for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Independence , a DC-6, transported President Harry S. Truman until 1953. President Dwight D. Eisenhower flew on the Columbine II and Columbine III. During the…
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Full text Article Royal Air Force.

From The Oxford Companion to British History
The RAF was formed in April 1918 when the *Royal Flying Corps and the *Royal Naval Air Service were amalgamated to improve co-ordination. The new service was given its own minister and its own ranks: the other two services were amused at airmen who did not fly and at the plethora of marshals. After…
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Air Force
War first took to the air in the late 19c when hot-air balloons began to be used in Europe for observing the movements of enemy forces and, later, to help direct the fire of artillery. A British Army Balloon School was set up at Woolwich in 1878 to train soldiers in this sphere. Balloons were very…
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Full text Article ORIGINS OF THE AIR FORCE

From The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Military and Diplomatic History
On 1 August 1907 the U.S. Army's chief signal officer established the Aeronautical Division within the Signal Corps. Two years later the Signal Corps accepted an airplane from the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, and by 1911, Lieutenant Thomas DeWitt Milling had begun early…
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Full text Article AIR FORCE BASICS

From The Handy Armed Forces Answer Book: Your Guide to the Whats and Whys of the U.S. Military
AIR FORCE BASICS
Officers and airmen. Yes, even female enlisted personnel are referred to as air men . Assuming that they have the aptitude and motivation, an airman can promote up through the three lowest ranks of enlisted personnel (E1, E2, and E3) to become a senior airman within the first two or three years of…
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Full text Article Royal Air Force (RAF)

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Armed service charged with the air defense of Britain and other international defense obligations. It originated in 1911, when an air battalion of the Royal Engineers was formed with one balloon and one airplane company. The air battalion was assumed into the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in 1912, and in…
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Full text Article AIR FORCE ONE

From The Handy Armed Forces Answer Book: Your Guide to the Whats and Whys of the U.S. Military
The president's ride, Air Force One is simply a...
Say the words “Air Force One,” and the image of an iconic, blue-and-white Boeing 747 instantly comes to mind. However, the truth is that any USAF-operated fixed-wing aircraft with the president of the United States aboard is referred to as Air Force One—it's a unit identifier rather than a physical…
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