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Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force!
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Ya damn wing wipers. ;-) ;-)


Seriously, though: Damn proud that we've got the world's finest air force and one that's gotten the job done, attaining and then maintaining air supremacy over the battlefield, more times than can easily be counted. That's something that's kept many a ground-pounding infantryman, and tank driver and artilleryman, safe and whole and able to return home to his loved ones.

For that, the U.S. Air Force has my undying respect and gratitude.

"On September 18, we commemorate the establishment of The United States Air Force.

Almost from the moment the Wright brothers found a way to soar with the birds, aeronautical pursuits were incorporated into the military. However, it was not until September 18, 1947, that the US Air Force was a separate branch of the Armed Forces.

The Signal Corps was the earliest established aeronautical force in the military. The first missions during the Civil War provided visional communications via flags and torch light from aerial balloons. The Signal Corps didn’t become an official branch of the Army until 1863, making way for more aeronautical training and study.

Since then, military air service has gone through many names and commands from Air Service of the US Army to the Air Corps and Army Air Force. Finally, in 1947, President Truman signed the National Security Act establishing The United States Air Force as a separate branch of the military.

As a result of pursuing advanced technology and superior airmen, the US Air Force emerged as the swiftest tactical force ready to deploy anywhere at a moments notice. On September 18, celebrate the airmen and women who are on watch every day.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Use #AirForceBirthday to post on social media.

HISTORY

The 1947 National Security Act restructured The United States military and intelligence agencies in the aftermath of World War II. On September 18, 1947, President Truman signed the National Security Act establishing the U.S. Airforce on board the first Air Force One, a VC 54C."

"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
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Re: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! [big kahuna] [ In reply to ]
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Like!

drn92
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Re: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! [big kahuna] [ In reply to ]
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Really proud of the work they have done and do now,top shelve.
I grew up near a SAC base in the early 70's and had a friend of the family that was a FB-111 pilot and was able to get a cockpit tour of it.
Still really dig the B-52 she's a beast.
Though out their history ya gotta love Curtis "bombs away " Le May

"they've got to draw in their horns and stop their aggression, or we're going to bomb them back into the Stone Age"
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Re: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! [big kahuna] [ In reply to ]
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Happy birthday, Big Blue! We had some good times together :)

Things come and go, but it's pretty awesome that two long-enduring workhorses (B-52 and C-130) are still kicking ass in their primary roles and will continue doing it well into the future.

Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball
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Re: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! [big kahuna] [ In reply to ]
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big kahuna wrote:

"On September 18, we commemorate the establishment of The United States Air Force.

Almost from the moment the Wright brothers found a way to soar with the birds, aeronautical pursuits were incorporated into the military. However, it was not until September 18, 1947, that the US Air Force was a separate branch of the Armed Forces.

Somewhat of a tangent, but in the book The Wright Brothers by David McCullough, the Wright brothers almost didn't sign a contract with the US Army, their first contract was with the French.
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Re: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! [big kahuna] [ In reply to ]
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Indeed! Spent 20 years of my life in the USAF (1987 to 2007, corresponding with the 40th and 60th anniversary years), most of it outstanding. Would do it all over in a heartbeat. Would go back in right now if I could get back into a cockpit.

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Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.
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Re: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! [big kahuna] [ In reply to ]
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If I could do it all over again, I'd enlist in the Air Force and become a Pararescueman. MAYBE get a commission and go CRO, but more likely straight PJ. Those dudes are the coolest...

War is god
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Re: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! [Crank] [ In reply to ]
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Crank wrote:
If I could do it all over again, I'd enlist in the Air Force and become a Pararescueman. MAYBE get a commission and go CRO, but more likely straight PJ. Those dudes are the coolest...

We used to work with the PJs and the CJs. Those PJs were some of the bravest men I ever knew.

"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
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Re: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! [big kahuna] [ In reply to ]
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Forgot all about it. I retired 17.5 years ago.
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Re: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! [big kahuna] [ In reply to ]
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Never should have signed off on the Key West Accords. :0(

We've been looking for CAS ever since and they've been off looking to be Mig Ace's

Going into some fuckup the best thing I could get was KWs for my guys--those guys and those gals in the KWs were the shit. They got down in the shit. Next up was the AH's (pictured--cause I had time). They had a LOT of punch but tended to stand off relative to the KWs.



Next comes the USAF/USNAF When I needed the big stick they could bring it

Got some good convos w the fast movers that came into support us.


/r

Steve
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Re: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! [Steve Hawley] [ In reply to ]
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Go USAF beat Utah State

but we love us some KW's for CAS (sorry)

/r

Steve
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Re: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! [Steve Hawley] [ In reply to ]
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True enough about CAS and air-to-ground work. I think they sometimes believe it's too unsexy for them, though during my time I never heard of a single CAS tasking they refused to accommodate if they were in the area and had the air assets to pull it off. But at the time I was just a relatively low ranking nobody and not one privy to any of the higher-level squabbling that may or may not have taken place when it came to air-to-ground taskers. To a man (and woman), the USAF crews I ran into out there were brave and ready to fight.

Now: they're still trying to kill off the A-10 and I don't know that the F-35, in any configuration, is a logical platform for CAS. As well, the MV-22 Osprey (as some Afghan vets have noted here in the past) doesn't seem to be all that good a fit for the role. As you've pointed out, however, KWs and AHs are outstanding at the role and, as you've also noted, you guys screwed the pooch when it came to the Key West Accords. ;-)

"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
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Re: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! [big kahuna] [ In reply to ]
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Again, I wish the USAF a Happy Birthday--and was sorry to see the USAFA come up a bit short against the UT Aggies

CAS is a relative thing. In a permissive environment you can park a 'bomb bus' overhead and rain down JDAMs on demand. The B-52 is good at this and brother Spot's BONE is even better (especially since it can reposition within theater so quickly). Howsoever, there is no substitute for coming down into the shit where the guys doing the hard work need it. KWs are no longer in the inventory. Apache's do good work. A-10s do good work. F/A-18's driven by Marines do good work.

Yeah the Osprey 'could' do CAS but that's not what it was designed/built to do as originally envisioned. Again/however, all things are possible i guess. Certainly the venerable Herky Bird does awesome work in the A/C role and even the Blackhawk has a little known CAS variant flown by the guys I work for (DAPs). So who knows?

Steve
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Re: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! [Steve Hawley] [ In reply to ]
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Steve Hawley wrote:
Again, I wish the USAF a Happy Birthday--and was sorry to see the USAFA come up a bit short against the UT Aggies

CAS is a relative thing. In a permissive environment you can park a 'bomb bus' overhead and rain down JDAMs on demand. The B-52 is good at this and brother Spot's BONE is even better (especially since it can reposition within theater so quickly). Howsoever, there is no substitute for coming down into the shit where the guys doing the hard work need it. KWs are no longer in the inventory. Apache's do good work. A-10s do good work. F/A-18's driven by Marines do good work.

Yeah the Osprey 'could' do CAS but that's not what it was designed/built to do as originally envisioned. Again/however, all things are possible i guess. Certainly the venerable Herky Bird does awesome work in the A/C role and even the Blackhawk has a little known CAS variant flown by the guys I work for (DAPs). So who knows?

Yep, it all really depends on the situation what platform will be better suited. If you need somebody overhead for a long time with a deep magazine, and the targets are far enough way that a 500 or 2,000 pound weapon is ok, then a Bone is a pretty good choice and the crews are very experienced. If you have bad guys really close to you and need something with a lot less frag and super precise placement, then there is nothing like an A-10 with 30mm, an AC-130, or an AH-64. Same goes if you need somebody low and slow over the battlefield who can visually find targets...a Bone or a Buff aren’t going to be too much help there.

Of course, the US has been doing CAS now in a completely benign threat environment for the past 17 years, and so I think we have to come to grips that if we ever fight somebody that is even close to a near peer competitor, then the only game in town might be something stealthy, Iike the F-35, at least for the first few days while we beat the IADs down.

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.
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Re: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! [big kahuna] [ In reply to ]
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big kahuna wrote:
True enough about CAS and air-to-ground work. I think they sometimes believe it's too unsexy for them, though during my time I never heard of a single CAS tasking they refused to accommodate if they were in the area and had the air assets to pull it off. But at the time I was just a relatively low ranking nobody and not one privy to any of the higher-level squabbling that may or may not have taken place when it came to air-to-ground taskers. To a man (and woman), the USAF crews I ran into out there were brave and ready to fight.

Now: they're still trying to kill off the A-10 and I don't know that the F-35, in any configuration, is a logical platform for CAS. As well, the MV-22 Osprey (as some Afghan vets have noted here in the past) doesn't seem to be all that good a fit for the role. As you've pointed out, however, KWs and AHs are outstanding at the role and, as you've also noted, you guys screwed the pooch when it came to the Key West Accords. ;-)

F-35 is just as logical a choice for CAS as an F-16, since it is essentially a stealthy F-16 with better sensors.

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.
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Re: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! [spot] [ In reply to ]
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spot wrote:
big kahuna wrote:
True enough about CAS and air-to-ground work. I think they sometimes believe it's too unsexy for them, though during my time I never heard of a single CAS tasking they refused to accommodate if they were in the area and had the air assets to pull it off. But at the time I was just a relatively low ranking nobody and not one privy to any of the higher-level squabbling that may or may not have taken place when it came to air-to-ground taskers. To a man (and woman), the USAF crews I ran into out there were brave and ready to fight.

Now: they're still trying to kill off the A-10 and I don't know that the F-35, in any configuration, is a logical platform for CAS. As well, the MV-22 Osprey (as some Afghan vets have noted here in the past) doesn't seem to be all that good a fit for the role. As you've pointed out, however, KWs and AHs are outstanding at the role and, as you've also noted, you guys screwed the pooch when it came to the Key West Accords. ;-)


F-35 is just as logical a choice for CAS as an F-16, since it is essentially a stealthy F-16 with better sensors.

Never was under an F-16 providing CAS. Been under some Navy fast movers back in the day but everybody loved A-10 action as well as Spectre appearances whenever possible. AHs and KWs; that goes without saying. What ground pounder wouldn't love having those as escorts on demand? Never saw coordinated support from Buffs or Bones, though, even at the ANGLICO level, including Gulf War I.

Air Force and Navy (and Army) have a lot of airframes in their inventories that can do CAS, and better than any other military out there. I guess it comes down to what you and Steve say: the parameters of the mission and what's needed in the given time frame.

"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
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Re: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! [big kahuna] [ In reply to ]
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big kahuna wrote:
spot wrote:
big kahuna wrote:
True enough about CAS and air-to-ground work. I think they sometimes believe it's too unsexy for them, though during my time I never heard of a single CAS tasking they refused to accommodate if they were in the area and had the air assets to pull it off. But at the time I was just a relatively low ranking nobody and not one privy to any of the higher-level squabbling that may or may not have taken place when it came to air-to-ground taskers. To a man (and woman), the USAF crews I ran into out there were brave and ready to fight.

Now: they're still trying to kill off the A-10 and I don't know that the F-35, in any configuration, is a logical platform for CAS. As well, the MV-22 Osprey (as some Afghan vets have noted here in the past) doesn't seem to be all that good a fit for the role. As you've pointed out, however, KWs and AHs are outstanding at the role and, as you've also noted, you guys screwed the pooch when it came to the Key West Accords. ;-)


F-35 is just as logical a choice for CAS as an F-16, since it is essentially a stealthy F-16 with better sensors.

Never was under an F-16 providing CAS. Been under some Navy fast movers back in the day but everybody loved A-10 action as well as Spectre appearances whenever possible. AHs and KWs; that goes without saying. What ground pounder wouldn't love having those as escorts on demand? Never saw coordinated support from Buffs or Bones, though, even at the ANGLICO level, including Gulf War I.

Air Force and Navy (and Army) have a lot of airframes in their inventories that can do CAS, and better than any other military out there. I guess it comes down to what you and Steve say: the parameters of the mission and what's needed in the given time frame.

Buffs and Bones didn’t get into the CAS business until Afghanistan. Bones did a lot of dynamic targeting in Allied Force, but it wasn’t until Afghanistan and Iraq that using B-1s and B-52s for CAS came into play, largely because of the ability for a JTAC to derive quality coordinates and have a bomber put a JDAM on them. The JDAM really was a game changer in terms of being able to deliver a weapon on coordinates in any weather, and that coupled with a JTAC’s ability to use laser rangefinders to derive accurate coordinates really made it possible for bomber CAS.

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.
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Re: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! [spot] [ In reply to ]
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Great point about the JDAM. Never saw anything like it during my time in. Made a real difference.

"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
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