15 Facts About USAF

Originally created on August 1, 1907 as a part of the United States Army Signal Corps, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces in 1947 with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947.

Since 2005, the USAF has placed a strong focus on the improvement of Basic Military Training for enlisted personnel.

On 26 June 2009, the USAF released a force structure plan that cut fighter aircraft and shifted resources to better support nuclear, irregular and information warfare.

On 23 July 2009, The USAF released their Unmanned Aerial System Flight Plan, detailing Air Force UAS plans through 2047.

The USAF possesses the lineage and heritage of its predecessor organizations, which played a pivotal role in U S military operations since 1907:.

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Beyond combat flight crew personnel, other combat USAF AFSCs are Special Tactics Officer, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Combat Rescue Officer, Pararescue, Security Forces, Combat Control, Combat Weather, Tactical Air Control Party, Special Operations Weather Technician, and AFOSI agents.

USAF is the only branch of the U S military where NCO status is achieved when an enlisted person reaches the pay grade of E-5.

USAF personnel assigned to base honor guard duties wear, for certain occasions, a modified version of the standard service dress uniform that includes silver trim on the sleeves and trousers, with the addition of a ceremonial belt, service cap with silver trim and Hap Arnold Device (instead of the seal of the United States worn on the regular cap), and a silver aiguillette placed on the left shoulder seam and all devices and accoutrements.

The annual ergo-cycle test which the USAF had used for several years had been replaced in 2004.

Attack aircraft of the USAF are designed to attack targets on the ground and are often deployed as close air support for, and in proximity to, U S ground forces.

Fighter aircraft of the USAF are small, fast, and maneuverable military aircraft primarily used for air-to-air combat.

The USAF had 2, 025 fighters in service as of September 2012.

The USAF aircraft are equipped primarily for providing the fuel via a tail-mounted refueling boom, and can be equipped with "probe and drogue" refueling systems.

Reconnaissance aircraft of the USAF are used for monitoring enemy activity, originally carrying no armament.

Several gliders are used by the USAF, primarily used for cadet flying training at the U S Air Force Academy.