United States Air Force

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947. It is the most recent branch of the U.S. military to be formed, and is the largest and one of the world's most technologically advanced air forces. The USAF articulates its core functions as Nuclear Deterrence Operations, Special Operations, Air Superiority, Global Integrated ISR, Space Superiority, Command and Control, Cyberspace Superiority, Personnel Recovery, Global Precision Attack, Building Partnerships, Rapid Global Mobility and Agile Combat Support.

The Air Force is a military service within the Department of the Air Force, one of the three military departments of the Department of Defense. The Air Force is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Air Force, who is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. The highest-ranking military officer in the Department of the Air Force is the Chief of Staff of the Air Force who exercises supervision over Air Force units, and serves as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Air Force combat forces are assigned, as directed by the Secretary of Defense, to the Combatant Commanders, and neither the Secretary of the Air Force nor the Chief of Staff have operational command authority over them.

List of Aircraft Used by the USAF

Fighters

• McDonnell-Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle (Multirole Strike Fighter) x 254
• McDonnell-Douglas F-15EX Eagle II (Air Superiority Fighter) x 1 - 143 more on order
• General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon (Multirole Fighter) x 930
• Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor (Air Superiority Fighter) x 386 - another 66 on order
• Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II (Stealth Strike Fighter) x 302 - 2,132 on order

Attack Aircraft

• Fairchild-Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II (Close Air Support Aircraft) x 284
• Lockheed AC-130J/W Ghostrider/Stinger II (Fixed Wing Gunship) x 30 (18 x AC-130J and 12 x AC-130W)

Bombers

• Rockwell B-1B/R Lancer (Strategic Bomber) x 84
• Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit (Stealth Bomber) x 24
• Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider (Strategic Bomber) - 200 on order
• Boeing B-52J Stratofortress (Strategic Bomber) x 78

AWACS Aircraft

• Boeing E-3 Sentry (Airborne Early Warning and Control System Aircraft) x 32
• Boeing E-4 Nightwatch (Airborne Command Post) x 4
• Boeing E-6 Mercury (Airborne Command Post) x 16
• Bombardier-Northrop Grumman E-11A Sentinel (Battlefield Airborne Communications Node) x 5 - 8 on order

Electronic Warfare Aircraft

• Gulfstream EC-37B (SIGINT/PSYOP Aircraft) x 0 - 3 on order
• Lockheed Martin EC-130H Compass Call (Electronic Warfare) x 14
• Lockheed Martin EC-130J Commander Solo III (Electronic Warfare x 7

Reconnaissance Aircraft

• Northrop Grumman E-8C Joint STARS (Airborne Command and Control Aircraft) x 18
• Bombardier E-9A Widget (Surveillance Aircraft) x 2
• Bombardier E-9B Widget (SIGINT/ELINT Aircraft) x 6
• Beechcraft MC-12W Liberty (Surveillance Aircraft) x 42
• Fairchild RC-26 Metroliner (SIGINT/Surveillance Aircraft) x 12
• Boeing RC-135S/U/V/W Cobra Ball/Combat Sent/Rivet Joint (Reconnaissance Aircraft) x 22
• Lockheed U-2S Dragon Lady (Reconnaissance Aircraft) x 26
• Pilatus U-28A Draco (ISR/SIGINT Aircraft) x 24
• Boeing OC-135B Open Skies (Observation Aircraft) x 2
• CASA HC-144 Ocean Sentry (SIGINT/ELINT Aircraft) x 6

Aerial Tankers

• Northrop Grumman KC-45 Mesotanker (Aerial Tanker) x 132 - 48 more on order
• Boeing KC-46 Pegasus (Aerial Tanker) x 48 - 42 more on order
• Lockheed Martin HC-130J Combat King II (Aerial Tanker/Transport) x 64
• Boeing KC-135R/T Stratotanker (Aerial Tanker) x 394
• Boeing KC-767A (Aerial Tanker) x 100

Transport Aircraft

• Lockheed Martin C-5M Super Galaxy (Strategic Airlifter) x 52
• Beechcraft C-12 Huron (Cargo Aircraft) x 23
• Beechcraft C-12J Huron (Cargo Aircraft) x 3
• Boeing C-17 Globemaster III (Strategic Airlifter) x 228
• Gulfstream Aerospace C-20J Gulfstream IV (VIP Transport) x 2
• Learjet C-21A (VIP Transport) x 20
• Boeing VC-25A (VIP Transport) x 2
• Alenia C-27J Spartan (Cargo Aircraft) x 38
• Boeing C-32 (VIP Transport) x 4
• Boeing C-40B/C Clipper (VIP Transport) x 12
• Lockheed C-130H Hercules (Tactical Transport) x 180
• Lockheed LC-130H-2/3 Hercules (Tactical Transport) x 10
• Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules (Tactical Transport) x 136 - 16 more on order
• Lockheed HC-130J Combat Shadow II (SAR/Transport) x 38 - 2 more on order
• PZL-Mielec C-145 Skytruck (STOL Utility Aircraft) x 6
• Fairchild-Dornier C-146 Wolfhound (Transport Aircraft) x 18
• De Havilland Canada UV-18B Twin Otter x 2 (STOL Transport)
• Cessna UV-27A Caravan (STOL Transport) x 2
• Pilatus UV-28A Draco (Utility/Transport Aircraft) x 21

Weather Reconnaissance Aircraft

• Lockheed WC-130H/J Hercules (Weather Reconnaissance Aircraft) x 20
• Boeing WC-135C/W Constant Phoenix (Weather Reconnaissance Aircraft) x 2

Training Aircraft

• Boeing C-135 Stratoliner (Multi-Engine Trainer) x 3
• Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk (Stealth OPFOR Trainer) x 4
• Raytheon T-1A Jayhawk (Trainer Aircraft) x 178
• Lockheed TU-2S Dragon Lady (Conversion Trainer) x 4
• Beechcraft T-6A Texan II (Trainer Aircraft) x 450
• Boeing-Saab T-7A Red Hawk (Advanced Trainer) x 0 - 352 on order
• Embraer T-29 Super Tucano (Trainer Aircraft) x 20
• Northrop T-38A/C Talon (Advanced Trainer) x445
• Cessna T-41D Mescalero (Trainer Aircraft) x 4
• Cessna T-51A x 3 (Aerobatics Aircraft)
• Cirrus T-53A Kadet II (Basic Trainer) x 26
• Boeing TC-135W (Multi-Engine Trainer) x 4
• Bell TH-1H Iroquois (Rotorcraft Trainer) x 38
• Grob G120TP x 3 (Basic Trainer)
• Mil Mi-17/171 (Utility Helicopter) x 1
• Diamond DA20 Katana (Trainer Aircraft) x 54

Helicopters

• Bell UH-1N Twin Huey (Utility Helicopter) x 64
• Bell Boeing CV-22B Osprey (CSAR Tiltrotor) x 52
• Sikorsky HH-60G/U/W Pave Hawk (CSAR/Special Forces Helicopter) x 106 - 22 HH-60Ws on order
• AgustaWestland MH-139A Grey Wolf (Utility Helicopter) x 1 - 84 on order

UAVs

• Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk (ISTAR/SIGINT UAV) x 34
• General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper (Multi-mission UAV) x 50
• AeroVironment RQ-11B Raven (ISR UAV) x 3,000
• AeroVironment RQ-20B Puma (ISR UAV) x 60
• Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel (ISTAR/SIGINT UAV) x 20