Air force
An
Air force is a
military or armed service that primarily conducts
aerial warfare. They typically use a combination of
fighters,
bombers,
helicopters,
transport planes and other aircraft. Many air forces are also responsible for operations of military space,
intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), and communications equipment.
Most, but not all, armed forces have air forces that are
independent - that is, it is neither part of the
army nor the
navy. This does not stop armies and especially navies from possessing air arms to support their land or sea operations, although some, such as the
Canadian Air Force operate all military aircraft, even when they are attached to
Canadian Army units.
Air Forces typically operate numerous types of aircraft. These may include
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Fighters, used to destroy other aircraft;
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Bombers and
Attack Aircraft, used to attack ground targets;
*
Reconnaissance Aircraft;
*
Electronic Warfare Ai;
*
Airborne Early Warning Aircraft;
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Transport Aircraft;
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Tankers which provide in-flight re-fuelling for other aircraft;
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Helicopters, used for attack, reconnaissance or transport;
* and
Training Aircraft.
Air forces also operate numerous types of satellites. These satellites provide services such as:
* Secure and unsecure communications
* Position, navigation and timing
* Missile warning
* Weather data
* Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaisance (ISR)
Some air forces such as the British
Royal Air Force (RAF) have a unique
rank structure; other air forces such as the
United States Air Force (USAF) have a
rank structure on the Enlisted side that is unique, but the Officer corps uses
Army-style rank. And finally there are air forces such as
Soviet Air Force that use Army-style ranks for both Enlisted and Officer corps. Most (but not all) wear blue-grey uniforms pioneered by the Royal Air Force. The organization structures of the air forces also vary: some air forces (such as the
United States Air Force and the
Royal Air Force) are divided into
commands,
groups and
squadrons; others (such as the
Soviet Air Force) have an Army-syle organizational structure.
Pilots make up only a small portion of an air force's personnel. For every pilot, there is a flight crew who supports the aircraft, a maintenance group, communications crew, satellite operators, administrative personnel, medical personnel; in many air forces, there are officers responsible for strategic nuclear weapons such as intercontinental ballistic missiles (
ICBMs). Although the majority of the senior leadership of most air forces are pilots, the majority of the personnel are not. Some air forces operate
anti-aircraft artillery (now with
radars and
missiles), and a few air forces have their own
paratroopers. Given the pilots' special status, they often wear special insignia in the form of a
vol or "wings". Other air crews might wear variations of such insignia.
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List of air forces*
Royal Air Force*
Egyptian Air Force*
United States Air Force*
Indian Air Force*
German Luftwaffe*
Israeli Air Force*
Aerial warfare*
Life support (aviation)*
History of military aviation*
PLAAF*
Indian Air Force
