www.BobShermansPage.com - USAF Aircraft

>> Click on the Header Above For "These Colors Don't Run" Page <<

Webmaster Bob Sherman on 11/11/2011
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
USAF Air Police
Lackland AFB, Texas 1965 - 1966
Homestead AFB, Florida 1966 - 1968
Tan Son Nhut AB, Vietnam 1968 - 1969

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USAF Aircraft in Service - 1947 to Present

With a few USAAF Aircraft by Request of Former Pilots

Updated: Monday January 30, 2012

The United States Army Air Corp was created as part of the US Army on July 2, 1926. The USAAC Operated under
that Military Command until June 20, 1941, when it then became the USAAF, United States Army Air Forces, and as
it was so before, during, and after WWII. It then became the USAF, a New Separate Military Branch, under the
National Security Act of September 18, 1947. A Majority of USAAF Aircraft were then transferred to USAF Control.

In 1959, The USAF Quit appointing Warrant Officers

I always remembered from Basic Training the phase. "Be My Little General"
as to the Order and Number of Stars for the General Grades.

On this Page I have Tired to Research and Display as many of Aircraft that were on Active duty in the USAF after 9/18/1947.

The Majority of Information and Photos are From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, With Photos being Public Domain !
Some pictures included have the WWII insignias as I was not able to find the aircraft with USAF insignias
While other Aircraft may have other Countries and US Service Paint
Some info and Photos have been supplied by the Men who worked on them & Pilots who Flew them

I also know that there have been many Variants of Aircraft and Some of the Older Aircraft Designations have been dropped
from the Current Standard Designations used currently; Green are Current, Red are dropped designations.

Aircraft Designations
A- Ground Attack, OA- Amphibian, AT- Advanced Trainers, B- Bombers, BT- Basic Trainers, C - Cargo,
E- Special Electronic Mission, F- Photo Reconnaissance, F- Fighters, H- Search and Rescue, J- Missile Tracking,
K- Tankers, L- Liaison, M- Medivac, N- Testing Platform, O- Observation, P- Pursuit, P- Patrol/ Maritime,
PT- Primary Trainer, Q- Multi-mission Remote Control, R- Helicopters, R- Reconnaissance, SR- Special for the
SR-71, Strategic Reconnaissance, T- All Trainers, U- Utility, UC- Utility Transport, V- VIP Staff Transport,
X- Experimental, and W- Weather Reconnaissance - There may be More!

"I have tried to Display the Most Common or Primary use of each aircraft !"

I have tried to be as Accurate as Possible and Invite all input. I am Happy to make Corrections and Additions !

I was really lucky to have served in the USAF as a Security Air Policeman from 1965-1969, Right ... Not my Choice !
But in this role I to got patrol all areas of the bases I was stationed at. I was able to see Aircraft of all types,
Meet the Men that maintained them, and the Air Crews that flew them. Even as a Air Cop, I volunteered to fly
as much as I could.

Over the Past several months, I have received dozens of emails about this page and I want to make it the Best.

"Keep them Coming "

Thank You

Bob Sherman

THE NEW USAF LOGO

"Go Air Force"

USAAF Glider Aircraft

USAAF Waco CG-4A - 1942- 13,900 + Built - Towed mostly by C-47s
They could carry 2 Pilots and 13 Troops or a Jeep and 4 Troopers
At the end of WWII, the majority of the remaining aircraft were sold for scrap, with
some being converted as towed camping homes.

USAAF Waco CG-4As waiting to be loaded up and used during Operation Market Garden
During September 17-25, 1944 in Europe

USAAF Drone Aircraft

USAAF Culver Aircraft - PQ-14 Cadet - 1942- 12,000 + Built
A Radio-controlled target drone for anti-aircraft training

USAF Training Aircraft

USAF North American T-6 Texan - 1935 - 15,495 Built- In service till 1950s !

USAF North American L-17A Navion - 1948 - 1200+ Built - Used for Liaison, Personnel
and Cargo Carrier, and Pilot Training.

USAF North American T-28A Trojan - 1949 - 1,948 Built - Heavily used by
the US Navy as Trainers also. Many USAF models were modified to become
AT-28Ds Attack Aircraft and used by the VNAF.

USAF Aeronca L-16A/B Champ - 1950 - About 250 Built- Used as Trainers and Observation

USAF Piper PA-18 Super Cub - 1950s - Used as Initial Indoctrination Entry-level Trainers

USAF Convair T-29 Navigation Trainer ... One of many Variants of the Convair CV-240, 340, and 440s

USAF Convair NC-131H Total In-Flight Simulator - A Stranger variant of a CV-340 aircraft

USAF Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star - 1948 - 6,557 Built- In service till 1980s !
T-33s were used by more than 30 countries worldwide ...
In 2010, a T-33 Shooting Star owned by Boeing was used as a chase aircraft during the
maiden flight of the Boeing 787

USAF Beechcraft T-34 Mentor - 1953 - 450 Built for USAF - In service till 1960s !

USAF Cessna T-37 Tweet - 1957 - 1,269 Built - In service till 2011 !

USAF Northrop T-38 Talons - 1961 - 1,187 Built - 1961-1972

USAF North American T-39 Sabreliner - 1962 - 800+ Built - 1959-1982 - Still in Service

USAF Cessna T-41 Mescalero - 1964 - 224 Built

USAF De Havilland UV-18 Twin Otter - 1966 - 3 used at the USAF Academy for Parachute Training

USAF Raytheon T-1 Jayhawk - 1992 - 180 Built

USAF Beechcraft T-6A Texan II - 2000 - 435 Built

USAF Boeing T-43 - 1973 - 19 Built

USAF Observation Aircraft

USAAF Curtiss O-52 Owl - 1940 - 203 Built

USAAF Interstate Aircraft L-6 Cadet - 1940 - 574 Built

USAAF Taylorcraft L-2 Grasshopper - 1941

USAF Stinson L-5 Sentinel - 1942-1945 - 3,896 Built, Used into the 1950s

USAF Stinson L-13A Grasshopper - 1945-1947 - 301 Built, Used into the Korean War

USAF Cessna 0-1 - Bird Dog - 1950 - 3,431 Built - Over Vietnam

USAF De Havilland L-20A/U-6A - Beaver - 1950-1970 - 200 Built for USAF, 800 for Army - Korean & Vietnam

USAF Helio Aircraft Co. U-10 Courier - 1954 - 120 Built for USAF - Flying over Vietnam

USAF Cessna 0-2 - Skymaster - 1967 - 532 Built - Vietnam

Preserved Cessna O-2 Skymaster in New Jersey - 2008

USAF North American Rockwell 0V-10 - Bronco - 1968 - 158 Built - Over Vietnam

USAF 0V-10s at Patrick AFB, Fl in 1980
>> Click on the Picture for a 2800 Pixel Enlargement <<

USAF Boeing 0C-135B Open Skies - 1993 - 3 Built - In Service today
They Support the "Treaty on Open Skies" - They are Unarmed and Carry Only Photo Equipment
>> Click on the Picture for Enlargement <<

USAF Hawker Beechcraft MC-12W Liberty - 2009 - 37 Built - Used in Iraq and Afghanistan

USAF Air Lift / Cargo Aircraft

USAAF Douglas DC-2 / C-39 Transport - 1934 - About 200 Built

USAF Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando - 1940 - 3,181 Built
Used in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam - Retired in 1968

USAF Douglas DC-3/C-47 Skytrain / C-53 Skytrooper 10,000 + Built
Many Civilian owned aircraft still flying today throughout the world

USAF Douglas DC-3/C-47 Skytrains being loaded during the Berlin Airlift in 1948

USAF Douglas DC-4/C-54 Skymaster - 1942 - 1,170 Built - Retired in 1972
A Main Airlift Aircraft during the Korean war

USAF Lockheed C-69/C-121 - Constellation - 1943 - 22 Built for USAAF

USAF Douglas C-74 Globemaster - 1945 - 14 Built - Retired in 1956

USAF Fairchild C-82 Packet - 1944 - 223 Built - Replaced by C-119
>> Click on the Picture for a 1800 Pixel Enlargement <<

USAF Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter - 1947 - 60 Built - Retired 1978

USAF Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter with Additional Jet Engines

USAF Boeing YC-97J Stratofreighter with Turboprop Engines - 1947 - 2 Prototypes Built

USAF Convair XC-99 - Largest Piston Heavy Cargo Plane - 1 Built - In Service 1949-1957

USAF Douglas C-118 Liftmaster - From DC-6 - Built 1951 thru 1953 - About 102 C-118s Built

USAF Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar - 1949 - 1,180+ Built

USAF Fairchild XC-120 Packplane - 1 Prototype Built from C-119

USAF Fairchild C-123 Provider - 1949 - 307 Built

USAF Douglas C-124 Globemaster II - " Old Shaky" - 1950 - 448 Built - Retired 1974

USAF Lockheed C-130 Hercules

USAF Convair C-131A Samaritan

USAF Douglas C-133 Cargomaster

USAF Boeing EC-135J StratoLifter

USAF De Havilland C-7A Caribou

USAF Beechcraft C-12 Huron

USAF Short Brothers C-23A Sherpa

USAF Lockheed C-141 Star Lifter

USAF Mc Donnell Douglas C-9A Nightingale

USAF Lockheed C-5 Galaxy USAF Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

USAF Alenia Aeronautica C-27J Spartan - In Service 2008 with 38 on Order

USAF Rescue and Recovery Aircraft

Consolidated OA-10 / PBY-5 - Catalina Flying Boat- 1936 - 4051 Built for All Service Branches
In service till late 1950s !

Search and Rescue OA-10 at USAF Museum

USAF Boeing SB-17G - 5th Rescue Squadron with Air Droppable Life raft

USAF Douglas SC-54D Skymasters - 28 Built in Mid 1950s - With 40 Man Air Droppable Life rafts

USAF Sikorsky R-6A - Hoverfly II - 1945 - 225 Built
In service till late 1950s !

USAF Sikorsky H-5 - Dragonfly - 1945 - Over 300 Built
In service till 1957

USAF Grumman HU-16B - Albatross

USAF SA-16/HU-16B - Albatross - 1949 - 466 Built for All Service Branches
In service till late 1970s !

USAF Kaman Aircraft HH-43 - Huskie - 1948 - 200+ - In service till late 1970s

Over Vietnam

USAF Piasecki H-21 - Shawnee - 1949 - 185 Built - In service till mid 1970

USAF Sikorsky H-19 - Chickasaw - 1950 - 1500+ Built - In service till 1970s
Used in Korea & Vietnam

USAF Sikorsky H-34 - Choctaw - 1954 - 2,108 Built - In State Side Colors

USAF Sikorsky H-34 - Choctaw - 1954 - 2,108 Built - In service till 1970s
Used in Vietnam, Photo of Copters at Tan Son Nhut

USAF Sikorsky HH-3/C/E - Jolly Green Giant- 1959 - 120 Built - In service till 1990s !

USAF Sikorsky HH-53J - Super Jolly Green Giant - 1966 - 72 Built - Retired 2008?

USAF Sikorsky H-34 - Choctaw - 1954 - 2,108 Built - In service till 1970s
20 UH-1F's Converted to UH-1P Gun ships for USAF 20th Sp Ops Cmd - Used in Vietnam
Both Models retired in 2001

USAF Bell Huey HH-1H of the 304th Rescue Squadron

USAF Bell HH-1N - Twin Huey - Twin Engine - 1970 - In service to Present
Primary use is at Nuclear missile bases, patrolling Missile fields, Personnel transport, Search
and Rescue, and VIP transport in Washington, DC. They are in need of replacement!

USAF Sikorsky HH-60G - Pave Hawk - 1990 - 111 Built

Boeing HH-47G - Chinook - 2006 - 141 were to be Built for USAF - Cancelled in 2007
As of late 2010 they are being re-bid with no result yet.

USAF Bell Boeing CV-22 - Osprey- 2006 - 50 will be Built for USAF & 408 for other Service Branches

USAF Fighter Aircraft

USAF Lockheed P-38 - Lightning - 1941 - 10,000+ Built - In service till 1949 !

USAAF Curtiss P-40 - Warhawk - 1939-1944 - 13,000+ Built - Scrapped after WWII

USAF Republic P-47 - Thunderbolt - 1942 - 15,686 Built - In service till 1954 !

USAF Curtiss A-25A - Shrike - 1942 - 900 for USAAF

USAF North American P-51/F-51 - Mustang - 1942 - 15,875 Built - In service till 1953 !

USAF Northrop P-61 - Black Widow- 1944 - 742 Built

USAF Douglas A-1E - Skyraider - 1945 - 3,180 Built - In service till 1970s - Used in Vietnam

USAF Lockheed P-80/F-80 - Shooting Star - 1945 - 1,715 Built - Retired in Mid 1950s - Used in Korea

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Around 1946 The USAAF had put requirements out for a Long Range Penetration Fighter
that could escort the heavy bombers of the time. Prototypes from 3 different companies
were built.

The First was the USAF McDonnell XF-88 - 1948 - 2 Prototypes

USAF McDonnell XF-88 Jet with a additional Turboprop - 1948 - 2 Prototypes

The Second was the USAF Lockheed XF-90 - 1949 - 2 Prototypes

And Third was the USAF North American XF-93A - 1950 - 2 Prototypes

Experience learned during the Korean War and the introduction of the High Speed B-47
Bomber called for the cancellation for a Long Range Penetration Fighter and all contracts.
McDonnells XF-88 was redesigned and went on to become the F-101.

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USAF Lockheed P-80s of the 36th FBS at the Ready in Korea in 1950

USAF North American F-82 - Twin Mustang - 1946 - 270 Built

USAF North American AT-28A - Trojan - 1949 - 1,948 Built - Many used as Fighters

VNAF T-28Ds from the USAF in the Skies over Vietnam in 1962

USAF Republic F-84E - Thunderjet- 1946 - 7,524 Built

USAF Republic F-84F Thunderstreak / RF-84F Thunderflash - 1954

USAF ThunderBirds Demo Team using F-84F Planes
>> Click on the Picture for a Enlargement <<

USAF Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor - 1949 - 2 Prototypes Built from F-84

USAF Republic XF-84H Thunderscreech - 1955 - 2 Prototype Built

USAF North American F-86 - Sabre - 1949 - 9,860 Built

USAF F-86 Sabres on Alert in Korea
>> Click on the Picture for a 2600 Pixel Enlargement <<

USAF North American F-86D/K/L - Sabre Dog - 1950 - 2,847 Built
One of the First Fighters Outfitted with All weather Radar

USAF Northrop F-89 - Scorpion - 1950 - 1,050 Built - In service till 1969 !

USAF Lockheed F-94 - Starfire - 1950 - 855 - Built - In service till 1960 !

USAF North American F-100 Super Sabre - 1953 - 2,294 Built USAF McDonnell F-101 Voodoo - 1957 - 807 Built

USAF Convair -102 - Delta Dagger - 1953 - 1000 Built USAF Lockheed F-104 - Star Fighter - 1958 - 2578 Built

USAF F-104Cs of the 475th FIS at DaNang AB, Vietnam in 1965

USAF Republic F-105 - Thunderchief - 1958 - 833 Built USAF Convair F-106 - Delta Dart - 1959 - 340 Built

USAF North American F-107 - Super Super Sabre USAF North American XF-108 - Rapier
1955 - 3 Built 1958 - 1 Mockup Built

USAF McDonnell Douglas F-4 - Phantom II - 1960 - 5,195 Built - 1958-1981
Used by USAF, US Navy & US Marines !

USAF Northrop F-5A/B/C - Freedom Fighter - 1962 - 836 Built
USAF Northrop F-5E/F - Tiger II - 1972 - 1400+ Built

USAF General Dynamics F-111 - Aardvark - 1967 - 563 Built

USAF LTV A-7D - Corsair II - 1967 - About 500 Built for USAF - Over Vietnam - In service till 1991!

USAF Cessna A-37 - Dragonfly - 1967 - 577 Built - Over Vietnam - In service till late 1980s !

USAF McDonnell Douglas F-15A-D - Eagle - 1976 - 1100 + Built

USAF General Dynamics YF-16 and a Northrop YF-17 Prototypes Flying Togeather - 1974
The USAF went with the F-16, The YF-17 was developed into the Navy F/A-18

USAF Fairchild Republic A-10 - Thunderbolt II - "Wart Hog" , "Tank Killer" - 1977
715 Built - Still in Service today!

The Tank Killer 30 MM Gun on the A-10

USAF General Dynamics F-16 - Fighting Falcons - 1978 - Over 4,400 Built

USAF Lockheed F-117 - Night Hawk - 1st Stealth Fighter - 1983 - Retired 2008 - 64 Built
Replaced by the USAF F-22 - Raptors- 2nd Stealth Fighter - 2005

USAF McDonnell Douglas F-15E - Strike Eagle - 1988 - 340+ Built

USAF Lockheed Martin F-22 - Raptors- 2nd Stealth Fighter - 2005 - 135 Built as of Feb 2009

USAF Lockheed Martin F-35 - Ligthning IIs- 3rd Stealth Fighter - 2006 - 13 Test Planes built, 14 on Order

USAAF Bomber Aircraft

USAAF Martin B-10 - 1934 - 342 Built

USAAF Douglas B-18 - Bolo - 1938 - 350 Built - Most were destroyed at Pearl Harbor and
in the Philippines at the beginning of WWII !

USAAF Douglas B-23 - Dragon - 1938 - 38 Built - Based at 34th Bomb Wing at
McChord AFB, WA - Never saw Combat, Used for training and as VC-67 transports.
One of these is presently undergoing restoration in Moses Lake, WA

USAF Bomber Aircraft

USAF Boeing B-17 - Flying Fortress - 1938 - 12,731 Built

USAF Douglas A-20 - Havoc - 1941 - About 7,500 Built

USAF Consolidated B-24 - Liberator - 1941 USAF North American B-25 - Mitchell - 1941
18,482 Built 9,984 Built

USAF Martin A-26 - Marauder - 1941- 1947 - 5,288 Built

USAF Douglas A/B-26 - Invader - 1943-1972 - 2,452 Built- Often Confused as a B-26
but was a completely different Design. They were Designed with a Single Pilot & the
2nd Crew Member would act as the Navigator, Gun loader or Bombardier, with a 3rd
Crewmember operating remote controlled guns in the Dorsal and Ventral Gun Turrets.
They served in all Wars from WWII thru Vietnam and with the CIA.
The Photo above is B-26 of the 3rd Bomb Group that carried out the last USAF
Bombing over Korea, 24 minutes before the Armistice Agreement was signed June 27, 1953.

A USAF Douglas A-26 Invader in Danang AB, South Vietnam
Photo Contributed by R. Scott Lindley

A Whole line of USAF Douglas A-26 Invaders in Danang AB, South Vietnam
Photo Contributed by R. Scott Lindley

USAF Boeing B-29 - Super Fortress - 1944 - 3,970 Built

USAF Boeing B-29 - Super Fortress - In Dark Colors

USAF Consolidated B-32 - Dominator - 1945 - 118 Built
All Scrapped in Aug 1945, None remaining any where !

USAF Northrop XB-35 - Flying Wing - 1946 - 13 Prototypes Built
Cancelled July 1948 - Some airframes used for XB-49 development

USAF Convair B-36 - Peace Maker - 1949 - 384 Built             USAF North American B-45 - Tornado - 1948 - 143 Built
420 mph - In service till 1959 !                                          1st Jet Powered Bomber - 570 mph
                                                                                      In service till 1959 !

USAF Convair XB-46 - Medium Jet Bomber - 1947 - 1 Built
Cancelled 1947

USAF Boeing B-47 - StratoJet - 1951 - 2,032 Built
607 mph - In service till 1969 !

USAF Martin XB-48 - Medium Jet Bomber - 1947 - 2 Built
Cancelled 1948

USAF Northrop XB-49 - Flying Wing - 1949 - 3 Built
Last Prototype Scrapped Dec 1953

USAF Boeing B-50 - Superfortresss - 1949 - 371 Built
350 mph - In service till 1965!

USAF Martin XB-51 - Low Level Jet Bomber - 1949 - 2 Built
645 Mph - Cancelled 1952 - Both crashed

USAF Boeing B-52 - Stratofortresss - 1952 - 650 mph - 744 Aircraft were built, Production ended in 1962

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Many B-52s were destroyed per the terms of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
(START). AMARC was tasked with eliminating 365 B-52 bombers. The progress of this task was verified by Russia via
satellite and first-person inspection at the AMARC facility. Initially, the B-52s were chopped into pieces with a 13,000 pound guillotine.

Retired B-52s sit at the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan AFB near Tucson, Arizona

In 1991, B-52s ceased continuous 24-hour SAC alert duty

94 Aircraft are still in Service today and planned to be used till 2040.

On 16 February 1991 a flight of B-52Hs launching from and returning to Barksdale AFB, in Louisiana, struck
targets inside Iraq. This was at the time the longest distance combat mission in history,
35 hours and 14,000 statute miles round trip !

This Video Will Bring Back Memories to all Mid-1960s SAC Personnel

Many a Day or Night when I was stationed at Homestead AFB SAC held "ORIs", Operational Readiness
Tests, in which the SAC Air crews raced to their planes, B-52s and KC-135s ,and made ready to launch.
Most were no launch exercises to test response times. Some times it was a launch test.
At Homestead AFB in the Mid 1960s we could Launch about 12 B-52s and 12 KC-135s.
See the link below for a video of a SAC Alert Response and MITO exercise at Minot AFB, ND, in June 2009

Click here for the B-52 MITO Video

About 10 minutes

USAF B-52 - Stratofortresss - Over Iraq 1991

USAF B-52 - Lower Deck

Taking off from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam

>>>>> Link About a B-52 that Lost it's Tail ..Very Interesting <<<<<

USAF Martin B-57 - Canberra- 1954 - 598 mph - 403 Built - In service till about 1976 !

USAF Convair B-58 - Hustler - 1960 - Mach 2.1, 1400 mph - 116 Built - In service till 1970 !

USAF Convair YB-60 - Heavy Bomber - 1952 - 2 Built - Scrapped July 1954

USAF Douglas B-66 Destroyer - 1956 - 294 Built - 631 mph - In service till 1973 !

USAF North American XB-70 - Valkyrie - 1964 - 3.1 mach 2,056 mph - Only 2 Built

USAF North American XB-70 - Valkyrie - 1964 - On the Ramp- Never put into service.

USAF General Dynamics FB-111 Aardvark - 1968 - 76 Built for 2 SAC Bomb Wings - Last retired 1991

USAF Rockwell B-1 - Lancer - 1974 - Mach 1.25 830 mph - 104 Built

A USAF Rockwell B-1B in a High Speed Flyby

USAF Northrop Grumman B-2 - Spirit "Stealth Bomber" - 604 mph - 1989 - Only 21 Built

USAF Gunship Aircraft

USAF Douglas AC-47 - "Puff the Magic Dragon" - 1965 - Unknown number Built

USAF Fairchild AC-119G/K - Shadow/Stinger- 1958 - 52 Built

USAF Lockheed AC-130A/U - Spectre/Spooky- 1968/1995 - 43 Built

USAF Air Refueling Aircraft

USAF Boeing KB-29 - Strategic Tanker - 1948 - 282 Built

USAF Boeing KB-50J -Tanker - 1960s - F-100, F-101 & B-66 Being Refueled
During the Battle of Britain Day September 14, 1963 in England

Another View of Battle of Britain Day Fly-By

USAF Boeing KC97- Stratotanker - 1950 - 816 Built
>> Click on the Picture for a 2000 Pixel Enlargement <<

USAF Lockheed HC-130 - Hercules - 1959
>> Click on the Picture for a 3000 Pixel Enlargement <<

USAF Boeing KC-135A - StratoTanker - 1957-1965 - 803 Built

USAF Boeing KC-135R - StratoTanker - With New CFM-56 Turbofans

USAF Boeing KC-135R - A View from the Boom Operator's Window
Operator laying down and head on chin rest.

USAF McDonnell Douglas KC-10 - Extender - 1981 - 64 Built

USAF Boeing KC-46A

The On Feb 24, 2011, the USAF Awarded Boeing Aircraft the 3.5 Billion Contract for up to 179
KC-46A Aircraft, which will be built on the 767 platform with Glass Cockpits from 787s.
The new aircraft will also have the capability of up to 190 passengers and 19 pallets of cargo.
18 KC-46A's are to be delivered by 2017. The older KC-135s could only provide for 52
passengers and 6 pallets of cargo.

USAF Reconnaissance/Utility/Special Ops Aircraft

There were Many Variants of USAF Planes used for Reconnaissance

Shown below are just a few of the Well known Aircraft.

USAF Northrop RF-15A- Reporter - 1946 - 36 Built

USAF Beech Aircraft UC-45 Expeditor - 1946 - VIP Transport - 900+ Built - In Service till 1963

USAF Boeing RB-17G - Fotorecon 1948 - 20 + Converted - Assigned till 1951 to Travis AFB, CA
Also the 6204th Photo Mapping Squadron completed mapping of North Korean by November 1950.

USAF North American RB-45C - 1948 - 38 Built - In service till 1959

USAF Martin E/RB-57's - Canberra- 1954 - 598 mph - About 60 Built - In service till 1971 !

USAF Lockheed EC-121 - Warning Star - 1954 - 232 Built - In Service till 1978 !

USAF Lockheed EC-121R - Super Constellations Flown by the 553rd Recon Wing from 1967 to 1971
from Korat Thailand. They were known as the "Batcats"
Photo Submitted by a retired USAF Crew member

USAF Douglas RB-66 Photo Recon - 1956 - 36 Built

USAF Lockheed B-69A from P2 Aircraft- Sp Ops - 1954 - 1966 - 7 Built
For CIA with USAF markings - Flown in South China Sea Area, Laos and Vietnam

USAF Douglas EB-66 ECM - 1966 - 36 Built - Used over Vietnam

USAF Lockheed MC-130 AFSOC - 1966 - 2012 - 5 Model types E/H/P/W/J - 86 total built
Their mission is infiltration, exfiltration, and resupply of Special Operation Forces and
Air refueling of sp ops helicopter and tilt-rotor aircraft.

USAF McDonnell RF-101/A/Cs - Voodoo - 1957 - About 330 Built - Used during Cuban Missile Crisis and
Vietnam. Photo above, Tan Son Nhut 1965 - It replaced RB-57s - In service till 1982 !

USAF /VNAF Cessna U-17A/Bs - Modified Cessna 185 Skywagons- About 100 Built
Used by the VNAF - this one at Nha Trang AB, Vietman - Mid 1960s

USAF Beechcraft QU-22B - 27 Built in 1970 - Used by the 553rd Recon "Vampires" to orbit over the
Ho Chi Minh Trail to relay Igloo White tactical ground sensor signals to the Task Force Alpha
monitoring station at Nakhon Phanom Air Base in Thailand during the Vietnam War till 1972. Built to
be a remote controlled aircraft, it was manned by a single pilot after equipment reliability issues.

USAF McDonnell Douglas F-4G Wild Weasel - 1964 - About 550 Built - Used during Vietnam and Gulf War.
It replaced RF-105's - In service till 1995 !

USAF General Dynamic EF-111 - Raven - 1983 - 42 Built - Replaced the B-66 - In service till 1998 !

Nice Picture of a USAF F-4, A-10 & RF-4C During an Air Show in 1987
>> Click on the Picture for a 3000 Pixel Enlargement <<

5 USAF McDonnell Douglas RF-4Cs of the 67th TRW
>> Click on the Picture for a 3000 Pixel Enlargement <<

USAF Lockheed U-2 - Dragon Lady - 1957 - 86 Built

USAF Lockheed U-2 in Dark Blue/Black Colors

USAF Lockheed EC-130E Hercules Airborne Battlefield Command & Control - Retired Now

USAF Lockheed EC-130H Hercules Compass Call - 1982 - 55th ECG - 14 Built
USAF Lockheed EC-130 J Hercules Commando Solo - PSYOP - 1992- SOCOM - 7 Built

USAF Boeing RC-135s - Many Different Variants with Different Electronic Duties and Names - 1961
32 Built and in Service today with Engines and Airframe Upgrades
>> Click on the Picture for Enlargement <<

USAF Boeing NKC-135 - Airborne Laser Lab - 1963
>> Click on the Picture for Enlargement <<

USAF Boeing EC-135 - Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft (ARIA) - mid 1960's thru mid 1990s
They were used in support of NASA Space programs and were stationed predominantly
at the Air Force Eastern Test Range at Patrick AFB, Florida.
Information provided by a retired USAF member

USAF Boeing WC-135 Constant Phoenix - 1965 - 11 Built - These Aircraft are fitted with
Equipment for Detecting Atmospheric Particulate Debris and Gaseous effluents
including Radiation from Nuclear detonations and Accidents through out the world.
Most recently over flew Japan's Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Plant in March 2011.
>> Click on the Picture for Enlargement <<

USAF Lockheed SR-71 2 Seater Trainer - Blackbird - 1966

Lockheed YF-12A - Blackbird

Lockheed SR-71A - Blackbird

Records - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The SR-71 remained the world's fastest and highest-flying operational manned aircraft throughout its career.
From an altitude of 80,000 ft (24 km), it could survey 100,000 square miles (260,000 km²) per hour
(72 square kilometers per second) of the Earth's surface. In addition, it was accurate enough to take
a picture of a car's license plate from this altitude. On 28 July 1976, an SR-71 broke the world record for
its class: an absolute speed record of 1905.81 knots (2,193.17 mph, 3,529.56 km/h), and an "absolute altitude record"
of 85,069 feet (25,929 m). Several aircraft exceeded this altitude in zoom climbs but not in sustained flight.

When the SR-71 was retired in 1990, one example was flown from its birthplace at United States Air Force Plant 42
in Palmdale, California, to go on exhibit at what is now the Smithsonian Institution's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
(an annex of the National Air & Space Museum) in Chantilly, Virginia. On 6 March 1990, Lt. Col. Ed Yeilding and
Lt. Col. J. T. Vida piloted the Blackbird, setting a coast-to-coast aircraft speed record: 67 minutes 54 seconds,
at an average speed 2,125 mph (3,419 km/h). Three additional records were set within segments of the flight,
including an average speed of 2,190 mph (3,524 km/h) measured between the radar gates set up in St. Louis and
Cincinnati. These four speed records were accepted by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), the recognized
body for aviation records in the United States. An enthusiast site devoted to the Blackbird lists a record time of
64 minutes 20 seconds between Los Angeles and Washington DC for that 6 March 1990 flight.

The SR-71 also holds the record for flying from New York to London in 1 hour 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds, set
on 1 September 1974. This equates to an average velocity of about Mach 2.68, including deceleration for in-flight
refueling. Peak speeds during this flight were probably closer to the declassified top speed of Mach 3.2+.
(For comparison, the best commercial Concorde flight time was 2 hours 52 minutes, and the Boeing 747
averages 6 hours 15 minutes.)

USAF Boeing YAL-1 - Airborne Laser Testbed - SOCOM- 2002
>> Click on the Picture for Enlargement <<

USAF Fairchild Swearingen C-26B - 11 - Used by ANG, Homeland Security - 2005

USAF Lockheed AL C-130- Airborne Laser Testbed - SOCOM - 2007

USAF Beecdhcraft MC-12 Liberty - Recon over Iraq - 2009

USAF Pilatus Aircraft U-28A - 319th Sp Ops - 23 Built - 2010

USAF Command, VIP, & Liaison Aircraft

USAF Douglas VC-54C - Skymaster - 1945 - Presidents FDR and Trumans "The Sacred Cow"

USAF Douglas VC-118B - Liftmaster - 1947- President Trumans "The Independence"

USAF Lockheed VC-121E - Super Constellation - 1953- President Eisenhowers "Colombine III"

USAF Boeing VC-137B - Stratoliner - VIP Transport - 1954-1965

USAF Lockheed C-140A / VC-140B Jetstar - VIP Transport - 1957-1979 - 204 Built
>> Click on the Picture for a Enlargement <<

USAF Cessna 310 U-3/L-27A Blue Canoe - 1957 - 546 Built

USAF C-21 Learjet 35/36 - 1973 - 80 Built for USAF

USAF Boeing E-4A/B National Emergency Airborne Command Post Aircraft - 1974 - 4 Built

USAF Boeing E-3 - Sentry - Airborne Warning and Control System - 1977 - 68 Built

USAF Boeing E-8 - Joint STARS - Airborne Battle Management - 1991 - 17 Built

USAF Boeing C-40B VIP Transport

USAF Boeing VC-137C - The Spirit of 76 - Air Force 1 - #26000, Built 1962 & #27000 - Built in 1972

USAF Boeing VC-25 - Air Force 1 - #28000/#29000 - 1990 - 2 Built

USAF Boeing C-32 VIP Transport - 1998 - Boeing 757 - 4 Built
Air Force 1 into Shorter Airports in US and Around the World

USAF Remote Control Observation and Attack Aircraft

USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk - 2005 - ? Built - Used in Afghanistan

USAF General Atomics MQ-1 - Predator - 1995 - 195 Built

USAF General Atomics MQ-9 - Reaper - 2001 - 28 Built - Taxing for Takeoff in Afghanistan

USAF General Atomics MQ-9 - Reaper - In Flight

>>>> TO ACCESS THE ITEMS BELOW, RIGHT CLICK ON THE FILE NAME <<<<<
AND DO A " SAVE TARGET AS" TO SAVE THE FILE YOUR COMPUTER !

Then Open the File on Your Computer !

****************************************************************

Oops....Aircraft Accidents

1. KC-135 Pressure Test on Ground - 438 kb .pps file

2. AirBus Final Engine Check - 360 kb .pps file

>> More to be added soon <<

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