The Progressive Era, marked by a desire for economic, political, and social reform, ended for most Americans with the ugly reality and devastation of World War I. Yet for Army Air Service officers, th
The story begins in the fall of 1915, on the cusp of America's entry into World War I. Aviation giant Glenn Curtiss sought a location where pilots could train and aircraft could be tested year-round,
In 1961, pilot Robert M. White flew a hypersonic rocket-powered airplane six times faster than the speed of sound and higher than 300,000 feet above the Earth's surface. This is his story. Tracing hi
The authors review Air Force purchases of 3low-demand2 parts, analyzing how much the Air Force spends on such parts and the types of parts that have a low demand. They then identify and synthesize bes
Although primitive unmanned TV-guided airplanes were used in combat during World War II, it is only recently that these machines have matured into the most significant new method of aerial combat sin
Analyzes the Air Force's seven medical and professional officer corps--the Biomedical Sciences Corps, the Chaplain Corps, the Dental Corps, the Judge Advocate General Corps (attorneys), the Medical Co
The Air Force relies on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) as part of its officer selection process. Despite concerns about the test, the authors conclude that it is a good selection test t
Working with allies to build their defense capacity, acquire access to their territories for potential operations, and strengthen relationships with their air forces is an important U.S. Air Force ac
For more than 15 years, the U.S. Air Force has been continually engaged in deployed operations in Southwest Asia and in other locations. Recent Office of the Secretary of Defense planning guidance di
The U.S. Air Force leadership plans in the near term to identify arid implement a range of initiatives for enhancing the service's contributions to irregular warfare (IW) operations and to meet DoD g
In the Cockpit II: Inside History-Making Aircraft of World War II provides close-up access to the instrument panels, controls, and crew stations of 34 legendary World War II aircraft in the Smithsonia
Relates the story of the author's life, during which he excelled in college football, became a top fighter pilot and squadron commander during World War II, and led and fought with fighter pilots duri
Crickmore's first groundbreaking book about the Lockheed SR-71 was published by Osprey in 1986. At that time, the Cold War was at its height and the SR-71 was an integral element in securing vitally n
Relates the story of the author's life, during which he excelled in college football, became a top fighter pilot and squadron commander during World War II, and led and fought with fighter pilots duri
The ability to rapidly deploy forces into austere locations is essential to the global power projection concept of operation. Much of the materiel used by such expeditionary forces does not deploy wit
In 1948, just as the Cold War was settling into the form it would maintain for nearly half a century, major antagonists the US and the USSR began maneuvering into a series of dangerously hostile encou
William Lendrum "Billy" Mitchell (December 28, 1879-February 19, 1936) was an American army general who is regarded by many as the father of the U.S. Air Force. One of the most famous and most contro
Focusing primarily on the officer structure, this technical report provides a brief primer on the specialty-classification system, summarizes major changes in progress or planned, and suggests additio
An extensive body of literature highlights the challenges of aging aircraft. The basic concern is that aircraft become more expensive to maintain and less available for operations as they age. In this
