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Warmatrix

War Matrix - US Air Force

Cold War 1945 CE - 1991 CE, Armies and troops

Two F-15s refueling
Two F-15s refueling
The United States Air Force is the air force of the USA, currently by far the largest in the world.
The armed forces of the USA adopted their first airplanes in 1907 CE. At the time there was no independent air force; men and material were part of either the army or the navy. In 1941 CE, when the USA was drawn into World War II, the air force of the army was renamed to United States Army Air Forces and became largely independent of the other two branches. It participated in the bombing raids over Germany, daring to fly daytime missions. The bombers took heavy losses until they were supplemented with long range escort fighters. The air force used its numerical advantage to provide overwhelming air power during D-Day and the subsequent liberation of western Europe. In the Pacific theatre it also performed bombing and ground support. It was American B-29's that dropped the atomic bombs on Japan.
After the war, in 1947 CE, the effective independence of the air force was formalized with the creation of the US Air Force. Over the years, it established bases all around the world in friendly countries, making its operational range global. The start of the Cold War shifted the focus of the air force to strategic bombing with nuclear weapons. At first heavy bombers like the B-52 were assigned to the task, but improving air defenses forced it to develop more sophisticated models like the B-1 and stealth bombers like the F-117 and B-2.
Besides a strategic role it also delivers ground support, in the form of reconnaissance, tactical ground attacks, transport, rescue operations and patrols. The USAF played important roles in all of the USA's major wars after World War II: the Korean War; the Vietnam War; the Gulf War and others. In many of these wars it was able to achieve air superiority and provide strong support for ground forces.
The USAF has always favored technologically advanced aircraft that could often outperform their contemporary adversaries. The strong industrial base of the USA guaranteed that ideal could be fulfilled throughout the second half of the 20th century CE. It is currently still the strongest air force in the world, not only in quality but also in quantity. However, the cost of all these advanced aircraft is a strain on its budget. Increasingly the focus is shifted from manned aircraft to unmanned drones.