Tactical Air Command, based in the United States itself, held the majority of the USAF’s tactical air power. The wartime role for most TAC units was to deploy their assets to regional USAF commands, primarily to the main Cold War ‘front’ Commands, USAFE and PACAF, as well as to Latin America and the Caribbean with the Southern Air Division, and to the Middle East with the Rapid Deployment Force (later Central Command). Therefore, overseas deployments were routine for many TAC units. Howeve...

‘Fighter pilots make movies, bomber pilots make history’ – or so the bomber pilots say, anyway. Strategic Air Command held a constant nuclear-armed vigil, ready to launch nuclear war at a moment’s notice, twenty-four hours a day. SAC was responsible for two of the three components of the Nuclear Triad – manned strategic bombers and land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) – alongside the Navy’s SLBMs. Also responsible for the USAF’s strategic reconnaissance aircraft, SAC main...

The final decade of the Cold War saw unprecedented peacetime expansion of the US Navy, including Naval Aviation. President Reagan’s plan for a 600-ship Navy resulted in stepped-up construction of Nimitz class supercarriers and the aircraft to operate from them, including new types like the F/A-18 Hornet. Naval aviation was highly diverse, from carrier-borne F-14 Tomcats to P-3 Orions keeping vigil over the world’s oceans, SH-2 Seasprites operating from tiny landing pads on warships in heav...

This, the second of two volumes covering United States Naval Aviation in the 1980s, completes the story by exploring training, reserve, test and US Marine Corps air stations. US Marine Corps aviation squadrons took part in combat operations, while supplementing older types like the A-4 and F-4, with new types including the AV-8B, CH-53E and F/A-18. Naval Education and Training Command oversaw the ‘Street to Fleet’ process, recruiting civilians and turning them into combat-ready naval perso...

Military Airlift Command was a United States Air Force Major Command, responsible for strategic and tactical airlift, primarily operating C-130, C-141 and C-5 transports. MAC also provided presidential and VIP transportation. MAC was organised into two geographically aligned Numbered Air Forces: 21st Air Force controlled units stationed east of the Mississippi, including those in Europe, while 22d Air Force controlled those stationed to the west, including those in the Pacific. MAC also co...

Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) and Alaskan Air Command (AAC) were Major Commands of the United States Air Force. Pacific Air Forces controlled units stationed in Hawaii, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines. PACAF was responsible for an area of over 100 million square miles; its forces primarily faced the threats posed by the Soviet Union, the People’s Republic of China and North Korea. Alaskan Air Command was responsible for providing air-defence forces, which were operationally tasked by N...

On the front line of the Cold War, during a decade that saw East–West tensions – and budgets – rise considerably, the United States Air Forces in Europe reached the peak of their power during the 1980s. Not only did USAFE expand, but it introduced a generation of advanced new types, developed to counter perceived Soviet advances and often in light of America’s still recent, and often bitter, experiences in Vietnam. Eagles, Fighting Falcons and Warthogs joined the ranks in increasing number...

Tracing roots to colonial militia formed in 1636, the National Guard provides the militia of US states, districts, commonwealths and territories. The Air National Guard was split away from the Army National Guard in 1947, concurrent with the creation of the USAF. Guard units also act as a federal reserve; when ‘federalized’ by order of the President, ANG units form part of the active USAF. Traditionally equipped with much older hand-me-down aircraft types than regular USAF units, the intro...