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Air force
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see
Air force
An '''air force''' is a
Armed force military organization that primarily operates in
aerial warfare. They typically use a combination of
Fighter aircraft fighters,
bombers,
helicopters,
Cargo aircraft#Military Cargo Aircraft transport planes and other aircraft. Many air forces are also responsible for operations of military space,
intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), and communications equipment.
Organization
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 Forces Air Command Canadian Air Force operate all military aircraft, even when they are attached to
Canadian Forces Land Force Command Canadian Army units.
Air Forces typically operate numerous types of aircraft. These may include
* ''
Fighter aircraft Fighters'', used to destroy other aircraft;
* ''
Bombers'' and ''Attack Aircraft'', used to attack ground targets;
* ''
Reconnaissance Aircraft'';
* ''
Electronic Warfare Aircraft'';
* ''
Airborne Early Warning Aircraft'';
* ''Transport Aircraft'';
* ''Tankers'' which provide in-flight re-fuelling for other aircraft;
* ''
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 have a unique
Air_force_officer_ranks rank structure; other air forces such as the
United States Air Force (USAF) have a
Ranks_and_insignia_of_NATO_Air_Forces_Enlisted rank structure on the Enlisted side that is unique, but the Officer corps uses
Ranks_and_insignia_of_NATO_Air_Forces_Officers 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.
Contrary to popular belief, pilots often make up only a small portion of an air force's personnel. For every pilot, there is a flight crew who supports the air craft, a maintenance group, communications crew, satellite operators, administrative personnel, medical personnel...in truth, although the majority of the senior leadership of most air forces are pilots, the majority of the personnel are not. Some air forces also operate
anti-aircraft artillery (now with
radars and
missiles), and a few air forces even 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.
See also
*
List of air forces
*
United States Air Force
*
Aerial warfare
*
Life support (aviation)
*
History of military aviation
Category:Military aviation organization
Category:Types of military
Category:Air forces
da:Flyvevåben
de:Luftstreitkräfte
eo:Aerarmeo
fr:Armée de l'air
he:חיל ×?וויר
ka:ს�მხედრ�-ს�ჰ�ერ� ძ�ლები
nl:Luchtmacht
ja:空�
no:Flyvåpen
nn:Flyvåpen
pt:Força Aérea
ro:Forţă aeriană
simple:Air force
sl:Vojno letalstvo
fi:Ilmavoimat
sv:Flygvapen
vi:Không quân
zh:空军
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