Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
United States Air Force
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command training mission The Union Balloon Corps and the balloon Intrepid Boeing B-9 and P-26 P-6E planes in formation USAF B-17 bombers Normandy Invasion: Allied bombardment of Pointe du Hoc USAF refueling operations during the Vietnam War USAF F-22 Raptor USAF E-3 Sentry Two F-16 Fighting Falcons of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds aerobatic squadron performing a "calypso" maneuver over Ellsworth Air Force Base, Rapid City, S.D., May 30, 2009.
For Students
United States Air Force summary
Read Next
B-52G with cruise missiles, USAF, short range attack missiles SRAMs; guided missile
11 of the World’s Most Famous Warplanes
Manila folders marked confidential.
6 Oddly Named U.S. Government Operations
Discover
Ethel Rosenberg arrested in August 1950. Photograph dated Aug. 8, 1950. American civilians executed for espionage. Spies, communists, Julius Rosenberg
Spies Like Us: 10 Famous Names in the Espionage Game
Thumbnail for flags that look alike quiz Russia, Slovenia, Iceland, Norway
Flags That Look Alike
earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.
The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950
A human Inuit skull in a stone chambered cairn in Ilulissat in Greenland. These ancient graves are pre christian and are at least 2000
14 Tough Questions Answered
Los Angeles Police Department wanted flyer on Elizabeth Short, aka the "Black Dahlia," who was brutally murdered in January 1947. The FBI supported the Los Angeles Police Department in the case, including by identifying Short through her fingerprints that
America’s 5 Most Notorious Cold Cases (Including One You May Have Thought Was Already Solved)
Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.
Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?
Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1855), founder of the house of Rothschild; lithograph by Friedrich Lieder, c. 1830.
Where Do Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories About the Rothschild Family Come From?

United States Air Force: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/The-United-States-Air-Force
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As USAF • Air Force, United States
Areas Of Involvement air warfare
Related People Charles Q. Brown, Jr. • Edward O’Hare • William Mitchell • Lori Robinson • Henry Harley Arnold • John Hay Whitney • Claire L. Chennault • James H. Doolittle • Chuck Yeager • Carl Spaatz • Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. • Nathan F. Twining • Curtis E. LeMay • Frank M. Andrews • Edward Vernon Rickenbacker

Photos and Videos

U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command training mission
The Union Balloon Corps and the balloon Intrepid
Boeing B-9 and P-26
P-6E planes in formation
USAF B-17 bombers
Normandy Invasion: Allied bombardment of Pointe du Hoc
USAF refueling operations during the Vietnam War
USAF F-22 Raptor
USAF E-3 Sentry
Two F-16 Fighting Falcons of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds aerobatic squadron performing a "calypso" maneuver over Ellsworth Air Force Base, Rapid City, S.D., May 30, 2009.
Watch the takeoff of SR-71 Blackbird from Edwards Air Force Base, California
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics

Related Quizzes and Features

List
Manila folders marked confidential.
6 Oddly Named U.S. Government Operations
B-52G with cruise missiles, USAF, short range attack missiles SRAMs; guided missile
11 of the World’s Most Famous Warplanes